The meat filling can be chopped or minced.
If you want it to be bouncy, the filling must be fine, and you have to chop it for quite some time.
Actually, in the ancestral recipe, very few seasonings are used.
If you strictly follow that recipe, the resulting meat filling wouldn’t meet modern dietary requirements.
So later successors started to make improvements bit by bit.
They weigh the pros and cons and choose the best.
Only recipes that have been passed down and refined over generations can earn the love and praise of the world.
And there is a nifty formula for making meat filling.
"Finely ground meat, season first, then add water, followed by mixing in oil," ensuring it is tender, juicy, and moist.
Put 1 star anise, an appropriate amount of peppercorns, and ginger slices in a bowl, pour in boiling water, and let it steep for 20 minutes.
When the time is up, remove the remnants.
The key step after seasoning is adding water; only when the meat filling absorbs enough water will it be plump, tender, and juicy.
What kind of water is crucial. Plain water won’t do; you need to add "scallion ginger water" or "peppercorn water."
Scallions and ginger, like peppercorns, can remove odor and enhance flavor, and boiling them in water has the same effect.
Since Kang Guijie doesn’t like scallions, Liu Yunong chose peppercorn water.
For 500 grams of meat filling, add 100 grams of peppercorn water, in several additions, stirring in one direction until it firms up.
The amount of water added must strictly follow the ratio.
This is the best ratio passed down after countless attempts.
After all, too much water makes it hard to wrap.
There’s no need to add cooking wine, as ginger water’s odor-removing effect is better.
Add half a spoon of salt, a bit of oyster sauce, soy sauce, and white pepper powder, then rub and mix evenly in one direction.
If you want the dumpling filling to be delicious, it not only needs to be tender but also slightly oily for fragrance, so you need to mix in some oil.
Oil enhances flavor and locks in the meat filling’s moisture.
But what kind of oil to add?
Many people directly add cooking oil, which is incorrect.
Raw oil has a raw taste and not much aroma, leaving only a greasy feeling.
The right approach is to add spiced, cooked oil.
Cooked oil removes the raw flavor and absorbs the aroma of the spices, making it very fragrant and most suitable for mixing in fillings, without being overly greasy.
Pour cold oil into a pan, add peppercorns, star anise, scallion and ginger slices, and fry on low heat until golden, then remove.
Once the oil cools, pour it into the meat filling and mix until fully absorbed.
The meat filling is ready.
The meat filling that Liu Yunong uses for steamed meat cake is carefully prepared.
Wait until the meat filling in the pot is done steaming.
She takes two eggs, separates the yolks, beats them, and evenly spreads them on the surface of the meat cake, then steams it for another five minutes before taking it out.
Slice the meat cake, arrange it in a bowl, steam for another five minutes, then plate it.
Plating also has its particulars: how to place it, at what angle, and with what kind of decorative plate.
In the entire restaurant, only when cooking this dish is a genuine Jingdezhen porcelain plate used.
These are not imitations; they are real plates shipped from Jingdezhen.
Private kitchen dishes are distinguished by their uniqueness, not only in fresh flavor but also in exquisite and beautiful presentation.
This steamed meat cake, even if served at the dining table for customers to taste, is comparable to the court dishes made by the Imperial Kitchen in ancient times.
As the kitchen continued to serve dishes, feedback quickly came from the front hall.
Kang Guijie was very satisfied with the dishes that were served.
Liu Yunong made a special trip over.
Most of the dishes on the table had been sampled.
Especially the oyster sauce white jade mushrooms served first, which were eaten clean with not a single piece left.
Liu Yunong felt relieved, the smile on her face growing brighter.
As expected, Kang Guijie was very satisfied with the meal arrangement today, happily praising Liu Yunong.
"Yunong, the food in your restaurant is truly excellent. This carrot stewed lamb uses big-tail sheep, doesn’t it? You can taste it; the meat is so fresh, and the flavor is spot on! And this bass, the control over the heat is excellent. Did you personally handle these two dishes? Just look at this knife work; you can recognize it at a glance, so distinctive!"
