Chapter 523 The Miracle of Taste
For example, the first dish corresponds to the soup in French cuisine.
Every person has a small bowl of "clear jasmine soup" with mussel meat, paired with two salty crabapple cakes used as bread.
The difference from French food is that the beauty of this Chinese chicken soup and Chinese pasta is purely natural.
It has both floral fragrance and flower shape, so there is no need to put it on the plate at all.
In this way, the excitement of this Chinese-Western soup dish has become more than just a soup or a snack.
It lies in the echo of the themes of color, aroma, taste and shape, and in the three-dimensional enjoyment of smell, taste, vision and touch.
The layers of crabapple pastry bloom like flowers, and the pink color is almost girlish.
With the slightest touch, the crispy pastry will fall off, making it unbearable to eat.
The white jasmine flowers soaked in clear chicken soup show their vitality with their pure soup color and attractive fragrance.
So as soon as this dish was served, it caused a sensation.
You know, the French, who are always proud of French food, think that only French food can be considered exquisite.
The impression of Chinese food is nothing more than fried noodles, fried noodles, and stir-fried chop suey.
Even though many people come to the Republic, the most distressing thing is that it is difficult to buy real high-quality fresh bread here, which has formed a stereotype that the Republic’s pastries are rough.
For example, this is like when the capital was changed to Peiping, and Lu Xun, who first arrived here, concluded that there was no good tea and food in Peking because of the great commercial depression in the capital.
Suddenly, these French people were unprepared to see the exquisite, elegant, lively and interesting side of Chinese food.
You can imagine how shocking this huge contrast will be!
It must have refreshed the inherent knowledge, and the perception of Chinese food has rapidly improved.
Especially when drinking soup, many people’s eyes light up instantly.
Obviously, I didn’t expect that the soup with such clear well water was not bland at all, and the taste was extremely refreshing and rich.
Naturally praise each other and be in high spirits.
The second dish that corresponds to the Western food appetizer is beet, which can take advantage of Chinese food and cannot be seen in Western food at all.
A soft-fried tenderloin topped with "peach blossom pan" gravy, served with glaze meatballs, shredded banana, rock sugar white fungus, osmanthus glutinous rice and lotus root. It can be said to be a large collection of Chinese beets.
Soft, glutinous, crispy, sour, salty and sweet, with rich flavors and varying degrees of sweetness, it is quite appetizing.
What’s more, foreigners have a particularly high tolerance and tolerance for sweets.
There is absolutely no expectation that they will be like the Chinese, who will get tired and sick after eating too much.
This dish naturally made many foreigners smile with joy and nod their heads in affirmation more and more frequently.
Especially female customers can’t put down their knives and forks.
I really couldn’t bear to give up any bite of sweet temptation, and my emotions were completely controlled by my own taste buds.
As for the third main course, which corresponds to Western food, it can be said that there is no risk at all and it is guaranteed to be a good score.
That’s Master Ai’s specialty, halal roast duck.
There is no doubt that roast duck is the dish most accepted by foreigners and is also a representative of Beijing cuisine.
These days, all over the country, whether "Lao Nai" or "Foreigners", know the saying "You are not a true man if you don't visit the Great Wall, and it's a pity if you don't eat roast duck."
What is particularly worth mentioning is the Beijing white duck roasted with fruit wood by Master Ai.
Not only is the color brown, the skin is crispy and the meat is tender, there is no peculiar smell, and the hot cake is soft.
What makes this dish even more outstanding is that the sauce is homemade by Chef Ai.
Master Ai has a unique secret. He uses halal pastries with high oil and sugar to make the noodle sauce.
So not only is the duck he roasts no worse than those in Judequan and Bianyifang, the sauce is also more mellow.
Can the French not like to eat it?
Every bite is really crispy, first-class oily, fruity and full of flavor.
What's more, Master Ai also followed "Zhang Dashao's" instructions and paired the roast duck on the plate with some fresh, tender and crisp vegetables that can be eaten raw with dipping sauce.
In this way, it can not only relieve the greasiness of roast duck, but also fill the gap in disguise, providing French guests with a Western-style salad that is originally lacking in Chinese food. It is simply perfect, and all shortcomings disappear. .
Because of this, the French, who usually leave a small mouthful for the sake of dignity, are a bit abnormal.
Many people did not pay attention and actually ate all the dishes on the plate, which was quite embarrassing.
I have to say that this is the greatest recognition of Master Ai’s craftsmanship.
Of course, since at this moment, the guests were almost full and their appetites were greatly satisfied.
As for the fourth dish, a strange and somewhat contradictory change inevitably occurred in the hearts of many guests.
Unconsciously, a complex psychology mixed with expectation, jealousy, suspicion and worry arose.
To be honest, I hope to see surprises again and eat better food.
I also hope that Chinese food will stop showing miracles and become mediocre.
Why?
It’s because the French nation has a pride that is hard to let go and must be held on to.
In today's world, French cuisine is recognized as the best delicacy in the West.
And the only authoritative Michelin certification for gourmet food is also centered around the French.
