Shokuki: Start with an izakaya and make everyone cry

Pasta is a food that Anne will never refuse no matter when she eats it.

If Anne were to talk about the advantages of pasta, there would be many.

First of all, pasta made from high-protein durum wheat flour will not clump like dried noodles even if it is left for a while after being cooked.

This point alone can add ten points to the favorability.

Secondly, the shape of pasta, there are spiral, shell, hollow, flat, and long noodles of different thicknesses.

After counting, there are about a hundred kinds.

And then.

The sauce with pasta is also extremely imaginative.

Based on the three types of red sauce, white sauce and green sauce, a variety of flavors have evolved.

Different sauces are matched with different pasta. For example, shell noodles are suitable for thick white sauce, so that you can taste the mellow taste in one bite.

For thin noodles, you need to match them with a thinner and oily sauce.

In short.

Pasta is really ever-changing and has everything.

But what is the most delicious pasta that Annie has ever eaten in her life?

Her answer must be: the curry meatball pasta that Zhang Fan is making now.

The unique flavor meatballs, topped with clear and sour tomato sauce, and the wide pasta covered with red, like eating a bunch of Tuscan sunshine.

At this moment, Annie was really crying because of her greed!

…

The door curtain was slightly lifted.

Then, a pair of extraordinary mother and daughter slowly walked into this small world:

Leonora Nakiri, and her daughter, Alice Nakiri.

It can be seen that Leonora was wearing an exquisite kimono, and her manners always revealed a noble temperament.

Maybe because of her exotic style, her eyes are deep, as if she can see through the delicious secrets of all things in the world, becoming the most dazzling existence in the entire izakaya.

And Alice, who followed closely behind, was dressed in a simple yet elegant modern outfit.

She inherited her mother's beauty.

Her face is like a flower blooming in the morning light, fresh and refined.

Her eyes are deep and bright, shining with the same gentleness and wisdom as her mother Leonora.

Whenever she smiles, the arc of her mouth is as similar to Leonora's, warm and charming, enough to dispel all the haze in the world.

Skin.

As delicate and white as the first snow, with a faint healthy luster.

The flowing hair is silver like a waterfall, naturally smooth, and fluttering in the wind, adding a bit of agility and fairy spirit.

In appearance, Alice is not only similar to Leonora, but also has the same temperament from the inside out.

…

At this moment.

In the store, warm yellow lights are sprinkled on every table, creating a "home" atmosphere.

There are several paintings depicting the scenery of the four seasons hanging on the wall, adding a bit of elegance to this small space. The air was filled with the aroma of charcoal grilled food and the refreshing Japanese wine, which made people's appetite increase!

Alice and Leonora, under the guidance of Mu Jiuzhi, chose a seat by the window.

Outside the window, there were silhouettes of pedestrians passing by occasionally.

Inside the window, it was their quiet time.

...

"What do you two want to eat now?"

Looking at Leonora, Zhang Fan, who was tactful, took the initiative to come forward, came to her side, and asked with a smile.

If.

It was just Leonora's appearance.

Then, Zhang Fan would think that she wanted to come to the izakaya to reminisce with him and talk about love.

But this time, she came with her daughter Alice.

Therefore.

Zhang Fan had reason to believe that she should have other purposes.

And in connection with the upcoming World Cooking Championship and Alice's current strength, Zhang Fan could understand a little bit, the real intention of Leonora's coming to the izakaya this time!

"Shopkeeper Zhang."

"Can you make some lighter dishes for us mother and daughter?"

"Sure, I recommend crab roe tofu?"

Zhang Fan, still smiling softly, asked indifferently.

"Okay, as you said, two servings of crab roe tofu and two bowls of rice."

"OK, wait a moment."

After saying this, Zhang Fan returned to the cooking table and prepared to make crab roe tofu.

...

"It's all made with crab roe, and it's still called light?"

Seeing that Zhang Fan actually recommended crab roe tofu to them, Alice couldn't help but complain.

"Alice."

"Who told you."

"Crab roe tofu is made with crab roe?"

Hearing Alice's words, Leonora sighed helplessly.

Alas, it seems.

