The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 37 The Key to Fermented Rice and Steamed Buns

After watching the video tutorial once, Qin Huai didn't believe it and watched it again.

This time he had new gains.

He found that people really cannot be generalized.

Jiang Chengde in the video moves smoothly and leisurely. He has time to chat with his wife while making steamed buns, leave the kitchen to coax the children, and cook some rice porridge and cut some side dishes.

Outside the video, he was extremely nervous throughout the process, staring at the dough and not even daring to blink at the critical moment. He watched the dough turn into a locust flower steamed bun after doing this, this, this, and that.

Brain: Got it?

Hand: Get out!
Qin Huai didn't believe it and watched it again.

Qin Huai began to scratch his head.

He knew that every ordinary thing might contain hidden secrets.

For example, the process of dough fermentation is theoretically the process of allowing yeast to fully multiply and produce gas under certain temperature and humidity conditions, which in turn causes the dough to expand. However, in practice, the wisdom of countless white-casserole chefs over the past century has always added some special skills to this simple step.

What is written in the book is one thing, and what is actually done is another. Watching others do it is one thing, and learning it yourself is another.

When Qin Huai was researching wine lees steamed buns, he couldn't make them taste the same as in the recipe. Now watching Jiang Chengde's video teaching, his intuition tells him that even if he follows the method in the video, he can't make the steamed buns in the video.

It is not so easy to learn a unique skill.

Many chefs with poor talent cannot learn even after following the hands-on instruction of the master chef. It is too difficult to learn just by watching videos.

For the first time, Qin Huai began to understand Qin Congwen's inner thoughts over the years.

We are both bakers, you have hands, I have hands, this is dough, that is dough. Under the same environment, how come the dough we knead is so different?

In the tutorial for making locust flower steamed buns, Qin Huai didn't quite understand the most crucial step: using a small amount of honey to ferment the dough. Even the kneading of the dough throughout the whole process was something Qin Huai didn't quite understand.

What on earth is this technique? How come the dough becomes so perfect after doing this and that and that?

Isn't the raw material a mixture of ash flour and buckwheat flour?

How could this kind of raw material be kneaded into a dough that is so smooth, so fluffy, and so suitable for making steamed buns in terms of elasticity, ductility and moistness?

After watching the video tutorial on how to make Sophora japonica steamed buns three times without any results, Qin Huai began to study the video tutorial on how to make glutinous rice wine steamed buns.

Fermented rice steamed buns and fermented lees steamed buns are actually the same food, just with different names. Qin Huai has studied them and is very familiar with the production process.

What comforted him a little was that Qin Wan's level was very approachable.

Unlike Jiang Chengde's hands, Qin Wan's hands are a pair of standard housewife's hands. The thin calluses on her hands are more like those produced by embroidery and labor. Her fingers are slender and her nails are round. They are a pair of beautiful, delicate and soft hands.

Her movements when kneading the dough were as delicate, gentle, and slow as her hands.

Slowness is a good point in the teaching process.

Only by going slowly can we see clearly her every step, and only by going slowly can we feel where the key is and where the harm is not. Qin Wan was very careful when making steamed buns. She never left the chopping board from beginning to end, and even stayed by the side during the boring fermentation process.

Thanks to this attentive teacher, Qin Huai discovered the exquisiteness of the fermented glutinous rice steamed buns from the century-old secret recipe of Qinji Bobo Shop the first time he watched the teaching video.

temperature.

Temperature control runs through almost the entire process of making fermented glutinous rice steamed buns.

The warm water when kneading the dough, the cooling when kneading repeatedly, the heat preservation during the rising process, the wet cotton cloth soaked in hot water placed under the chopping board when venting, and even the stove fire that needs to be adjusted from time to time with tongs when steaming, all show that the key factors in making good fermented glutinous rice steamed buns are temperature and heat.

Qin Wan didn't say anything angrily. The technique of making fermented glutinous rice steamed buns is indeed not something that can be stolen with just a recipe.

In an era without thermometers, humidity detectors, gas stoves for easier heat control, measuring cups, graduated scales, and heat preservation devices, if the chef wanted to master these, he had to rely on thousands of times of practice and precise intuition.

Qin Huai, on the other hand, happens to be a very intuitive chef.

And it has a very complete range of modern technology.

"No wonder there is a certain chance that fermented rice steamed buns will fail." Qin Huai muttered, unable to help complaining, "If he can't even be taught step by step, then Qin Wan's brother is not only untalented, but also doesn't put his heart into learning."

After watching the tutorial on making fermented glutinous rice steamed buns, Qin Huai felt that he was good enough again.

