Food starts with Mapo Tofu

Chapter 343 Kung Pao Chicken

Now there are quite a few dishes in the store, but after looking at it in the past, I feel that there are still a few home-cooked dishes. After all, Honghong Restaurant is positioned as a Sichuan cuisine restaurant.

Since it is a Sichuan cuisine restaurant, how can it not have the two most popular Sichuan dishes, fish-flavored shredded pork and Kung Pao chicken?
These two dishes can be said to be popular all over the country, and they can be eaten no matter where they are. Of course, the recipes in different regions may be different.

Take fish-flavored shredded pork as an example. The traditional fish-flavored shredded pork in Sichuan cuisine is made of fish and chili peppers, sweet and sour, onion, ginger, and garlic. The taste is sweet, sour, spicy and salty. Shredded pork, but in terms of ingredients, there are fungus, bamboo shoots, or both.

The fish-flavored shredded pork in Chongqing is mainly made of shredded pork and green onions, and the taste is slightly different from that in Chengdu.

In addition, there is an improved version of fish-flavored pork shreds in the northern region. The taste of fish-flavored pork shreds eaten in the north is very different from the traditional fish-flavored pork shreds, but it is still very popular for most northerners. good to eat.

And in general university cafeterias, fish-flavored shredded pork rice bowl can be said to be one of the most popular rice bowls.

The fish-flavored shredded pork in the north is seasoned with bean paste, onion, ginger, garlic, and sweet and sour. There are also shredded carrots in the ingredients. In some places, shredded green peppers or garlic moss are also added to it.

Of course, when Chen Nian saw the fish-flavored shredded pork over there when he was studying in BJ, he couldn't accept it from the bottom of his heart.

So if you want to make this dish in the old age, it must be made according to the Sichuan flavor, using fish peppers, fungus and winter bamboo shoots.

There are fungus and winter bamboo shoots in the store, but there are no fish peppers in the shop, only other peppers, so this can only be put on the agenda now, and when I go back at night, I will add up to buy ready-made fish peppers or make it myself.

"Sure enough, cooking is like fighting a war. If you don't prepare the ingredients in advance, it's like going to the battlefield without a gun. Even if you want to, it's very powerless."

Chen Nian couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and then began to add up another dish.

Some people say Kung Pao Chicken is Shandong cuisine, while others say it is Sichuan cuisine, but as a Sichuanese, Chen Nian still prefers the taste of Sichuan cuisine.

After all, the Kung Pao Chicken in Shandong cuisine is more prominent in the sauce and sweetness, and the spiciness is just a small taste embellished in it, but the Kung Pao Chicken in Sichuan is more prominent in spicy, heavy oil, sweet and sour. The taste will be less.

However, I also heard from my father about this dish when I was young that there are a thousand kinds of Kung Pao Chicken under the hands of a thousand cooks. Kung Pao Chicken in Sichuan cuisine is made of scallions, chicken and peanuts. The three families divide the pattern, and the Kung Pao Chicken in Shandong cuisine is more prominent in diced cucumbers and diced carrots.

And speaking of Kung Pao Chicken, Chen Nian often ate this dish when he was in BJ's school. Of course, compared to the fish-flavored shredded pork over there, Chen Nian is slightly more accepting of cucumbers and diced carrots in it.

Anyway, as long as you treat your fullness as survival, you can eat anything.

Kung Pao Chicken can be found in stores. The best part of the chicken is chicken drumsticks. There are still a few in the refrigerator that are ready to be used. There are also some peanuts, which my mother bought back as snacks. Yes, it can be used if you take it out.

Just trying it out this time.

After preparing all the ingredients, age the old and rub off all the skins on the peanuts, and then check one by one to see if there are any fish that slipped through the net. If there are skins on the peanuts, the dishes made will affect the taste The taste, and secondly, the aesthetics should be compromised.

Recalling the process when Lao Chen was making Kung Pao Chicken, first remove the bone from the chicken thigh, then cut it into cubes and put it in a small pot, then pour some cooking wine and a little starch for marinating.

At that time, when Chen Nian saw this step, he didn’t really know what was in it, but now the basic skills are very solid, and he also has some experience in aging Sichuan cuisine, so he did it directly, and there is no need Go online to check.