My daughter is still a little bit not good!

"Hmm?"

"No crab roe."

"Then what ingredients are used?"

"Is there any other ingredient in this world that can replace crab roe?"

After a pause, Alice's eyes were filled with disbelief!

"Crab roe tofu."

"Originally, the dish should be made with crab roe as its name suggests."

"But because crab roe is very expensive and the preparation is complicated, it cannot be promoted on a large scale and is only suitable for those dignitaries!"

"But later, a chef actually used salted egg yolk instead of crab roe, so that after the whole dish was prepared, the tofu was white, tender and smooth, the soup was salty and fresh, and the color was attractive. It was not inferior to the one made with crab roe in every aspect."

After listening to Leonora's explanation, Alice finally understood at this moment!

…

Tofu.

In China, there is spicy and satisfying Mapo Tofu in the south, and fresh and fragrant Guotai Tofu in the north.

One of them is hot and unrestrained, the other is restrained and soft.

No matter which one it is, the most attractive thing is the tender texture of the tofu.

Crab roe tofu is one of the new Shandong dishes.

certainly.

This dish is also found in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Huaiyang and other cuisines.

Because the strong aroma of crab roe requires the combination of soft tofu, it is a masterpiece.

But after all, the encounter with crab roe requires seasonality, and crab roe is indeed very expensive, so the chefs usually use salted egg yolk instead.

Um!

This is not a compromise.

But understand that life and dreams can sometimes run into each other.

There are actually two ways to make crab roe tofu.

One is vegetarian crab roe tofu, and the other is meat crab roe tofu.

right!

The serious one is meat, the meat is meat!

…

At this time, what Zhang Fan wanted to make must be vegetarian crab roe tofu, because Leonora's request was that it be lighter.

First, prepare the ingredients.

Potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, fresh ginger, lactone tofu, salted egg yolk!

Then, quickly cut the fat tofu into three parts, keep two parts aside and crush one part into puree.

Immediately afterwards.

Steam potatoes and carrots and grind them into puree. Cut mushrooms and fresh ginger into fine pieces.

Heat the oil in a pan over low heat. When it is about 70 to 80% hot, add the ginger paste and stir-fry.

When the ginger paste starts to change color, add chopped mushrooms, mashed potatoes, mashed carrots, mashed tofu... Then fry the paste over low heat until it turns orange, and sprinkle in salt and sugar!

Finally, add water and bring to a boil.

Boil water in another pot, add lactone tofu cut into small cubes, boil for one minute, remove and drain.

Then put the cooked tofu into the pan.

Pour in the salted egg yolk, reduce the juice over high heat, sprinkle in a little thin gravy, and then sprinkle with chopped green onion.

In this way, the steaming crab roe tofu is completed!

…

"How strange!"

"Isn't this just ordinary salted egg yolk tofu?"

Seeing the freshly baked crab roe tofu in front of her, with the ever-present fragrance of tofu and salted duck egg yolk, Alice couldn't help but twitch her nose.

When he started to smell the strong pungent fragrance, he couldn't help but feel a little confused and surprised!

To know.

This vegetarian crab roe tofu.

No crab roe or meat is used!

Moreover, there seems to be nothing outstanding in the way of making it, but the strong fragrance emanating from it is so real.

…

"This crab roe tofu."

"Although it doesn't use any kind of crab roe, among all the vegetarian dishes, it is still a pretty good dish!"

"Alice, you have to understand."

"Sometimes, simple vegetarian dishes."

"It's just like when we first got to know each other, even though the exchanges were only on the surface and never in-depth, they are often more memorable than meat and fish dishes."

"What's more, Zhang Fan's crab roe and tofu dish is more mysterious and interesting than what others have made!"

Say it.

Leonora stopped talking to Alice.

She lowered her head slightly, picked up a small spoon, and gently took a mouthful of hot crab tofu.

Immediately afterwards, he blew a few breaths of cold air, and finally slowly put it into his mouth and chewed it slowly.

…

Just entered.

All I can see is that this dish is simply delicious!

The rich meat protein of salted egg yolk and the soy protein of tofu are perfectly combined in one dish.

