After managing the launch of the "Jiang University Seventh Cafeteria Restaurant Reservations APP," Jiang Yu no longer worried about it, leaving the follow-up work to Hua Xiaoling and Duan Yiming.
After greeting the two people, he went into the kitchen to continue working on lunch.
The university visiting group from Sun Never Sets would leave in the afternoon, which ant another al to host at noon. Coupled with guests who had reserved four private rooms in advance, the workload suddenly increased significantly.
Therefore, Jiang Yu, Du Guangning, and others needed to hurry up and prepare in advance.
Du Guangning and Pei Guofu were each busy preparing the ingredients according to the nus ordered in advance by the diners, while the two apprentice chefs each occupied a vegetable washing sink, diligently cleaning various ingredients.
Jiang Yu, of course, wasn’t idle either. He glanced at what Du Guangning and the others were doing, checked the nu, and then took out a Sanhuang chicken from the refrigerator that had been marinated overnight in Shaoxing wine and soy sauce.
This Sanhuang chicken was delivered by Boss Zhao from the Fresh Ingredients Center last night, and at that ti the chicken was still alive and well.
After finishing other kitchen tasks, Jiang Yu went down to the first floor to personally slaughter and clean the chicken, chopped off the two chicken feet, and then coated the chicken, inside and out, with Shaoxing wine and soy sauce before putting it in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.
Now, the Sanhuang chicken was well-marinated. Jiang Yu used kitchen paper to pat the chicken dry, stuffed so cleaned and dried scallions into the chicken’s cavity until it was full.
Then, he took a needle and thread and carefully sewed up the opening stuffed with scallions.
"Hey? Boss, are you doing a surgical operation on the chicken?"
At this mont, Du Guangning had just finished what he was doing, and casually turned around to see Jiang Yu stitching up the Sanhuang chicken with precision using a continuous overlocking stitch, a technique found in surgery. He couldn’t help but be surprised, asking,
"What dish are you making?"
"Guangdong Cuisine’s Scallion Oil Poached Chicken."
Jiang Yu didn’t look up, continuing his stitching work, instructing,
"If you’re done, help start the pot and heat so five jin of peanut oil."
"That much oil?"
Du Guangning glanced back at Jiang Yu, seeing he didn’t respond and was still focused on stitching, he didn’t ask more questions. He went to the stove to light it, got a large container of peanut oil, and poured around five or six jin into the pot with a "glug-glug-glug."
When he finished and turned back, he saw Jiang Yu had already sewn up the chicken’s belly. The chicken’s stomach looked plump, though it was unclear what was inside.
After a brief check to ensure the scallions inside wouldn’t fall out, Jiang Yu hooked the chicken’s neck with a tal hook and suspended the whole Sanhuang chicken above the pot of oil.
At this ti, the oil in the pot began to slightly smoke, indicating it was about seventy to eighty percent hot. Without hesitation, Jiang Yu took a ladle and scooped the hot oil, slowly and evenly drizzling it over the chicken.
"Sizzle~"
As the hot oil cascaded over the chicken, a rich aroma filled the kitchen. Both Du Guangning, who was watching, and Pei Guofu and the two apprentices busy with preparations, couldn’t help but turn to watch.
Jiang Yu didn’t pay attention to them; after finishing the first ladle, he continued to scoop and pour more ladles over the chicken.
During this process, the previously slightly slack chicken skin began to firm up under the hot oil, with its pale yellow color deepening into a faint golden brown.
With Jiang Yu continuously pouring hot oil over it, the Sanhuang chicken’s skin eventually turned a crispy golden brown, its rich aroma mingling with a hint of scallion fragrance, making everyone, including Du Guangning, involuntarily swallow their saliva.
Seeing the chicken thoroughly coated, Jiang Yu used a slotted spoon to cover the chicken, making sure to drizzle hot oil over the previously untouched head and neck until they were as evenly browned as the rest of the chicken.
He then placed the oil-drizzled chicken aside to drain off excess oil, started a clean pot, poured in the marinade from the Sanhuang chicken, and added a small bowl of ginger juice to boil, dissolving in so rock sugar, then adding just enough vinegar to make a sauce.
After preparing the sauce, Jiang Yu placed the drained chicken into a clay pot, poured the prepared sauce over it, and put it on the stove, covering it to let it simr over dium-low heat.
The Sanhuang chicken needed to simr a bit longer. Just as Jiang Yu intended to take a break, he turned to find Du Guangning, Pei Guofu, and the others had stopped what they were doing, all staring blankly at the clay pot on the stove.
