Don't pretend, I'm the God of Cooking and I'll showdown!

"What's Xiaoxu's education?"

Qiu Yaozu took a sip of the hot tea brought by the nanny, and then led Lin Xu to the living room of the villa, asking questions as he walked.

Lin Xu thought it was just chatting, and replied:

"Bachelor of Finance, Central University of Finance and Economics."

"A bachelor's degree is probably enough. Come with me. Before cooking, let's talk about the origin of this dish, so that you can have a preliminary understanding of Huaiyang cuisine."

Enough?
Lin Xu was a little surprised.

It's just learning a dish, is there any requirement for academic qualifications?
To be honest, it was the first time for Lin Xu to encounter such a situation when he was so old.

Ask about your education background before cooking. If you have a low education background, will you be unable to cook or hold a kitchen knife?
When he came to the study, Qiu Yaozu pointed to a copy of "The Analects of Confucius" on the table and asked:
"Have you studied The Analects?"

Lin Xu nodded:
"I have learned that the dead are like a husband, and it is a famous sentence in "The Analects of Confucius"."

When he saw the title of the book, the Ten Analects of Confucius that he had memorized in junior high school flashed in his mind unconsciously.

In addition to lamenting the passing of time, "the passing is like a man, never giving up day and night", there are also famous sentences such as "knowing what is known, not knowing what is not knowing, is knowing", "reviewing the old and learning the new, you can be a teacher".

Back then I had a headache, which still leaves a deep impression on me now.

But what old man Qiu asked this for?

Isn't it okay to discuss Confucius' words before cooking?
Qiu Yaozu said:
"There is a very famous saying in "The Analects of Confucius Zilu Pian", which is called "Gentlemen are harmonious but different, and villains are united but not harmonious. This saying is about the philosophy of life, and it is also the purpose of creating the three sets of duck dishes."

what?
Is the famous sentence of the Analects related to the three sets of ducks?

Lin Xu asked with some puzzlement:
"Mr. Qiu, I don't understand very well."

Don't all cultural people believe that the gentleman stays away from the kitchen?How can it be related to a dish?
Qiu Yaozu smiled and said:

"To talk about three sets of ducks, we have to start with the prosperity of Huaiyang cuisine."

He calmly explained the origin of Huaiyang cuisine to Lin Xu.

In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, when Yangzhou’s economy reached its peak, the salt merchants liked to call some literati and refined scholars to their homes for gatherings and meals, and invited cultural people to participate in the design of gardens and catering.

It was at this time that the three sets of ducks were designed by some literati according to the phrase "gentlemen are in harmony but different" in the Analects of Confucius.

The gentleman is harmonious but different, simply put:
In interpersonal communication, a gentleman can maintain a harmonious and friendly relationship with others, but he does not have to agree with the other party on specific issues.

This is the opposite of the villain's human interaction.

The villain is in harmony with each other, which means that the villain will be used to agreeing with others in his views on issues, but deep down he will not hold a harmonious and friendly attitude.

Lin Xu couldn't understand what this had to do with the three sets of ducks.

Qiu Yaozu said:
"At the beginning of the establishment of Three Sets of Duck, we paid attention to the fact that the three ingredients must have their own flavors. At the same time, the combination of two flavors will produce an effect that one plus one is greater than two."

Lin Xu understood a little after hearing this:
"So the theory of creation came first, and then the dish of three sets of ducks was born?"

"Yes! You really know a little bit, kid. Chinese cooking usually starts with the dishes, and then derives the cooking concept based on the dishes. But the three sets of ducks have the concept first, and then the chefs explore it little by little according to the concept."

Is this the source of the saying "harmony but difference"?
Qiu Yaozu highly admired the three sets of duck dish, which is also a very important high-end dish in Huaiyang cuisine, and its status is equivalent to that of boiled cabbage to Sichuan cuisine.

"To make three sets of ducks, you must first understand the creative concept in it, and you must understand harmony without difference, so that you can truly understand and make this dish well."

For high-end chefs, the method of three sets of ducks is not difficult, it is nothing more than removing the bones of the three ingredients.

But it’s not enough to know how to cook this kind of dishes. Only by being able to taste the beauty of the dishes and understand the cultural core inside can you truly appreciate the cultural beauty of Chinese food.

Guo Degang said that the last thing in cross talk is culture, and cooking is the same.

After chatting about the creation concept of this dish, Qiu Yaozu got up and took Lin Xu to the kitchen. Instead of cooking three sets of ducks, he talked about the selection of ingredients for this dish.

"Xiao Xu, if you were asked to cook this dish, how would you choose?"

How to choose?
Lin Xu just wanted to say that a domestic duck, a wild duck and a pigeon are enough. There is no good choice.

