Chapter 37
- Maillard Reaction
The detached building of the Village Chief's house in Butcher Village.
"..."
Yeonsangun sat silently, saying nothing.
Beside him, Shin Su-hyeok, the Royal guard captain, sat upright as if guarding him, along with the Masked clown Gong-gil, and Lee Jang-gon, who was prostrate on the dirt ground of the yard. Everyone present was silent.
The suffocating silence filled the room, so profound that the sound of swallowing could be heard.
The given time was only one gak (30 minutes).
The fate of this village would be determined by what dishes Ji-young and Bong-dan could prepare within that time.
If the Royal Cuisine Table that was presented did not satisfy Yeonsangun, the people of Butcher Village would be annihilated in one fell swoop.
Already, outside the village, preparations were complete to unleash a barrage of fire arrows at a moment's notice.
Supreme Commander Park Won-jong.
The reason he led the Royal guard was his ruthless nature, which ensured that every mission was carried out with chilling thoroughness.
'He is the type to annihilate an entire village without batting an eye.'
Royal guard captain Shin Su-hyeok shuddered inwardly.
Once the King's command was given, nothing could stop it.
'Now, everything depends on the hands of that strange Royal Cuisine Master woman...'
As the sun began to set on the mountain ridge, Yeonsangun spoke in a chilling voice, as if delivering a final ultimatum.
"Once that sun goes down, I will consider this gak to have passed."
Watching the sun gradually descend, all the villagers had to endure the feeling of their blood drying up.
And finally, just as the red sunlight was almost completely gone,
"The Royal Cuisine Table is ready to be served!"
Breaking the silence, Ji-young came into view, carrying a small table towards the room where Yeonsangun was staying.
Among several side dishes of seasoned vegetables and pickles was a large plate.
On that plate, along with a dark brown sauce and garnish, was a well-cooked, thick piece of meat.
"It is called Chateaubriand steak. It is considered the finest meat dish in the West."
"Hoo..."
Yeonsangun had eaten grilled meat to the point of being sick of it.
A look that suggested he didn't find it particularly new was subtly revealed.
"...It is an unfamiliar name. But what is the reason for presenting this lump of meat without even cutting it?"
"It is to preserve the juices. That is the essence of this dish called steak."
"Juices... you say...?"
Only then did Yeonsangun seem to show a bit of curiosity.
Ji-young pointed to a small knife prepared next to the plate, and a fork made of carved wood.
"In the West, this meat dish is cut little by little with this knife called a 'knife,' and then eaten by piercing it with the tool you see there, called a 'fork.'"
"Huh, barbaric. To cut with a knife and stab with a spear to eat food..."
...Is he calling someone barbaric when he's about to have an entire village massacred?
Ji-young suppressed her absurd thoughts.
"Shall we start with the Royal Taster?"
At Ji-young's words, Yeonsangun stared intently into her eyes for a moment, then shook his head.
"No, that won't be necessary. I will cut and eat it myself."
Yeonsangun took the fork and knife and carefully began to cut the steak.
However, perhaps because he was not used to it, his movements were clumsy.
"Um... not like that, but, like this..."
Ji-young gently placed her hand over Yeonsangun's hand holding the knife and fork.
Then,
"I, I said I would do it!"
He panicked abruptly and clumsily shook off Ji-young's hand.
After several attempts with his clumsy movements, he finally managed to cut off a piece of meat and dip it in the sauce around the plate.
"...If it doesn't taste good, I will never forgive you."
He muttered those words and put a piece of steak in his mouth and chewed.
What burst forth in his mouth was,
A waterfall of juices.
"Oh, ooh!"
Each time he chewed the moist flesh, the savory juices gushed out like a bomb exploding.
It was as if he was being swept away by the wave of juices and swimming in it.
Moreover, the melting flavor emitted by the butter's fat, and the savory aroma coming from the golden-brown surface of the meat.
The piece of meat that guided Yeonsangun to the utopia of taste buds disappeared in his mouth as if melting snow, without even being chewed a few times.
Yeonsangun stared at the remaining pieces of steak with disbelief.
"H, how can such a taste exist...!"
As soon as he cut off another piece of steak and put it in his mouth, the juices burst out again!
Yeonsangun now closed his eyes and slowly savored the taste, a look of ecstasy on his face.
