Liu Mang then made a lot of beef cubes, which made Baird and Max eat in amazement and feast. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

"Guys, I've run out of beef for today, so I'll start making another dish. Liu Mang pointed to the empty disc where the beef was placed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay. Max sighed with a little regret, and then became excited: "Is the next dish a smoking dish?"

"Yes, but the smoke it emits is a bit special. Liu Mang took out a huge ham.

"Oh, ham, I love it so much!" said Baird's eyes lit up, "Ham with wine has always been my favorite." ”

"Mr. Baird, this is not the smoked ham of the West, but our Eastern ham, which can also be eaten raw, but it tastes better when cooked. Li Ruoruo explained with a smile.

The ham that Liu Mang took out is also called Huoshu, which is one of Jinhua's specialties. It has a pretty appearance, bright meat, unique aroma, pleasant flavor, color, fragrance, taste, shape, "four unique" and famous in the world.

Liu Mang took the knife from the top of the ham, first cut off the crust on the top, and then slice off a large piece of brightly colored leg meat.

Ham can be divided into five parts: claw, heel, top, middle and dripping oil.

The taste of each part is slightly different, and generally speaking, the 'upper' muscle fibers are uniform and dense, and the meat quality is the best, but the proportion is only 30%, which can be used to make fire cubes and cut large slices and flower slices. 'Fire heel' can be stewed or cut into pieces, cut into semi-round slices, round slices, etc., and most of them are eaten with skin, so the fire power should be sufficient. The weight of the 'middle' is similar to that of the 'top', and is usually shredded, sliced or stripped. 'Fire claws' and 'dripping oil' are the parts of pig's trotters, which can be used to make soup or stew.

Now Liu Mang cuts off the 'top' of the ham, which is also the essence of a ham.

"Mr. Baird, this ham has been specially transported from China, it has been aged for more than three years, and it can be eaten raw, you can try it. Liu Mang cut a small piece and handed it to Baird and Max respectively.

"Well, compared to the Italian Parma ham, this ham is slightly salty, but when you chew it carefully, it has a special flavor, and I can't say what it is. Baird tasted it and said.

"This special flavor is produced after meat is cured and fermented, but Chinese are not used to eating raw, so the proportion of salt is more, and the taste is better after cooking." ”

After Liu Mang finished speaking, he put the cut large pieces of ham slices like fat cows on the plate, and used the soaked plum vegetables to cushion the bottom below, and then sprinkled some shredded green onions and steamed them in a steamer.

Taking advantage of the steaming process, Liu Mang took a radish and a large pumpkin, and began to carve the food carving on the plate with a knife.

"Mr. Liu Mang, are all your Chinese chefs artists?" asked Baird as a bird on a pumpkin took shape with just a few knives.

"Well, yes and no. Liu Mang smiled: "But if Chinese chefs want to learn profoundly, they need to have a certain aesthetic taste." Because in Chinese tradition, food is not only about taste, but also about color, fragrance, and shape. Each of them is important and can bring a sensory treat to diners. ”

took a disc and put the carved food carving into it, and Liu Mang then took a white radish and carved it.

"It's beautiful! It's like it's alive. When Baird and Max got closer, they saw that Liu Mang had carved a steep mountain half covered with green vines, and on the peak was a small lark singing.

"Mr. Chef, can you give me this sculpture when you're done eating? I'd like to put it in my living room." Baird said.

"Well, I'm afraid this can't be preserved for a long time, if you really like Chinese sculpture art, I can introduce a few carving masters to you. They are good at jade carving, wood carving, stone carving, and their works are more spiritual than mine. ”

"Okay. ”

The white radish in his hand was carved into a dozen small white flowers, and Liu Mang took some toothpicks and fixed them on the mountain peak carved with pumpkins just now.

After the presentation was completed, Liu Mang took the ham out of the steamer and removed the ginger on top and the plum vegetables on the bottom.

After steaming, the shape of the thinly sliced ham shrank slightly, and the fat and salt in it forced some of the heat out, allowing the umeboshi to absorb all the vegetables underneath.

Liu Mang picked up the ham slices with tongs and spread an even layer around the peaks placed on the plate.

"Mr. Chef, does this smoke mean that the ham itself has already been smoked?" Max asked seeing that the dish seemed to be finished.

"Of course not, there is still one last step before the dish can be truly completed. Liu Mang smiled mysteriously, took out a small brown ball from the box above the board, and placed it in the hole reserved on the top of the mountain.

Li Ruonan couldn't understand it now, and she didn't know what Liu Mang's intention was in doing this.

"Smack!" Liu Mang lit the lighter and approached the ball to burn.

The ball was ignited by the flames, and soon puffed up with puffs of white smoke.

"Mr. Chef, you're in the wrong position, the smoke is going up, and it's impossible to smoke the ham below?" said Baird.

But immediately, his laughter burst out, and he covered his mouth: "How is it possible? How can this smoke come out upside down?"

I saw that the lit smoke seemed to be bound by something, like flowing water, flowing down the cracks in the rocks that crisscrossed Liu Mang's pumpkins and towards the bottom of the plate.

The smoke gathered in a puffy patch of smoke on the plate, masking the ham that lay underneath.

"Incredible! incredible!" Max scratched his head and exclaimed, unable to think of how Liu Mang did it.

The smoke that flowed backwards covered the bottom of the plate, and now this mountain carved with pumpkins seems to stand in a sea of clouds, full of unique oriental aesthetic interest.

"You can still use this to cook!" Li Ruonan had already understood, and looked at Liu Mang's eyes, full of admiration and admiration when the little girl saw her idol.

"Ma'am, what is a reflux?" asked Baird and Max in unison.

"Ruonan, explain to them the principle of this incense. Liu Mang said with a smile.

"Reverse incense, also known as lower incense, is named because the smoke produced during the combustion process flows from a high place to a low place like water due to the high tar content. The general principle of it is that because the smoke is mixed with more impurities, the smoke particles are larger than the specific gravity of the air, so it will flow downward. ”

Speaking of this, Li Ruonan paused: "This kind of reflux incense existed in ancient China, and it generally requires special spices and special incense burners, but it is the first time I have seen it used in dishes." Liu Mang, you are such a genius!"

pS: I went out to eat and drank too much, I overslept, it's late today, I'm sorry! Six hundred oceans of full attendance, half of my salary, and the last two days, it's gone! Let me cry alone.