Chapter 375 - 155: The Third Floor Is Ready, Crazy Home-Style Dishes

Chapter 375: Chapter 155: The Third Floor Is Ready, Crazy Home-Style Dishes

Su Chen calculated the time.

Currently, his limit in the practice room was sixteen consecutive hours of practice, after which he had to return to the real world and rest for two hours.

It was 8:00 PM.

’In other words, if I manage my time carefully, I’ll have over a hundred hours of practice time.’

It was worth noting that Su Chen was far more efficient in his practice than other chefs.

This was mainly because he didn’t need to repeatedly process ingredients, which saved him a vast amount of time.

It was no exaggeration to say that when it came to simply learning, Su Chen’s efficiency in the practice room was at least three to four times that of an ordinary person.

This also explained why some National Banquet Chefs found it strange after seeing and tasting Su Chen’s dishes. Many of the techniques he used were simply not things someone his age should have been able to master.

Of course, they could only conclude in the end: Ah, Boss Su... he’s just a kitchen genius! Why else would he cook in a suit, right?

There were still twenty-some home-style dishes left in the cookbook, so Su Chen started with one of the most common stir-fries.

’Mapo Tofu. Logically speaking, this dish shouldn’t be difficult at all...’

Making Mapo Tofu required very specific ingredients, and in the time he’d been running his restaurant, Su Chen had already familiarized himself with most of the ingredient shops in Jingzhou.

There was a tofu shop in the main market that made excellent tofu. It was said to have been passed down for three or four generations, and most Jingzhou People grew up eating it.

That was no exaggeration...

He summoned a block of tofu, and his Wild Blade Technique swiftly diced it into neat, square cubes.

’Some versions of Mapo Tofu are just fragrant and spicy, while others have minced meat. Different preparation methods lead to vastly different flavors.’

’First, I have to set the tone for the dish.’

Most people considered Mapo Tofu a Sichuan dish, so it naturally had to be numbing and spicy to be good.

’So the base flavor will be numbing and spicy. But the locals in Jingzhou can’t handle much heat, so I’ll have to adjust the spice level.’

A surge in customers, no matter how big, is only temporary.

In the long run, Delicious would be serving the people of Jingzhou, so the flavors had to cater to their palates.

’Many restaurants have a flaw in their Mapo Tofu. It only has an initial flavor, with no middle or finish. That’s a sign of careless cooking.’

The tofu tastes good at first bite, but as soon as you chew, the flavor vanishes. Nothing remains but the bland taste of the tofu itself. After you swallow, your mouth is left so flavorless it’s as if you hadn’t eaten anything at all.

Su Chen added clear broth to a pot, followed by soy sauce and a little fine salt. Once the broth had warmed slightly, he slid all the cubes of soft tofu into the water.

’This way, I won’t have to worry about the tofu being flavorless when it’s eaten.’

Pre-seasoning is crucial.

Furthermore, the salt helps the tofu become firmer, giving it a slightly springy, chewy texture after cooking.

As the water boiled, it would also remove the raw, beany flavor from the tofu. It was a method that accomplished several things at once.

Many modern restaurants just dump raw, cut tofu straight into a pile of seasonings. Taking this preparatory step alone would elevate the dish’s texture and flavor far beyond theirs.

He let it cook for less than a minute after the water came to a boil, then turned off the heat, leaving the tofu to soak in the pot.

Next came the sauce base.

They say Sichuan seasonings are the boldest, and Mapo Tofu is a perfect dish to illustrate just how bold they can be!

First, he heated oil in a wok. He placed the ground beef directly into the wok over medium heat. There was no need to rush and break it up; he just had to wait for it to render and cook slowly in the oil.

Once the beef was no longer red, Su Chen dropped a spoonful of broad bean paste into the center of the meat, followed by a small spoonful of chopped fermented black beans.

These two ingredients were the very soul of Mapo Tofu; one could not go without the other!

He didn’t even stir-fry them yet. Instead, he poured in heaps of minced garlic, ginger, and scallions, and only then did he begin to stir-fry everything together.

’Damn, it feels like there’s more seasoning here than the actual main ingredient!’

The tofu hadn’t even been added, yet the small iron wok was already half-full of ingredients. Fortunately, as he continued to stir-fry, the minced ginger, garlic, and scallions gradually cooked down and disappeared into the mix.

Meanwhile, as the broad bean paste slow-fried over medium heat, it began to release more of its fragrant red oil.

Usually, just tossing ginger, garlic, and scallions into hot oil is enough to make a wonderful aroma burst forth. Now, with broad bean paste, fermented black beans, and beef in the mix, you could just imagine how incredible it smelled!

’Even if I weren’t making Mapo Tofu, this minced beef would make an incredible meat sauce for noodles with just a little water added!’

Su Chen pushed the strange thought to the back of his mind.

Just as the minced beef was perfectly cooked, he quickly added a dash of Sichuan peppercorn powder, followed by a ladle of clean water poured into the wok.

The addition of the cool water calmed the sizzling, steaming-hot wok.

’Since I already used clear broth to parboil the tofu, there’s no need for any MSG in this dish.’

He ladled half a spoonful of the clear broth from the other pot—the one the tofu was soaking in—and added it to the sauce, along with a pinch of white sugar. He cranked up the heat until the liquid was about to boil, then added the tofu that had been soaking.

As soon as the tofu went into the wok, the liquid that had seemed plentiful suddenly looked like much less. Su Chen gripped the handle and gave the wok a gentle shake, spreading the tofu cubes out in a single layer across the bottom.