Chapter 124: Ginkgo Biloba Dish
As a royal dish that should not be consumed excessively, the Ginkgo Biloba Dish has the saying, "Nine kernels are a delicacy, ten kernels are poison." Although the white nuts, now bred by the system, no longer contain toxicity and can be safely consumed, the dish still follows the old tradition, with only nine ginkgo nuts per serving.
Qi Han opened a pot of boiling water. With a swift knife, he cut the fragrant pig lard into small pieces and blanched them in the boiling water. After blanching, he transferred them to another pot for rendering, adding scallions and ginger.
The main purpose of this step was to render the pig lard into a snowy white color, to avoid affecting the subsequent coloring of the ginkgo nuts. Another key point was not to let the lard render to a golden brown color, as it would cause the lard to change color.
The pig lard visibly rendered under low heat, and after cooling, it became as white and delicate as mutton tallow. Qi Han cut the rendered lard into pieces about the size of half a palm and set them aside for later use. Then, he turned his attention to the small bowl containing nine ginkgo nuts.
The ginkgo nuts needed to be soaked overnight and then boiled in cold water with a little food-grade alkali to remove their bitterness. The soaking process had been handled by the system before providing the ginkgo nuts, so Qi Han only needed to boil them with alkali and then remove them when the water boiled for about one and a half minutes.
After boiling, the ginkgo nuts became tender but not completely soft. They had a slight elasticity on the surface. Qi Han carefully picked up the nine ginkgo nuts, and his chef's knife quickly transformed into an extremely fine carving knife.
The tip of the carving knife was as sharp as a needle, swiftly carving into the tender ginkgo nuts. Soon, nine children with different expressions and actions, wearing loincloths, were carved out. They appeared to be grasping and leaping, with smiles and innocence on their faces, evoking a sense of endearment.
Nine Children Pass the Imperial Examination!
The Ginkgo Biloba Dish holds profound symbolism. Nine, being the ultimate number, symbolizes the children's success in the imperial examination, representing the hope for the offspring to achieve success and recognition.
After completing the carving, Qi Han breathed a sigh of relief and placed the carved ginkgo nuts aside, turning his attention to the large sugar block.
The sugar block, the size of a human head, was swiftly carved by Qi Han's deft movements. Large crystallized chunks of sugar fell off the block, which Qi Han collected on the side. These unused fragments could be recycled with the system's advanced technology to reassemble into sugar blocks of the same size without affecting taste or appearance.
As the sugar crystals fell smaller and smaller, Qi Han's movements became faster. The sugar block gradually took shape as a tree, with lush branches and a canopy providing shade.
Qi Han's movements slowed down as he perfected the details of the tree. The shape of the leaves slowly emerged, forming a lush and verdant pine tree.
With each stroke of Qi Han's knife, the pine tree seemed to come alive. Despite its dry branches, there seemed to be a resilient force lurking within.
"The pine remains green after harsh winters."
Placing the translucent pine tree aside, Qi Han prepared caramel by frying sugar and adding lard and osmanthus honey to a pot. He then added the ginkgo nuts and gently stirred until they were coated with caramel.
Even with the caramel coating, the expressions and actions of the nine children were still clearly visible, each detail vividly captured beneath the shimmering surface.
Qi Han carefully placed the nine children under the sparkling pine tree, each in a different posture, completing the Ginkgo Biloba Dish.
"With the eternal shade of the evergreen pine above and the playful antics of the nine children below."
The evergreen pine symbolized blessings for the elders at home, while the nine children represented the greatest expectations for the children in the family.
As the renowned dish of the Kong Family, its reputation is well-deserved.
Qi Han gently presented the dish to Qin Yue with a smile. "It's ready. Please serve it. This is the Ginkgo Biloba Dish."
Qin Yue was left speechless.
"This— this was also made by the boss?"
She always felt that Qi Han's dishes were more delicious than those of Clear Moon over the Jade Pool, but they lacked the same level of grandeur. The dishes she had seen so far confirmed her belief that Qi Han's focus might not be on external appearances.
But today's two dishes had completely overturned her imagination.
First, the vivid and lifelike landscape carved on the Crab Stuffed with Orange, with its inexplicable charm, left Qin Yue feeling intrigued.
Because she couldn't discern the hidden deity within, Qin Yue still believed that her Clear Moon over the Jade Pool might be better than the Crab Stuffed with Orange.
But with the Ginkgo Biloba Dish, Qin Yue could no longer utter such words.
The intricate craftsmanship, with every pine needle clearly visible, was something Clear Moon over the Jade Pool could never achieve, let alone the nine adorable children, each with their own expressions and charm, so lifelike.
It turned out that the boss wasn't incapable of creating magnificent dishes; he just disdained them.
In her realization, Qin Yue felt a tinge of shame.
"Why are you spacing out?" Qi Han looked at Qin Yue with a hint of amusement.
"Huh?" Qin Yue snapped out of her thoughts and carefully took the Ginkgo Biloba Dish, walking upstairs.
She couldn't wait to see the shocked expressions on the diners' faces when they saw the Ginkgo Biloba Dish.
As she placed the empty orange cup down, there was a hint of a smile on Yue's face.
The quantity of Crab Stuffed with Orange wasn't much, just enough to fill one orange, but the wonderful taste and exquisite appearance made Yue tempted to have another.
But thinking about the delicious hot pot that was coming up next, she resisted the temptation.
"Wow!"
Someone exclaimed, and Yue instinctively looked towards the source of the commotion, her eyes widening in astonishment.
"Is this a dish?"
Under the soft imitation sunlight, the sparkling pine tree gleamed radiantly, while under its shade, nine children played joyfully, frolicking and laughing.
The first portion of the Ginkgo Biloba Dish naturally went to Cao Rang. Qin Yue didn't know Tang Qianqiu, so she felt that Cao Rang should have a higher status, hence her choice.
"Please enjoy the Ginkgo Biloba Dish," Qin Yue said, introducing the dish before leaving the second floor.
Tang Qianqiu didn't blame the girl; he just silently watched Cao Rang after Qin Yue left.
Stare~ A gaze from his senior uncle.
Cao Rang's expression twitched. Though reluctant, he politely handed the Ginkgo Biloba Dish to Tang Qianqiu.
"Senior Uncle, please go ahead."
Tang Qianqiu nodded with dignity. "Qi Poxiao has raised a good disciple. Respect for teachers and emphasis on morals. That's commendable."
Then, amidst Cao Rang's strange gaze, Tang Qianqiu decisively took the Ginkgo Biloba Dish and placed it in front of himself.
After admiring it for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Tang Qianqiu sighed deeply. "I can't bear to eat this dish made by Boss Qi."
Indeed, he couldn't bear to eat it. Both the pine tree and the nine children underneath it were so perfect that disturbing even a single detail would ruin the beautiful ambiance. Tang Qianqiu felt a bit at a loss as to how to even start eating.
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