EBE Chapter 175 Ling Blood Duck
Chapter 175 Ling Blood Duck
Cheng Yuntao looked at the newly sealed vinegar jar and said with emotion, "But if we want to eat this vinegar, we'll have to wait until next year at the earliest."
Jiang Yu was surprised when he heard this. "Ah? I didn't expect that the brewing time of vinegar is much longer than that of soy sauce."
Cheng Yuntao pulled Jiang Yu to sit on a stone bench nearby and patiently explained: "Take the brewing steps for example. The production of soy sauce is relatively simple. The raw materials such as soybeans and wheat are properly processed, fermented by microorganisms to make koji, and then mixed with salt water for fermentation. After the fermentation is complete, the soy sauce is extracted, and the process is complete." As she spoke, she picked up a branch and simply drew a few step-by-step diagrams on the ground.
"But vinegar is different." Cheng Yuntao continued, "We are using glutinous rice this time. We have to steam and boil the glutinous rice first, and then ferment it, but that's not all. We also have to take out half of the vinegar mash and smoke it. This smoking process not only adds a unique aroma, but also makes the flavor of the vinegar more mellow." She closed her eyes, as if savoring the unique aroma after smoking.
"Moreover, after the vinegar is extracted, it has to be placed in a ceramic jar. It has to be exposed to the scorching sun in the summer, and the ice layer on the surface of the jar has to be removed in the winter. Only through repeated aging in this way can the unique flavor of vinegar be achieved." Cheng Yuntao raised her head and looked at the sunset in the sky, as if she had seen the wonderful changes that had taken place in the vinegar jar with the changing of the seasons.
Jiang Yu listened intently and couldn't help but frown: "It's so complicated, then the fermentation process is also different?"
"Yes, soy sauce fermentation is simple: just mix koji and salt water. But vinegar fermentation is much more complex. Initially, koji must be used as a saccharifying and fermenting agent. Fermentation is carried out at low temperatures for a long time to complete alcohol fermentation, and then transition to high-temperature, solid-state acetic acid fermentation. Each stage has very strict environmental requirements. Whether it's temperature, humidity, or time, even the slightest deviation will affect the flavor of the vinegar, so this conversion and reaction process naturally takes a lot of time."
Cheng Yuntao smiled and said, "That's not all. In terms of flavor, after soy sauce is fermented and extracted, its flavor depends mainly on subsequent blending. But vinegar is different. It relies on smoking to add a unique flavor, and it also needs to undergo a long aging process to allow the various ingredients to fully blend and react in a natural environment. Only then can it achieve the best color, aroma and taste. Therefore, vinegar takes longer to brew."
Vinegars of different qualities have different qualities, each with its own characteristics.
The color of fine vinegar is usually light brown or pale yellow for rice vinegar, and red brown or dark brown for aged vinegar. They are all clear and bright without any turbidity, sediment or suspended matter. They are bright and shiny.
When you smell its fragrance closely, you will find it rich, pure and soft. The lingering ester aroma comes from the exquisite brewing process and is combined with the original fragrance of the raw materials, such as the simple fragrance of grains and the fresh fragrance of fruits. The flavors are harmoniously blended together, making people feel comfortable and relaxed when they smell it.
The vinegar is mellow and soft, with a precise balance of acidity and sweetness complementing each other, creating a rich, layered mouthfeel. After swallowing, it leaves a lingering fragrance and a long aftertaste. When the vinegar is poured into the bowl, it flows gently, evenly adhering to the walls of the container, and the resulting liquid film dissipates slowly, allowing it to cling to the walls well.
In contrast, inferior vinegar has all the hallmarks. Its color is dull, black, turbid, and filled with sediment, devoid of any luster. Its poor quality is immediately apparent. Its odor is acrid, sharp, and mixed with sour, musty, and other unpleasant odors, leaving you covering your nose and feeling overwhelmed.
Upon entering the mouth, the sour taste is simple and pungent, with a rough texture, without any sweet or fresh flavor to balance it out. After swallowing, a bitter and strange taste suddenly emerges and lingers for a long time. Its fluidity can be as fast as clear water, indicating a thinness, or unusually thick, suggesting the presence of undesirable substances.
