I'm a dragon sparrow in Tokyo

Chapter 57 Salted Duck VS Saliva Chicken! (Please subscribe!)
The two on Sakurajima's side have no way of knowing what happened in Daxia.

Jiang Xu and Aoba discussed it and decided to finish today's food halberd first.

Because the salted duck is a cold dish, and the saliva chicken is actually a cold dish, so there is no need to worry about making it first, and the ingredients will become cold.

Because these two dishes are originally eaten cold, the taste of hot food is not satisfactory.

Jiang Xu mentioned the lucky chicken he had chosen earlier.

When Aoba was purchased, it had already been processed by someone. Not only the feathers were plucked, but the internal organs were also emptied, leaving only the skin and bones of the whole chicken.

It saves Jiang Xu a lot of processes and saves a lot of time.

Saliva chicken is actually a Sichuan dish, which was also born in the Qing Dynasty in the previous life like mapo tofu.

Because of historical differences, it did not appear in this world.

The cooking process of saliva chicken is actually quite interesting.

The chicken will be bathed back and forth between the scalding hot water and the biting ice water, exercising the triple heaven.

"Qingye, do you have a bigger steaming drum at home? The one that is big enough to put a whole chicken in!"

Jiang Xu asked.

"Have."

Aoba replied, then went into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets, and found a medium-large and two medium-sized round steamers.

The walls of the pot are extremely deep, more than enough to put two chickens in.

Jiang Xu took a medium-large one and a medium-sized one.

Take a large pot of water in a medium-large steamer, light the stove, and let the water heat until it boils.

Jiang Xu also poured half of the cold water into another medium-sized steamer.

However, the water in this pot will not be heated, but will be sprinkled with ice cubes and mixed into ice water.

The hot water drum should be heated to boiling, and the cold water drum should be cooled to as low as possible.

During the period before the water boiled, Jiang Xu just had to wait.

Compared with the big fanfare on Jiang Xu's side, the movement on Qingye's side was much smaller.

I only prepared a medium-sized pot and filled half of it with water.

After all, this salted duck is actually a semi-finished product, only the last step of the stewing process is missing.

Aoba, who was also waiting to be heated, saw Jiang Xu's movements, frowned slightly and said, "Do you want to have a mixed bath and use alternating cold and hot water to cook this dish?"

"Correct answer, but unfortunately no prize!"

Jiang Xu snapped his fingers and smiled slightly.

"Although this method can stimulate the tenderness of the meat and the crispness of the skin. However, it is extremely difficult to measure the maturity of the chicken when it is cooked in a hot pot, or the shrinkage rate of the skin in cold water. How can you use this method?" Is the dish called 'Drool Chicken' ready?"

When he said the three words 'slobbering chicken', Aoba couldn't help but have a drooling look in his mind, and a speechless look appeared on his face.

She couldn't understand why someone would give the dish this name.

Regarding this, Jiang Xu just smiled and didn't say much.

After the finished product comes out and tasted, Aoba will know why this dish is called 'saliva chicken', which is not an elegant name.

It can only be said that the dishes live up to their name.

Waiting for the pot of water to boil.

Jiang Xu was not idle either. After cutting a few pieces of ginger, he went to the small vegetable garden at the back door to pick two green onions and a handful of shallots for later use.

When Jiang Xu came back from the vegetable garden, Qing Ye unceremoniously picked up a handful of shallots and left, and also took a few slices of ginger, stuffing them all into the stomach of the salted duck.

Jiang Xu stared at her for a few seconds, seeing that she was indifferent, he could only shake his head, re-cut the ginger slices, and threw them into the boiling pot together with the scallions that had been processed just now.

Add a few more tablespoons of salt and wait until the flavors have boiled off a bit.

He just lifted the lucky chicken and stuffed its two chicken feet into the abdominal cavity.

Then the whole chicken is put into the boiling steam drum.

Gollum~ Gollum~
That was the sound of hot water pouring into the abdominal cavity of the chicken body.

When the boiling water was completely filled, Jiang Xu immediately advanced the chicken body to let the water flow out.

This step is to make the inside of the chicken evenly heated, and everything is to make the meat mature better.

Then put it in hot water again, shake it a few times, and burn it for a few seconds.

The next moment, Jiang Xu suddenly lifted the chicken body, changed it into a bathtub with lightning speed, and pushed it into the ice water beside it.

In an instant, it switched from boiling high temperature to freezing low temperature.

Under the alternation of heat and cold, the skin of the chicken is also tightened from the loose state in an instant.

In this way, the chicken skin will become crispy and elastic.

Similarly, lift the chicken body and pour out the warm water in the abdominal cavity, and take a cold bath again.

