Chapter 1472 - 572: Even Those Without an Appetite Will Slurp Up a Big Bowl When Egg Sauce Meets Handmade Noodles!

Chapter 1472: Chapter 572: Even Those Without an Appetite Will Slurp Up a Big Bowl When Egg Sauce Meets Handmade Noodles!

"Old Yuan, have you started making the sauce yet?"

Dai Jianli called out as soon as he walked into the kitchen of Building 8.

Yuan Debiao poked his head out from the pastry section, holding a two-meter-long rolling pin, like it was a Jingu Bang:

"Not yet, I’m about to roll the noodles. Egg sauce goes well with noodles, but the store-bought ones aren’t quite right, so I’m planning to make some hand-pulled noodles... Lin, you’re just in time, you can try our egg sauce mixed noodles later."

Lin Xu said:

"Hand-pulled noodles are my specialty, how about I do it."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Debiao burst into laughter:

"I almost forgot about that. Lin Ji’s Food specializes in hand-pulled noodles, so later we can indulge to our heart’s content."

Lin Xu washed his hands, saw a large bowl of dough in the basin, and tested its elasticity with his fingers.

He said to Yuan Debiao:

"You can’t roll it out yet, it needs to rest a bit longer. Why don’t you prepare the egg sauce first? The dough will be ready to cook soon after the sauce is done, this way it won’t get clumpy and will taste fresher."

For those who aren’t good at rolling noodles, making hand-pulled noodles can take half a day’s effort.

So Yuan Debiao planned to start in advance, making the egg sauce when the noodles were almost ready.

Now that Lin Xu took over the noodle rolling, he decided to return to the stir-fry section to make the egg sauce, allowing Lin to see how this sauce is made.

"In the Northeast, almost every household makes egg sauce, whether it’s with stuffed bread, mixed noodles, as a dip, or with rice, you can’t do without it, and there are countless recipes, each family with its own formula."

Talking about Northeast cuisine, Yuan Debiao was full of pride.

Even though the Northeast economy has declined now, before the mass layoffs of workers, Northeasterners were leaders in the country, affluent with abundant resources.

When meat and eggs were in tight supply elsewhere, Northeasterners went to great lengths with eggs.

Egg sauce is one such example.

Yuan Debiao brought a basin and cracked about thirty eggs into it.

The staff meal at Building 8 today is egg sauce mixed noodles, so he needed to prepare extra to ensure there’d be enough to eat.

After cracking the eggs into the basin, he added a spoonful of salt, a bit of white sugar, and a tablespoon of high-proof liquor.

Then he used a whisk to beat the eggs until smooth.

"Normally, you don’t add salt to egg sauce, as the sauce contains salt, and adding more makes it too salty, but a bit should be added to the eggs."

Yuan Debiao explained to Lin Xu while busying himself.

Adding salt to the egg mixture helps it form strands in high heat, enhancing the texture of the egg sauce.

The sugar enriches the egg’s flavor through the freshness-enhancing effect of sugar.

As for the high-proof liquor, it quickly evaporates during cooking, removing any off smell from the eggs.

At home, this sauce might not be made so intricately, but in high-end restaurants, especially places like Fishing Platform, every step is meticulous.

The beaten eggs were set aside.

Then he started preparing the necessary sauces.

Generally, egg sauce requires only soybean paste from a packet.

However, on top of that, Yuan Debiao added some dried yellow sauce mixed with broth.

Soybean paste is quick and easy, but to achieve a rich aroma, a bit of dried yellow sauce must be added, ensuring the sauce’s fragrance is sufficient.

Dai Jianli said to Lin Xu:

"Basically, this is just egg-based fried sauce, similar to fried sauce with meat chunks. Simply add more oil and fry a little longer; once the sauce is fragrant, adding the eggs, it won’t taste bad."

Adding eggs after the sauce is fragrant?

Lin Xu was curious, are the eggs mixed into the sauce?

Yuan Debiao glared at Dai Jianli:

"Don’t yap if you don’t know how to make it, the eggs need to be fried first before the sauce; if the eggs are no good, even the best sauce won’t matter."

The thinned-out dried yellow sauce and soybean paste were mixed together and stirred thoroughly.

Then a small spoon of Sichuan peppercorns, a spoon of oyster sauce, a spoon of light soy sauce, a spoon of shrimp sauce, two spoons of sugar, and two spoons of rice wine were added.

Stir again, thinning the sauce mixture as much as possible for optimal aroma when frying.

Having grown acquainted with Yuan Debiao, Lin Xu asked proactively when he saw Sichuan peppercorns being added:

"Chef Yuan, why add Sichuan peppercorns?"

"To enhance the aroma, it adds a slightly numbing flavor to the sauce, making it more appetizing and better with rice."

After saying so, Yuan Debiao placed the prepared seasoning aside and started getting scallions, ginger, and red and green peppers ready.

The ginger was minced, not too much, as too much makes the sauce feel burning, which non-ginger lovers would find unbearable.

Typically, the ginger is minced and sparingly added just to add aroma to the sauce.

As for the scallions and peppers, they were all cut to soybean size.

While busy, he didn’t forget to remind Lin Xu:

"Today’s sauce should be finished in one sitting; for home cooking, it’s best to fry the egg sauce first, and take some out for extra veggies. The sauce with added veggies should be eaten in one sitting, as leftovers don’t taste good."

Pure egg sauce can be stored in the fridge for a long time, just reheat when eating.

However, once scallions and green and red peppers are added, storing it in the fridge introduces a somewhat strange taste, especially scallions which develop an unpleasant odor, so they should be separate.

Lin Xu hadn’t realized such details.

He secretly jotted it down, planning to make an egg sauce meal when his father-in-law returned from his business trip.