Dry soybean paste was diluted with water and filtered. Then, it was mixed with sweet bean paste, ginger juice, sugar, and a bit of cornstarch. This created the Sauce Explosion sauce frequently used in Beijing cuisine.
"This sauce can be used to make Sauce Burst Chicken Cubes, as well as Sauce Explosion Meat Shreds, which is what everyone often calls Beijing Sauce Meat Strips."
Oh? Then I must learn this even more.
With this thought in mind, Lin Xu curiously asked, "Senior Brother, what’s the difference between Sauce Burst Chicken Cubes and Kung Pao Chicken?"
Xie Baomin said with a smile, "Kung Pao Chicken belongs to the lychee flavor type in Sichuan cuisine, while Sauce Burst Chicken Cubes are of a rich, salty-sweet sauce flavor type; there’s quite a big difference. Also, the standard preparation for Kung Pao Chicken includes scallions and peanuts. However, Sauce Burst Chicken Cubes pair better with fresh and refreshing diced cucumber, as the sauce can become too rich if eaten in excess."
Zeng Xiaoqi listened to their conversation. It felt like the door to a new world had opened for her.
She shared her three meals every day and had tasted many delicacies, but she was completely clueless about food pairing and flavor types.
Listening to their conversation, Zeng Xiaoqi suddenly felt that it might be a good idea to start a food program on the travel channel when she returned.
While she was lost in thought, Xie Baomin had already picked up a cucumber. He first peeled off the skin, then sliced the cucumber vertically into strips, and carefully removed the seeds.
He diced the cucumber to match the size of the chicken pieces. Once all ingredients were ready, he began to cook.
Lin Xu hurriedly put down what he was doing and came over. He hadn’t learned how to cook eggplant last time, so this time, he was determined to master Sauce Burst Chicken Cubes.
Xie Baomin set up the wok and added just under half a wokful of lard, explaining, "Sauce Burst Chicken Cubes is an alternative to Sauce Explosion Meat Shreds. To make the taste closer to pork shreds, it’s necessary to use lard; this makes it more flavorful."
Is there such a trick? I need to note this down. Next time I make similar dishes, I can use this.
When the oil was about fifty percent hot, Xie Baomin poured the marinated chicken cubes into the wok to flash-fry them.
As soon as they entered the wok, he stirred them with a large spoon, allowing the chicken cubes to spread out naturally.
Once the chicken changed color, he added the diced cucumber to the wok, briefly passing it through the oil. This would remove the raw taste from the cucumber, making the finished dish tastier.
Five seconds after adding the cucumber, Xie Baomin placed a colander over the lard container. Then, he poured the entire contents of the wok—chicken, cucumber, and lard—through the colander.
He then placed the wok back on the stove and turned the heat to low.
He heated the residual lard in the wok, then poured in the prepared sauce, stir-frying it in the lard to release its fragrance.
Simmering over low heat, he let the sauce cook down to mellow its flavor and bring out its full aroma.
When the sauce in the wok began to bubble and thicken, he added the flash-fried chicken and cucumber. He quickly tossed them using a light flicking motion of the wok to evenly coat the pieces with the sauce.
In the meantime, Lin Xu took the opportunity to use his Cooking Learning Card.
"Learning target: Xie Baomin. Current Skill: Sauce Explosion. Would you like to learn it?"
What? The Sauce Explosion Skill? Learn, learn, learn! This is totally worth learning!
He silently commanded in his mind, Learn!
"Congratulations! The Host has acquired the Superior-level universal Cooking Technique—Sauce Explosion. The Host can now prepare all Sauce Explosion-type dishes."
WOOHOO! Lin Xu was overjoyed. I hadn’t expected this at all! I actually mastered the Sauce Explosion Skill! Now I can easily make Beijing Sauce Meat Strips!
While he was still excited, Xie Baomin had already finished making the Sauce Burst Chicken Cubes and served them on a plate.
The thick brown sauce, glossy with oil, evenly coated the chicken cubes, giving off a rich sauce aroma.
For the residents of Beijing who enjoy sauce, this was simply an unparalleled delicacy.
It was now four-thirty in the afternoon, and the dishes for the evening were also ready.
His classmate Shen had already returned from work and was currently playing with Dundun.
Lin Xu made a sweeping gesture and announced, "Let’s eat!" Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel⚑fire.net