Seeing this, Jiang Yu couldn’t help but laugh, clapping his hands to snap everyone out of it, and said:
"Stop just thinking about eating, shouldn’t you get back to work? None of you should even think about this chicken; it’s been specially ordered by a custor for lunch! What’s on your minds anyway?"
"Boss, you’re mistaken; we’re not particularly keen on eating the chicken. It’s just that we’ve never seen this thod of cooking chicken before."
Du Guangning said with a silly grin,
"I only knew about deep frying; this is the first ti I’ve seen a whole chicken hung up and drenched in oil."
"Speaking of which, what exactly is the difference between the two thods? Aren’t both just frying with oil?"
"Of course there’s a difference. When you put the whole chicken into the oil pot for frying, the hot oil enters the abdominal cavity and fries the tender at inside until it’s crispy."
Jiang Yu knew that Du Guangning had only learned the thods of Jiangzhou’s ho cooking and knew very little about other regional cuisines.
Because of this, whenever Du Guangning had questions about cooking, Jiang Yu would patiently explain, sharing the techniques and secrets without reservation.
Moreover, while explaining the dish, Jiang Yu would personally demonstrate, essentially teaching Du Guangning step by step.
Strictly speaking, Jiang Yu’s approach was even more dedicated than formally taking on an apprentice.
Du Guangning understood this well. Although he often spoke to Jiang Yu in a playful manner, he actually held Jiang Yu in high regard, and calling him his master would not be an exaggeration at all.
However, since he was five or six years older than Jiang Yu, it felt awkward for him to say it aloud.
But regardless, Du Guangning had secretly resolved to learn cooking earnestly from Jiang Yu, and together, they would make the Seventh Dining Hall the most renowned restaurant in the country!
Of course, Jiang Yu was unaware of Du Guangning’s thoughts.
At this mont, Jiang Yu continued,
"Furthermore, if the whole chicken is fried until the skin is golden brown, the moisture in the chicken at will be significantly lost, making the texture hard and dry. This is why many fried chicken shops coat the chicken legs and wings with breadcrumbs before frying.
In contrast, with the drizzling thod, the hot oil flows over the chicken skin and falls back into the pot, not penetrating the cavity. Even if you drizzle until the skin is golden brown, the at remains tender and juicy."
After pausing for a mont, Jiang Yu added,
"Besides this scallion oil-drizzled chicken I’m making now, there is also a dish called crispy duck that uses the sa technique. Crispy duck is a famous traditional dish popular in Guangdong and Xiangjiang regions, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, leaving a lingering aroma with every bite."
"Crispy duck..."
Listening to this, Du Guangning couldn’t help but swallow, and he chuckled,
"Crispy duck sounds delicious. If only I had a chance to try it."
Jiang Yu smiled without speaking and turned towards the stove.
The process of making crispy duck is much more complicated than this scallion oil-drizzled chicken, and he wasn’t inclined to make it just to quell a craving. But if the mood struck him soday, perhaps he would satisfy Du Guangning’s culinary desires.
For now, he would focus on satisfying the cravings of the guests in these six private rooms at noon.
At the stove, Jiang Yu lifted the lid of the earthen pot, and a rich aroma wafted up, prompting him to take a deep breath. The sll was truly fresh and fragrant!
Freshly slaughtered yellow-feathered chicken is indeed more delicious than frozen chicken.
He turned the whole chicken in the pot for even coloring, then replaced the lid to continue simring until the at was fully cooked before turning off the heat.
Afterward, he placed the cooked scallion chicken on the cutting board, used scissors to cut and remove the stitching, and cleared all the stuffed green onions from the cavity.
Next, Jiang Yu picked up a knife, chopped the whole scallion chicken into pieces for plating, and poured the remaining sauce from the earthen pot into a small dish, placing it next to the large white plate.
When the dish was served, diners could dip the chicken pieces into the sauce when eating.
Du Guangning glanced at the ti on his phone. It was just a little past ten, and the scallion oil-drizzled chicken was already finished. Wouldn’t it be cold by the ti guests arrived at eleven thirty?
He asked, sowhat puzzled, "Boss, why is this scallion oil-drizzled chicken ready so early? Is it... a cold dish?"
"Yes, it’s a cold dish. Otherwise, why would I prepare it so early?"
Jiang Yu turned to look at him, seeing his bewildered expression, which made Jiang Yu chuckle and say,
"Stop daydreaming and co help out. We have our work cut out for us at lunch!"
With that, he turned back to start preparing the next cold dish.
Seeing this, Du Guangning hurried over to assist.
Suddenly, the kitchen fell silent, with everyone absorbed in their tasks, everything bustling yet fulfilling...
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