But thinking that Qiu Yaozu would not ask such a simple question, he thought for a moment and said:

"First there must be a drake."

Among duck dishes, male ducks are much better than female ducks. No matter stewed, steamed or fried, male ducks taste better when cooked, so he thinks male ducks should be chosen.

A trace of surprise appeared on Qiu Yaozu's face:
"If you can have this kind of cognition, it means that you really know how to cook, which is unmatched by ordinary chefs."

Are you right?
Lin Xu had a feeling of secret joy at the answers to the multiple-choice questions.

Qiu Yaozu went on to say:

"There is such a description of ducks in the famous Huaiyang cuisine "Tiao Ding Ji": All birds are female, but ducks are the only males; all birds are tender, but ducks are old. Male ducks, the older the more fragrant, the better the taste They are outstanding, so for three sets of ducks, we should choose male ducks that are more than one year old."

Is this why I called Lao Huang to deliver the ingredients yesterday?
Thinking about it, it is true that only people like Lao Huang who have dealt with various farms all year round can buy male ducks. Most people go to the vegetable market to buy ducks, and they are definitely only female ducks.

Because ducks in breeding generally do not keep male ducks, and if they do not lay eggs, they will only waste food.

But it’s not that there are no male ducks. Among the seventy or eighty laying ducks, there will be a male duck that is responsible for mating the female ducks. This male duck will usually be eaten by people in the farm. If you want to buy it, you must It has to be entrusted to a related party like Lao Huang.

As for wild ducks and pigeons, Lin Xu is not too sure.

Walking into the kitchen, Lin Xu saw that the ducks, wild ducks and pigeons to be used today were neatly placed on the workbench.

The three ingredients have all been plucked, so they are smooth, and the wild duck with red beak and webs looks very attractive.

Qiu Yaozu held the wild duck and said:

"If you choose domestic ducks, you can only choose male ducks, but wild ducks are more particular. Xiaoxu, do you know how wild ducks are graded?"

Lin Xu shook his head. He is like a novice who has just come into contact with cooking. He never thought that cooking can be as rigorous as writing a thesis, requiring such rigorous theoretical knowledge.

Qiu Yaozu said three words:

"Look at the colors!"

Wild ducks are different from domestic ducks. Wild ducks are looking for food as soon as they emerge from their egg shells.

The bills and webs of ducks that were fat and strong when they were young will turn red, which is the top among wild ducks, followed by orange, and even worse, yellow, black and other colors.

Wild ducks should choose ducks with red beaks and red webs. Such ducks are fat and strong, and they are delicious enough for cooking.

Fortunately, wild ducks have been bred artificially, and wild ducks with red bills and webs are more common.

Finally, there is pigeon, which is also a more particular ingredient. What is more important is not the breed, but the age of the pigeon.

Young pigeons do not have a strong taste, and old pigeons may not be able to stew through domestic ducks and wild ducks, so choose middle-aged pigeons that are three to six months old.

"It's easy to tell the difference between old pigeons and young pigeons. Just look at the soft meat on the bottom of the feet. Old pigeons are relatively fatter, but middle-aged pigeons are not easy to choose. In the past, chefs selected them one by one by hand."

Pick by hand?
Lin Xu didn't quite understand the meaning of these words.

He asked curiously:

"Don't those who keep pigeons know?"

"In the past, pigeon breeding was relatively extensive, but once the pigeons can fly, they all look the same. How can the pigeon farmers tell the difference, and they can only pick by twisting their necks."

The old pigeon has a long growth period and has a relatively big temper. If it twists its neck, it will struggle violently.

Young pigeons have never seen the world, so it's okay to twist their heads. Only middle-aged pigeons will struggle when they first twist their necks, and then let them go.

"But it doesn't need to be like this now. Pigeons that are scientifically bred have tags on their legs, which record the hatching time. You just need to choose the right pigeons according to the number plate."

In addition to the three types of poultry, the three-set duck dish also needs three ingredients: winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and Jinhua ham. Now these three ingredients are also prepared and ready to be cooked.

Qiu Yaozu smiled and said:

"I've told you about the theory and material selection, and then you can make it, Xiaoxu, and let me see your basic skills by the way."

Lin Xu's basic skills were fine. Without further ado, he picked up the kitchen knife, first deboned the duck, and checked the texture of the duck, and then cleaned up the wild duck and pigeons.

Just like making eight-treasure gourd ducks, the whole duck’s bones are opened under the neck. First, the duck’s neck is completely removed, and then all the ribs, spine, duck wings, duck legs and other bones are removed along the cervical spine.