Then I took out the dried chili and scallions and cut them into small pieces, which will be used as the main seasoning in Kung Pao Chicken, and then cut the ginger and garlic into fine particles with a sharp knife.

Every time it comes to this kind of time, Chen Nian enjoys it very much. He quickly chops on the cutting board with a knife and listens to the rhythmic knocking sound.

Then use broth, sweet and sour, light soy sauce and a little gorgon powder to adjust the sauce. Since the vinegar used in the old shop is Shanxi old vinegar, the proportion is slightly less than other vinegars, mainly because the old vinegar is too sour. , if it is still prepared according to 1:1, the taste may be greatly reduced.

So far all the preparatory work has been done.

I haven't started making it yet, but I can't help but growl just looking at the old ingredients. Now their staff meal is changed to before the official meal in the afternoon, so after a night of exercise and work, the old man has arrived. Always hungry at this time of night.

Looking at the prepared sweet and sour sauce, prepared diced chicken and chili, Chen Nian can't help but look forward to what the Kung Pao chicken he made will look like.

Immediately after aging, we started to make Kung Pao Chicken. First, we poured oil into the pan. This step is also for better frying at that time, and it can also make the oil in the pan heat more evenly, and the ingredients can be seasoned more easily. .

After the oil and the pot are hot, add the chopped dried chilies and the prepared Chinese prickly ash to sauté until fragrant. Do not let the pot be too hot at this step, otherwise the chili and Chinese prickly ash will easily become mushy.

As early as when he was in college, he didn't understand this, so every time he wanted to try cooking by himself, he would cause this situation.

Every time there is a strong burnt smell in the kitchen.

Even with the range hood, exhaust fan and windows all open, it will take a while to completely disperse.

For this reason, Chen Nian was often scolded.

Soon the aroma of prickly ash and chili came out, and while they were in full bloom, they were directly added to the onion, ginger, and garlic for a stir-fry to bring out the aroma.

When all the flavors are fully integrated into the oil, Chen Nian picks up the marinated chicken and pours it into the pot, stir-fries the diced chicken until the surface of the chicken changes color slightly, then pours in the seasoning sauce, and then starts to mix with the left hand Stir frying with the right hand, and from time to time, a spoon is used to slide the dishes inside from the front along the wall of the pot to the sky, and then draw a beautiful arc, and fall steadily into the pot .

Since the stir-fry is now done on a high fire, and the chicken leg meat itself is relatively tender, it will be cooked quickly, and the peanuts can be poured in at the end, briefly stir-fry twice, mix well and turn off immediately. Fire out of the pot.

Chen Nian prefers to eat crispy peanuts, so he didn't stir fry too much, so as to retain the original crispy taste of peanuts.

After making it, Chen Nian felt that the roundworms in his stomach could not be suppressed just by smelling it.

This dish is bright in color, and the prepared sauce is evenly wrapped on the diced chicken and peanuts.

And Chen Nian quickly figured out how to eat this plate of Kung Pao Chicken, and he wanted to make it into a rice bowl.

I found a deep plate, spread the rice on it, and then carefully poured Kung Pao Chicken on the rice, making sure that no peanuts or chicken escaped from prison.

The soup of Kung Pao Chicken slowly flowed down under the old eyelids, and then entered the bottom along the gap between the rice grains, and the rice where it passed was also stained with the shape of Kung Pao Chicken, completely The bottom has become a prisoner of this dish.

"In the past, when eating Kung Pao Chicken Rice Bowl outside, there was often less food and more rice. Sometimes the food was finished, and there was still more than half of the rice."

"It's better to be a cook. No wonder people used to say that no matter how chaotic the world is, no cook can be hungry."

In troubled times, the life of the rich is always particularly nourishing. Even if the benefits of the family are mediocre, the cook always has to taste the saltiness first when cooking a dish.

One bite of this dish, one bite of that dish, it's almost enough to eat, if you have a big appetite, make an extra one for yourself, anyway, this thing is not bad for anyone who has more ingredients and less ingredients.

Now Chen Nian feels that this kind of life is very good. He buys the ingredients and cooks what he wants to eat.

But before moving his chopsticks, Chen Nian took a look at the recipe in his mind as usual, and was surprised to find that the progress of the Kung Pao Chicken he made this time was only 80.00% three.

In other words, there is still a lot of room for improvement in this dish!