But today, these French people cannot deny that the Chinese food is too amazing, and some people naturally have a sense of crisis that is not so confident.
It'd better be that the excellence of Chinese food ends here, otherwise it won't be very good.
So at this time, people who are close to each other can't help but express their emotions and whisper...
But then again, some people don't think so.
Roast duck is served as the main course, and it should be the final trump card. The following dishes are mediocre, which is actually a very high probability.
Is there any better delicacy in the capital than roast duck?
Besides, according to the order of French cuisine, the next dish should be cheese.
The Republic doesn’t even have good bread, so how can it possibly get good cheese?
After all, Chinese cuisine still has shortcomings. The lack of dairy products alone gives their diet a natural disadvantage. It is still difficult to compare with the rich ingredients of French cuisine.
So this idea made the unstable mentality of the French guests a little more stable.
But it is a pity that "Zhang Dashao" did not play his cards according to common sense, and actually did what the French thought was impossible so easily.
In fact, the fourth dish ordered by the old man is boiled suckling pig cooked by Master Pang himself.
Not only is it a more substantial Manchu dish than roast duck, but it also has the most authentic palace flavor, both in appearance and taste.
And the side dish used - "expanded milk tofu" is exactly a dairy dish that combines Mongolian milk tofu with Central Plains gluten.
Of course the French don’t know that the advantages of our country’s nomadic and farming peoples have been perfectly combined through this menu as early as the Kangxi Dynasty.
Let’s talk about the dish of boiled suckling pig first. It is by no means just boiled in plain water. The preparation process is quite delicate and complicated.
Master Pang first cleans up the one-month-old piglet, throws it into vinegar water and boils it for a couple of times.
After taking the pot out of the pot, soak it in cold water, and then wipe it with fine grass.
After it is wiped white, put the suckling pig into a cloth bag and cook it in the batter water.
Open the bag again, cut the suckling pork into slices, and soak it in the garlic, ginger and vinegar sauce for two hours before eating it.
The soaked meat slices are white and almost transparent, with clear and distinct strands of lean meat.
It looks like it is made of flawless white jade.
It tastes like meat but also crispy and tasty, fragrant but not greasy.
In comparison, the expanded milk tofu as a side dish is much easier to make, and the taste depends almost entirely on the natural texture of the ingredients.
The specific method of making this dish is to make a sauce with milk, chicken fat and flour.
The high-quality gluten is stuffed with Fengsheng's milk tofu, and steamed until soft.
Then heat the milk and pour it on the gluten, and it’s ready.
Just like this, one is cold and one is hot, one is salty and one is sweet, one is delicious and crispy, and the other is thick and soft, the two dishes complement each other.
Like the yin and yang poles of Tai Chi, this is a complementary pairing that brings out the best in each other.
Needless to say, as soon as this dish was served, the milky smell caused the guests to express surprise.
These French people must not taste it. Once they taste it, they will be moved and make a fuss.
Because the three wonders of taste that are most incomprehensible to them will soon kidnap their tongues.
What are the three wonders of taste?
First, the smell of French pork is too strong.
In addition to using a lot of spices in Western food, there is no better way to remove the smell of pork.
The French never thought that pork could have such a refreshing and clean taste!
Secondly, there are no pasta dishes in France.
Although gluten in this dish is a very common ingredient in Chinese food, this wonderful taste is completely unfamiliar to them!
Third, Fengshengong's milk tofu is a long-standing milk food in the capital, and the cooking method of wrapping liquid fillings is not what Western food is good at.
You can imagine the taste buds of French people are shocked by the delicious texture of this kind of noodles.
So this dish completely made the French collectively uneasy.
This is not only due to cooking techniques, but also to psychological needs.
Soon, after experiencing the emotions of shock, doubt, confusion, admiration, and envy.
Many people have made requests to meet the chef who cooked this dish.
Of course Ning Weimin cannot favor one thing over another.
When he thought about it, he might as well invite the three great heroes to come out together.
Then he took the initiative to introduce the guests one by one.
Although the French didn't expect it at all, three people came out at once.
But today’s dishes are indeed good. No matter which dish, these people are satisfied.
So everyone, led by Pierre Carton and the French Ambassador and his wife, happily took the three chefs for a photo.
After taking photos, many people also gave gifts to the chef.
The ambassador’s wife presented the breast badge of the French Embassy.
Pierre Carton himself presented three new one-hundred-franc notes signed with the master's name.
At this point, the rest is smooth sailing.
Whether it is desserts such as almond tofu and red and white glass powder,
Or a fruit platter like watermelon cup.
These French guests also praised it from the bottom of their hearts, adding to their joy.
Even after the banquet, some of these delicious guests couldn't help but inquire about prices and want to buy the restaurant's display items.
Of course, except for bionic porcelain and materials, other things cannot be sold.
Those are real antiques that Ning Weimin collected with great difficulty, whether they are palace lanterns, furniture, or porcelain.
So he flatly refused without hesitation.
But even so, more than a dozen businesses were done.
The French, full of artistic talent, are very interested in utensils and bionic porcelain.
Even Pierre Carton himself ordered a large grape grower bonsai.
(End of this chapter)