Siheyuan: Tanjia Cuisine He Daqing, destroying Yi Zhonghai

Every day, he works hard in the kitchen and constantly challenges his own limits. He knows that true cooking skills are not only the accumulation of techniques, but also a persistent pursuit of taste, a strict demand for details, and respect for every diner.

He Daqing knows that this road is still long, but he is not alone. He Yuzhu, He Xiaohu, and even every neighbor in the courtyard are his driving force. Their support and encouragement make him more determined on this culinary road.

As He Daqing's cooking skills continued to improve, a new idea gradually emerged in his mind. He knew that he still had a lot to learn, and the big hotels in the city were undoubtedly the best learning platform. He began to consider whether he had the opportunity to study in such a place. Even if it was just a short-term apprenticeship, it might allow him to make greater breakthroughs in his cooking skills.

But he also understood that such an opportunity was not easy to obtain. Those big hotels had extremely high requirements for chefs, and it was still unknown whether he would be accepted by them. However, once this idea took root in He Daqing's mind, it began to grow stronger and stronger.

He Daqing walked out of the courtyard early in the morning with a clear plan in mind. Today, he decided to go to the market to buy some fresh garlic and ginger. These two seemingly ordinary seasonings played a key role in his recent "taste experiment". Ginger in particular can not only remove the fishy smell and enhance the fragrance, but also bring a unique spicy feeling to the dishes. Garlic can add a deep flavor to the dishes, making them more appealing. He Daqing plans to further study the use of these two seasonings to see if they can bring new breakthroughs to his dishes.

He Daqing was walking on the road to the market, his thoughts were constantly surging. He was thinking about how to use garlic and ginger more skillfully in his daily home cooking. Although these two things are ordinary, they have great potential. He has always used them in a too traditional way and has not really tapped their full value. He Daqing thought, why not start from today and thoroughly study the secrets of these two seasonings.

Arriving at the market, He Daqing walked straight to a small stall selling seasonings. The stall owner was a middle-aged man in his fifties with a simple smile on his face. He Daqing was already a regular here, and every time he came to buy something, the stall owner would give him more discounts. This time, when the stall owner saw him, he smiled and joked: "Brother Daqing, are you here to buy seasonings again? You are getting more and more particular."

He Daqing smiled and responded, "Yes, I've been studying how to use these seasonings to make our dishes more flavorful. Big brother, give me two pounds of ginger and one pound of garlic. They should be the best, and don't mix them with water."

The stall owner readily agreed, and quickly weighed the ginger and garlic and handed them to He Daqing: "Brother, you really want to treat cooking as an art! I see that the seasonings you bought recently are not simple, they are all good stuff."

He Daqing took the seasoning and felt a little proud: "That's right, when it comes to cooking, you either don't do it or you have to do it well. Recently, the food in our cafeteria has improved a lot, and the workers all praise our good cooking skills."

The stall owner nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "Of course! Brother, if you have this kind of heart, how can the dishes you make not be delicious? If I have the chance, I will go to your place to try it."

He Daqing smiled and agreed: "Brother, come anytime, I'll treat you to some new dishes!"

After saying this, He Daqing carried the ginger and garlic he had bought, his heart full of anticipation. He couldn't wait to get back to the kitchen to try out some new methods he had just thought of. He planned to chop the ginger and garlic into smaller pieces, or even mash them, and then incorporate them into different dishes to see how they would turn out.

After returning to the courtyard, He Daqing immediately got busy. He took out a kitchen knife and carefully processed the ginger and garlic. The ginger was cut into thin strips and then gently beaten with the back of the knife until the ginger juice slowly seeped out. The garlic was mashed into garlic paste and set aside for later use. This delicate processing method was a little trick he learned from a big hotel. It seemed simple, but it allowed the flavor of the seasoning to be more evenly integrated into the dish.

He Daqing was full of expectations, wondering if this attempt could bring new surprises. He first chose the braised pork, which he was best at, and added shredded ginger and minced garlic to different steps. Shredded ginger was used to remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor, while minced garlic was added before serving to enhance the aroma of the entire dish.

As the braised pork in the pot slowly changed color, a strong aroma filled the kitchen. He Daqing took a deep breath and nodded secretly. The taste was indeed stronger than usual. He tasted it. The meat was tender, and the spicy ginger and the aroma of garlic blended perfectly. Every bite made people want to eat more.

Just as he was intoxicated by his masterpiece, He Yuzhu came in smelling the fragrance and said with a smile: "Daqing, what delicious food have you made? I can smell the fragrance before I even enter the door."

He Daqing smiled proudly and said, "Brother Zhuzi, today I tried a new method and used the best ginger and garlic on the market. Let's see how it tastes. Come and try it."

He Yuzhu took a piece of braised pork and savored it carefully. The melt-in-the-mouth texture of the meat and the tangy garlic aroma made him nod and praise: "Well, not bad! The taste is more layered than usual, especially the aroma of ginger and garlic, which is just right, not overpowering the taste, but also very flavorful."

Hearing He Yuzhu's affirmation, He Daqing felt relieved and smiled: "I was also thinking that the seasonings we usually use are too monotonous. This time we changed the method and the effect was really good."

He Yuzhu looked at He Daqing with satisfaction, and said with a hint of praise: "Daqing, you are really becoming more and more independent. As chefs, we are most afraid of being stuck in a rut. It's a good thing that you can keep thinking of new things."

He Daqing smiled, but in his heart he was thinking about the next plan. He knew that it was not enough to just improve the use of seasonings. If he wanted to really reach the level of a big hotel, he needed to work hard in more aspects. But these current attempts have already made him see the possibility of progress.

That night, He Daqing shared some of his new ideas with He Yuzhu. He suggested that they try more complex dishes, especially those that require a variety of seasonings, such as stews and stewed dishes. These dishes require more seasonings and can better exercise their cooking skills.

He Yuzhu nodded frequently while listening: "Daqing, your ideas are very good. We can start with a simple stew, gradually add new seasonings, and see how it works. You have a really smart brain, you can always come up with these new ideas."