Chef Hua
Chapter 192 - 120th episode: Beef Pinched Biscuits

Chapter 192: 120th episode: Beef Pinched Biscuits

After the chili ripened, Hua Xiaomai had been constantly pondering what dish to make with it to fully showcase its pungent and strong aroma since she obtained the chili seeds.

In this era, people mostly used chilies for ornamental purposes, and only a handful had truly tasted their flavor. Although the residents of Fire Knife Village loved using Sichuan pepper in cooking and occasionally added some Cornelian for flavor, it still couldn’t match the pure and layered taste of bright red chili. For those who had never eaten chili, the overwhelming strong and spicy scent could be hard to withstand. How to make them fall in love with that unique taste at the first bite was indeed a challenging problem.

These days, Hua Xiaomai had lost count of how many times she had mulled over this in her mind and had already made up her mind. At the moment Luo Yuejiao asked about it, she turned around and gave her a slight smile,

"Why the rush? Rest assured, when the dish is ready, I will certainly not forget you, and you will definitely love it."

Unwilling to reveal it, Luo Yuejiao pouted and muttered softly, still reluctant to say more, and ran to the front yard to fetch a winnowing fan.

All the harvested chilies filled up more than half a winnowing fan. Since chili plants produce much less the second year and the fruits are not of good quality, it was necessary to replant them biennially. Therefore, more than half of the chilies in the winnowing fan had to be saved for seeds and very few were actually consumed.

Hua Xiaomai had already planned it out. She took the seeds to the front yard to sun dry, while the rest were taken into the kitchen. She carefully selected five or six chili peppers, and with washed white rice, star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppers, and salt, she put them all into an iron pot. She repeatedly stir-fried them until the rice grains turned slightly yellow and the pot emitted a burnt fragrance, then scooped them out and took them next door to Pan Taigong’s yard. There, she borrowed his idle stone mill to grind the cooked mixture into a homemade spicy five-spice rice powder.

Coming back from Pan Taigong’s house, she asked Second Mother Hua for some money, went to the village to buy some fresh beef, and to a Chinese medicine shop for some dried lotus leaves. Since she had already notified Meng Yuhuai, she took a trip by the blacksmith’s and asked Jing Taihe to invite Meng Yuhuai for lunch.

"It’ll only take up to an hour. The blacksmith shop is busy too; it won’t matter much if we take a little break. The dish I’m preparing is definitely something you’ve never tasted before. If you miss it, I might not be able to help your regret later!" she said cheekily to Jing Taihe, who, being a naïve and greedy glutton brother-in-law, chuckled heartily and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Back at the Jing family courtyard, Hua Xiaomai immediately started bustling about.

Today, she planned to make a snack using the chili, which she named "Beef Clench Cake."

Truth be told, this wasn’t a formal dish she learned from Chef School. During her previous life, on a trip to Sichuan, she encountered this snack being sold everywhere in a small town, from elegantly decorated restaurants to simple street stalls, where steamed beef was stuffed into white flour cakes. She was intrigued by it and decided to try it. Immediately, she was full of praises and from then on, she kept the taste of this snack in her heart.

She sliced the cleaned beef thinly, then tenderized both sides with the flat of the blade, cutting through the tough sinews without damaging the surface, making it tender and more flavorful;

She placed the beef slices in a bowl, added salt, Sichuan pepper powder, minced scallions, ginger and garlic, and a small spoonful of fried vegetable oil. Then she added some homemade red soy sauce and white sugar. Finally, she blended in some soybean flour and mixed everything well. She marinated it long enough for the incense to burn down, allowing the sauces to thoroughly permeate the meat;

Taking advantage of this pause, Hua Xiaomai soaked the dry lotus leaves she had bought in water until they were soft. Once the beef was marinated, she mixed in the cooked five-spice rice powder and then wrapped it tightly in the lotus leaves. This not only lent a hint of scent but also ensured that the savory aroma of the beef would not escape during steaming. Once everything was ready, it was placed into a steaming basket and vigorously steamed over high heat.

The beef in the steamer soon emitted an enticing aroma. On the walls around the stove, pancakes no bigger than the size of a palm browned on both sides had been rolled out from white dough. If grabbed and bitten into while still hot, one could hear a crisp "crack," and a mouthful of warm fragrance filled the air; however, if allowed to sit a bit before eating, one could fully appreciate the chewiness and strength of the crust and even detect a slight after-sweetness. Even without any filling, it was still quite delicious.