SFS Chapter 440 Taiping Yan
Chapter 440 Taiping Yan
Looking at Aunt Gu, Old Li said solemnly:
"You are my last disciple, a true last disciple. Therefore, the master has high hopes for you. I hope you can calm down and study cooking skills seriously, understand the essence of our Fujian cuisine thoroughly, and pass it down from generation to generation, so that more people can understand and love it!"
Aunt Gu nodded attentively and replied firmly, "Master, please rest assured that I will do my best and will never let you down, embarrass you, or bring shame to Fujian cuisine!"
Hearing Aunt Gu's sincere and simple words, the people around her all smiled with relief.
"Hahaha..." Old Li laughed heartily.
"I am old and frail now, and face is not important to me. As long as you like cooking and enjoy the fun of it, that is enough!"
"In life, there is no need to excessively pursue fame, wealth and status. The most important thing is to live comfortably and freely!"
Upon hearing this, the disciples around him fell into deep thought.
In the past, their master never said such words when accepting disciples!
At that time, the master never talked about anything else. All he said was bold words like he wanted to revive Fujian cuisine and promote it!
However, at this moment, the master actually said, "As long as you are happy," which really shocked everyone!
"Okay, there's only one last step left - the cooking demonstration!" Old Li said with a smile.
Gu Chang asked curiously, "Uncle Li, what's so special about this cooking demonstration?"
Old Li smiled and replied, "In fact, there is not much special about it. It is mainly because when we accepted apprentices in the past, we all hoped to understand the level of their cooking skills. Over time, it gradually evolved into an activity between master and apprentice."
"Every time at this stage, the disciples will cook a dish to show their cooking skills, and the master will carefully prepare a dish as a gift to the disciples..."
After hearing this, Gu Chang nodded repeatedly, indicating that he understood the reason!
"Then let me go first!" Old Li said with a smile, his voice revealing confidence and proficiency.
The eyes of the disciples beside them became hot! They hadn't seen the teacher cooking in person for a long time, and everyone was full of anticipation.
"Today's dish is called Taipingyan!" Old Li said slowly with a kind smile on his face.
"Taipingyan!" The disciples' eyes sparkled with excitement, they knew that this was a traditional Fujian dish!
"Taiping Banquet? A table full of dishes?" Gu Chang asked curiously. He was a little confused about the name of the dish.
"Boss Gu, you may not know that this dish is called Taiping Yan, which means swallow's swallow!" Li Wen explained on the side.
"Oh, I see. Is there anything special about this dish?"
Gu Chang continued to ask questions. He was very interested in the preparation method of this dish and the story behind it.
Li Wen smiled and replied, "This Taipingyan has a very beautiful meaning. Legend has it that in ancient times, people would cook this dish during important festivals or celebrations to pray for peace, happiness and reunion. Moreover, the cooking process of this dish is very unique. It requires the use of high-quality ingredients and careful cooking to achieve the best taste."
Hearing this, Gu Chang couldn't help but look forward to this Taipingyan even more.
The other disciples gathered around, ready to witness their teacher's superb cooking skills with their own eyes.
There is a saying circulating in some areas of Fujian: "No feast is complete without swallows, and no celebration is complete without swallows!" said Old Li with a smile.
"The so-called Taipingyan is actually slices of meat. These slices of meat are shaped like a swallow's tail, as thin as cotton paper, and look like a blooming spring flower."
"When cooked, the meat-filled swallow skin becomes translucent, and the filling is barely visible. It tastes crispy, tender, soft, and delicious with a strong meaty aroma. When you bite it gently, the gravy will overflow in your mouth, leaving a lingering aftertaste!"
"Taipingyan symbolizes peace and tranquility..."
Old Li looked at Aunt Gu lovingly, and then said, "I hope that you will be able to have smooth sailing and be safe in the future, whether you are learning cooking or becoming an independent apprentice!"
"Thank you, Master!" Aunt Gu responded with tears of gratitude.
"Okay, then, let's get started!"
While Old Li was explaining, he started to operate the machine.
He first picked up two pounds of fresh lean pork hind leg meat and placed it on the chopping board, then picked up a heavy wooden mallet and pounded the pork vigorously until it became a fine and sticky meat paste.
Then, he evenly spread a proper amount of sweet potato flour on the meat paste and carefully rolled it into a paper-thin bird's eye wrapper that was more than two meters long.
After that, he gently swept away the excess sweet potato flour and cut the bird's nest skin into small pieces for later use.
"This step is crucial and can be said to be the core link in the production process of Taipingyan. It is also the key to whether Taipingyan is delicious!"
Old Li emphasized in a firm tone.
At this moment, all the disciples present, including Second Aunt and Gu Chang, were staring intently at every move of Old Li, afraid of missing any details.
They are well aware of the importance of this step, so they study Lao Li's skills and techniques very carefully.
It is so rare to see a Fujian cuisine master cooking in person!
Although Old Li is old, his technique is extremely skilled. In the blink of an eye, a large piece of bird's nest skin has been formed!
"You also need to pay attention to the preparation of this meat filling!"
"The meat filling should be a mixture of fat and lean meat, and add soy sauce, cooking wine, sesame oil, sweet potato starch, ginger, chopped green onion, sugar, pepper, salt, MSG, dried shrimp, scallops, etc."
"The most critical step is to crack two duck eggs, add the egg whites to the meat filling, stir thoroughly and mix evenly, so that the meat filling will be smoother and tenderer!"
"Finally, wrap the meat filling into the meat swallow skin, pinch the middle of the swallow skin tightly, and make the edge naturally bend into the shape of a long spring flower. The wrapped meat swallow looks like a gold ingot."
At this point, a crystal clear meat dumpling is ready!
"The prepared meat-filled swallows can be fried directly or steamed for consumption. Of course, the most common way is boiling. The boiled meat-filled swallows have a smooth, crispy texture and are extremely delicious. The steamed swallow skin is chewier; if you fry it, the fried meat-filled swallows will also be crispy and delicious, leaving you with an endless aftertaste." Old Li introduced with a smile.
"Okay! Let's try the most traditional boiled meat dumpling today!"