Chapter 782 - 571: This Detail Perfectly Showcases the Chef’s Mastery

Chapter 782: Chapter 571: This Detail Perfectly Showcases the Chef’s Mastery

Of course, for Huang Jun, who possesses intermediate culinary skills, it wasn’t a difficult task...

While operating, he didn’t need to measure anything, nor did he pay much attention to the tofu; he simply swung his knife with skill, instantly slicing the tofu into the required rectangular shapes with precision.

After dividing the tofu blocks...

Huang Jun carried on with his cooking process at a leisurely pace.

He quickly set up a large wok, pouring an adequate amount of peanut oil into it. The golden oil slowly flowed in the wok, glistening with a tempting sheen.

As the heat gradually increased, the oil temperature also rose, and waves of heat began to fill the kitchen.

Huang Jun placed the sliced tofu blocks, one by one, into the hot oil.

With a sizzling sound, the tofu blocks were instantly enveloped in hot oil.

Frying tofu requires high heat and hot oil to quickly shape the tofu blocks, preventing them from floating and deforming in the oil.

Because tofu contains a lot of moisture, there’s no need to worry about it burning during frying; you can fry it with confidence.

This aspect of the dish can be considered the friendliest step for beginners.

Once the tofu blocks in the wok turned golden yellow, Huang Jun used a slotted spoon to scoop them out one by one, placing them on a tray to cool.

If any tofu blocks become slightly deformed during frying, you can use a tool to press them gently, trying to maintain an even rectangular shape.

Doing so not only improves the appearance of the tofu blocks but also facilitates the upcoming step of hollowing out the tofu.

While the tofu gradually cooled...

Huang Jun gathered the diced winter bamboo shoots, black fungus, dried shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and pork belly prepared by Qian Guoxiang into a bowl, mixing them evenly. Then he added a bit of soy sauce, pepper, and salt, allowing them to marinate and soak up the flavors.

Once these preliminary tasks were perfectly completed, the tofu had cooled to an appropriate temperature, no longer scalding.

He picked up a high-grade knife, ready to start slicing the tofu, which is the most crucial step in making this dish and a true test of skill.

He placed the tofu block on the cutting board, with the knife closely aligned with the tofu’s top layer, smoothly cutting into it.

This cut needed to be snug against the tofu’s surface while ensuring the integrity of its structure, thus achieving a beautifully crafted tofu form.

As the blade neared the bottom, he skillfully reduced the force, allowing the tofu to lift like a small lid without separating—this marked success.

He lifted one side of the tofu, revealing the tender white interior.

He set down the knife and picked up a small metal spoon, gently inserting it along the tofu’s edge, carefully circling around to extract the entire block.

Then, he continued using the small spoon to clean off any excess edges, creating a regular hollow structure inside the tofu.

Thus.

A perfect tofu "box" was presented.

Once all the tofu blocks were turned into these "boxes," he crushed the extracted tofu with a spoon, turning it into a fine, delicate crumble.

After completing all the preparations, he set up a wok, poured in an adequate amount of oil, and began preparing to stir-fry the stuffing.

Once the oil was hot, Huang Jun first added the pre-marinated stuffing to the wok to stir-fry. Once the aroma filled the air, he added the crushed tofu and continued to stir-fry.

When the stuffing was nearly cooked, he added a spoonful of salt, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce for seasoning, then removed it from the heat.

Allow it to cool down.

When the stuffing cooled to a suitable temperature, it would be time to fill the tofu "box" with it.

This dish cleverly utilized the technique of making vegetarian dishes resemble meat ones. The originally extracted tofu, after processing, was filled back in, presenting a distinctive form and a substantial leap in flavor.

When the stuffing had just about cooled, Huang Jun, with a small spoon in hand, collaborated with Qian Guoxiang. They carefully lifted the hollow tofu boxes, filled them with the stuffing until full, then gently covered the tofu box "lid" and placed them on a steaming tray.

Once all the tofu boxes were filled with stuffing, Huang Jun opened the steamer, placing these meticulously assembled tofu boxes in one by one, beginning the steaming process with high heat...