At the same time, tofu and carrots greatly reduce the greasiness caused by salted egg yolk.

The carrots also increase the sweetness of the whole dish.

The three completely different taste experiences of salty, sweet and fresh burst out in the mouth, making people feel that every ingredient in this dish has a very good combination.

"I really didn't expect that."

"This dish of crab roe and tofu actually...has such an amazing effect."

"The improved crab roe tofu is based on the original fat tofu and crab roe, using carrots, and adding the extremely tasteful salted egg yolk."

"The salted egg yolk has been stir-fried with chicken oil to make it more fragrant. Adding fresh soup makes every piece of soft tofu tightly wrapped in the fragrant aroma."

"Just take a bite first while it's still hot."

"You can feel the slightly hot and grainy texture of crab roe when you put it in your mouth, which will instantly conquer the heart of any diner!"

Swallowed.

Leonora couldn't help but feel excited on her face.

It was as if she had unearthed some treasure. Her watery eyes kept staring at the crab roe tofu, and her heart could not calm down for a long time.

…

"It's just a tofu dish made with salted egg yolk. Is it really that delicious?"

Next to me, I saw my mother looking like this.

Alice couldn't help but feel a little disbelieving, and then she also tasted it.

As a result, as soon as she ate it, she was stunned.

I just feel that the tofu in my mouth is very smooth and moist.

And with sticky sauce, before he could react, the tofu slid deep into his throat. Even if he chewed it a few times with his teeth, he could feel that the taste was so incredible!

"What?"

"This... this is really crab roe, no no no, it's salted egg yolk tofu?"

She couldn't help but be surprised instantly.

...

Crab roe.

Mashed carrot.

Salted egg yolk.

Tofu.

In short, the taste of any ingredient can intersect in the mouth and constantly explode on the taste buds on the tongue.

So much so that Alice couldn't help swallowing the chewed salted egg yolk.

"This tofu is very smooth and tender."

"The salted egg yolk is also fragrant, and it really satisfies the appetite of diners."

"Take a sip, this delicate tofu will melt in your mouth, and it's so delicious that people can't stop eating it at all."

After that, Alice looked at the bowl of fragrant rice next to her.

After a moment of hesitation, her eyes lit up immediately, and she quickly picked up the bowl of rice and ate it with the hot crab roe tofu.

In an instant.

The crab roe tofu and the rice grains were entangled.

A gentle and irresistible force was generated, tightly wrapping the tongue.

Perhaps, ordinary life is not as exciting as ideal, but surprises are often hidden in these most ordinary details. Just like salted egg yolk and tofu, although they are such ordinary ingredients, they can create a wonderful spark of taste when put together!

In the end, with some satisfaction.

Alice finally ate the whole plate of crab roe tofu and a bowl of rice in one breath.

…

A dish that makes people applaud.

It will never be just a single method of a single ingredient, but it must be a perfect combination of multiple foods and materials to compose a sense of layering like a movement.

And in this crab roe tofu.

In addition to being able to meet this requirement.

In terms of temperature, heat, and method, Zhang Fan also achieved twice the result with half the effort.

At first glance, the golden soup and white tofu are rich, fragrant, glutinous and smooth, making people salivate.

Especially when the tofu and rice are slowly stirred evenly until each grain of rice is covered with golden tofu, intertwined and blended, you can instantly feel that ordinary white rice will also have a full food aroma of "turning mediocrity into magic"!

I have to say.

Just smelling it makes you drool.

Then, as soon as you put it in your mouth, the most sensitive cells on the tip of your tongue are activated!

…

"Hmm!"

"A perfect dish."

"Whether it is a single impactful taste or a rich taste of mixed flavors, it should be harmonious and full."

"Zhang Fan, your cooking is really becoming more and more pleasing."

At this moment, Leonora, who had also finished eating the crab roe tofu, slowly closed her eyes.

Perhaps, only when you frown with happiness and can't help but exclaim "delicious", can you realize that it is because of Zhang Fan's cooking skills and his concentration on the development and design of dishes that he can present these amazing food masterpieces.

On the other side, Alice fell into deep thought after being surprised. (End of this chapter)