Liu Yunong’s face beamed with pride, modestly saying, "Yes, I did handle these, just wanted you to taste my skills."
Kang Guijie, thoroughly enjoying it, laughed and said, "Aye, this girl, you really are capable! These dishes are great! Especially this steamed meat cake, the meat filling is particularly well-prepared! And the oyster sauce white jade mushrooms, this dish suits my taste very much."
As he spoke, he gestured at the empty plate in front of him: "Look at this, I practically ate the whole plate myself! Coming over here ended up being more of a treat for me."
Liu Yunong quickly said, "How could this be a treat? I’m eager for you to visit every day! Plus, cooking for you is my way of paying respect!"
An old friend seated nearby interjected with a smile: "Yunong really is considerate! These dishes have no scallions or cilantro, for sure keeping your picky eating habits in mind."
Another old friend, hearing this, also chuckled: "I actually enjoy eating scallions, but ended up missing out because of him!"
In fact, Kang Guijie had also noticed that these dishes didn’t even have scallion greens added during the cooking process, not a hint of scallion taste.
But under normal circumstances, scallions would definitely be used when cooking these dishes.
It can only be because Liu Yunong knew his taste preferences and didn’t add any specifically.
Kang Guijie felt a warmth in his heart. Such treatment was only something he received when Liu Yunong’s father was alive, and their family visited; Liu Yunong’s father was very attentive to these details when he was cooking.
They had been friends for many years and were very familiar with each other’s eating habits.
Little did he expect Liu Yunong to be so thoughtful as well.
Feeling increasingly moved, Kang Guijie warmly continued to chat with Liu Yunong.
Seeing that the three of them hadn’t finished eating yet and the wine was only halfway through, Liu Yunong sensibly chatted for a bit more and then excused herself, claiming the kitchen was busy, and gracefully took her leave.
Even as she moved away from the private room door, she could still faintly hear praises about her from behind: "Yunong truly is thoughtful!"
"These dishes really are excellent!"
"Ah, the Yangtze River waves pushing the waves ahead..."
With a spring in her step, Liu Yunong left, inwardly praising Fu Yu as well.
This young man truly has a knack, accurately observing Kang Guijie’s dietary preferences!
Feeling full of emotion, Liu Yunong returned to the kitchen.
Before Wang Yulong could speak, Liu Zhangpeng hurriedly asked, "Boss, how did it go with Chef Kang? Was he satisfied with today’s meal?"
Liu Yunong nodded, truthfully saying, "Chef Kang is very satisfied! He praised the skills of our restaurant’s chefs, saying the cooking is authentic, and that the understanding of his taste preferences is very precise."
Thinking of something, Liu Yunong couldn’t help but smile and said, "And that oyster sauce white jade mushroom dish was eaten clean. When I went over to check, my goodness, not a single piece was left."
At this, the kitchen staff couldn’t help but laugh.
The heavy weight lifted from Liu Zhangpeng’s mind, and he spoke more casually.
"It’s mainly because you’re so amazing, boss! If you hadn’t known Chef Kang’s taste, we wouldn’t have been able to design the menu so perfectly."
Talking about this, Liu Yunong hurriedly said, "This isn’t really my credit; actually, I learned it from someone else."
"Originally, I had wanted to find an opportunity to discuss this with you all!"
"We’ve been focusing on researching dishes, ensuring ingredient quality, and controlling service attitudes. In doing so, we’ve neglected a very crucial point: we forgot to observe and understand the customers’ preferences."
"For instance, in today’s situation, it was just by greeting Chef Kang during his meal that someone could accurately determine his dietary preferences through observation."
"Can you, by communicating and inquiring among different customers, accurately determine their dietary preferences just by looking at their dining habits?"
After Liu Yunong finished speaking, everyone present fell silent.
After the silence, curiosity filled the air.
Being able to determine a customer’s dietary preference just by observing their dining habits surely requires close attention.
The ability to accomplish this just by greeting someone is impressive indeed.
Who could this remarkable person be?