The three ingredients were slaughtered and bloodletted but the internal organs were not cleaned. Lin Xu took the time to process them so that the internal organs would not produce a rotten smell in his stomach after a long time.

Qiu Yaozu originally thought that at Lin Xu's age, even if he was highly talented, he would not be too skilled in the process of bone removal.

But it was only after Lin Xu got started that he realized that this child was as agile as a master who had spent half his life in front of the stove.

I am very familiar with the bones of ducks. When removing the bones, I don’t use a knife much. I basically rely on my thumb to push the duck meat away from the bones.

This way of pushing is the highest form of bone removal, blunt removal.

The so-called blunt removal means that when the bone is removed, the meat is always in contact with the blunt side, so that the skin and flesh can be effectively prevented from being scratched.

Some people who are not good at deboning whole chickens and ducks will never leave their hands when operating.

But those who really know how to do it will only use a knife when removing the joint fascia, and most of the time they only use their hands and do not use any other tools.

This kind of performance made Qiu Yaozu's heart itch.

"Lao Gao is really lucky to find such a good apprentice. I knew that I would go to Yingchun Street to buy a house and settle down."

He is willing to give advice to Lin Xu, because he is happy to see Lie Xin, and he can't help but want to give advice when he meets a good seedling.

Coupled with the joining of He Jiashun and others, the Qiu family has become a family that can be counted in Diaoyutai and even the entire Chinese food circle, and finally has the hope of realizing the elders' "brilliant ancestors".

So when I was happy, I naturally wanted to teach Lin Xu some high-end dishes and make a good relationship.

In the future, if Lao Gao is not in the capital all the time, then we will slowly dig into the wall. As long as he works hard, this child will call him master one day.

Well, Mr. Qiu didn't dare to directly make Lin Xu his apprentice, but he still had the courage to share his apprentice with Gao Peisheng, and it was quite big.

When the time comes, you will be the master, and I will be the master, so don't say anything about anyone else.

In the culinary circle, it is very common for a chef to worship several masters, because it is impossible for a master to cover everything.

White case and red case, steamed vegetables and stir-fried, stewed vegetables and soups, etc., each chef has his own specialties, so he worships a group of masters, so that he can "gather the strengths of all families".

Now, Qiu Yaozu intends to take such a path.

You old Gao can teach, so I, Lao Qiu, can also teach, and I still teach under the banner of being good for the children, so you have to bear with it if you have opinions.

Soon, Lin Xu took off all the bones of a duck.

He took off the duck's buttocks together with the duck, Qiu Yaozu couldn't help but yelled "Hello":

"Very good. Even if Zhenhua is allowed to come, at most it will be at this speed. Xiaoxu's cooking skills are really worth mentioning. No wonder your master is wandering around."

"It's a lot of work, practice makes perfect."

Lin Xu smiled, and shook the domestic duck in his hand. Now the duck's skin was facing inwards, and the meat was facing outwards, but he did not turn it over, but put it aside, and began to debone the wild duck.

"Xiao Xu, why don't you turn the domestic duck over?"

"I have to blanch it in water later, I can't turn it over, and I have to turn it back later, it's easy to hurt the flesh."

Tsk tsk, this is talent. I didn't mention how to do it at all, but this kid is aware of it.

Qiu Yaozu asked curiously:

"How do you know you need to blanch it? You have made three sets of ducks before?"

Lin Xu pulled out the duck's neck bone, shook his head and said:

"I haven't done it, but my master said a word, no matter what kind of dish, you can't put raw meat in the broth, it will ruin the pot of broth."

Qiu Yaozu couldn't wait to give Lin Xu a thumbs up.

There are many chefs who know this, but very few actually remember and practice it.

Many people know this sentence clearly, but they always take the ingredients and put them in the stock pot for cooking, and sometimes refute them by saying that the ingredients are fresh enough.

No matter how fresh the ingredients are, they will also pollute the broth.

The best way is to scald it in boiling water, and then put it in the broth.

Lin Xu was busy deboning the wild duck, which was a little more difficult.

Not only because the bones of wild ducks are harder, but the most important thing is that there is less meat, especially on the back of wild ducks. The meat is so thin that there is only one piece of skin, and the skin will be broken if you are not careful.

Fortunately, he had the bone-removal technique in hand, and he managed to completely remove the wild duck's bones without any risk.

At this time, the skin of the deboned wild duck was also outside, Lin Xu did not turn it over, but continued to debone the pigeon.

After the bones of the three ingredients were all removed, Lin Xu did not rush to make them. Instead, according to Qiu Yaozu's reminder, he boiled the whole piece of Jinhua ham in a pot first, then sliced ​​the bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms, and blanched them in boiling water.

