Chapter 576: Chapter 562: Are You Sure You Want to Use That Knife in Your Hand?

A little after nine in the morning.

In front of the "So Delicious" store, some neighbors had already started lining up with their queuing tools.

As usual, they set up large umbrellas, card tables, and chess tables.

Old Qin was also there.

But he wasn’t joining in.

That’s right.

At this moment, his mind was unsettled, and he was in no mood to play chess!

Just because he heard a piece of news in the crowd that kept him from calming down~

This news!

Of course, it was about Huang Tao planning to make Wensi Tofu and Nine-Turned Large Intestine at noon!

Indeed.

He really never expected that Huang Tao could actually make these two famous dishes?!

It’s well known that Wensi Tofu is a traditional dish from the Huaiyang region, belonging to Huaiyang Cuisine; while Nine-Turned Large Intestine is one of Shandong’s ten classic dishes, belonging to Lu Cuisine, these two dishes...

Are from completely unrelated culinary styles...

Although a renowned chef must master one type of cuisine and also be adept in the cooking methods and skills of other cuisines, whether it’s cooking, fire control, knife work, food carving, cold dishes, snacks, or garnishing, they must be proficient.

However!

Those who can truly reach this level are few and far between among the older generation of chefs.

Not to mention the younger generation of chefs.

No way~

He had to go observe, otherwise, he’d be thinking about it all day in unease.

Seeing that it wasn’t early, and through the glass window, he could vaguely see the back kitchen in the store seemingly starting to prepare ingredients, so he decided and knocked on the door amid many puzzled and bewildered looks from the neighbors.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

Ding Suqin heard the knock and came to open the door.

Seeing that it was Old Qin, she couldn’t help but curiously ask, "Mr. Qin, we’re not open yet, is there something you need?"

Old Qin smiled, stating his purpose: "I heard your boss is going to make Wensi Tofu and Nine-Turned Large Intestine at noon, and I came to watch him make these dishes."

Ding Suqin paused for a moment.

She strongly suspected Old Qin wanted to be a taste-tester again, but she had no proof,

Since that’s what he said, she could only turn to look at Huang Tao not far away, who was looking at his phone, to ask for his opinion.

Huang Tao, browsing a store rental app, noticed the situation and smiled, saying, "Elder Qin, you’re just in time. I’m about to make Wensi Tofu! You can help me taste it later."

Ah!

Just what Old Qin wanted!

These words fell in Old Qin’s ears, deeply delighted him, and he cheerfully waved his fan, saying, "Sure! I’m more than happy to!"

"Boss Huang, I have one more request. I’d like to watch from outside the kitchen, is that alright?"

Finally, he didn’t forget to respectfully ask another question.

Huang Tao nodded in agreement: "Of course! Be my guest, I’ll start preparing in the kitchen."

"Daddy, Daddy, I want to watch too, I want to watch too..." Xuanxuan chimed in excitedly.

"Okay, then you watch with Mr. Qin."

Huang Tao patted her little head, then went into the kitchen, washed his hands, ready to begin with the Wensi Tofu.

Wensi Tofu, as the name implies, the main ingredient is tofu.

Glucono delta-lactone tofu will do!

As for the ingredients, it requires mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, Jinhua ham, and small bok choy leaves.

However, these ingredients are not fixed and can be flexibly changed and replaced.

For instance, the Jinhua ham can be substituted with carrots, and the mushrooms can be replaced with wood ear mushrooms. Additionally, you can add some thinly sliced egg crepes, giving the dish a bright yellow color.

This makes it look even more luxurious!

Besides these ingredients, there’s one more crucial ingredient for this dish, which is... clear chicken broth.

For this dish, most people’s focus is on the knife work for slicing the glucono delta-lactone tofu.

However, true experts focus more on the clear chicken broth.

Because making a pot of tasty, visually appealing, and flavorful clear chicken broth is no less challenging than slicing the glucono delta-lactone tofu.

The clear chicken broth he planned to use today was made at home yesterday.

It was made using a hen over three years old, with the unnecessary chicken head, feet, wing tips, and tail removed, then put in a pot with cold water, slowly simmered over a low flame.

The water in the pot needs to maintain a state that’s almost boiling, and if scum appears, it must be skimmed off promptly.

This simmering process has to be maintained for six to seven hours.

Only then can you get a pot of clear chicken broth.

Once the chicken broth is cooked, it still needs to be filtered with cheesecloth.

This cheesecloth is quite particular and isn’t just any single layer but several layers thick.

After filtering, the clear chicken broth is ready for use.

Making clear chicken broth is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Someone needs to monitor it the entire time.

Because it’s simmered over low heat, you never know when scum may appear, and it must be skimmed off immediately when it does.

This tests the chef’s endurance, so it is as challenging as slicing the glucono delta-lactone tofu.

With this important ingredient of clear chicken broth ready, Huang Tao now just needs to slice the glucono delta-lactone tofu, then prepare the other ingredients.

For most people, the process of slicing the tender glucono delta-lactone tofu into hair-like thin strips is undoubtedly a pleasing spectacle.

Huang Tao thought so too.

Watching food shows in the past, he was both amazed and impressed by the knife skills!