nucmednet Chapter 161 1 Cherry
Chapter 161 1 Cherry
"For fatty meats, they should be blanched quickly in hot oil before cooking."
"This not only forces out some of the fat in the meat, reducing the greasiness, but also locks in the meat's freshness and tenderness, allowing it to maintain a good taste during subsequent cooking. If you encounter ingredients with a strong fishy smell, you can first spray them with vinegar. The acidity of vinegar can effectively neutralize the fishy smell. Then simmer them. This way, the fish will be full of fresh fragrance without any fishy smell."
“To enhance the umami flavor of dishes, rock sugar is sometimes used. Rock sugar slowly releases its sweetness during the cooking process, cleverly blending with the umami flavor of the ingredients, making the taste of the dish richer and mellower.”
"Dry-frying is a good method for stir-frying and pan-frying dishes. This allows the marinade to fully penetrate the ingredients, making every bite full of flavor. For dishes that require a clear broth with the ingredients floating on the surface, while also allowing the umami flavor to penetrate the broth, more broth should be added and simmered for a longer period of time to fully infuse the essence of the ingredients. This results in a delicious and savory broth with tender and smooth ingredients."
Cheng Yuntao said a lot in one breath, going into every detail without hiding anything. Erya was grateful and worked harder.
After finishing the cold dishes, you can start making snacks.
Making dim sum in advance, on the one hand, can avoid rushing to make dim sum due to time constraints when the dinner is approaching, which will affect the quality and taste; on the other hand, after the dim sum is made, it takes a certain amount of time to cool, shape or return to the oil. Making it in advance can allow the dim sum to have enough time to complete these processes, thereby achieving the best taste and quality.
For today's dinner dessert, Cheng Yuntao has tentatively decided on cherry cakes and polygonum flower candy.
Cherry cakes are made by washing and pitting cherries, adding an appropriate amount of sugar and boiling them into cherry jam, wrapping them in thin dough, shaping them into various shapes, and steaming or baking them. They have a rich cherry aroma that leaves a lingering taste.
Polygonum flower candy is made by kneading glutinous rice flour into dough, rolling it into long thin strips and cutting it into small pieces. It is then fried in a frying pan until golden brown and puffed. Then, white sugar, maltose and water are boiled into a thick syrup, which is poured into the fried glutinous rice pieces and mixed well. Finally, it is coated with roasted sesame seeds or crushed nuts. It is sweet and crispy when you bite into it.
Cheng Yuntao specially lowered the sweetness of the snacks and made them as small and delicate as possible so as not to affect the guests' demeanor when tasting them.
Cherry is also called Hantao and Jingtao. Its fruit is bright in color, mostly red or yellow, round and plump, as attractive as agate pearls. As one of the first fruits to ripen in late spring and early summer, it is also known as "the first fruit of early spring" and "the first branch of a hundred fruits."
In terms of taste, it is sweet and sour, juicy, and has a good meaning, so it is highly praised and loved by the powerful and wealthy today. The price has also skyrocketed and is surprisingly expensive.
On the table sat a basin of cherries, each one round and plump like a pearl, its color ablaze, crimson like flowing cinnabar, its hue tinged with a delicate, almost rouge on a beauty's cheek, captivating and captivating. A closer look revealed the cherries' skin, as smooth as glass, coated in a faint, almost shimmering light, emitting a fresh, airy aroma. They clustered densely together, their skin thick and dense.
Gently pinch one, it feels cool to the touch, place it on your lips, and before you take it in your mouth, the sweet and sour fruity aroma will come to you, lingering around your nose, making you greedy.
"Gudong——" A clear sound of swallowing saliva was suddenly heard. Cheng Yuntao looked in the direction of the sound and met Erya's embarrassed and evasive eyes.
"Erya, if you want to eat, just take some."
When Erya heard this, a trace of panic flashed across her face. She quickly waved her hands, her voice trembling, "No, no, no, Miss Cheng, you misunderstood. I... I don't want to eat. If the servants of the Ji Mansion don't have clean hands and feet, they will be beaten to death."
"Eating without asking for permission is called stealing. Now I'm letting you eat, so it's not stealing. You heard what the steward said just now. I can use any food in the kitchen. You don't have to be afraid."
"After all, the cherry cakes we want to make need sweet and fresh cherries to be delicious. Only by tasting them can we know whether the cherries are suitable."
As she spoke, Cheng Yuntao picked up a cherry, opened her lips and took a light bite. The tender flesh suddenly burst between her teeth, and the juice splashed out. The sour and sweet taste instantly flowed freely on the tip of her tongue, making her intoxicated. Then a satisfied expression appeared on her face. "Well, this cherry tastes good, just the right sweetness. Would you like to try it too?"
Looking at the cherries handed to her by Cheng Yuntao, Erya hesitated for a moment, then reached out and quickly took the cherries. While putting them into her mouth, she looked around, as if afraid that someone would see her.
The rich juice of the cherry instantly burst in her mouth, and the sweet taste made Erya's eyes light up: "Delicious! So this is what cherries taste like."
When Cheng Yuntao saw her happy expression, she couldn't help but feel sad.
In the Ji Mansion, the freshest ingredients are delivered to the kitchen every day. If these ingredients are not used on the same day, they will be discarded the next day.
But for poor people, these discarded foods are rare delicacies.
Since ancient times, the distribution of resources has been unfair...
At the other end of the spectrum, there are the aristocratic families, such as the Ji family, who live a life of luxury. They are extremely picky about ingredients, discarding anything they find displeasing. For them, food is merely a way to show off their status and display pomp, and wasting natural resources is commonplace.
On the other hand, the common people, trapped by hunger and cold, work hard to get enough food. Even the slightest bit of rotten food is considered as a way to fill their stomachs and prolong their lives.
This huge difference not only exists in food and clothing, but also extends to various aspects of livelihood such as education in schools, medicine, and housing.
The wealthy, enjoying the best of everything, with wealth at their fingertips, live in comfort; while the poor, struggling to make ends meet, are burdened by the hardships of making a living. If this continues, morals will decline, people will become increasingly hostile, and social contradictions will surge like undercurrents, threatening to collapse, like a pile of eggs in danger, a terrifying prospect.
After sighing, Cheng Yuntao stuffed a lot of cherries into Erya's hands, wanting her to eat them to her heart's content, but Erya was unwilling to eat any more cherries no matter what. She only picked out the biggest and reddest one and hid it in her arms.
Facing Cheng Yuntao's puzzled look, she smiled and explained, "Miss Cheng, thank you so much. I appreciate your kindness. But I'm just a servant. I just broke the rules and ate a cherry. I can't be so presumptuous anymore."
She bit her lip slightly, her expression full of confusion. After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, "I have a good sister in the mansion. She has always taken good care of me. She has never even seen cherries like this, let alone eaten them. I... have some selfish motives and want to bring this biggest and reddest cherry to her so that she can have a taste too."