Finally, put the soft-boiled Jinhua slices, shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots on a plate for later use.

"When you set it up later, you need to stuff these ingredients into the abdominal cavity of the ingredients regularly, so as to increase the taste and fragrance of the ingredients."

Following Qiu Yaozu's guidance, Lin Xu's understanding of the three sets of ducks became more and more profound.

To learn this dish, you really need to understand the concept first.

In this way, learning will have a multiplier effect.

Next, it's time to blanch the ingredients.

Lin Xu boiled a pot of water and prepared a large pot of ice water.

When the water in the pot boiled, he put the pigeon's head into the pot and rinsed it twice, so that the meat inside the pigeon's body was completely in contact with the boiling water, so that the blood and impurities in the pigeon meat would be removed.

Pigeons can’t be scalded for too long. After a few times in the pot, they have to be cooled in cold water to prevent the pigeon meat from rotting due to heat.

During the whole process, Lin Xu didn't borrow a colander, nor did he use chopsticks. He just put his hands against the boiling water, which made Qiu Yaozu nod his head. Only by not being afraid of being scalded can he become a good cook.

Soak in cold water and carefully turn the pigeon over.

The pot on the stove was still boiling at the moment, Lin Xu scooped up the froth left by the scorched pigeon, picked up the pigeon again, and rinsed the skin of the pigeon again.

This time, the rinsing is to scald the skin and clean the outer skin of the pigeon, so that the soup will not have any peculiar smell.

After the pigeon has been scalded, it also needs to be cooled in ice water. Then he took three slices of Jinhua ham, two slices of bamboo shoots, and one piece of shiitake mushroom and stuffed them into the pigeon's stomach.

Plug it well and skim off the scum in the pot, and start to scald the wild duck.

Also scald it first, then put it in ice water, turn it over after cooling it down, put Jinhua ham, bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms into the wild duck’s stomach, then stuff the pigeons in, leaving the pigeon’s head from the opening under the wild duck’s neck lean out.

When nesting, the pigeon is placed in the belly of the wild duck, that is, the back of the pigeon is facing the back of the wild duck. Later, when the wild duck is nested in the belly of the domestic duck, the back is also facing upwards, and it is attached to the back of the domestic duck.

The advantage of this is that when the pot is simmered on low heat, the meaty parts of the three ingredients stick to the bottom of the pot, which is more resistant to cooking, while the back meat on the top is thinner, which can effectively prevent it from being boiled.

After setting up the pigeons, Lin Xu took the wild duck and put it in the pot to scald the skin to get rid of the peculiar smell of the duck skin.

Next, it's time for the largest domestic duck.

Lin Xu made it step by step, scalded the duck meat and turned it over, then stuffed the three kinds of ingredients, stuffed the three kinds of wild ducks carefully, and then arranged the heads of the three ingredients.

The duck's head is on the duck's head, and the duck's head is on the dove's head.

One body with three heads, although it looks a little scary, but it also has a different kind of beauty.

Burn the skin of the duck in the same way, and then it's time to cook it.

Following Qiu Yaozu's instructions, Lin Xu brought a casserole pot, put a bamboo grate scalded with boiling water on the bottom of the pot, spread mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, Jinhua ham on the bamboo grate, and finally put three sets of prepared ducks.

Pour the clear broth that has not covered the duck body into the casserole, put it on the stove, boil it on high heat and skim off the foam, then change to low heat, cover the pot, and simmer on low heat.

After Lin Xu finished all this, he was about to take a break after washing his hands, when a system prompt sounded in his mind:

"Under the guidance of the state banquet master, the host completed three sets of duck dishes of Huaiyang cuisine for the first time, obtained the perfect method of this dish, and added an additional [-] points of Huaiyang cuisine branch task points."

I'll go, is there such a good thing?
Just now Lin Xu felt that if Qiu Yaozu didn't do anything, he didn't even have a chance to steal his teacher.

I didn't expect the cooking technique to be here, it was a surprise!
Qiu Yaozu didn't expect Lin Xu to take care of all the steps when making this dish for the first time, and he liked this young man even more in his heart.

He rolled up his sleeves and said:
"I've been watching you cook just now, and I'm a little bit itch to watch it. While the duck is simmering, let me cook a Huaiyang dish that you may not have seen before. It can be regarded as giving you a lot of insight."

And Huaiyang cuisine that I haven't seen?

Lin Xu asked curiously:
"What kind of food?"

"Furong sea pine!"

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After thinking about it, I'd better hold back my cough and continue writing. Anyway, lying down is uncomfortable, so I might as well take the opportunity to divert my attention with delicious food.This chapter is 5200 words, after [-]:[-], it will be a double monthly pass, everyone will vote later!