Swaying the sake bottle.
Gulping down a few mouthfuls, the director then revealed a satisfied expression.
Shortly after, he stole a glance at Zane at the cooking counter, his mind inevitably in a state of confusion.
As the young lady of the Nakiri family, Erina would always be the apple of the eye in his perspective.
And within Totsuki Academy, Erina naturally possessed a very high social status and wealth.
This made her highly esteemed at the Academy, but at the same time, it was difficult for her to establish close relationships with ordinary students!
After all, most students harbored feelings of jealousy, admiration, and awe toward her.
And the few people who could get close to her would avoid her due to her arrogance and conceit.
So, Erina was actually quite lonely.
But at the tavern, the owner Zane, although initially teasing her, had a naturally friendly disposition, and a few words from him could quickly bring Erina closer, making their conversations delightful.
It felt quite incredible to the director!
"Could it be that in this world, the person who can save Erina is the owner of this tavern?"
Looking at the clear sake in the cup, the white-haired director muttered to himself.
...
First, prepare ordinary medium-gluten flour.
Pour it into a container, add cold water and edible salt gradually, stir with chopsticks while adding water, then knead into a soft dough with your hands.
Cover with a damp cloth and let it sit for 10 minutes, knead again, then let it sit for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare some purified starch.
Pour boiling water (above 90 degrees Celsius) slowly onto the purified starch.
When the dough comes together, let it sit for 10 minutes!
"Miss, why is he preparing two different types of flour and purified starch?"
Seeing Zane working with two different doughs, Hisako, who was quietly observing next to him, felt very puzzled.
In my experience, he might be using two types of dough to achieve different textures and appearance effects, right?"
Erina's eyes flickered, then she voiced her opinion.
Medium-gluten flour has a moisture content of 13.8% and a crude protein content of over 8.55, which falls between high-gluten flour and low-gluten flour.
In terms of extensibility, medium-gluten flour is actually inferior to high-gluten flour.
On the other hand, medium-gluten flour is pure white and glossy, and the food made from it is soft, with a slight chewiness, so it is also suitable for making dumpling wrappers!
As for the purified starch and the dough it produces, it is more delicate, which can enhance the visual appeal!
"Strange!"
"If it's just for the appearance effect."
"He could use a 4:1 ratio of high-gluten flour and cornstarch to make medium-gluten flour, so why does he need purified starch and medium-gluten flour?"
"What's more, purified starch is a type of starch with thin skin that can easily break and has a delicate texture, so it's totally unsuitable for making dumpling wrappers."
Thinking about this, Erina looked skeptical.
Every time Zane made a new dish, it always left her baffled and unable to figure it out.
And in the end, when all the secrets of his dish were unraveled, it completely undermined her understanding of that kind of dish!
As a result, Erina began to have a presentiment.
Zane's shrimp dumplings this time would, just like the previous two times, greatly astonish her in the end!
"Logic would dictate that dumpling skin should be as thin as possible."
"And he wants to use medium-gluten flour and purified starch to make two different dumpling skins?"
The director, seeing Zane's approach, also found it truly baffling!
...
As delicious as dumplings may be,
Relaxation is more delightful!
As an important part of Chinese culture, dumplings have a long history.
Back in the late Eastern Han dynasty, the physician Zhang Zhongjing saw many impoverished people suffering from frostbitten ears and even colds while traveling home during the winter solstice.
So he made fillings with mutton, pepper, and hot herbs, and shaped them into ear-shaped dumplings, feeding them to the poor. This successfully drove away the cold and cured the frostbitten ears!
After many years of development, dumplings became popular across the country during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Dumplings aren't just delicious; the making process is unique and simple, using hot dough, oil dough, egg or rice flour.
The fillings are diverse, they can be meat or vegetarian, sweet or savory; and the cooking methods can include steaming, boiling, frying, pan-frying, and more.
In short, just like tofu, dumplings can be transformed in countless ways and have different flavors!
