After the twelve zodiac signs were finalized, several people made a detailed division of labor, and finally decided to let Zhang Guohua, the Supai master with the most superb modeling skills, be responsible for the complicated dragon and chicken shapes.
The remaining ten animals received two animals according to the level of their modeling skills. Baiyu's craftsmanship was considered to be at the end of the list, so he chose the simplest rabbit and snake.
After everything was arranged, everyone went to choose the ingredients they needed.
The preliminary preparations for Chinese pastries need to be done. The organizer has learned from the experience in the red case competition and allowed everyone to make the sugar noodles process in advance, which can save a lot of time during the official competition.
Master Zhan of the Cantonese style makes crystal-skinned mice and red monkeys. Among Cantonese pastries, there are actually pastries that are as crystal clear as Supai boat pastries, called strip cakes.
In the past two years, Chef Zhan has devoted himself to the combination of traditional techniques and new flavors. Naturally, he does not want to make traditional sweet and greasy fillings.
With a roll of his eyes, he grinned secretly, and when no one was paying attention to him, he secretly put a can on the shelf in the corner into his arms.
It was a square iron can with a lot of words written on it in foreign characters.
He walked back to the cooking table, unscrewed the lid of the can, and shook out the brown powder with a special fragrance inside with a flick of his wrist.
Master Zhou from the Ning School is a woman with delicate fingers and can make complex and exquisite snacks. He chose the shapes of dogs and sheep.
The flour is sifted finely, and the kneading technique is soft yet firm, creating a sense of flowing fluidity with each breath.
The chefs of the Fujian style pay attention to the ratio of fillings and are good at interpreting traditional things in different styles. They hope to make a fuss in the bellies of cows and pigs and let the judges feel the charm of southern Fujian fillings.
Bai Yu has his own ideas. He is good at making pastry-type snacks, but he does not want to ruin the overall shape. He wants to use inlay techniques to give different shapes to the zodiac animals.
Master Li from Guangling also has a lot of research on Su style techniques. If we trace their origins, they were both created by the same ancestor thousands of years ago. However, Guangling is located in the middle of Jiang Province, connecting the north and the south, and the taste is different. Be more tolerant.
What he wants to do is a tiger and a horse. It is easy to say, and the basic shape can be sketched in his mind; difficult to say, the tiger needs to be furry, and the horse needs to have fluttering mane...
"Alas!" Master Li sighed and moved his muscles around. This was another double test of physical strength and eyesight!
Zhang Guohua was also in high spirits. Thanks to everyone's favor, he chose the ship station of the Su faction. Apart from being happy, Zhang Guohua was also slightly worried. He was a little afraid that if he lost to the Northern faction in this game, He has no face to see Jiangdong's father.
Therefore, you can only win, not lose!
The craft of boat making has been passed down to this day and has become an intangible cultural heritage. There are many people in Sioux City who can make boat making, but in terms of doing it best, it is only the Zhang family.
The Zhang family has been making boat dishes hundreds of years ago. His eldest sister, Zhang Aihua, is the leading master of boat dishes and has even received foreign guests on behalf of Sioux City!
The crust is the key to making the boat dots well. Zhang Guohua inserted his fingertips into the powder and felt the fineness of the powder while drawing clockwise circles. When the powder was completely sifted by his fingers, add warm water mixed with hot and cold water. Mix evenly. Follow the same steps to mix the corn starch, then mix the two and knead into a dough.
The dragon must be golden to soar into the sky. The color of the boat dots does not require any pigments, it comes from the food itself. Mangoes and oranges are squeezed separately, one is added to the dough, and the other is mixed into the filling. Yellow and orange
Echoing each other, they are dazzling and extraordinary.
…
Soon, it was time for the official competition on the second day.
The two teams shook hands with each other in a happy mood, then turned around and walked to their own cooking table, feeling a little tense again.
Zhang Hua, the master chef of the Beijing School, grinned and said harshly: "Come, let me see what pastries the masters of the Southern School make!"
The masters of the Northern Department followed him and made eager gestures.
The audience burst into laughter.
Even Liu Chenggao and others showed smiles. Liu Lao said "poof", pointed at him and laughed and scolded: "You are such a young man, you think the fight is not fierce enough, don't you?!"
Zhang Hua was his disciple for a generation, and he often saw him. Naturally, he also knew his virtues of fearing chaos in the world.
Chef Zhang quickly stood silent and put his hands down respectfully: "Don't you dare, I'm just joking!"
The organizer has said that they want the show to be effective! What can he do? He is the one who is being used as a gun user... the muzzle!
Say something silently...
In fact, he enjoyed it quite a bit.
The showman's demeanor made the audience laugh again and again, and the slightest bit of tense and solemn atmosphere that had just appeared dissipated in an instant.
"I'm so envious... Bai An's game was so fun..." Fang Zilu, who was also a member of the audience supporting the Southern Department today, said sourly, and then poked Yu Jian who was sitting next to him, "Why are we so miserable?
"
Yu Jian sighed.
Yes... She also wanted to ask why it was their turn to be in a life-and-death situation...
"Where are your two best friends?" Fang Zilu was deeply impressed by the two little girls following Yu Jian. The three of them were like conjoined twins. Why was there only the eldest and the other two babies?
Pointing to Huang Nuan, who was smiling widely not far away: "Over there, they are both staunch supporters of the Northern Department now!"
Fang Zilu took a look, then turned to look at Yu Jian, with an expression that was hard to explain: "Pastry... you still have to eat something sweet!"
His determined tone undoubtedly shows that he is the staunchest supporter of sweet food.
As the gong rang, the masters started working together.
After sufficient fermentation, the dough has become the most perfect state. When you open the fresh-keeping bag wrapped in the outer layer, the colors are so colorful.
"Eh - what are they going to do?" Fang Zilu was a little confused. He only knew how to cook meat dishes. As for noodles and wontons, he could only stare at any complicated pastry.
Yu Jian didn't say anything. She focused all her attention on the hands of Master Zhang from Su Pai. He divided the portions, flattened them, put the fillings in them, rounded them, then kneaded them into shapes and stood them on the table.
Body, head, claws, tail, beard...
these are……
dragon?
Continue to watch the actions of Master Li in Guangling.
Round belly, erect ears, fangs, erect eyes...
Is it a tiger?
The movements of the other masters are varied and never stray from one of them.
Yu Jian observed quietly for a while and smiled knowingly.
Twelve zodiac signs.
If she read it correctly, they wanted to make a boat trip to the twelve zodiac signs.
She was vaguely excited again.
Since the proprietress told her about the skill of boat dumplings, she has read a lot of information. There are many records about boat dishes, but the records of boat dumplings are all in passing.
But those exquisite snacks were deeply imprinted in Yu Jian's heart, which is why she paid special attention to Master Zhang today.
It's just a pity that I didn't learn the most critical combination of dough ingredients.
She shook her head and reminded herself not to be too greedy. At this moment, Fang Zilu next to her suddenly let out a violent gasp——
"What's wrong?"
Fang Zilu pointed at the stage with trembling fingertips, and his voice also trembled: "Quick... look! Dragon! Is that a dragon?!"
Looking along the fingertips, a five-clawed golden dragon suddenly came into view. Its eyes were like torches, and it held beads in its mouth. Its scales flashed under the light, and silver light flashed across the tips of its claws...
In just a few minutes, Zhang Guohua has completed the entire production of the golden dragon!
Yu Jian was horrified.
Such a complicated shape can be completed in an instant. What kind of dexterous hands are these?