"Ooh... this is like a pouch of meat sealing in the juices."
Yeonsangun, who was frolicking in the flower garden of taste, seemed to have made his own guess about the secret of the taste.
"Did you perhaps sear the outer surface of the meat to trap the juices inside?"
At those words, Ji-young smiled lightly and slowly shook her head.
"That is not the case."
Yeonsangun's guess was a typical misunderstanding that even many modern people still believe.
The hypothesis that 'searing the surface of the steak traps the juices.'
That hypothesis, first proposed by the German chemist Justus von Liebig in the 1850s, was accepted and spread by the legendary French chef Auguste Escoffier, becoming common sense in cooking.
It must be one of the most widespread fallacies in the world.
Even in modern times, you can see countless people who claim to know how to grill meat clumsily searing the surface of the meat to trap the juices.
"The feeling of juices bursting out is just a sensation felt in the mouth. Searing the surface has nothing to do with trapping the juices."
"Then how... how can the meat be cooked so moistly..."
"That is because it was cooked without getting too hot, so the juices did not dry out."
According to modern culinary research, meat cooked above 71 degrees Celsius, that is, well-done meat, loses as much as 18% of its moisture.
On the other hand, meat cooked to 'à point,' that is, medium-rare at 54 degrees Celsius, loses only about 4% of its moisture.
So, cooking the meat at the right temperature preserves the rich juices.
In addition to this, there was one more important element that seemed trivial but should not be missed.
"After cooking the meat, you must let it rest for a while."
"Let it rest?"
Seeing Yeonsangun's expression as if asking what she meant, Ji-young added quietly.
"It means you should wait without picking up the finished steak right away."
So-called, resting.
A method of leaving the cooked steak at room temperature for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Thick steak meat, especially meat that has been seared, tends to have a temperature difference between the surface and the center.
'...Therefore, if you wait for a while, thermal equilibrium is achieved, making the meat texture uniform, and the juices seep into the spaces between the tissues.'
That is why you get the feeling of the juices bursting out between the tissues when you chew.
"Hoo... then."
Yeonsangun, having heard Ji-young's explanation, nodded as if he understood, but his expression still showed that his doubts were not completely dispelled.
"...According to your words, searing the outer surface has nothing to do with the juices, so why did you cook the outside to a golden brown?"
As expected, a sharp question from Joseon's greatest gourmet.
Perhaps Yeonsangun's question instantly pierced the core point of modern steak cooking.
Ji-young opened her mouth slowly with a light admiration.
"That is to enhance the flavor of the meat."
"Enhance the flavor?"
"It is called the 'Maillard reaction.'"
"Mai... Maillard... reaction?"
Maillard reaction.
A chemical reaction discovered by the French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard, in which amino acids and reducing sugars react at high temperatures above 140 degrees Celsius.
One of the cores of many cooking methods lies here.
Toast, coffee, cookies, or roasted sweet potatoes, etc., the identity of almost all phenomena that turn brown and give off a savory aroma is this 'Maillard reaction.'
Of course, the reason why a unique savory flavor occurs when grilling meat is also due to this chemical reaction.
"So, you are saying that you added flavor to the moist, juice-preserved meat using that... Mai... Maillard... thing?"
Again, Ji-young could not help but admire.
Truly, a remarkable insight worthy of the gourmet Yeonsangun!
That was the core principle of the best steak cooking method, the 'reverse searing.'
'He intuitively grasped the most important point of reverse searing.'
Cooking the steak at a low temperature, that is, around 54 degrees Celsius, is the only way to preserve the juices.
So, the reason for searing the surface of the steak hot at the end is not to trap the juices, as is commonly misunderstood.
'...The reason is to create a unique flavor by causing the 'Maillard reaction'.'
The Maillard reaction requires a high temperature of 140 degrees Celsius or higher.
So, meat cooked at a low temperature has the disadvantage of having a weak flavor despite being juicy.
That is why the surface is seared hot.
But the time should not be too long.
There is a risk that the core temperature of the meat will rise, and the juices that have been preserved will evaporate.
So, it is important to sear quickly in a short time.
That is why a high temperature is needed instantly.
This is where ghee came into play.
'Using ghee, which has a boiling point of up to 250 degrees Celsius, will allow for a more reliable Maillard reaction.'