But Chen Nian still can't figure it out, because this is just a home-cooked dish, and the taste of homemade dishes is not bad, so how can the evaluation be so low?
The evaluation of this recipe is usually very accurate, and it will not only be measured according to a standard line, but will be evaluated according to the general taste of everyone.

In other words, there is actually no fixed standard for the recipes. If you have to say it, it will be two words: delicious.

Cooking is for people to eat, as long as it tastes delicious.

"Forget it, let's enjoy it first, and do the improvement later." Chen Nian comforted himself, and tried his best not to think about the 80.00% three things.

But just as he was about to move his chopsticks, he looked at the plate, then at his own chopsticks, and silently changed a spoon.

This is the way to eat Kung Pao Chicken.

Aging spread Kung Pao Chicken evenly on top of the rice, then mix half of it with the rice below, and then dig it full with a spoon, even with sharp points on the top.

Then open your mouth.

"Ahhh."

After one bite, Chen Nian was so satisfied that he even made a "hmmmm" sound, which is his affirmation of his own taste. Although the recipe does not meet the 100% standard, Chen Nian still tastes special now.

After a big mouthful of Kung Pao chicken mixed with rice, the rice becomes the weakest. The crispy fried peanuts make cracking sounds as they chew.

That feeling is like having nothing to do in the afternoon, watching TV on the sofa while eating melon seeds. I obviously only want to eat two and then stop, but after eating a plate, it’s gone...

Can't stop at all, it's more dazzling than Xuanmai!
The diced chicken made of chicken thigh meat is firm and springy, and it is stir-fried on a high fire, and the surface is covered with a layer of rich-flavored sauce.

The sauce is evenly coated on it, and it is constantly turning in the mouth as it is chewed. The sauce and the chicken are harmoniously mixed together.

Coupled with the fragrant and crunchy peanuts, the collision between soft and elastic, crispy and tender can only be described in one word!
Absolutely!
And now it's still only 83% of the progress, if it can reach 100%, wouldn't the taste be even better?
That can't be described as a must, it must be described as a must.

Since this dish is heavy and spicy, Chen Nian felt a little thirsty after two mouthfuls, so he looked at the refrigerator, where there were drinks and beer.

In the past, Chen Nian never drank or drank alcohol when eating, but today he suddenly felt a little greedy. After all, there were peanuts. If he could have another bottle of cold beer, wouldn't he be happy tonight?

Then Chen Nian skillfully opened the lid, and after swallowing a spoonful of Kung Pao Chicken with rice, he looked up at the bottle and took another sip.

The more you eat, the more you can't stop.

The standard taste of a good Kung Pao Chicken is called spicy lychee flavor, which is slightly lighter than the sweet and sour taste of fish-flavored shredded pork, but slightly stronger than the sweet and sour taste of rice crust pork slices.

And when I was eating and eating, I thought of a new meal. Put one piece each of diced chicken, green onion, pepper, pepper, and peanut into the spoon, and finally put it full into your mouth, and taste the spicy and sour taste at the same time. The sweetness of sweet hemp and scallions.

The taste is actually much better than eating chicken diced directly.

But while eating and eating, he still felt that he did not put enough effort into this dish. While eating, he already thought of how to improve this dish.

Because Chen Nian had too much fun eating this supper, he finished a bottle of beer when he had just finished eating Kung Pao Chicken Rice Bowl, so he took another bottle.

It wasn't until his stomach was full that Chen Nian looked at the bare plate and the two empty bottles of beer and burped for a long time.

"Life is like this, what more can I ask for!"

Chen Nian couldn't help sighing.

Such a life of one person, one kitchen, one table, one pair of chopsticks and one bowl is not bad.

You can eat whatever you want, drink whatever you want, and do whatever you want, whether you eat sitting on a stool, squatting on a stool, or standing up, it doesn't matter, and no one cares about it.

But this idea quickly disappeared after the dishes were put into the sink, and there was a pot to wash besides these.

"Forget it, it's better to be two people. Even if you have to eat and wash dishes alone, at least you can let the other party watch by your side while doing it. That's not too lonely."

"Sure enough, human beings are somewhat selfish. It's okay to be alone when enjoying, but when working hard, I more or less hope to have someone by my side."

　I'm hungry, let's go for instant noodles
　　
　
(End of this chapter)