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73. Chapter 73
The contestants opened their envelopes one by one. The host took turns introducing the story or historical background behind each delicacy.
"I see that Fu Fengxing has drawn the 'Lantern Shadow Beef'," said the host. "The main challenge with this dish lies in the precision of the knife work. The beef must be thinly sliced and then fried in a specially-made spicy oil. Once prepared, the beef looks bright red, as thin as lantern paper. If illuminated, you can see its shadows, hence the name."
"And Zhuang Zhouyang got the 'Eight Treasures Pastry'..."
After giving a brief introduction, the host instructed the contestants to follow the crew to six pre-selected restaurants. There, they would learn the preparation methods from the owners before making the dishes themselves.
"'Preserved Mustard Pork in Flatbread'?" Yu An Tong muttered, reading the name on the card from his envelope, feeling utterly lost.
In previous competitions, once the host announced the rules, he could quickly come up with various culinary plans and methodically execute them. This time, however, he was drawing a blank.
He knew how to prepare the preserved mustard pork, but he had only heard of the flatbread – never tasted or even seen it.
Before arriving in this world, he had a weak heart. His adoptive father, Old Man Yu, had always been overprotective, never letting him sample street food.
After arriving, he married Xin Li Xuan immediately. Being from a wealthy family, there weren't many opportunities for him to explore such delicacies.
Although there were several snack shops near their university which he had visited a few times, none offered this particular flatbread.
Accompanying the name on the card was a description and picture of the dish. To Yu An Tong, it looked like a thin stuffed pancake.
As he walked forward with the crew, he frowned slightly, "Yu Xiu, Hao Ning, have either of you made this before?"
Jiang Yu Xiu and Lin Hao Ning both shook their heads in unison.
Lin Hao Ning added, "I've eaten it, but never made it. You need a specialized stove to cook it."
Except for those in the specific business of making these snacks, the average household wouldn't own such traditional cooking equipment.
The group quickly arrived at the restaurant. It was a small establishment, no more than three meters in width by Yu An Tong's estimate.
Inside, tables and chairs lined both walls, allowing patrons to dine in. The already narrow interior only had enough space down the middle for two people to pass each other.
To minimize disruptions to the restaurant's operations, the crew chose the quietest time of day for filming.
It was 9 o'clock. The breakfast rush had just ended, and the lunch crowd had yet to arrive. Only a few customers were dining.
Upon seeing the group, especially the cameramen, the patrons curiously craned their necks.
"Are you Yu An Tong?" one diner recognized him, his eyes filled with excitement and surprise. "You're from the 'Chef is Here!' crew, aren't you?"
Yu An Tong bowed slightly, "Hello, we're indeed from the 'Chef is Here!' show. Sorry for interrupting your meal."
"No problem, no problem!"
Facing the camera, the customers either displayed excitement or shyly looked away, waving their hands in a gesture indicating it was okay.
"Oh my God, I never expected you to film here! I'm so lucky to witness this live. Yu An Tong, I'm a huge fan! I'm so thrilled to see you!" An outgoing girl stood up, speaking with fervent enthusiasm.
After chatting excitedly for a moment, she paused and added, "Will we be in the way of your shooting? Do you want us to leave?"
"No need, no need," Yu Antong hurriedly responded, "Let's dine here. Don't leave, and thank you for loving our show. Please keep supporting us."
It's wonderful they don’t have to leave; they can watch the show recording up close!
The diners secretly rejoiced; in person, Yu Antong looked even more handsome than on TV. They wondered if his culinary skills were really as formidable as rumored. Today, they would witness it firsthand.
The cameraman naturally zoomed in on the fan who spoke. However, her companion seated across swiftly grabbed her bag to cover her face!
"Is there an issue with filming?" The cameraman inquired, always trying to avoid shooting those who were uncomfortable on camera.
"It's not that! I'm not wearing makeup and don't want to be filmed," the girl hid behind her handbag, grimacing, "Days when I spend two hours getting ready, I never bump into anyone. But today, when I look my worst and just stepped out to buy some bread, I run into my idol! Life's trolling me!"
At that moment, the owner emerged from a door shielded by curtains, and the camera panned towards him.
The owner was a middle-aged man of average build, sporting a neat and tidy buzz cut. He had an honest and simple face, wore a clean white apron, and held a bowl of freshly kneaded dough.
Seeing them, he warmly greeted, "You're here! I was kneading the dough in the back when I heard some noise outside. Welcome!"
The lady boss also came out, a shy woman, and she gave everyone a slight nod with a smile.
"Boss, I'd like a preserved vegetable and pork bun, and a scallion meat bun..." a regular customer exclaimed upon entering the store. Halfway through, he noticed today was different.
The boss asked, "Takeaway or dine in?"
The customer paused for a moment before replying, "...Uh, takeaway. Are you shooting a commercial?"
"It's a food variety show," the boss responded with a chuckle, shared a few words with the customer, and then started preparing the bread.
According to the show's agenda, the owner was to demonstrate the complete bread-making process before providing pointers to the contestants.
Yu Antong immediately started observing and learning.
The owner, an experienced baker, moved with seasoned precision. The dough seemed particularly obedient in his hands.
He tore two fist-sized pieces of dough, dusted the board with flour, flattened the dough a bit, and spooned in a filling made from preserved vegetables and meat. He sealed it like a bun, pressed it into a ball, then shaped it into an oval.
