Chapter 110

Chapter 110: San Ding Bao

Although Xu Laoguai was a famous Huaiyang chef, he specialized in the red kitchen, and he had only discussed the history and basic method of making San Ding Bao with Chen Ran.

Du Zhaohu watched Chen Ran skillfully knead the dough, his face filled with admiration. "Shigu, your dough-kneading skills are even more proficient than my master’s."

The constant "Shigu" made Chen Ran feel a bit uncomfortable; she wasn't used to it and didn't dare to call him "Shizhi." So they both just called each other as they were.

"I've learned a bit of dough-kneading."

After all, Chen Ran had once received an S-level certification for her pancake recipe.

"When chopping the ingredients, make sure the pork cubes are evenly balanced between fat and lean, with each piece having both fat and lean. The chicken cubes should be a little smaller than the pork cubes, and the bamboo shoots should be the smallest, about the size of your pinky tip."

"Got it!"

Now, Chen Ran had three helpers, and as the head chef, she swiftly kneaded the dough and set it aside to rest.

"Shigu, how do these cubes look? Are they okay?"

There were quite a few hopefuls and fans of this dish, and since the filling had to be hand-chopped, even with three people working together, it took half an hour to chop enough filling for two large buckets.

Finally, the filling was ready. Tang Su sighed nostalgically, "I’ve helped out making these baozi before, but it always felt like something was missing compared to the traditional old establishments..."

He frowned and tried to recall. "I think it was because there was an extra flavor, and it tasted... off."

Finally, catching Chen Ran's attention, Tang Su quickly asked, outlining the process for the baozi filling: "When sautéing, you add the pork cubes first, then the chicken cubes, and finally the bamboo shoots. Once they’re sautéed and browned, you add chicken broth to stew. That should be the correct method, right?"

It was the first time Chen Ran made San Ding Bao, but that didn’t stop her from detecting a flaw in the recipe.

"You're saying it tastes 'off,' that could be because of the chicken broth," she said.

When Xu Laoguai taught Chen Ran about Huaiyang cuisine, he didn't just teach the basic skills and recipes.

Since Huaiyang cuisine is known as the "literati's cuisine," its rich history and the key points of various recipes must be clarified.

With the background information, finding the source of the flavor becomes much easier.

Tang Su couldn't help but say, "The recipes I found all mention adding chicken broth. Even older recipes say the same. So this should be correct, right?"

"Adding chicken broth to the original San Ding Bao recipe is fine, but for our filling, it’s wrong to add the chicken broth."

Du Zhaohu, who was listening, looked confused. "But Shigu, Master also said this recipe requires chicken broth, didn't he?"

Indeed, adding chicken broth was not something Xu Laoguai had taught, but something Chen Ran had realized on her own.

Now, her cooking skills and foundation were solid enough to investigate the true nature of recipes.

"Do you know the origin of the San Ding Bao?" Chen Ran asked.

Du Zhaohu nodded. After all, he was a descendant of the Huaiyang lineage and was quite familiar with the famous Yangzhou baozi.

"San Ding Bao is considered a major innovation in our country’s dim sum world. It pioneered the use of cooked filling and was first created by the Fuchun Tea House. Ever since this baozi was introduced, it has been in high demand."

Chen Ran nodded.

"That’s right. But why did Fuchun Tea House use cooked filling for the San Ding Bao, when all their other baozi used raw filling?"

This was something Chen Ran had wondered about for a while. Later, she finally found the answer from a passage in the Ming and Qing notes that Xu Laoguai had given her.Fuchun Tea House's other famous dish is chicken soup noodles!

"The chicken soup noodles at Fuchun Tea House are extremely famous. Back then, it was always packed with customers, which means they must have been making a lot of chicken soup every day."

Chen Ran took another glance at the dough, washed her hands meticulously, and prepared to start stir-frying the filling.

"So, what do they do with all the chicken used to make that chicken broth?"

