I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 514 - 258: How to Make Home-Style Soy Sauce Chicken! Shen Guofu: Who Really Calls the Shots in This Family? [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_2
"These ingredients need to be stewed for a longer period, so that theyโll have the best texture when eaten." ๐ง๐๐๐๐คโฏ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฃโฏ๐ญ.๐คโด๐ฎ
When Wei Qian entered, Guo Xinghai and Lin Xu stopped chatting and started to clean the small softshell turtles. These turtles were perfectly suited for whole braising.
Guo Xinghai was adept at handling these small turtles.
In the midst of speaking, he had already slaughtered the turtles. He used a kitchen knife to cut from the tail, splitting the top shell from the body by about a third.
This large cut not only made it easier to clean out the internal organs but also allowed the turtle to maintain a complete and appealing appearance. It also helped the turtle absorb flavors better during the braising process.
After cleaning them, Zhu Yong carried them downstairs to Xu Xinhua for braising.
After cleaning the small turtles, Guo Xinghai felt energized and wanted to show off a bit.
Seeing a few free-range chickens that Old Huang had brought, he said, "Since there are many people for dinner tonight, Iโll add another dish. Let me show you my Soy Sauce Chicken."
Soy Sauce Chicken?
Lin Xu had tasted it last time during the engagement dinner at Building Number Ten. Although he was immersed in the joy of engagement and did not pay much attention to the flavors, the rich aroma of the soy and the crispy skin and flavorful meat of the Soy Sauce Chicken had left a deep impression on him.
But isnโt making Soy Sauce Chicken supposed to start with simmering various spices and ingredients in soy sauce?
He curiously asked, "Will there be enough time?"
"Not if you use the hotel version," Guo Xinghai replied. "The hotelโs Soy Sauce Chicken needs several hours just for simmering the soy sauce. Iโm doing the home-style version, which you can learn instantly."
The hotelโs method was complicated and hard to learn on the spur of the moment. But upon hearing it was the home-style version, Lin Xu became interested.
One day, if his father-in-law or Shen Baobao craved it, he could show off his skills, Lin Xu thought. And since itโs so easy to learn, if Shen Baobao and her older sister suddenly got the urge to learn cooking, this dish would be perfect to demonstrate.
Thinking this, he smiled and said, "I donโt know how to make Soy Sauce Chicken yet, so this is a good time to learn."
Guo Xinghai picked a chicken with tender meat, brought it over, placed it in a basin, sprinkled two handfuls of salt, and started to seriously rub it onto the chicken skin.
Although these chickens had been cleaned after being slaughtered, there was still some dirt residue on the surface, like the yellowish membranes on the wings and other parts. There were also some tiny dirt particles in the chickenโs pores, which could only be cleaned by rubbing firmly with salt.
After rubbing with salt, the chicken skin looked much cleaner. He rinsed it in clean water to wash off the salt and also pulled out the lymph nodes from the chickenโs neck.
After doing this, he started boiling water in a pot and added Scallion and Ginger to it. When the water in the pot was almost boiling, he poured in half a spoonful of Cooking Wine. Then, holding the chicken by the neck, he placed it over the pot and scooped water from the pot to rinse the chicken.
The moment it was rinsed, the chicken skin obviously tightened.
He rinsed the whole chicken once, then held it by the neck and submerged it fully in the pot. He pressed it down slightly with the back of the ladle to fill the chickenโs cavity with hot water. After immersing it, he lifted out the chicken, and bloody water clearly flowed from the cavity.
Seeing this, Lin Xu asked curiously, "Does Plain Chicken also have similar steps?"
"Yes," Guo Xinghai explained. "This process tightens the chicken skin and, as much as possible, cleans the bloody water from the cavity to enhance the chickenโs umami and flavor."
Guo Xinghai repeatedly scalded the chicken in the pot three times. He then lifted it out, let it drain, and placed it into ice water to cool down.
"With this treatment, the crispness of the chicken skin is fixed," Guo Xinghai continued. "No matter how itโs cooked later, the skin will be smooth and crispy when eaten."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xuโs spirits lifted. Both his father and father-in-law loved dishes with smooth, crispy skin, finding them perfect with alcohol. Heโd have to get his father and father-in-law together to try this later. Those two in-laws, who had nearly performed a sworn brotherhood ceremony on several occasions, would surely appreciate it. If it was good, it would become another signature dish for family gatherings.
While the chicken was cooling, Guo Xinghai started preparing the ingredients needed for the Soy Sauce Chicken: dried onions, fresh ginger, scallion knots, two Star Anise, a large piece of Crystal Sugar, a small bowl of Light Soy Sauce, half a small bowl of Dark Soy Sauce, more than half a bowl of Rose Wine, and two large bowls of clean water.
The ingredients were simple.
After preparations, Guo Xinghai placed a wok on the stove. He drizzled a bit of peanut oil into the bottom. Once the oil was hot, he added the halved dried onions and ginger slices to release their fragrance. Then, he poured in the clean water and added all the other ingredients.
Once it boiled on high heat, he stirred with a spoon for a while. As soon as the Crystal Sugar had completely dissolved, a pleasant soy sauce aroma wafted from the pot.
Guo Xinghai held the cooled chicken over the pot and spooned the sauce over its skin. After coating it once, he submerged the chicken completely in the pot. Then he scooped up the sauce and poured it into the chickenโs cavity, reduced the heat, and covered the pot.
There wasnโt enough sauce in the pot to submerge the entire chicken.
"How long will this take?" Lin Xu asked. He looked through the clear lid at the chicken, which towered over the sauce like an iceberg, and had a feeling it would be difficult for the chicken to absorb the flavors properly.
"Boil for twenty minutes, flip it, then boil for another twenty minutes, and it should be ready to serve," Guo Xinghai said.
Soy Sauce Chicken should not be eaten immediately after being taken out of the pot. It should be allowed to cool slightly to let the meat firm up again; that way, it tastes even better. And as it cools, the color of the chicken also becomes even more appealing.
As the chicken simmered on low heat, Wei Qian finished preparing the Chinese yam sticks and had also soaked some black fungus.
