Shokugeki: Start with an izakaya, making everyone cry

Porridge has a history of more than 4000 years.

With the different living habits and needs of people, various forms and flavors of porridge have gradually evolved.

In the Chaoshan area, known as the "Ocean Kingdom", local residents like to drink porridge, and they combine ordinary porridge with seafood specialties to create a classic dish that is famous at home and abroad:

Casserole porridge!

Speaking of porridge, Yuan Mei, a gourmet in the Qing Dynasty, once said: "The water and rice are harmonious, soft and greasy, and then it is called porridge!"

First, add enough water at a time.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then add soaked rice and a little peanut oil.

The role of oil can reduce the overflow of porridge water foam. When cooking porridge, you must stir constantly with a spoon to completely release the heat between the rice grains, so that the porridge will not become rotten and sticky.

When the rice grains bloom, turn to medium heat, add scallops, crabs, shredded ginger, and shiitake mushrooms, and cook for 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add shrimp.

As well as abalone slices, lard, fish sauce, and winter vegetables.

Stirring should be reduced during this process, so as not to scatter the rice grains and make the whole pot of porridge too thick.

Before serving, sprinkle a little coriander on it!

……

"Erina."

"Come down for breakfast soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a banging sound.

I saw a sleepy-eyed Erina Nakiri hurriedly walking down the stairs. Her hair was a little fluffy and she probably didn't have time to dress up. She was only wearing a thin silk pajamas.

But her whole body is still full of youthful vitality, and she looks a little more interesting than usual!

"Here, here you go."

Zhang Fan filled a bowl of hot casserole porridge and handed it to her.

After staring blankly, Erina was still a little confused, and then she was probably really hungry, so she stopped thinking about it.

She quickly took a mouthful of porridge with a small spoon. After blowing on the air for a few times, she slowly put it into her mouth to savor it.

Different from ordinary iron pots, when cooked in a casserole, it has a strong and unique aroma.

When you first take it in, the aroma of porridge reverberates in your mouth. Various seafood ingredients are cooked in white porridge with mushrooms and winter vegetables. It feels soft, waxy and refreshing, and melts in your mouth.

Of course, the fresh flavor of shrimp and crab is not only perfectly preserved, but also delivered to every grain of rice and every drop of porridge.

Unexpectedly, one day my tongue fell off the porridge.

No exaggeration.

You can eat three bowls in a row!

……

Different occasions have different situations.

The mood of people who eat porridge will naturally be different.

This bowl of freshly cooked casserole porridge will definitely burn your mouth when you eat it.

You can taste it carefully, and the delicate white porridge, tender crabs, refreshing shrimps, etc. are constantly intertwined together. The bubbles bubble and pass between your lips and teeth. The taste is really beautiful!

“Choose a casserole and cook it to order.”

“Stir constantly while simmering to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.”

"Especially when making porridge, stir constantly with uncooked rice and then add fresh shrimps. Obviously, there are two aspects that are most difficult to master in this casserole porridge dish."

“One is the heat, and the other is maintaining a consistent, perfect taste.”

"It seems simple, but in fact, the details are very particular. Ah, what's going on...my eyes are a little hazy, as if tears are about to come out!"

While talking, Erina, who has the tongue of God, couldn't help but shed tears again because of Zhang Fan's cooking.

Ever since Nakiri Shinagi ran away from home, for more than 10 years, her secretary Hisako was basically in charge of breakfast every day.

Although she was occasionally invited by some chefs to try their breakfast dishes as a supervisor, for her, those breakfasts lacked a so-called "love" feeling.

And what about Zhang Fan?

Naturally, he was the first person after Fei Shasha who was willing to sincerely make breakfast for her.

Do not!

His breakfast.

It’s more satisfying than Feisha’s!

Therefore, she was very moved and knew very well that she could not live without Zhang Fan.

……

"What's the matter?"

"So it turns out that the noble eldest daughter of the Nakiri family can also cry?"

"Look, you're almost crying like a little cat!"

Seeing this scene, Zhang Fan couldn't help but froze, thinking to himself that it was just a simple casserole porridge. It didn't shine, and it didn't have any medicine. Did it make her cry?

There was really no other way, so he had to reach out his hand and began to gently stroke the tears on Erina's cheeks, comforting her in his own way.

"I'm not a little cat, I just got sand in my eyes."

Erina held back tears and looked at him with sparkling eyes.

Then, her little hand suddenly pressed down on Zhang Fan's big hand that was caressing her face, unwilling to let him take it away at all.