Although the homemade glutinous rice vinegar cannot be tasted for a while, the vinegar-based dishes can satisfy the craving first. Having just eaten soy sauce chicken at noon, Cheng Yuntao plans to make a sour blood duck in the evening.
First, take a clean bowl and pour in the prepared sour vegetable water. This sour vegetable water is the soul of the vinegar blood duck. To make authentic blood duck, you need to use sour vegetable water. Vinegar blood duck made with white vinegar or rice vinegar will not taste good.
As for the preparation of this sour vegetable water, it also takes some effort.
First, take a white flour bun and place it over a low flame, slowly toasting it. Once the crust is slightly charred, turning a golden-reddish hue, the partially charred bun is mixed with fine wine and freshly drawn cold water. Then, meticulously seasoning the mixture creates a sour-based dish jar. Once the jar is complete, place it in a quiet, secluded place and let it rest for a few days. During this time, the contents of the jar quietly transform, naturally fermenting and gradually developing a sour flavor.
When the sour taste begins to show, add the half-dried radish, bright red chili pepper, fresh ginger, slender beans, and crisp pickled mustard greens into the jar. Take a clean jar lid and cover it tightly on the jar mouth. Then slowly pour clean water along the gap of the jar mouth to make it sealed.
In this way, the jar is isolated from the outside world, leaving only the ingredients in the jar to brew quietly in silence.
About a month later, when the lid of the jar was opened, the radish and red pepper in the jar had already taken on a sour taste. The originally clear cold water had also been transformed in this miraculous fermentation process, turning into the mellow, sour and fragrant "sour vegetable water" with a long-lasting taste that was very memorable.
When slaughtering a duck and bleeding it, you need to quickly collect it in a bowl, add an appropriate amount of acid-based vegetable water, and stir it rapidly with bamboo chopsticks to prevent the duck blood from coagulating.
After preparing the duck, Cheng Yuntao took a sharp knife, cut open the duck's belly, took out the internal organs, washed it, and cut the duck meat into even small pieces of one and a half inches square. The duck head, duck feet, and duck intestines were all kept intact, and the duck gizzards were cut into four large pieces or eight small pieces.
After everything was done, I started preparing the side dishes.
Wash the bitter melon, cut into thin slices, cut the green and red peppers into thin strips, cut the ginger into thin slices, and cut the garlic into sections. Soon, the side dishes will be neatly placed aside.
When everything is ready, you can put the fat peeled off the duck into the pot to render oil.
As the oil heats up, the fat gradually turns golden and the aroma wafts out. Then, add the sliced ginger, fermented black beans, and chopped garlic. Instantly, a rich aroma fills the kitchen. Next, add the chopped duck meat to the pot, sprinkle with cooking wine, cover, and simmer.
Stirring raw meat will easily change its taste and make it fishy. During the stewing process, just wait quietly.
After a cup of tea, open the pot and when you see the meat has changed color, you can start stir-frying. Don't add a drop of water during this process, because the essence of this vinegar blood duck lies in the aroma of the duck's own moisture and fat.
Once the water has dried up and there's still a lot of oil in the pan, scoop out the excess, leaving only a small amount at the bottom. Add the bitter melon slices and stir-fry for five minutes, stirring constantly, until the bitter melon turns translucent and is cooked through. Next, add the salt, chili pepper, and fennel and continue to stir-fry until evenly combined.
Finally, lower the heat and slowly pour in the previously mixed vinegar blood. Stir quickly and evenly so that every piece of duck meat is coated with vinegar blood and is colored and flavorful.
The texture of the sour-blood duck is firm yet tender and elastic, and the sour taste is the finishing touch. It is the flavor of sour peppers, sour ginger and other ingredients that have been precipitated and fermented over time. It is soft and layered, which stimulates appetite just right and blends perfectly with the freshness of the duck meat. It does not cover up the aroma of the meat at all, but makes the meat taste more mellow.
Duck blood is the key to this, as it is closely integrated with the duck meat, making the meat more tender and smooth. The duck blood itself is so tender and smooth that it is almost invisible and melts in the mouth, forming a wonderful taste contrast with the firm duck meat. It was unanimously favored by everyone that night and received rave reviews.