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Chapter 127 - 7 Stir-fried Prawns
Chapter 127 - 7 Stir-fried Prawns
Chapter 127 Stir-fried Prawns
The shell of the prawn was thin and crispy. As it was wrapped in a layer of starch, after being cooked with scalding oil, it immediately turned into a tempting red color.
“The surface will turn white from the frying, and the starch on the outside will be cooked. Scoop it out to remove the oil. There will be a lot of residue in the oil this time, so you have to filter it again to remove the impurities.”
“The oil temperature would be a perfect match for frying lotus root slices now. Still at medium heat, fry the lotus root slices until they form a slight curl and the surface is slightly yellow. Then, you can fish them out.” “Turn the heat to high and wait until the oil is 80% hot. Pour the prawns in to fry and you’ll be able to fish them out in about 30 seconds.”
Xu Le continued, “The taste of stir-fried prawns and braised prawns are different. This dish focuses on the dry fragrance and compatibility with wine. It uses the simplest condiments to make the crispy yet chewy texture.”
“Pfft.” Alex laughed and teased, “What kind of description is that? Aren’t you contradicting yourself?”
“You’ll know when you eat it later.”
“Add a little oil in the pot and stir-fry the onions. By cutting the onions into small slices, it will be easier to stir-fry them thoroughly. Add the crispy prawns in and enhance the flavor by adding light soy sauce. This will enhance the freshness of the gravy and the prawns. Add in the minced garlic that was fried just now, the bread crust, and the green and red peppers. Stir-fry everything over a small fire for a while.”
At this moment, the pot was filled with golden and crispy ingredients and the fragrance of oil.
“When it’s almost ready, add some lotus root slices into the pot. You still need to mix it evenly with the bread and stir-fry it to produce steam. This dish must not have a soft texture. Otherwise, it will be considered a failure.”
This was a huge serving, and the plate prepared was also big. After the food was served, there was a shrimp tail that was placed straight on the tip of the little mountain of food.
“How long more until dinner starts? It’s so sumptuous!”
Zhou Huangya moved closer, almost drooling three times, her gluttony eyes beaming.
Xu Le turned around to pick the coriander and prepared the next dish. He casually replied, “At most half an hour. It’ll be done soon.”
“Hmph.” Bai Xiaoming deliberately picked on her shortcomings. “Didn’t you just say that you wanted to lose weight and you weren’t hungry
at all?”
“I have the physique of not growing fatter from eating. Manager, do you have the cheek to criticize me? Every time Xu Le cooks the food, you are the one who eats the most.”
“Nonsense. Do you dare to go on the weighing scale? Let’s see who’s fatter.” “Hahaha.” Zhang Liang held his arms together and laughed out loud. “In the past week that Xu Le has been here, the shop has been so busy that not even a drop of water could trickle through. Even though we were so busy, we still managed to gain several kilograms of weight each. It’s really amazing.” “For the sake of food, we have to sacrifice something.”
Zhou Huangya stared fixedly at the piece of beef in Xu Le’s hand and said, “Are you going to make the stir-fried beef that the manager ordered?”
“MMhmm.”
“I don’t like to eat coriander, but it’s not completely unacceptable. If Xu Le were to cook, even his plate of coriander and stir-fry onions would definitely be delicious!”
Zhou Huangya said confidently.
“Got it, Brother Liang. Pick some onions. I’ll prepare Sister Zhou an extra dish!”
Xu Le joked as Zhang Liang pretended to peel the scallion.
Zhou Huangya pouted and glared at him. She looked exceptionally cute when she was fuming.
“We’ll use the lean meat that doesn’t have any tendons. Otherwise, it’ll be too difficult to chew. Just follow the texture and cut it. It’ll be fine as long as the thickness is just right.”
As the camera panned forward, one could see that every piece of meat that Xu Le was cutting seemed to have been measured with a ruler. They were of equal thickness and size.