Chef Zhou, who had been listening, suddenly understood and said, "They use it for the baozi filling!"

Chen Ran nodded. "Since the chicken is used for the broth, it's already fully cooked, so the other two ingredients also need to be cooked together to match the texture."

"This is why the original recipe calls for chicken broth in the filling. The chicken used for the broth lacks a bit of flavor."

"But the filling we're chopping now is made from fresh chicken legs that haven’t been cooked in broth. Adding chicken broth at this point would make the flavor too strong, just like what Chef Tang described as 'too much.'"

Chen Ran had already started stir-frying the San Ding Bao filling!

Du Zhaohu, now understanding, couldn't help but say, "Shigu, no wonder Master chose you to carry on the tradition."

Master had also given him those books, but he could never concentrate on them, always getting a headache whenever he tried to read them.

"Master Du, I’ve finished reading those books. I’ll bring them to you to look through later."

Chen Ran didn’t get lost in the praise. She heated the pan, added cold oil, and immediately tossed the pork cubes into the pan to stir-fry.

The pork cubes were on the fattier side, so it was important to cook them thoroughly to release enough fat. This would ensure the baozi wouldn’t be greasy later.

Once the pan had accumulated enough oil, it was time to add the chicken cubes to stir-fry.

The aroma began to waft!

The scent of pork fat and chicken mixed together was so appetizing that even the chefs who had gotten up early to cook couldn't help but salivate. Now, she added the fresh bamboo shoots.

A fresh fragrance mixed with the savory meat aroma!

All three ingredients had shrunk from the stir-fry, and now it was time to add seasonings. Chen Ran skillfully seasoned the filling, then added two large spoons of soy sauce. Watching the filling change color and become more appetizing, she added half a spoon of shrimp paste and four spoons of chicken broth, starting to stew the mixture.

The key to stewing the filling is to use very little broth, and to keep the heat high. You must keep stirring the mixture.

As the broth thickened, the San Ding Bao filling began to show some gelatinous texture. The overall filling started to become sticky, and the aroma intensified.

"Alright, let’s scoop it out. Use the large iron tray over there, and let the filling cool down before we start wrapping. If we don’t, it will affect the dough’s fermentation and result in flat baozi."

Chen Ran set down the spoon and watched as Du Zhaohu meticulously scooped the filling onto the tray. She wiped her sweat and checked the dough again.

The dough was nearly ready. After kneading with lye water, Chen Ran began to wrap the baozi.

Huaiyang cuisine's white kitchen skills were something she had not learned in depth, so she relied on Xu Laoguai’s teachings and the little knowledge she gained from making pancakes to roughly mimic the techniques.

For San Ding Bao, there was no need for a rolling pin. She pinched out a piece of dough weighing about 7.5 grams, then with a quick press and twist, she formed a dough wrapper of about 1.8 inches in diameter.

The wrapper was slightly thicker in the middle and thinner on the edges. She placed the cooled San Ding filling in the center, then pinched and folded the dough with three fingers to create thirty-two pleats.

San Ding Bao focuses on the filling, so it’s crucial that each bite has a rich, tender, and flavorful filling.

To achieve this, the baozi must be flat, and the pleats must be thin. This way, diners won’t just taste dough without the filling.

"Boil some water!"When Chen Ran started wrapping the first baozi, she called Chef Zhou to boil some water. By the time she, Du Zhaohu, and Tang Su had wrapped all the baozi, the water was just boiling and ready for steaming.

One by one, the plump, white baozi were placed into the steamer, and steaming began!

Of course, having only baozi wouldn’t make a complete breakfast. While she was stir-frying the filling, Du Zhaohu had prepared some porridge and soup, and they were perfectly timed to be ready at the same time as the baozi.

"Alright, it’s time to prepare the meal. Tell them at the cafeteria to bring it over, and the fan club here..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she looked up and saw the Cook Boy standing in front of her.