"Ok?"

"You...you are..."

Zhang Fan wanted to get out, but when he saw Erina's face instantly turning red and very hot, he quickly realized something.

Erina stared at him with complex eyes for a long time, and finally became gentle again. After gently letting go of her hand, she did not muster up the courage to reply to Zhang Fan, but asked: "Chaoshan casserole porridge, no matter how you make it, it doesn't taste good." There is a big difference, but why does yours taste better?"

"In terms of rice selection, I used Wuchang rice from Northeast China."

Knowing that Erina was deliberately avoiding certain feelings, Zhang Fan did not press her, but smiled and answered her questions.

"Wuchang rice?"

"Casserole porridge, isn't it always made with this kind of rice?"

When Erina heard this, she became even more confused.

The so-called Wuchangmi actually comes from the meaning of "Three Cardinal Guidelines and Wuchangmei", namely: promoting benevolence, following righteousness, advocating propriety, advocating wisdom and honesty.

In the past, this kind of Wuchang rice was usually the royal tribute rice exclusive to the royal family of the Chinese dynasty, and it had very high requirements for every indicator such as growing environment, sunshine, temperature, precipitation, soil, etc.

This kind of rice becomes softer, slightly sticky, slightly sweet, and slightly tough when cooked, and it still maintains a good taste after cooling.

Therefore, it is most suitable for making casserole porridge.

"The porridge needs to be thick, but you also need to be able to feel the presence of rice popsicles, so Wuchang rice is the best choice."

"And it's best to soak it for half an hour before cooking. Although it's not easy to burn the bottom after using a casserole, to make good porridge, you need to go through the so-called thirty-six stirs."

"I see."

“The key is to keep stirring during the stewing process!”

Hearing this, Erina understood instantly.

……

The relationship between porridge and the people of the Celestial Dynasty is as thick and dense as the porridge itself.

Just a small spoonful can stir up a thousand waves, and you can see the delicious crab meat, fresh prawns, some small scallops, sweet and soft rice grains...

In the past, for these delicious seafood products.

Nakiri Erina was almost vomiting after eating so much that she felt there was nothing fresh about it. But now, she is not willing to waste a mouthful of porridge that has absorbed all the essence of the seafood. Because the mouthful was slightly hot, and the porridge slowly melted in her mouth, that feeling made her deeply experience the beauty of casserole porridge!

Finally, in a warm atmosphere.

She and Zhang Fan finished the whole pot of porridge.

Afterwards, Erina touched her slightly bulging belly and felt that she was still satisfied and quite happy.

Especially thinking about the vacation after the accommodation training, as long as I temporarily stay in the izakaya, I can always enjoy the breakfast made by Zhang Fan like now.

She couldn't help but feel secretly happy.

Hey!

Fei Shasha, I’m so sorry.

During these days, I won’t bother you to make breakfast for me, because I am already in the shape of Zhang Fan!

……

When visiting an izakaya, a few side dishes are definitely a must-try.

As for the current izakaya, as Zhang Fan can cook more and more dishes, diners have more choices.

But no matter how it changes, or how many dishes are added, for foodie Kobayashi Ryodan, what she wants to pursue most can never be separated from one thing:

meat!

If you look closely, you can see that the skin-on chicken drumstick has been cut into large pieces.

It looks bigger than a ping pong ball. The advantage of this size is that it can lock in more meat juice.

At the same time, it is difficult for the high temperature to completely penetrate into the inner core, making it easy to create a crispy outside and tender inside. When you take a small bite, the aroma is fragrant and the juice overflows.

There's even a little lemon juice mixed into the marinade for the fried chicken.

A hint of sourness is added invisibly, which just relieves the greasy feeling from the inside.

"call!"

"It's really a pleasure."

Afterwards, Kobayashi Rgentian closed his eyes and said with satisfaction.

Then, her face turned red, she opened her bright eyes again and looked at Zhang Fan with watery eyes: "Hey, Shopkeeper Zhang, can I ask you a favor?"

"whats the matter?"

Zhang Fan, who was wiping the kitchen knife with a knife cloth, was stunned for a moment, and then replied calmly.

"It's not a big deal, I just want to do the same as you helped me deal with the bear paw last time. I hope you can deal with this crocodile this time!"

After saying that, Kobayashi Rgentian hurriedly pulled out a crocodile from the sack.

Zhang Fan:? ? ?

……

But the crocodile in front of me was less than 1 meter long.

At first glance, it's still in its infancy, so it doesn't look harmful.

