Zheng Da nervously pressed his lips together: "Let’s start making the filling. The most important aspects of Crab Dumplings are the combination and seasoning of the filling."
"I remember you’ve read ’The Su Yuan Food List’, which describes crabs very precisely: Crabs are best eaten alone, not suited for pairing with other things. It’s best cooked in a light salt broth and eaten alone. Though steaming retains the full flavor, it makes it too bland."
"Crabs are such ingredients; foods with intense flavors are best enjoyed on their own to maximize their original taste. If too many bold and heavy side dishes are added, they will overshadow the main ingredient."
"That’s also why many creative dishes look flashy but taste average. Cooking is not about using more ingredients and spices; sometimes, you must subtract rather than add."
"Of course, that doesn’t mean these foods must be cooked alone. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any shrimp in Crab Dumplings, just crab meat. Foods with pronounced, intense flavors often have noticeable shortcomings, like how crab roe has a fishy smell, its freshness accompanied by an odor."
"What we, as chefs, aim to do is to retain the original taste and freshness while removing the odor, considering ingredient combinations in that context."
Zheng Da’s opening speech left Qin Huai with newfound respect for him.
Was this really Zheng Da? This wealth of theoretical knowledge, this perfect eloquence, citing references with concise reasoning.
Those online courses weren’t in vain.
They really were useful!
Just as Qin Huai looked at Zheng Da with admiration, Zheng Da puffed up his chest proudly, casting a sidelong glance at Huang Shengli, his eyes filled with smugness.
Then Zheng Da moved, starting to silently make Crab Dumplings.
His hand movements were flawless, his silent approach made people facepalm.
Qin Huai & Huang Shengli: ...
Did you prepare for a week only to have this bit of speech ready?
Oh well, at least the words are nice, there’s progress.
Qin Huai began to watch Zheng Da make Crab Dumplings.
Qin Huai watched every day.
During this time, while practicing the basics of peeling shrimp and crabs, Qin Huai often watched Zheng Da make Crab Dumplings while practicing.
Zheng Da would make two steamers every day, not much, just barely enough for each chef in the kitchen to have one. He ate them himself too, as if avenging something, often watching Qin Huai practice the basics with Huang Shengli while eating with a grudge.
Today was different; today Qin Huai was learning from him.
Zheng Da made the Crab Dumplings with extra vigor.
Having made them often during this period, Zheng Da had no hesitation or trial in making Crab Dumplings. Mixing and seasoning the filling were done seamlessly. Of course, he didn’t do any tricks; such things didn’t suit Zheng Da’s simple style of making snacks.
Zheng Da made them while Qin Huai watched.
Once a batch of Crab Dumplings was wrapped and placed in the steamer, Qin Huai knew it was his turn to make them.
He had only made Crab Dumplings twice, neither time leaving a pleasant memory.
Making snacks requires developing muscle memory over time; good snacks are crafted by pastry chefs day after day.
The reason why a pastry chef excels at certain snacks strongly relates to their personal preferences, because the snacks they excel at are the ones they love to make. Doing a lot makes you skilled, doing a lot makes you excel.
Qin Huai had only made them twice, and now a week had passed without making them, so he was visibly rusty when first mixing the filling.
But he remembered how Zheng Da mixed the filling.
He remembered Zheng Da’s ratio, his technique, and the order in which Zheng Da added the seasonings.
But Qin Huai knew merely remembering these things wasn’t enough. When a snack reaches the complexity of Crab Dumplings, simply watching and copying isn’t enough to create it.
It takes understanding.
Those who learn from me will thrive, those who mimic me will fail.
Qin Huai recalled the properties of crab and shrimp meat told to him by Huang Shengli during this period.
He remembered the taste of crab meat and crab roe he’d peeled during this time.
The rich fishy smell lingered on his fingertips, even after washing, and what he needed to do was suppress it while preserving the freshness and flavor of the crab roe and crab meat.
He couldn’t destroy the flavor of the crab roe and crab meat, so he couldn’t use strong spices.
He had to preserve the fresh sweetness of the crab roe, crab meat, and shrimp meat, so he had to strictly control the amounts of salt and soy sauce.
He needed to use Shaoxing wine and ginger slices.
He had to understand the ingredients, then transform them.
Qin Huai proceeded step by step.
While handling the shrimp and crab meat, he wasn’t consciously thinking about how Zheng Da had done it, nor did he deliberately try to replicate Zheng Da’s steps and process, yet his actions were indeed similar.
What filled his mind were Huang Shengli’s words about understanding the ingredients, then transforming them.
He needed to know what was good about crab meat and crab roe and where they fell short. He thought of himself as he walked home every night, feeling like a walking crab, and wondered how he could make this crab smell less fishy and taste exceptionally delicious.
He had to figure out how to make the shrimp meat, with its subtle fresh sweetness, become a supporting character in this snack — the largest in proportion, yet with the least presence.
When Qin Huai started truly thinking about these things, he realized that in such situations, people don’t even consider whether they’re deliberately mimicking someone else.
Unimportant, doesn’t matter.
Doing well on this snack at hand is the most important thing.
Qin Huai seasoned carefully.
Zheng Da stood beside him as his eyes glazed over; he wasn’t blind, he could clearly see that Qin Huai seemed to have found the key to making Crab Dumplings.