"Chef Chen! What’s for breakfast today? It smells so good!"

No need to call anyone; the aroma of the San Ding Baozi filled the air, and even Zhu Chenchen, who normally needed eight alarm clocks to get up, had crawled out of bed!

Chen Ran crossed her arms and glanced at the Cook Boy, making him feel a bit strange.

"Why do you have chicken skin on your face?"

The Cook Boy instinctively wiped his face twice, then realized: Chen Ran had tricked him!

But at this point, it was too late to deny it. He awkwardly laughed and said, "I woke up in the middle of the night and was looking for something to eat... I found a chicken wing left in the kitchen..."

"What? Just a chicken wing left? When I was eating, there were still about three whole chickens!"

"Three chickens? I cut up ten chickens!"

"I only gnawed on a chicken carcass! Didn’t even get a piece of meat!"

Chen Ran pouted.

Not a single innocent person in this room!

"Alright, the baozi is done, time to take it out!"

The San Ding Bao requires precise timing. First, the water must be boiling before placing the baozi in the steamer. It's better to wait for the water than for the dough. Secondly, when it’s done, the lid must be opened promptly.

As the giant steamer in the kitchen opened, a fresh, fragrant smell wafted out.

"Give me two!"

"I can eat four!"

"No porridge, no porridge, I’ll eat baozi first!"

Tang Yang quickly darted to the front: "I just picked up Chen Ran’s disciple, I’ll go first."

Everyone saw how busy she had been, and no one tried to compete with her. Tang Yang happily grabbed four baozi and prepared to find a corner to eat.

She couldn’t even wait to sit down. As she walked, she held the baozi and blew on them.

At that moment, she was especially glad she practiced martial arts.

These big baozi were meant to be eaten with your hands! Her calloused hands didn’t mind the heat.

The baozi, white as paper, were soft to the touch and perfectly dry on the surface. When she squeezed them, they instantly bounced back to their original shape without leaving a single fingerprint.

She couldn’t take it any longer!

The baozi were calling to her!Tang Yang grabbed a baozi and took a big bite.

Her teeth first sank into the soft, sticky baozi skin, and as she broke through the skin, the previously subtle, fresh aroma instantly exploded.

The outer layer of the baozi skin was dry and soft, while the inner layer was moist, soaked with the salty-sweet broth.

Just the baozi skin itself was already enough to make someone happy!

Not to mention the next bite, where the filling wrapped inside the baozi skin almost made her want to ascend to heaven.

The rich pork was, of course, delicious, but the tender chicken chunks were exceptionally fresh and tasty, and the crunchy bamboo shoots added a layer of refreshing texture, making the fatty filling rich but not greasy.

It was perfect!

The baozi was slightly flat in shape, so she didn’t need to open her mouth too wide to take a bite.

Each bite was a perfect combination of soft baozi skin and delicious filling!

Before she knew it, Tang Yang found that she had finished all four baozi.

No problem, she practiced martial arts, and her appetite was extraordinary!

She grabbed the plate and leaped into action, rushing to the kitchen with the steps she had learned from Gao Lei's Xingyi style.

However, even with this speed, it still couldn’t match the fan club’s quickness in grabbing food.

Seeing Tang Yang return with an empty plate, Chen Ran spread her hands awkwardly: "There’s none left..."

It wasn’t just Tang Yang; no one had enough!

"Make some more!"

"Do it tomorrow!"

Xu Zhanying cleared his throat: "How about we make this baozi the main dish for tonight's charity dinner?"

"Yes!"

"Right, right, let’s make the San Ding Baozi the main dish!"

Chen Ran frowned slightly: She had a feeling that something as high-end as a charity dinner didn’t quite match with baozi, did it?

But then she thought about the lion’s head from the haunted house and the vegetarian dish from the martial arts academy... Maybe she wasn’t that concerned about the mismatch after all?