Xinlan Hand-made Private Kitchen [freshly Cooked Chicken Drumsticks in Ancient Method]——the Ultimate Taste

Old J, phone. Since the decision to emigrate in August, Old J’s greatest interest has been gatherings at the dinner table. In his words, this is to condense the memory of the motherland in the food, and linger the nostalgia for his brothers on the tip of his tongue and turn it into life. Part of it was taken to a foreign country...
"Brother, go downstairs quickly and find a place of Juewei, bring some bacon down!" Old J's voice showed unprecedented excitement. Coming downstairs, Hummer S and K dozed, Xin Lan sat in the co-pilot: "Old J, what's the situation like this?"
"The descendants of the imperial palace food are different from Li's family dishes. They don't pay attention to the type of utensils. They pay attention to the fine cooking and the skill of cooking. They all use ordinary ingredients. The master has no children. You can go into the kitchen and go deep into the master. Ask, he belongs to the third uncle of my sixth cousin's seventh cousin..." If there is no following sentence, Xinlan will feel uninterested. Xinlan has a keen tongue, pair of tricky eyes, and a small head that is imaginative. Most dishes are served on the table. Xinlan can basically guess the seasonings and cooking methods used by looking, smelling and tasting. Five or six. Go home for trial production, usually three to five times, you can make seven or eight points of another's signature dish. But to fully grasp its essence and not to communicate with the chef in charge is purely looking at the tiger's skin. So Xinlan generally adds elements of his own ideas to innovate. For this taste journey, Xinlan is full of expectations.
A two-hour drive, a group of people came to a small courtyard next to Chaohu Lake. The chickens in the fence leisurely pecking millet, Chai Fei half-covered, and an old man with a crane hair and youthful face swayed a cat fan under the flower stand. "Uncle Wu, I'll see you old." Old J grabbed the bacon that Xinlan was carrying and offered it with both hands. The old man took a glance, picked up a piece of it, and sniffed it. He tore a piece with his teeth and slapped a few mouthfuls: "Well, yes, smoked from fresh pine branches, and smells of orange peel and vanilla. It is half or six minutes dry, local pork, at least medium. Smoked for a whole day, the fragrance is long and not overbearing! It is estimated to be marinated with large grains of salt and five spices, moderately salty, with the fragrance of pepper, cinnamon and lemongrass. Where did it come from?" Old J patted me on the shoulder: " My little brother smoked it a few days ago, hehe, fortunately, he caught your old method and didn't lose my face."
The old man glanced at me in surprise: "The kid is not too old. This big salt, five-spice pickled, and medium smoke is the old way. How do you know?" Xinlan bowed: "Uncle, it was my Uncle Yuan who taught me. Yes. He specializes in ancient Hunan cuisine." "No wonder, this method has been used by few people. It is too troublesome. The amount of salt and spiced spices, the dryness and wetness of the pine branches, and the size of the yin fire are very strict. Staring at the fumigation, you can’t mass produce. You have the patience to do it. It’s not easy to do it. Don’t you smoke ten to ten catties at a time?" "Uncle, I marinate eight to ten catties each time, and I’m worried about too much water. Dilute the salt, turn over to replenish the salt and drink every day. It’s not easy to control the amount.” The old man gave me a deep glance and turned to the kitchen: “Young man, get some firewood to come in and help. The old man’s waist is not very good. You help me burn the fire."
Xinlan walked into the small kitchen holding a pile of firewood, amazed at everything in front of her. Earthen stoves, cast iron pots, clay pots, mud-sealed wine, bamboo leeks, ham hanging on the beams, firewood bacon hanging on the stove...the old kitchen in a costume movie is really amazing. The old man grabbed two chickens from the yard, bleed them, shed their hair, and cut them in one go. Half a bowl of water was poured into the pond, and they started cooking on the half-shady stove fire. Witnessing this ancient interpretation of water and fire, Xinlan was stunned, lard, coarse salt, spice powder, dry and wet sauce, old brine, clear broth, chili oil, old wine...simple condiments, simple cooking techniques, almost The genius's heat control has created a series of delicacies of both color and art. "Boy, next time you marinate 20 catties of meat, add salt each time, with the size of your hand, five palms of salt. Do more each time, the ancient method is a tossing job..."
Local chicken, bacon, live fish, green vegetables, hearty gluttony. After three rounds of wine, the old man glanced at me: "Boy, remember the way this chicken is done?" "Remember, Uncle, piercing, flying water, spicy oil, semi-dry sauce, two bowls of old brine, slow fire, Turn over for three minutes, and the juice will be poured over the body for a while until the thick oily soup is ready. When it is thick, it will be turned over in half a minute." "Hehe, Ruzi can teach, this is a very thick juice method, and the brine is low-salt. Sex brine, half and half of chili oil and lard, suitable for tight meat. Remember, concentrate the essence in one piece of meat, so you can’t be lazy."...
Yes, the essence is concentrated in one body, half-marinated and half-oiled, a simple combination of tastes can complement the umami taste of the chicken so perfectly, and forty minutes to simmer the chicken to complete the cooking. It seems simple, but there can be no slack, otherwise it will be unfamiliar or muddled. In fact, life is the same. Persistent pursuit can realize dreams. Laziness will only make you feel that the vision is farther and farther and farther and farther and farther and farther away. Life is like cooking. Most of us are barren. There is no luxurious kitchen, only a small earthen stove; there is no powerful auxiliary, only a few simple spices. However, as long as we use it properly, control the heat, persevere, use patience and perseverance, and work hard, we can break through the predicament, turn decay into magic, integrate the essence of life, bloom dazzling brilliance, and paint a beautiful chapter.
Chu Renxinlan's late night essay. "