Jiang Xu lifted it into the hot water pot again, and continued to boil the water for bathing.

If this chicken had a soul in the sky, it might suddenly have a big mouth, speak a local accent, and curse at Jiang Xu.

Can you be more straightforward, give it a good time, why do you torture the chicken so much! !

However, Jiang Xu's torment for it had indeed come to an end.

After pressing the chicken body into the water, he left it alone for a while.

Turning around, looking at Aoba's side, only to find that Aoba's side was also picking up the duck that had been soaked for a while, and after a while, put it back to continue cooking.

Jiang Xu compared the method of the slobber chicken he made, but unexpectedly found that it was actually somewhat similar to the method of the salted duck over there.

It is a step of lifting and lowering several times.

This is actually for one purpose, to tighten the skin and make the taste better.

It's just that Jiang Xu's side is more extreme, stimulating with ice water.

However, it is also more difficult. If you are not careful, the elasticity of the chicken skin will be unbalanced and the taste will be affected.

About 10 minutes later, Jiang Xu picked up a hook, lifted the chicken body submerged in water, and pinched the chicken leg.

If it's firm, it means the chicken is almost done.

very good.Jiang Xu nodded, and threw the chicken body into the ice water again.

chicken:? ?You think it's fun, don't you?

In fact, the current saliva chicken can already be out of the pot, but after cutting it, the bones are slightly bloody.

Jiang Xu considered the taste of the food halberd judge - Hagiwara Daiko, and decided to make it fully cooked.

This time, you only need to cook for another 15 minutes, and finally immerse in ice water for 10 minutes to chill, and you're done.

On the other side, Qingye's salted duck has been cooked.

The light yellow skin is dripping with juice, crystal clear, and the duck meat is white and tender, just like tofu.

A salty, mellow and thick marinade tastes overflowing.

Aoba took a deep breath.

Compared with most hot dishes, the aroma of cold dishes is actually relatively weak.

But the century-old stew, the taste really lives up to its reputation!
Even the salted duck was probably only shallowly soaked for four or 10 minutes during the making process.

In the subsequent production, it has also been boiled, air-dried, ginger, onion, star anise, etc. to remove fishy smell.

The unique and deep mellow marinade aroma is also irresistible.

Jiang Xu is preparing a special sauce for saliva chicken.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Aoba who was pursing his lips and concentrating on slicing the duck. A flash of inspiration came to his mind, and he thought of the seasoning technique of the original chef style of Sho Hagiwara that he had just seen.

Aoba said that no matter how she copied the opponent's technique and the proportion of seasoning, she couldn't achieve one-tenth of the effect.

Jiang Xu thinks it may be caused by Aoba's inability to mobilize the power of the mysterious level, and it has little to do with the specific technique.
Although he can't turn into a spirit with the same fortune as Hagiwara Sho now, he can assist in cooking.

But he also has his own method, the method of sensing luck with sparrows.

Worth a try!
At this moment, Jiang Xu calmed down and began to understand the flow of mysterious fortune hidden in this dish.

Sho Hagiwara's eating spirit opened a new door for him.

It proved that not only the game of cards, everything is affected by luck!

Fate is like air, no, maybe it is more ubiquitous than air!
Squinting his eyes slightly, Jiang Xu felt intently.

In the empty space, it belongs to the smell of this cooked chicken.

This breath is very weak, but it is spreading yearningly, and it is divided into ten strands halfway, each of which is connected with a pile of condiments and seasoning cups.

'It seems to be saying', it takes the dish of saliva chicken as the meaning of existence, and wants these seasonings to assist itself to complete the final sublimation.

If you use a more fantasy term in some anime, this is called a dialogue with ingredients.

"call!"

The picture was like a hallucination, flashing before Jiang Xu's eyes.

Suddenly regaining consciousness, Jiang Xu looked at the various seasonings he had prepared, and a very mysterious feeling arose in his heart.

Now that I am seasoning myself, I can grasp the most accurate ratio, which is absolutely exact.

However, with the passage of time, this feeling is slowly disappearing, like an illusion.

It is not too late.

Without counting, Jiang Xu immediately grabbed a few garlic cloves, smashed them with the back of a knife, and chopped them into even and fine minced garlic. He also grabbed a handful of ginger, green onions, millet peppers, and minced them together, also without weighing them. .

After putting them all into a bowl, Jiang Xu poured some soy sauce first, and filled half a spoonful of hot chicken soup.

Stir slightly, then add oyster sauce, salt, and monosodium glutamate in turn.

And, slightly more sugar and red oil, green pepper noodles.

Finally, add two more tablespoons of vinegar.