Moreover, the little crocodile's mouth and feet have been tied tightly with wires, and its mouth has been sealed with tape, almost losing its mobility.

However, the appearance of crocodiles is enough to leave a terrifying impression on ordinary people. Not only do they have a bloody mouth full of sharp teeth, but their skin also seems to be hard armor!

Apparently, the presence of this live crocodile.

In an instant, it caused a sensation in the entire izakaya.

"The bear's paw was a dead thing last time, but you actually went the extra mile and brought me such a living thing."

"What, do you think this is a slaughterhouse? I will help you deal with live crocodiles this time, and next time I will help you deal with venomous snakes, and then make you some snake soup?"

Withdrawing his gaze, Zhang Fan could only speak to her speechlessly.

"What a great idea. Next time I'll bring some snakes over and let you help cook them!"

After hearing this, the foodie Kobayashi Ryoden blinked his bright eyes, seeming to have really made up his mind.

"Don't mess around, this is an izakaya."

Seeing that she still wanted to do this, Zhang Fanwei glared at her and said: "I will help you deal with this little crocodile, because leaving it here will only affect the diners, but I won't do it next time."

"No matter what, you must never bring such dangerous things again!"

"Uh-huh!"

"I...I listen to you."

When Xiaolin Gentian learned that Zhang Fan was willing to help her take care of the crocodile, she happily agreed.

……

Crocodiles are not fish!

It has existed in ancient times. In addition to being known as a "living fossil", it is also known as "soft gold".

Li Shizhen, a medical scientist in the Ming Dynasty, had already recorded about crocodiles in his famous book "Compendium of Materia Medica": "The meat is very beneficial, and it mainly treats shortness of breath, inability to stand, moisture and evil in the abdomen, and symptoms of malignant sores."

In other words, crocodile meat is not only delicious, but also can replenish blood, strengthen bones and muscles, and expel dampness.

of course.

In terms of price, it's naturally quite expensive.

At the same time, there are not many people who are willing to eat and dare to eat.

In the izakaya, even though there is a rule that diners can order whatever they want, Zhang Fan almost never uses such rare ingredients to entertain diners.

After all, although this is an era where food is paramount, most people are still relatively repulsive to crocodile ingredients.

As for the cooking method of crocodile meat, after many years of exploration by many chefs in China, it can cover almost all the techniques of Chinese cuisine, such as:

Stir-fry, fry, stir-fry, rinse, braise, boil, steam, make soup, stew...

As long as you are willing, no matter what kind of cooking skills or cooking skills, you can handle crocodiles.

As for the taste of crocodile meat, it's actually not very mysterious. It's about 70% chicken, 20% pork, and 10% solid fish.

If the crocodile skin has to be removed, then there will be no tendons when eating the meat, just like eating a tougher chicken breast.

All in all, it’s very monotonous, so it’s okay if it’s not unpalatable!

……

At this time, Zhang Fan grabbed the slightly smaller crocodile and threw it heavily on the chopping board.

Next, prepare a basin and fill it with 8% of the fragrant rice.

Press the crocodile tightly without any hesitation, quickly swing a sharp kitchen knife, cut the crocodile's trachea, let the blood flow into the basin, and constantly stir the fragrant rice and crocodile blood evenly.

"Ah...is this direct bloodletting and slaughter?"

Such a bloody scene made Mu Jiuzhi next to him, who was good at French cuisine, frightened.

In fact, not only her, but all the diners present were also shocked by this.

"Ok?"

“What a decisive cooking technique.”

On the side, Kobayashi Gentian, who was very close at hand, was also stunned for a moment.

When the blood was gone, Zhang Fan continued to hold the crocodile head down and tail up, and continued to control the blood in the body until the blood was completely controlled, then he opened the crocodile's abdomen.

Brush brush!

Brush brush!

The entire izakaya was as quiet as death.

All he could hear was the sound of the kitchen knife in Zhang Fan's hand cutting the crocodile meat.

First, he skillfully peeled off all the internal organs and body fat, and then cut off the crocodile's tail and head.

Prepare another basin, pour hot water into the basin, and use a knife to scrape the abdominal scales.

Just like that, an entire small crocodile was finished by Zhang Fan under everyone's eyes.

"It's so fast, it seems like it's less than 5 minutes, right?"

Kobayashi Rgentan's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw it.

Even though she was good at rare ingredients and knew the structure and handling of crocodiles very well, when it came to her knife skills and her ruthlessness, she had to feel inferior to Zhang Fan! (End of chapter)