"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
"Oh gosh, I’m exhausted..."
Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian played wildly until 3 PM. By the ti they changed clothes and returned to the shop, they were both out of breath.
Although physically tired, they were extrely exhilarated, as if truly blessed.
"Boss, what are we selling this afternoon? I feel like I’ve got no energy left."
Zhuo Qianqian flopped onto the chair, as limp as a noodle.
Wang Fan wasn’t much better, sitting with his hands folded on the back of a chair.
"We’ll have fried chicken and fries tonight. I marinated them last night."
Wang Fan’s voice had a lazy tone. Even for him, today felt incredibly tiring.
Fortunately, he anticipated it last night and marinated the chicken wings and drumsticks in advance.
As for whether it’s Lu Cuisine...
As long as I use scallions, ginger, and garlic to stir-fry for aroma, even a Lu Cuisine master has to admit this is Lu Cuisine!
Fried chicken may seem simple, but making it taste great requires technique to be distinguished into various levels.
So can fry the chicken to perfection, crispy on the outside and juicy inside, while others can end up with burnt skin and bloody at inside.
Wang Fan’s marinating thod differed from others; in addition to onions, celery, lemons, scallions, garlic, and ginger, he added a lot of unsweetened yogurt to the basin of drumsticks.
He took out the large basin of marinated chicken from the freezer, which contained over 200 pounds of chicken wings and drumsticks.
Another basin in the freezer held pre-boiled potato strips.
Curious as ever, Zhuo Qianqian exclaid, "Wow, boss, it’s the first ti I’ve seen soone use yogurt to marinate chicken wings and drumsticks. Will it taste good?"
Wang Fan shrugged, "No idea. It was a spur-of-the-mont idea. It’s my first ti trying it, so I don’t know."
Zhuo Qianqian grinned slyly, "Everything the boss makes is a masterpiece."
Wang Fan replied, "Flattery won’t cut it; ti to get to work."
Once the chicken wings and drumsticks are marinated, they need to be battered for frying, but first, you must prepare a crispy batter mix.
Wang Fan poured three parts flour and one part cornstarch into a basin, adding salt and a bit of baking soda.
After mixing it well, he prepared a large basin of plain water.
Picking up a chicken wing, Wang Fan instructed Zhuo Qianqian, "Watch closely. First, put the chicken wing into the crispy batter mix, flip it twice on both sides, then scoop up so batter with your hand and cover the wing, bury the wing in the batter, and gently press it down."
As he spoke, he demonstrated, quickly covering the chicken wing evenly with the batter.
After taking out the coated wing, Wang Fan continued, "Shake it gently to remove excess batter, then place it in this skimr and dip it in clean water for 2 seconds."
Wang Fan dipped the chicken wing in water, and after two seconds, he took it out. So of the batter dissolved into the water.
"Repeat step one, you can give it a slight rub to create those snowflake-like patterns you see when kneading dough."
Zhuo Qianqian watched carefully, noticing the white, fluffy patterns on the chicken wing.
"You try it."
Like a kid with a new toy, Zhuo Qianqian picked up a wing and started mimicking Wang Fan’s actions.
Though a bit clumsy at first, after a few tries, she got the hang of it, showing so natural talent.
"I’ll fry a batch to taste."
Wang Fan said as he started to pour oil into the pot with a "glug glug glug" sound.
Curious, Zhuo Qianqian asked, "Boss, I’ve always heard you need oil at six-tenths heat for frying chicken. How do you know it’s at six-tenths?"
Wang Fan held up a wooden chopstick and said, "See this chopstick? Once you can feel the heat when you hand is over the pot, dip it in the oil."
He dipped the chopstick into the pot, but nothing happened.
"You see, nothing happens now because the oil isn’t hot enough."
After a mont, tiny bubbles appeared around the chopstick’s subrged part: "Now you see, once small bubbles start forming, it’s roughly six-tenths hot, and you can put the wings in."
As Wang Fan explained, he placed a wing into the oil. The mont it hit the oil, it sizzled, and the batter changed visibly.
"Now lower the heat to avoid overheating. If unsure, keep the chopstick in the oil. As long as the bubbles remain steady, it’s fine."
Thanks to Wang Fan’s detailed teaching, Zhuo Qianqian quickly grasped the technique.
"Got it, got it, the boss teaches way better and clearer than those videos."
Zhuo Qianqian gave Wang Fan a thumbs up, showering him with Enchanting Soup. Although Wang Fan’s expression didn’t change much, the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curl slightly.
Who doesn’t like being praised, after all?
He didn’t need the chopstick trick; with his enhanced senses, by simply listening to the oil’s bubbling and slling it, he could precisely gauge the heat.
"During the first fry, don’t flip the wings too early; let the coating set. Once one side is slightly golden, turn it over."
As he spoke, Wang Fan used chopsticks to turn a wing over, revealing a delicately golden and beautifully flaky side.
Zhuo Qianqian caught the enticing aroma of fried wings, subconsciously licking her lips.
After spending half the day at the Water Splashing Square and having an early lunch, she was getting hungry.
Wang Fan playfully swatted Zhuo Qianqian’s mischievous hand away: "You dare use your hand on wings fresh out of the oil? Do you not want your paw? Plus, they’re not done yet. Wait."
Zhuo Qianqian grinned sheepishly and retracted her hand: "It’s just that you made it sll so good, boss. I couldn’t resist, hehe."
Wang Fan sternly said, "Go chop the scallions, ginger, and garlic. Wash the garlic after chopping to clean off the juice. Rember?"
Zhuo Qianqian quickly scampered to the chopping board: "Got it, got it, I rember clearly."
"Once all these wings are out, wait until the oil is seven-tenths hot for the second fry. At seven-tenths hot, the bubbles will be tighter. Fry for 15 seconds; too long, and they’ll burn."
As Wang Fan waited for the oil temperature to rise, Zhuo Qianqian was already busying herself.
Thanks to her previous practice at Mount Tai, she was quite skilled now.
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