He couldn't make Sophora japonica steamed buns, but after reading the complete guide, he couldn't make fermented glutinous rice steamed buns? Compared with Jiang Chengde's video tutorial, Qin Wan's video tutorial is so considerate, she is indeed a representative of beauty and kindness.

Qin Huai jumped up from the bed and checked the time.

It’s only 5pm.

It’s a good time to make steamed buns.

What? You said making steamed buns at this time is considered overtime?

Qin Huai waved his hands, indicating that it was impossible, absolutely impossible.

How can making steamed buns be considered overtime? He is clearly self-motivated and self-improving, using his off-get off work time to learn new skills.

Qin Huai, in high spirits, set out from home with the "Collection of Dim Sum" and headed for the Yunzhong Canteen.

As for why Qin Huai brought the "Collection of Dim Sum"... it was mainly to explain why he had gone home to sleep and rest, but when he woke up he suddenly wanted to make fermented glutinous rice steamed buns, and it was very likely that he would make a big splash and wipe out his previous shame.

Don’t ask, the only thing to ask is whether the bedtime reading material is good.

"Dim Sum Encyclopedia" is the perfect bedtime snack for kids who love cooking.

When Qin Huai arrived at the Yunzhong Canteen, the regular customers who ate early had already eaten the standard set meal of two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes.

As a rising star that beats 25% of the restaurants in the neighborhood in terms of word of mouth, Yunzhong Canteen has also accumulated a group of enthusiastic regular customers during its opening period.

Regular breakfast customers are mainly uncles who go jogging in the morning, while regular dinner customers are mainly residents of this community and several nearby communities.

Because Chen Huihong often comes to Yunzhong Canteen for dinner, she would pack dim sum and take it to the neighborhood committee for afternoon tea every now and then. Chen Huihong's loyal fans all believe in Huihong's selection and trust that the kitchen of Yunzhong Canteen is absolutely clean and hygienic and does not use inferior ingredients.

In addition, the lunch and dinner in the cafeteria are affordable and the dishes are rich, so many owners who do not have a housekeeper or who have not found a suitable housekeeper yet because their previous housekeeper resigned have put down their spatulas and started to eat in the cafeteria happily every day.

These regulars all know Qin Huai.

Chef Qin is the boss and the mainstay of the canteen.

The young man has a stable personality, speaks well, has excellent cooking skills, and is kind. His only shortcoming is that he is too lazy. He starts work at 4 o'clock in the morning and leaves work on time at 12 o'clock noon. The variety of dim sum is extremely limited, and the amount of steamed buns made in the afternoon is also very small.

Everyone said that if Master Qin could overcome his laziness, everyone's stomach would be better off.

As soon as Qin Huai entered the cafeteria, diners who were eating and chatting greeted him one after another.

"Master Qin, come and have dinner."

"Master Qin, are you going to sell mung bean cakes tomorrow? You haven't sold mung bean cakes for two days. My little devil is crying so hard that I can't stand it anymore."

"Master Qin, do you want some honeydew melon? Luoluo told me last time that you like honeydew melon, so I bought a box of it!"

"Come on, it's obviously a group purchase and you're just trying to get a bargain."

"Nonsense, I'm the kind of person who likes to get something for nothing!"

"Master Qin, are you still making Sophora japonica honey buns? My second nephew is a beekeeper. His honey is of high quality and is specialized in export. He said that the honey in April is hard to come by. I don't know much about that stuff, but I bought a few bottles and found that they are really good. I'll bring you a bottle!"

Qin Huai stopped and looked at the grandmother in front of him who was eating date cake with winter melon soup and wearing a gold bracelet on her chubby hand, looking a little plump.

Qin Huai searched for two seconds and found the information of this grandma.

Grandma Ding, a resident of Room 904, Building D, is in her 60s and was the principal of a kindergarten before she retired. She has many children at home, and all her grandchildren come to play with her during the holidays.

The eldest granddaughter likes date cakes, the second granddaughter likes buckwheat buns with milk, the youngest grandson likes locust flower honey buns, the eldest grandson loves mung bean cakes, and the youngest granddaughter fell in love with the combination of maple syrup and goat milk buckwheat buns two days ago.

Qinhuai has been making buckwheat steamed buns like crazy recently, trying all kinds of combinations. After the locust flower honey ran out last week, no new ones were purchased, and it has been a long time since I last saw steamed buns with the locust flower honey flavor.

It seems that even a kindergarten principal would be forced to resort to unusual tactics because of unfair treatment by his little grandson.

Qin Huai smiled and nodded, showing a surprised expression: "Really? Grandma Ding, thank you so much. I've been worried about not being able to find high-quality acacia honey recently."

Grandma Ding:!

Diners:?!
Mr. Ding, you overtook me on a curve, you cheated!
(End of this chapter)