There are thirteen flavors in total.

And the various seasonings he added all have their own strong attributes, and in most cases they are the main flavor of the ingredients.

Mixing together most of the time will only cause conflicts, and the two sides are not happy.

However, the current ratio of Jiang Xu and the order of addition seem to have produced a special chemical reaction in the flavors of several sauces.

Drip into the bowl with the last drop of vinegar from the spoon.

In an instant, the sauce, which had complex and even contradictory tastes due to the addition of too many seasonings, seemed to be lubricated and integrated.

The multiple flavors are clearly layered, like a bunch of colorful flower arrangements, and all kinds of delicacies form a unity.

Stir and stir a little, a bowl of various seasonings mixed, the miscellaneous and not messy saliva chicken sauce is done.

Jiang Xu licked his lips, looking at the black and viscous sauce, the saliva was constantly secreting, and he really wanted to lift the bowl, so he poured a sip into his mouth to try it.

Suppressing his thoughts, Jiang Xu took out the whole chicken body that had been washed in an ice water bath to cool down, and placed it on the cutting board.

The chicken body with crystal water drops presents a beautiful golden yellow, which is more visually impactful.

With the help of the superb knife skills that Aoba envied.

Holding down Jiang Xu with his left hand, he raised the knife and lowered the knife, Ka Ka cut the golden skinned chicken into slices of even width at a glance.

Finally, put it on a plate into the image of spreading its wings and wanting to fly.

At this point, a mouth-watering chicken that is "famous for three thousand miles in Bashu and tastes overwhelming in twelve states in the south of the Yangtze River" is ready.

Just after Jiang Xu brought the porcelain sauce and sauce to the dining room table in the living room.

Click.

The door was locked.

Daizi just arrived home, and the judges entered.

As soon as she entered the door, the tip of her nose moved slightly, and Daiko Hagiwara, who hadn't smelled the fragrance, was about to speak when she saw Jiang Xu coming out with a plate and sauce, her eyes lit up, and she asked.

"Xu-jun, what's the dish today! Could it be a cold vegetable platter?"

"Yes, my dish today is called Saliva Chicken, which is also a dish of Sichuan cuisine. Today, Aoba's dish is a famous Jinling dish sent from China by Uncle Xiang, salted duck."

"So, today's Shiji should be regarded as my confrontation with Qingye and Uncle Xiang." Jiang Xu laughed.

"Oh, have you met Xiang already?"

Dai Zi was taken aback.

"Yes, Uncle Xiang made a video call to Aoba today. I happened to be back and met by phone. It was also at that time that we made an appointment for this halberd meal."

Jiang Xu explained.

"That's right." Dai Zi nodded.

Today's staple food is not rice, but cold noodles.

Dip the noodles in the hot broth in which the chicken or duck was cooked, remove immediately, and pass through the ice water.

A bowl of cold noodles is ready.

Only a little bit of salt is needed, and no other condiments are needed. With the saliva chicken and salted duck, it is an excellent 'zero-calorie' set meal.

After everything is ready, today's dinner is all done.

On the dining table in the living room of Hagiwara’s house, there are two large plates. One plate is golden-yellow Shuikou Chicken, which seems to be flying high, and the other plate is crystal clear salted duck, which seems to be resting quietly in spring water.

Purely from the visual point of view, the presentation of the two dishes is in line with their own cuisines, one is hot and flamboyant, and the other is light and elegant.

After thinking about it for a while, Daizi still chose to taste the salted duck, which should have a lighter taste, so as to avoid the taste judgment being affected by the heavy-tasting dishes first.

Although Daizi didn't say it herself, Jiang Xu can actually detect some details in her life, and Daizi's perception is also extremely keen.

Just like yesterday's fried buns, after Daizi tasted them, she could sense emotions from the cooking, and 'see' some thoughts entrusted by the chef.

Aoba's olfactory talent may have been inherited from her, but it has been strengthened even more.

And just now, after Daizi tasted this salted duck.

The taste of the thick historical atmosphere precipitated by the skills inherited for thousands of years bloomed on the tip of her tongue.

In just an instant, she was brought into a bustling ancient capital full of fireworks, beside a beautiful river shrouded in countless allusions.

There are many people along the river, and I don’t know how many merchants and hawkers are yelling their own products, and they are bargaining hard with interested customers who stop to ask prices.

Ducks quacked happily in the river, and the faces of the people on the bank were full of joy of life and prosperity.

The sun is setting and the shadows of the trees are slanting.

The men who had worked for a day also gradually returned home, the better in twos and threes, and came to a restaurant that was simple to set up, but the business was booming, clamoring for a plate of duck.

