Lu Xunguang was presenting a peacock as a birthday gift, and A Man was to offer a peacock dance to wish the queen mother a happy birthday. Having made up her mind, Li Ying also planned to name her dishes after "phoenix" at the queen mother's birthday banquet.
The first dish was called "Phoenix Skin".
The skin of the bamboo shoot between the hard outer layer and the tender inner layer was covered with fine hairs. After soaking it in wood ash, washing it clean, and boiling it until soft, the inner membrane and fibers were removed.
The so - called "Phoenix Skin" was made by wrapping a young chicken in bamboo shoot paper and deep - frying it. The bamboo shoot paper absorbed the fat and meat juice exuded by the chicken and was fried until golden and crispy. Every bite was fragrant and crispy, even more delicious than the chicken.
The bamboo shoot skin that was peeled off was the key material for making bamboo shoot paper.
The bamboo shoot skin was poured into a stone mortar and pounded repeatedly to make a fine pulp. This step was extremely labor - intensive. To ensure the freshness of the bamboo shoot paper, one had to continuously strike it with a wooden mallet weighing over ten pounds for a full four hours.
Fortunately, with the help of the imperial chefs in the palace, Li Ying was spared the backache and pain of pounding.
The pounded bamboo shoot skin was soaked in clean water, left to stand and settle. The fine fibers on the upper layer were fished out and dried to become edible bamboo shoot paper.
Taking advantage of this time, Li Ying had already taken rice wine, Chinese wolfberries, ginger, cinnamon, star anise, fennel, tsaoko fruit and other spices to marinate the young chicken until it was flavored.
A thin layer of glutinous rice paste was brushed on the bamboo shoot paper. This was the key to the crispness of the "Phoenix Skin". After sucking dry the sauce on the chicken, the bamboo shoot paper could be wrapped around it and deep - fried in a pan.
The boiling oil fried the paper - wrapped chicken until it was shaped and dyed a uniform golden color. Then the "Phoenix Skin" was transferred to a clay oven to be baked.
First frying and then baking reduced the greasiness and maximized the preservation of the chicken juice. The bamboo shoot paper soaked in the meat juice was baked until it was crispy and fragrant. As one chewed with their lips and tongue, it made a crisp sound, which was quite like the taste of "potato chips" in later generations.
As for the fried chicken, because of the bamboo shoot paper separating it from the boiling oil, it only left a bright color but was not stained with any greasiness. One could still taste the faint fragrance of bamboo shoots in the tender meat, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
The next dish was called "Phoenix Brain". The method of making it was not very difficult.
Take a hundred chickens, ducks, geese, squabs, and quails. Split their heads and only take the brains.
Wrap these brains in a dense gauze and soak them in rice wine to remove the blood smell. Then drain all the water and crush them into a paste, and fill them into a mold.
After the brains were steamed, they condensed like tofu, so tender that they could be broken with a puff of air. The flavors were integrated into one, thus becoming the unique "Phoenix Brain".
Finally, pour on spicy red oil. The white and tender brains melted in the mouth. The thick and rich fat fragrance was infiltrated with the hot and spicy sesame oil, giving a heavy blow to the taste buds. Immediately afterwards, it turned from steel into softness. The unique fragrant aroma lingered on the tip of the tongue. Just as it left the eyebrows, it came back to the heart.
Another dish was called "A Hundred Phoenixes Paying Homage to the Phoenix".
The so - called "A Hundred Phoenixes" meant choosing the eggs of twelve kinds of flying birds. Only take the egg whites, stir them evenly with bird's nests, and pour them into a pig's stomach.
In the slightly boiling high - soup, after putting in the pig's stomach, quickly start to rotate it. Use the centrifugal force to spin out a hollow in the egg white. After half an hour, squeeze in the "egg yolk" made by stirring crab roe and shrimp paste.
After boiling for another hour, the cut "A Hundred Phoenixes Paying Homage to the Phoenix" was as round as a natural phoenix egg.
This dish, "A Hundred Phoenixes Paying Homage to the Phoenix", looked ordinary, but the egg white absorbed the colloid of the bird's nest and was stewed with the rich high - soup until it was flavored. It was light, but not lacking in freshness. Simple, but with a kind of returning to the original, the great way to simplicity.
The imperial chefs were stunned as they watched Li Ying's several novel cooking methods.
Since they served in the palace, they naturally each had their own specialties. Everyone carefully covered their recipes and did not show them to others, regarding them as the capital for making a living in the palace.
Now this little girl, Li Ying, had many novel ideas that made people click their tongues in wonder. She did not hide anything at all and openly put them all in front of them. Everyone had their own thoughts and crowded around her to watch.
Seeing Li Ying being so calm and not only not guarding against them, but even specifically reminding them repeatedly.
For example, the bamboo shoot paper of the Phoenix Skin must be coated with a thin layer of glutinous rice paste so that it could be crispy and delicious when fried.
Another example was that before the Phoenix Brain was put into the steamer, all the water must be drained, and it must be sieved and ground until it was smooth. Only then could it condense into a complete piece after being steamed, and the taste could also be ensured to be delicate and thick.
The imperial chefs knew that they would benefit a lot from learning Li Ying's recipes. They also felt that it was not good to watch this simple - minded little girl anger the emperor because of a small mistake at the birthday banquet and cause trouble.
Several people looked at each other and then at the mountains of chickens and ducks piled up in the corner, their heads removed. Finally, they could not help but remind her in a low voice.
"Miss Li, your dish, Phoenix Brain, is indeed unique in style, but the emperor has always been advocating frugality. Wasting more than a hundred poultry... And that phoenix egg... Only taking the egg white but discarding the egg yolk. I'm afraid..."
How could Li Ying not understand what they meant?
She smiled confidently, picked up a knife, and neatly chopped a water duck into large pieces.
The old brine was already ready. She had been marinating some beef and fat chickens in it every now and then. The rich and complex brine fragrance could not be blended by any spices.
As long as these chickens and ducks were blanched and drained, they could be poured into the old brine all at once and simmered slowly over low heat. After a night, they would become sweet, spicy, fresh, and salty marinated flavors.
"The queen mother is the mother of the world. Naturally, her birthday should also be shared with the people. As for the chickens and ducks left after steaming the Phoenix Brain, in my opinion, they should all be soaked in the brine and sold to the people in the capital at a low price."
"As for the egg yolks, they should be steamed, crushed, mixed with butter, milk powder, and sugar, kneaded into a sweet dough, and baked into a crispy and loose snack that melts in the mouth."
"On the one hand, the people can also feel the emperor's grace through these small dishes and biscuits. On the other hand, the silver obtained can also be used to enrich the national treasury. Although it is not a large amount of money, it is always a little bit of the people's heart. What do you all think?"
Li Ying was confident, looked around, answered questions smoothly, and was calm and composed.
The imperial chefs never expected that she had already planned everything so comprehensively. They were even more in admiration of this intelligent girl and praised her repeatedly.
"Very good, very good. Since this is the case, then everything will follow Miss Li!"
Li Ying smiled and said, "I am just a little girl. I just have some small wisdom. Where do I have any extraordinary abilities? This queen mother's birthday banquet still depends on all of you to help and promote me."
She had a very sweet mouth. After this series of actions, she even coaxed the oldest imperial chef in the imperial dining room to be convinced.
The next dish she was going to make required everyone's full cooperation. Only in this way could it be easier to give orders, and this dish could be made more colorful.