What was on the Royal Cuisine Table met all these conditions,
Truly a 'perfect steak.'
Yeonsangun could feel it instinctively.
How excellent the steak he was eating was in terms of taste, texture, and flavor.
Yeonsangun, who had been asking questions repeatedly until a moment ago, did not utter a word until he had eaten all the steak and wiped his mouth with a muslin cloth.
Ji-young, guessing that many thoughts were in his mind, carefully spoke.
"...The beef that Your Majesty just ate was from the Brindle cattle raised in this village. Moreover, the secret to maximizing the flavor was thanks to the Soy milk butter made in this village."
"Soy milk butter...?"
"It is made by concentrating cow's milk into a lump. It is an indispensable ingredient in Western cuisine, and it is known that the method of making it has been lost in Joseon, but this village has been making it excellently."
"Huh... is that so."
"As Your Majesty's Royal Cuisine Master, I dare to say that if we can utilize Soy milk butter, the number of possible dishes will increase infinitely."
It was not just empty words spoken to save Butcher Village.
If they could secure Soy milk butter, that is, butter, in this era, the way to make many Western dishes would be opened.
Yeonsangun, who was sincere about food, would not miss that opportunity.
"...Hmm."
"So, that is, this village must survive so that you can taste such a delicacy again today..."
- Thud
Before Ji-young could finish speaking, Yeonsangun made a loud noise and put the muslin cloth on the small table.
Just as Ji-young was about to look up with a worried heart that she had advised too blatantly,
"Supreme Commander!"
At Yeonsangun's shout, a man in black Military Uniform, Park Won-jong, stepped forward.
"Your command, Your Majesty."
He was the one who could burn this village to the ground without leaving a single blade of grass in the blink of an eye if just one order was given.
Yeonsangun slowly got up and stepped out of the detached building.
"...I will make a final decision on this village."
"..."
Everyone's eyes were focused on Yeonsangun alone.
Yeonsangun walked slowly and stopped in front of Lee Jang-gon, the Hongmungwan instructor, who was prostrating in the yard, and Bong-dan, the Butcher woman, who was sitting next to him.
And,
Soon, Yeonsangun's cold voice echoed.
"Establish a Cattle farm in this village and have them offer Brindle cattle, Milk porridge, and Soy milk butter to the Court Provision Department as tribute every year."
"......?"
"Former Hongmungwan instructor Lee Jang-gon will become the Livestock supervisor here and be responsible for managing the tribute."
"......?????"
"And you, what is your name?"
When Yeonsangun's gaze reached Bong-dan's father, who was kneeling, he was startled and lowered his head.
"I, Butcher Yang Ju-sam, am here."
"Butcher Village Chief Yang Ju-sam is appointed as a Dairy artisan of the 9th rank, and you are to strive to make Milk porridge and Soy milk butter."
The moment they heard those words, the mouths of the people of Butcher Village began to gape open, one after another.
Even if it was the 9th rank... a Butcher receiving a government post.
It was something they had never even imagined in their dreams.
Even Ji-young, who was watching the scene, was dumbfounded.
"...That is all. Supreme Commander, let us return to the palace."
Having said all he had to say, Yeonsangun strode out, passing by the prostrate people of Butcher Village.
The villagers were rather bewildered because they did not understand the situation well due to the unexpected command.
After a long silence,
"...Your grace... Your grace... is boundless!"
"Your grace... is boundless!"
"Your grace is boundless!"
The voices shouting loudly enough to wash away the village began to be heard behind Yeonsangun, who was walking silently.
※Author's Note
Lee Jang-gon (1474~?) is a well-known figure for his anecdote of running away from exile and marrying the daughter of a Butcher during the reign of Yeonsangun, after serving as a Hongmungwan instructor. It is also true that he was proficient in both academics and martial arts, and later returned to the court and made military achievements by repelling the Jurchen invasion.
This episode is an adaptation of the story of Lee Jang-gon and the Butcher woman.
As an aside, the opening of Byokcho Hong Myeong-hee's novel 'Im Kkeok-jeong' begins with the story of Lee Jang-gon, that is, Instructor Lee, and the Butcher's daughter. The name of the Butcher's daughter who appears at that time is 'Bong-dan' and her father's name is 'Yang Ju-sam'.
So, please think of the character 'Bong-dan' as an homage to Hong Myeong-hee.