At that moment, Zane was seen cleaning all the prawns.
Then, he used scissors to trim the long whiskers and sharp points on their heads.
After that, he used a toothpick to break the connection between the head and body while rinsing and continued to pick apart the organs in the sandbags, and finally rinsed them again!
He inserted the toothpick next to the tail, pierced the prawn meat, marinated it with cooking wine, ginger, white pepper, sugar, salt, sesame oil, and prawn brains, and let it marinate for 15 minutes.
Finally, the peeled prawn shells were carved into the shape of a dragon head.
Then, using different types of dumpling skins, a crystal skin was used as the base, and then regular dumpling skin was placed on top, the edges were sealed, and the dumplings were then turned over and taken for steaming.
"Is it my imagination?"
"Did he really use two types of dumpling skins?"
Upon seeing this, Erina couldn't help but feel stunned, her mind racing.
She completely couldn't understand Zane's approach, it simply went against common sense.
Finally, as the shrimp dumplings were steamed, Zane quickly opened the steamer.
Whoosh, unexpectedly, at the moment the steamer was opened, the entire steamer was filled with water vapor, then burst into a dazzling light, directly blinding the titanium alloy eyes of all the diners present!
"Huh? Why is it glowing again?"
Erina's expression was full of disbelief!
This was the second time she had seen a dish that glowed, but when she saw it again, she was still scared.
And just as Erina, the director, Hisako and all the other diners were still not coming back to their senses due to the glowing phenomenon...
Prawns.
No, it's a dragon!
The dumplings, shaped like a dragon, actually rose slowly in the mist-filled steamer.
Like a dragon soaring through the clouds, graceful and majestic, it displayed a sense of power and nobility over everyone present!
"Huh?"
"The dumplings actually flew?"
In an instant, Erina was stunned.
And Hisako and the director, who were beside her, were completely dumbfounded too!
—------
Until the mist dispersed, the entire shrimp dumpling was fully exposed to everyone.
Seeing the dense "dragon scales" on the "dragon body" and the shrimp dumplings drifting in the air with dragon whiskers, Erina only came back to her senses after a while.
For some reason?
Witnessing such a stunning scene, Erina couldn't contain her excitement!
If the noble cuisine she had pursued all her life is for what? And for what kind of cuisine?
Then, this dragon-shaped shrimp dumpling that can reach the sky is the best answer!
Yes!
If this kind of dish is created by oneself, how wonderful would that be!
...
"How did you do it?"
Finally, in addition to being shocked, Erina couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Try tasting it first, with your ability, you should be able to figure it out soon!"
Zane replied mysteriously.
Knowing he didn't want to reveal too much information, Erina didn't press further.
She quickly picked up her chopsticks eagerly, lightly picking up the majestic dragon-shaped dumpling.
Next, she admired it. Although this unique dragon-shaped dumpling initially used two different types of dumpling skins, both skins were as thin as paper, semi-transparent, allowing the red shrimp meat inside to be visible.
Hmm!
The whole shrimp dumpling!
The shape must be exquisite.
And every detail was done meticulously, increasing one's appetite just by looking at it.
But in the end, it was impossible to tell with the naked eye why the dumpling could "fly to the heavens" after being uncovered from the steamer?
Helpless and puzzled, Erina just slowly brought the dumpling to her mouth to savor.
...
Just as she took the first bite, she noticed the dumpling skin indeed had a different texture from regular dumplings.
Initially, her teeth sank into a layer of relatively soft purified starch dumpling skin, light, thin, and silky in texture.
Then, before Erina could react, the soft texture suddenly turned hard!
The reason it became hard was that she had bitten into the second layer of medium-gluten flour dumpling skin.
Although the unexpected change from soft to hard texture caught her off guard, coupled with the freshness of the shrimp meat filling, it thoroughly satisfied Erina's divine palate!
