The cooking class was proceeding smoothly.
Although Liu Yunong was just in her early thirties, her techniques were already very refined.
She picked up a plump orange and, while scooping out the flesh, said, "There are many types of stuffed dishes. Vegetables with cavities like bell peppers and bitter melons are naturally perfect containers. Just slice, hollow out, fill with minced meat, and either fry, steam, or braise, and you can effortlessly ’stuff’ a good dish."
"And the ’stuffed skin’ soaks up the meat juices and fats, has a supple texture, and retains the fresh aroma of the vegetables, making it delicious and rice-friendly."
"But the ingredients for stuffed dishes aren’t limited to this; things like bamboo shoots, fish heads, and shiitake mushrooms can also be used."
When scooping out the orange flesh, be careful not to damage the outer peel and leave a bit at the bottom, do not scoop it flat.
Liu Yunong was working very carefully, and because she was multitasking, her speech was a bit slow.
"The season isn’t right now, otherwise I could teach you how to make ’Lotus Pod Wrapped Fish’."
"Lotus Pod Wrapped Fish is a very distinctive stuffed dish. The lotus seeds inside a tender lotus pod are removed one by one, filled with chopped mandarin fish meat, steamed, and then served with a soup cooked with water caltrops, chrysanthemums, and lotus leaves, creating a refined ambiance and aroma around the table."
Fu Yu, intrigued, said with a smile, "I can imagine it. Just the combination of those ingredients must taste amazing."
Liu Yunong also smiled, "That’s right, but this Shrimp Stuffed Orange actually has a greater reputation than the Lotus Pod Wrapped Fish."
"However, the most authentic version is Crab Stuffed Orange, but since this season isn’t suitable for crabs, it’s been replaced with Shrimp Stuffed Orange. The taste is slightly inferior, but still quite delicious."
Fu Yu nodded, listening to Liu Yunong while watching her operation.
Seeing Liu Yunong finish handling an orange, he casually picked one up himself and followed along, scooping out the flesh.
Slice off a top quarter of the fresh orange, keep the top for later use, and use a small knife to vertically scoop out the center pulp at the cut, leaving part of the orange flesh.
A dish of Shrimp Stuffed Oranges contains four pieces.
After scooping out four oranges, Liu Yunong began cooking.
Rinse the ginger, and mince it.
Boil the pork fat, and dice it.
Mix shrimp meat, diced fat, diced water chestnuts with egg liquid, minced ginger, pepper powder, refined salt, MSG, and white wine evenly.
Since a large quantity of shrimp meat is used, it was directly given to the assistant to handle in advance.
A big basin full of shrimp paste looks very appetizing.
After mixing the filling evenly, take an appropriate amount and fill it into the fresh orange, covering it with the previously cut orange slice.
Place the stuffed oranges in a tray and steam them in a steamer.
Liu Yunong worked skillfully, just setting one stuffed orange in place, and Fu Yu took over, placing the remaining three one by one onto the steamer.
While steaming, first bring the water to a boil over high heat, then steam over low heat.
Fu Yu covered the lid, adjusting the heat.
Then Liu Yunong went on to make stuffed cabbage wraps, blanching Napa cabbage to soften, wrapping with filling, and steaming for 15 minutes. Garnished with a goji berry, it looks delicate and lovely.
There’s also stuffed mushrooms, where the mushroom stems are removed, filled with prepared filling, and then steamed to complete. The pork absorbs the broth from the mushrooms, tasting exceptionally sweet and tender, with their small size making them a satisfying bite each.
When cooking stuffed bean sprouts, Liu Yunong, wrapping the meat filling with bean sprouts, said to Fu Yu with a smile, "This stuffed bean sprout dish is listed in our family’s ancient records as called Silver Sprout Stuffed Meat."
Fu Yu, very interested, replied, "Silver Sprout Stuffed Meat, that’s quite a name for a dish. Why did the name change later?"
Liu Yunong laughed, "Well, because the version made in the store is simplified, and calling it just Stuffed Bean Sprouts is already good enough. Do you know what my family’s ancestral recipe says about the cooking of this dish?"
Fu Yu became even more curious, "Is stuffed bean sprout really a simplified version?"
Liu Yunong nodded, explaining, "Our family ancient records state that this Silver Sprout Stuffed Meat was a favorite dish of the palace nobles. It required selecting mung bean sprouts of similar thickness and length, hollowing them out with an embroidery needle, then stuffing them with meat filling – only then was the preparation work completed."
Fu Yu clicked his tongue, "Hollow out bean sprouts and then stuff them with meat filling?"
Liu Yunong chuckled, "Yes, the ancient records say whenever the nobility wanted this dish, more than 200 Imperial Chefs would gather to hollow out bean sprouts, just imagine that scene!"
Goodness!
No wonder it’s called Silver Sprout Stuffed Meat, even calling it Gold Sprout Stuffed Meat might be deserved!
What Liu Yunong made now as stuffed bean sprouts uses blanched mung bean sprouts, taking 20 strands, and tying one end with blanched scallion leaves.
Then tidy up the bean sprouts and add the meat filling.
Use scallion leaves to tie the other end, continuing until all remaining bean sprouts and meat paste are tied.
Finally, steam them in the pot.
Liu Yunong adjusted the heat, introducing to Fu Yu, "The finished stuffed bean sprouts can be considered a fresh breeze in stuffed dishes, embedding the simplest happiness. The bean sprouts are fresh but not bland, crisp without being harsh, combining with the meat paste to enhance freshness and taste, an absolutely perfect pairing."
Fu Yu nodded, indeed, not to mention anything else, the appearance of the finished dish alone looks quite appetizing.
However, he was still curious about one thing.
"Master, is the Silver Sprout Stuffed Meat really lost now?"
Liu Yunong shook her head, "Not really lost, it’s just that cooking this dish according to the old method is too time-consuming and labor-intensive. Moreover, the ingredients themselves are incredibly inexpensive, including it in a menu for customer service is just not feasible for anyone."