Chapter 783 - 572: Strike First for Advantage

Chapter 783: Chapter 572: Strike First for Advantage

"Chef Huang, will the tofu boxes in the steamer be ready once they’re done steaming?"

Aunt Li asked with a face full of anticipation, her eyes shining with a longing for this delicacy.

That’s right!

Her heart was already eager, longing to taste this long-missed dish as soon as possible.

After all, in these nearly twenty days, she hadn’t been able to taste the deliciousness cooked by Huang Jun himself, and that yearning and craving had been lingering in her heart.

It was truly hard to endure...

"Not yet! We still need to reheat the oil in the wok and make a sauce to make it even more delicious."

Huang Jun replied with a smile, but his hands never stopped as he turned to pick up a wok, steadily placing it on the stove, ready to start heating the oil for the third time.

"Huh? We still have to do that?"

Aunt Li looked slightly surprised, her tone carrying a hint of unexpectedness, "I thought once it’s steamed, we could eat it straight away. I didn’t expect that making this dish would be so tedious and complicated..."

Qian Guoxiang laughed at the side: "Yeah, a dish going through heating oil thrice—it can’t be simple!"

Indeed, this ordeal was no small matter...

But Aunt Li turned the thought over in her mind, thinking that which delicacy in the world isn’t crafted through painstaking processes and meticulous attention?

So...

The confusion and misunderstanding in her heart dissipated instantly, transforming into a profound anticipation and understanding for this soon-to-be-born delicacy.

Qian Guoxiang further introduced the knowledge of tofu boxes to Aunt Li and Aunt Lin: "Regarding the sauce for tofu boxes, there are mainly three common types: salty-fresh, sweet-and-sour, and tomato sauce. However, nowadays, the tomato and sweet-and-sour sauces have somewhat merged, so the types of sauce have been simplified to two."

Aunt Li and Aunt Lin listened in confusion, as if there’s a tangled mess in their minds that they couldn’t untangle.

Huang Jun was very clear about the mix of tomato sauce and sweet-and-sour sauce that Qian Guoxiang mentioned.

Seeing Aunt Li and Aunt Lin looking puzzled, he explained with a smile: "Traditional sweet-and-sour sauce doesn’t have tomato paste; it tastes very sour and sweet, and is quite rich."

"Tomato sauce, on the other hand, is made by slowly cooking tomatoes into a thick sauce. It also has a sweet and sour taste, but the tomato flavor is more pronounced. Compared to sweet-and-sour sauce, its sweetness and sourness are relatively gentle."

"This subtle difference is the key that makes each sauce unique."

"But now many people, for the sake of convenience and saving time, use tomato paste directly when making sweet-and-sour sauce."

"Doing so not only saves time and effort but also requires no strict ratio of ingredients, and at the same time makes the dish look more appealing."

"In this case, the traditional tomato sauce flavor and sweet-and-sour flavor overlap inevitably, which is why Assistant Chef Qian said they almost blend into one."

Now...

Aunt Li and Aunt Lin suddenly understood, with an expression of having an epiphany on their faces: "Listening to your explanation, Chef Huang, we understand it all now. Chef Huang, which sauce do you plan to use?"

"I plan to use the traditional salty-fresh sauce."

Huang Jun smiled and then further explained: "Compared to sweet-and-sour or tomato sauce, the salty-fresh sauce can be said to be the most classic and authentic sauce for tofu boxes. The salty-fresh sauce can fully highlight the tender texture of the tofu, while also bringing out the flavor of the stuffing in the tofu boxes, making the whole dish more harmonious and delicious."

With those words,

he placed the chopped green onion and ginger into the preheated wok.

Moments later,

a rich fragrance filled the air, as the aroma of green onion and ginger spread throughout the kitchen.

He poured the diced ham, carrots, celery, cucumber, and shrimp into the wok, turning up the heat to quickly stir-fry them.

Although these diced ingredients were numerous, each was in a very small amount, mainly to add flavor and color to the sauce, rather than serving as the main course.

Under the movement of the spatula, these ingredients joyfully danced in the hot oil, blending with one another, releasing an enticing aroma.

Seeing this,

he picked up a large bowl of broth, pouring it into the wok.

Choosing broth as the sauce base aims to maximize the aromatic fragrance of the soup, enhancing the dish’s flavor remarkably.

After the broth entered the wok, he didn’t pause, immediately starting to season it.

He took out a large bowl, adding salt, pepper, and soy sauce in appropriate amounts, carefully mixing them evenly.

To give the sauce a more alluring color, he deliberately added a dash of dark soy sauce, enhancing its shiny appearance.

Once the sauce in the wok began to boil, he patiently allowed it to continue boiling for two to three minutes, ensuring all the essence of the ingredients could fully soak into the soup, making the flavor richer.

Then, he picked up the prepared slurry and slowly poured it into the wok.

With the addition of the starch mixture, the sauce quickly thickened, becoming as smooth as silk.

When the sauce in the wok reached a boil once again, he immediately scooped up a spoonful of scallion oil, gently pouring it in, and softly stirring it with the spatula until evenly mixed.

After completing this series of actions, he turned off the stove, marking the perfect completion of the sauce preparation.

At the same time, the tofu boxes in the steamer were also ready.

Huang Jun and Qian Guoxiang worked seamlessly, wearing heat-resistant gloves, cautiously taking out each tofu box.

They meticulously arranged the tofu boxes on the plate with chopsticks, presenting them in an attractive formation.