Even before the Cataclysm, sea cucumber stretching was rare.
The main reason is that except in coastal cities, it is very difficult to see live sea cucumbers.
Sea cucumber meat contains a relatively large amount of arginine active factors. These factors are in an inactive state. Some of them will be converted into collagen in water temperatures of about 40 degrees, adding soft elasticity and toughness to the meat.
After burning a pot and testing that the water temperature was suitable, Lin Chou picked up a sea cucumber and immersed it in it. He gently picked it up, slowly twisted it, and then picked it up again. His skills were skillful and he moved quickly. The ten fingers of his hands were playing something beautiful. The feeling of the music.
Bai Suren, a professional artist, has bright eyes.
"What a beautiful technique... Why not play the piano and have fun... It's really a waste to use it to touch pots and cookers."
Suddenly she remembered something again, and couldn't help but swallow her saliva, as if she was recalling a certain smell that made her linger.
“It seems like it’s not a waste!”
Master Shan was speechless.
"I'll go, this familiar technique... could it be that it's Mr. Kato's successor from another generation..."
Qin Wuyong came over,
"Eh? Who is Mr. Kato? Is he also a very good chef? This surname is so strange. Is there anyone else with the surname Kato? Why haven't I heard of it in the base city?"
Shan Ye continued to express his generosity (xia) and generosity (ta) with a stern face (che),
"That's a legend from a long time ago. It's said that this person was a legendary person who was known as the 'Finger of God' before the Cataclysm... uh, a chef! His skills are unparalleled and intimidating. In short, he is awesome. To a person who sparkles and sparks lightning all the way, countless girls admire him, and countless otakus yearn for him."
Qin Wuyong,
"???"
"I can understand that the technique is great, but it can also be done in such a way that a girl admires and aspires to be an otaku? It's not scientific no matter how you look at it!"
Master Shan thinks this guy is really fucking annoying.
"Ahem, cough, you've said too much. It's more important to watch the forest cooking. If you're grinding and chirping, stay away."
Qin Wuyong felt that he was aggrieved, but seeing that Shan Ye was in such a state that he could swing a big ax at anyone at any time, he immediately shrank back and said nothing. After all, a dog's life is important.
Under Lin Chou's movements, the sea cucumber gradually spread out and lay flat on the water surface. After a while, it was as thin as gauze and the area reached half a meter in diameter.
Sikong was stunned.
"Fuck...what's the principle of this??"
Bai Suren exclaimed, "Okay, that's amazing."
Lin Chou smiled and said,
"You guys want to try it too? It's very simple. Just soak it in water and slowly stretch it out."
Everyone shook their heads.
The most unkind person was Huang Dashan. He picked up a sea cucumber.
"Hey den~"
Master Shan was extremely embarrassed.
"Ahem, misunderstanding, misunderstanding..."
I dipped it in some onion-garlic vinaigrette made by Qin Wuyong, and the poor sea cucumber disappeared into the gluttonous mouth, making a squeaking sound.
"Emmm, it's quite fresh, not bad, and quite delicious."
Everyone was speechless,
"So actually you just want to eat a sea cucumber, right?"
"Ahem... If you see it, don't tell it. It will be embarrassing for everyone."
"The only one who is embarrassed is you!"
Five minutes later, the sea cucumber had been stretched into a circle with a diameter of two meters, which was thinner than paper. The spines of the sea cucumber had turned into slightly darker but not convex dots, which could be seen through the flat sea cucumber. You can completely see what's behind.
At this time, the arginine component in the sea cucumber has been partially dissolved, activated and converted into various collagens, which on the one hand makes its texture more elastic and on the other hand easier to taste.
This process is quite time-consuming. Even with a skill like Lin Chou, it takes ten to fifteen minutes to stretch a sea cucumber to just the right position, not to mention a whole portion of fresh sea cucumber roasted with green onion, which is even more time-consuming.
After stretching all the sea cucumbers, boil a pot of boiling water and pour it into the basin. Wait for it to cool down slightly for ten seconds, then place the stretched sea cucumbers in it.
The "film" of the sea cucumber quickly retracted in the water. In less than a second, it almost completely returned to its original state before stretching. It became plumper and plumper. The ingredients inside had already gone through another transformation process.
The chef's control over the ingredients is sometimes so magical and wonderful.
"Wow! How is it possible..."
"Incredible."
"It's completely back to its original appearance, still chubby."
Lin Chou took out the sea cucumber and put it aside.
"Actually, it's not a complete recovery, it's just a bit bigger than before without stretching. You see."
Lin Chou shook the bowl gently, and the sea cucumber trembled gently in the stone bowl like skin jelly.
Although sea cucumbers that have not been stretched will tremble, you can tell with the naked eye that the sea cucumbers are much "stiffer" than those that have been stretched, and the texture is more suitable to be described as "brittle and tough".
The internal fiber structure of the sea cucumber has been destroyed after stretching, and it can be said to be "invisible".
If you want to eat fresh sea cucumbers roasted with green onions, especially sea cucumbers that have gone through a lot of trouble, how many diners can think of a simple dish that requires such complicated operations?
The thankless and meticulous work is not recognized. It can be said that the operation is as fierce as a tiger, and the output is less than 50%. Therefore, many chefs would rather choose to cook dried sea cucumbers instead of fresh sea cucumbers.
When it comes to sea cucumbers, we have to mention the description of sea cucumbers in Yuan Mei’s [Suiyuan Food List],
"Sea cucumbers are inactive, sandy and fishy, and the hardest to please. However, they are naturally strong and cannot be simmered in clear soup."
In response to this, Wang Shizhen, a famous chef from the generation before the great catastrophe, adopted the method of using thicker to attack thicker sea cucumbers, in order to get thick juice and strong flavor into the sea cucumber. The effect is all-round.
It is said that this is how the Shandong cuisine classic roasted sea cucumber with green onions was created. Whether this is actually the case is unknown.
Lin Chou wandered around and touched for a long time.
"Just now I remember who brought up some small abalones. Where did they put them?"
"Hey, I caught it and let it go..."
“Dasha, what are you eating!!”
"Hiccup~" Xia Dasha burped and spread his hands unhappily. There were still three poor abalones in his hands, "Hey, is this what you are looking for?"
"..."
Lin Chou took it easily,
"Forget it, just make do with it..."
Slice abalone and sea cucumber into sections and blanch them separately in boiling water.
Cut the good scallions into long sections and soak them in soy sauce for a few minutes. Heat up the oil in the pan and burn out the fragrant scallion oil. Stir-fry the sugar until it becomes sugary. Add the abalone slices and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add the sea cucumber segments, salt, ginger and garlic. juice, cooking soy sauce, rice wine, a little...
"It's amazing, my Linzi. There is also a bottle of chicken soup in your box?"
"Ahem."
Yes, cook in a little chicken stock.
Two minutes later, thick oily red sauce, gravy, seared sea cucumber with green onions, and you're done.