By simply adding shrimp brain marrow, as well as ingredients like Shaoxing wine, ginger, white pepper, sugar, salt, sesame oil, the flavor of the seafood was brought to an ultimate taste experience!
And as she reached the end, the chewy and bouncy shrimp meat could dance vigorously in her mouth.
...
"Mmm Mmm Mmm!"
"Hisako, Grandpa, you must come and taste this."
"The taste of this shrimp dumpling is absolutely amazing. Although it's just ordinary prawns, the seasoning used is very rich, hence the rich and fragrant taste!"
"Although the taste may lack a bit of refinement, it's more rugged, offering a strong sensory experience."
"Mmm mmm, I see now."
"First, completely clean out the shrimp brain marrow from the shrimp head."
"Then mix the shrimp brain marrow with the meat filling, encased in two different dumpling skins."
"Then, after heating..."
"Along with the dumpling's takeoff, the meat filling and shrimp brain marrow inside the two layers of dumpling skin move together, undergoing a perfect mutual collision!"
"This way, the exquisite flavor of the shrimp is like being in a closed pressure cooker."
"And with just a bite to break the dumpling skin, the hidden flavor explodes like ignited gunpowder in the mouth."
"The instant eruption of meat filling juice, even more... even more... Ah... I... I can't take it anymore!"
Slightly opening her mouth, she blew a warm breath into the air.
At this moment, with bright eyes, Erina constantly used her divine palate to taste the flavor of this dragon-shaped dumpling.
But gradually, she squeezed her legs, crossed her arms, her face turning red!
And when she opened her eyes again, she revealed an "irresistible" expression.
...
On the other side, witnessing Erina being instantly captivated, Hisako was once again surprised in secret.
It's important to note that this shrimp dumpling, while having a strong visual effect of "flying to the sky," was ultimately just a simple shrimp dumpling.
Is the taste really that delicious?
Is the texture really that magical?
So, Hisako quickly picked up a small dumpling to taste it.
She first took a bite of the skin, feeling the dumpling's delicate texture and aroma, then couldn't help but bite into the filling, savoring the delicious shrimp meat!
The delicious shrimp filling paired perfectly with the thin dumpling skin.
When all the flavors blended in the mouth, she instantly felt the unique taste and charm of the shrimp dumplings.
With just one bite, Hisako was left dumbfounded.
It's not an exaggeration to say that this dragon-shaped dumpling could instantly make her understand what breaking food limits meant?
"This... this..." Hisako, at a loss for words, didn't know how to describe this dish.
Finally, after a long pause, she could only barely manage to say two words:
"Delicious!"
Shrimp meat.
Cooked shrimp meat with a rich head and back.
Shrimp brain marrow.
Dehydrated fresh bamboo shoot tips.
Medium-gluten flour.
Purified starch.
Honestly, the ingredients for this dumpling are indeed very simple.
But with just a strong fire for steaming, it eventually achieved a clear and translucent appearance, with the filling showing a vibrant dual color.
As she looked at the dumpling in front of her, with its snow-white, thin as paper, semi-transparent skin, and the faintly visible filling, even the director, who had tasted countless dishes in his life, couldn't help but marvel!
Especially, when he saw Erina completely defenseless against this dumpling, his emotions became extremely complicated!
After all, in all these years, he had never seen or believed that a simple shrimp dumpling could make Erina so satisfied.
In the end, the director could only take a bite, wanting to see what magic Zane's cooking held that amazed so many people!
Suddenly, as he bit down, the director Senzaemon's clothes burst open.
"Ah?"
"Grandpa's clothes burst open from just one bite?"
Seeing this, Erina was almost speechless!
Though she knew this dragon-shaped dumpling would make Grandpa Senzaemon's clothes burst, she didn't expect it to happen so quickly, almost instantly conquering the director!
---------
This was a 2-in-1 chapter, meaning there is 2 different chapters in this 1 chapter. Make sure to give more power stones! Had more time to make a 2 in 1 chapter.