He pressed it flat again, brushed oil on both sides, sprinkled some sesame seeds, and rolled it out very thinly.
The translucent dough clearly showcased the dark filling inside.
The owner then wet his hands and slapped the dough between them, making it even thinner.
He tested the oven's temperature with his hand. When it was right, he placed the thin bread on the back of his hand and stuck it to the oven's inner wall.
The special oven used for this bread was something Yu Antong had never seen before. It's amazing how the bread could stick to the oven wall so securely.
slkslk.com (Note: This is likely a placeholder or irrelevant information).
Curious, Yu Antong peered inside. The bread cooked quickly because it was so thin. In no time, it changed from white to light yellow, then puffed up and turned golden brown. Meanwhile, a delightful aroma wafted out.
Judging the timing, the owner used two specialized tools—a long-handled hook and a shovel—to remove the bread. Once out and cooled, the puffed bread deflated, becoming delightfully crispy.
The aroma of the charred flatbread interwove seamlessly with the salty fragrance of the plum vegetable and meat filling. Yu AnTong's mouth twitched in delight. It was irresistible, he wanted a bite.
Yet he could only watch, eyes wide, as the shop owner spread a layer of spicy sauce on it, catering to the customer's taste, before packing it up and handing it over.
As the shop owner started making a second meat-filled flatbread, he began explaining the nuances of the process to Yu AnTong.
“You shouldn't use too much filling. For dough of this size, a spoonful of filling is adequate. Otherwise, it'll spill out when you flatten it.”
The initial steps seemed straightforward to Yu AnTong. He felt confident about them. But the unfamiliar clay oven was his real challenge; he had no clue how to use it!
“The temperature for baking the bread needs precision. The flame shouldn't be too high nor too low. If it's too hot, the bread will burn. Too low, and the bread won't stick — it'll fall and become waste. Even if it doesn’t fall, it won’t have the desired crispness.”
With genuine curiosity, Yu AnTong asked, “So how do you determine the right temperature?”
The shop owner replied, “Try placing your hand close to it. If it feels very hot but not unbearably so, it's about right. Give it a try now, but be cautious not to burn yourself.”
Yu AnTong extended his hand and immediately felt an intense warmth, as if he had thrust it into a furnace.
No, it wasn't like he had; he truly had.
Yu AnTong paused for a couple of seconds, taking mental notes.
As the shop owner continued baking, he advised, “When you attach the bread, move quickly, and press it down a few times…”
Fortunately, the preparation time for this type of bread was brief. The shop owner managed to explain all the key points, and the ten-minute tutorial was only just wrapping up.
A staff member announced, “Ten minutes up, the tutorial has ended. Now, the two-hour challenge begins. Contestants must produce at least twenty pieces within the given time.”
“Hurry, hurry, hurry!” This time, Yu AnTong was not as confident. Gone were the relaxed moments from previous episodes. As soon as the timer started, he sprang into action.
The show only provided raw ingredients. They had to knead the dough themselves. With just two hours, time management was crucial.
“HaoNing, prepare the meat filling. YuXiu, wash the preserved vegetables and soak them, then chop up some dried shrimp,” Yu AnTong instructed. Simultaneously, he started mixing water with flour.
The amount of dough needed for twenty bread pieces was substantial. They had to account for potential mistakes as well.
Kneading all the required dough in one go would be exhausting and not allow for proper fermentation. Yu AnTong planned to divide the task. He’d knead a third first, cover it with cling wrap for fermentation, then knead the rest, saving time.
After Yu AnTong finished with one batch of dough, Lin HaoNing and Jiang YuXiu had also completed their tasks.
“Each of you knead another batch.” Taking over their tasks, Yu AnTong seasoned the chopped meat with salt, pepper, sugar, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and more. He then blended in the soaked vegetables and minced shrimp. Only after his arm began to ache did he finish by adding some sesame oil.
“I'm exhausted.” Yu AnTong massaged his arm and took a few sips of water. As he waited for the dough to rise, he enjoyed a brief moment of respite.
Once the dough was ready, the real challenge began. Yu AnTong proceeded step by step, as the shop owner had demonstrated.
The initial steps were smooth, but when it came to rolling out the dough thinly, he pressed too hard and tore the bread.
Instead of starting over, Yu AnTong used this piece to test the oven's heat.
In just a few minutes, the imperfect pancake had become a burnt one.
Yu Antong: "..."
This is too hard!
A note from the author:
Mr. Xing: Contemplating how to discreetly warm his wife's heart.
Tongtong: It's already hot enough, stay away!
Author: Why did I decide to write about food so late at night?! Ahh! I'm craving for Guokui with preserved vegetable and pork filling! Beef filling! Scallion and meat filling! Slurp~
Thanks to the little angels who supported me with gifts or nutrients between 2020-02-22 23:46:58 and 2020-02-23 23:55:46~
Special thanks to the little angel who dropped a bomb: Little Miss Kitty - 1;
Thanks to the little angels who watered me with nutrients: '.' - 6 bottles; Little Moon & An Hour Later - 5 bottles each; Caiwei - 3 bottles; Puya Song & Park Jia Xiaoqi - 2 bottles each; iiicy & Xuan'i - 1 bottle each.
I truly appreciate your support! I'll keep giving my best!
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