“Add the appropriate amount of oyster sauce, light soya sauce, yellow wine, and pepper to marinate evenly. In order to make the meat more tender, you can add a small amount of clear water during the marinating step and continue to mix until the beef has absorbed the liquid. Finally, add a circle of coriander oil and it can be placed at the side for about 15 to 20 minutes.”
Xu Le took off his gloves and said, “Now, to prepare the ingredients for this dish, cut the red and green peppers into slices with the knife. This way, the long and thin slices will be more flavorful and beautiful.”
“Cut garlic into strips, small celery into small pieces, and ginger slices. Also, the most important part of this dish, the coriander, will be cut into small pieces and placed aside. In order to enhance the depth and texture of the spicy and sour taste, I’ve also prepared some pickled peppers to cut it into pieces.”
“Although stir-fried beef is a home-cooked dish, the taste can be enhanced by another level by focusing on the sequence and steps of the condiments. The difference between a professional chef and a home-cooked chef lies in the preciseness of their steps.”
After the beef was marinated, a small amount of oil was poured into the pot, and white smoke began to rise because of the heat.
After the marinated beef was put in, he used a metal ladle to casually spread it. The color immediately changed. After a few stir-frying, the tender beef was almost cooked.
“Give it a round of light soya sauce and season it a second time. When it completely changes color, scoop it out.”
“Now, stir-fry the ingredients, the peppers, the ginger and garlic. Then, add green and red peppers to increase the spiciness, then stir-fry it and pour in the soup base. It’s the juice that had seeped out from the stir-fried beef. Then add in oyster sauce, sweet dark soya sauce.”
“This sweet dark soya sauce is sweeter than the usual dark soya sauce. When it fuses with the beef, it can stimulate the tender fragrance of the meat. After the ingredients and beef are completely cooked, add the chopped onions, celery, and coriander to stir-fry.”
After a few more familiar shaking of the wok, the stir-fried beef was ready to be served. The spicy flavor of the chili peppers clashed with the flavor of the coriander.
As soon as they were served, Zhou Huangya excitedly scooped the rice. Clearly, she could not wait any longer. “The stir-fried beef looks like it’s going to be eaten with a lot of rice. I’ve prepared everything! Everyone, let’s eat.” “Sure.”
Xu Le removed his apron, but when everyone was busy bringing the dishes and food to the dining table outside, he put on his apron again and took out the ingredients that he had prepared.
He removed the sides of four toast bread and soaked them in cold water. After they had turned soft from soaking, he squeezed them
dry.
“Shh, I plan to give someone a small surprise. Don’t make a fuss.”
Xu Le lowered his voice. The cameramen and crew members nodded repeatedly as if they were being coaxed like a child.
The interpreter said in a sweet voice, “The little Master Chef is really a good child…”
Xu Le lowered his head and explained in a low voice, “This is the simplest cooking method I’ve found and the taste is the closest to the traditional taste. I’m intending to add four egg yolks to the softened bread. Once the eggs are stirred evenly, and the oil in the pot is heated up to 30%, the bread can be added. At the beginning, the shape of the bread will curl into a ball and not touch the sides of the pot.”
“Then, add sugar into it according to your own preference. It’s best to add more sugar in. After it’s wrapped up, add walnut, green and red carrots. After it’s stir-fried evenly, it can be served.”
Xu Le’s movements were smooth and fluid, as if he had rehearsed every move meticulously. The staff were all stunned.
When he poured the food into the plate, Alex happened to come in and said, “Little Master Chef, you’re acting like a big shot. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Why don’t you come and eat?”
“You guys eat first. I’ll wash my hands and come over immediately.” As expected, Alex did not think much of it and left.
“The four egg whites from earlier were beaten to form a thickened paste. There’s no trick to this, just exert strength in your wrists and continuously whip with your chopsticks.”
The thickened paste was formed after an egg white had been beaten continuously. It would be more fluffy and bigger when steamed.
“Steam it in the pot for just a few seconds.”