Free Web NovelChapter 1151: Chapter 466: Three Ways to Cook Duck—Not a Bit of Ingredient Is Wasted! Lin Family’s Dinner!
"How long does it take to finish the Gourd Duck?"
As soon as the duck is steaming, filming takes a pause, and it’s time for a break.
Everyone sips tea and casually chats with Geng Lishan.
Zeng Xiaoqi checks the time, thinking it’s not efficient to chat idly, especially since it’s not a TV station anymore, and time should be maximized.
Lin Xu says:
"It needs to steam for about two hours."
On hearing it takes that long, Zeng Xiaoqi suggests:
"Then let’s film the duck frame soup and the stir-fried duck offal first, to save some time."
"Sure, no problem."
Before long, Qi Zhentao starts filming the stir-fried duck offal.
This dish is very similar to stir-fried chicken offal, both utilizing the tangy and spicy flavors of chopped or pickled peppers to remove the odors from the duck offal.
Among the duck offal, whether it’s duck gizzards, duck intestines, or duck liver, they all cook quickly, so a fast stir-fry over high heat is sufficient; if cooked too long, they lose their crispy and refreshing texture.
While preparing the dish, Qi Zhentao continuously explains its key points and extends the knowledge:
"Once you learn this approach, you can apply it to chicken offal, fish offal, and even pig, cow, and sheep innards. Cooking truly is interconnected, and shouldn’t be limited to just one dish."
He plates the stir-fried dish, then cleans the kitchenware, wipes the stove, and returns all utensils to their original place, showcasing the basic qualities of an excellent chef to the fullest.
The dish is served at the table for Geng Lishan and Zeng Xiaoqi to taste.
"Sour and spicy, it’s really delicious, especially the duck intestines with their surprising crunchiness."
Zeng Xiaoqi, having tasted Lin Xu’s chicken offal, initially thought duck offal wouldn’t be as tasty, but found its texture and flavor slightly better than chicken offal.
Geng Lishan comments:
"Duck meat inherently contains more fat than chicken, combined with the higher fat content of duck liver, it’s only natural for the dish to be aromatic."
Once filming of this dish is completed, the filming of Xie Baomin preparing duck frame soup begins.
The deboned duck frame is essentially all bones. Xie Baomin first separates it with a kitchen knife and then uses the knife’s back to break the leg bones and wing roots.
He then thoroughly cleans the duck feet and wings that Lin Xu previously removed, and prepares scallion, ginger, and other ingredients.
Once everything is ready, he adds some lard to the pan and heats it up, frying the duck feet and wings first. Once they’re well fried, he adds the duck bones, frying them in lard until crispy and golden on the surface.
Meanwhile, pour the boiling water into the pan, add scallion and ginger, and use high heat to boil the duck frame.
Scoop out the foam with a spoon, add scallion and ginger, and boil on high heat for ten minutes. The broth visibly turns creamy, appearing very tempting.
Moreover, as it boils on high heat, the broth looks increasingly thickened.
As it simmers, Xie Baomin says:
"After eating at the roast duck restaurant, don’t forget to ask for the duck frame. Bring it home and fry it like this, then boil it with water; it’s more authentic than most restaurant duck frame soups."
Qi Zhentao adds:
"The duck frame from a roast duck, after the meat is trimmed, doesn’t even need oil due to its rich fat content. Frying directly in the pan releases the duck fat, resulting in a more fragrant and rich broth."
Boil on high heat for ten minutes, then cover and simmer on low heat.
Using high heat is to enhance the broth’s color, while simmering on low heat infuses the duck’s aroma into the broth.
This soup is very simple; apart from scallion and ginger, no other spices are added to the pot.
Boil for ten minutes on high heat, then simmer for ten minutes on low heat. Remove the lid, and a fragrant aroma wafts from the pot.
Xie Baomin adds a small spoon of salt and two small spoons of pepper to the pot, stirring well, and turns off the heat to serve.
He first uses chopsticks to pick up the duck wings and duck feet into the prepared soup bowl, then places a chinois above the bowl and pours the pot’s broth in, filtering out bones and bits.
After pouring into the bowl, he pinches some cilantro leaves and places them in the center, serving as both garnish and enhancing presentation.
Zeng Xiaoqi takes a sip and is immediately surprised by the soup’s flavor.
Who would have thought a mix of duck bones, wings, and feet could produce such delicious soup, while the wings and feet aren’t wasted and can also be eaten?
It’s simply unbelievable.
She tastes the soup and says:
"Previously, people often commented in video bullet comments about chefs being wasteful, but that’s completely untrue. Chefs cherish ingredients most. Turning one duck into two dishes and a soup is something not everyone can achieve."
Geng Lishan nods approvingly:
"Exactly, Chinese cuisine is very flexible; there’s no requirement for specific ingredients or spices for dishes. It’s adaptable, like the Eight Treasure Gourd Duck steaming now, its stuffing can be flexibly swapped."
After filming the accompanying dishes, Lin Xu again ties his apron, and while the Gourd Duck is still steaming, starts carving little gourds from carrots and asparagus.
This is quite a detailed task, especially since Lin Xu uses a kitchen knife for carving.
He cuts a section from the carrot’s top, first using the knife to carve the thicker bottom into an oval, resembling a gourd base.
Then he carves out the middle waistline.
Finally, he refines the top, completing a one-inch-long small gourd.
It’s placed on a plate for everyone to gather around and take photos.
"Wow, it really looks identical, so vividly detailed, and beautiful!"
"Lin Boss’s craftsmanship is truly impressive."