A clerk responded with a smile, turned around and came to the back kitchen of the shop, and brought a platter of sliced ​​duck meat.

And in the duck room behind the kitchen.

A group of bright-eyed chefs were looking for a big white duck that was fit and fat among the ducks returning to the duck stand with croaks.

Kill, clean, steam, marinate, dry, steam.

Although the face of the chef is blurry, it can be seen that it is constantly changing, and his clothing is gradually evolving to become more and more modern.

It seems that this duck has been jointly produced by thousands of generations for hundreds of years.

Generation after generation of people have passed by, only the vat of marinade has become more and more concentrated with time.

After recovering, Daizi felt that she had tasted the inheritance of the flavor from this dish, a taste that lasted forever.

Slowly opening the eyes that were unconsciously closed, Daizi picked up the chopsticks, picked up a few noodles, and swallowed them.

Daizi didn't speak, and Jiang Xu and Qingye didn't dare to disturb her, they just watched her pick up the top piece of golden leather chicken without dipping sauce.

Nodding slightly, she picked up another piece.

This time it was covered in sauce.

Under Jiang Xu's expectant eyes, Daizi stuffed the piece of meat into her mouth.

As soon as the black chicken dipped in the sauce came into her mouth, Dai Zi was taken aback, moved her cheeks slightly, chewed twice, and swallowed the chicken.

Then, immediately prepare to move your chopsticks and pick up another piece of chicken.

As if thinking of something, Daizi put down her chopsticks again, picked up the sauce bowl directly, and dumped everything from the middle of the plate, from the chicken head to the tail.

Swish!
It was as if a ray of light had burst from the chicken!
A scent of spices mixed with over ten flavors invaded Aoba's nostrils.

Slightly moving the tip of her nose, Aoba's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition suddenly arose.

Alas, no, I am not the one who eats the halberd today, so what am I worried about.

At this moment, Sho Hagiwara, who was writing the mapo tofu recipe excitedly, sneezed suddenly.

He rubbed his nose, wondering, "What's going on, is it the sequelae of the mapo tofu just now?"

He picked up a piece of white meat with golden skin again.

Daizi felt this complex taste that she had never experienced before.

The entrance is spicy and slightly tingly, but after swallowing, the aftertaste is sour to stimulate the taste buds, and there is a hint of sweetness.

People can't help the secretion of saliva, mouthful after mouthful, can't stop at all.

Daizi's face turned reddish, she hadn't experienced this feeling for a long time.

Just now it was just a sauce, but after the chicken was eaten, a delicious taste of the meat itself filled the whole mouth instantly. The tender and smooth chicken that had been chilled, and the crispy and elastic chicken skin made it hard to tell whether it was food or saliva in the mouth.

Then, there was the taste of the sauce again, and the layers of the combined sauce flavor also activated the tired brain along with the chicken, so Daizi couldn't help but pick up the chicken, put it in her mouth, chew and swallow.

More importantly, the heavy taste of these sauces does not overwhelm the guests.

After being paired with each other, a wonderful balance is formed, which highlights the taste of the chicken itself.

As if, this sauce was born for this dish.

This cooking method reminded Daiko Hagiwara of a genre she was familiar with.

So, did the real creators of today's two dishes make a mistake?

After tasting both dishes, it was the turn of the judges.

After organizing her words for a while, Daizi slowly opened her mouth to speak.

"From the point of view of taste, salted duck is actually better."

"After all, this breed of duck is from the Jinling people of Daxia. It has been selected and bred for hundreds of years, and it is a duck breed specially bred for this dish. Just two simple steps of salting and marinating, the taste will not be too bad .I can feel the long history of Daxia Jinling Ancient City in this smell."

"But that's where the problem lies."

Daiko Hagiwara changed the topic, showing a gentle smile on her face, but Aoba couldn't help but tremble, feeling bad.

"Xiang Ta is practicing the original way of cooking, and he pays the most attention to the original taste of the ingredients. But this dish, I don't feel much special about the taste of the duck itself."

"In this dish, I tasted braised meat, the taste of salt water, and the taste of ordinary duck, but I didn't get the taste of your own cooking. The flavor of the main ingredient was suppressed by the seasoning. This is absolutely not normal!"

"On the contrary, Xu Jun's mouth-watering chicken, although this bowl of condiments is extremely rich in taste, combining numbness, spicy, fresh, fragrant, tender, smooth, sweet, and sour, but the taste of the chicken itself is still the most important. "

"So, I think, as far as this halberd eating is concerned, it is Xu Jun who has won."

　Thanks to 'Drunk in Heart' and 'Huai Jun' for their tip!Thanks for subscribing.

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(End of this chapter)