Chapter 53
- Ginseng vs Ginseng (2)
Dang Baek-ryong meticulously adjusted the fire, fanning the Furnace Fan.
The boiling water beneath the steamer turned into hot steam, heating the earthenware pot placed above it.
'The density of boiling water at 100 degrees and steam at 100 degrees is different. The heat energy transferred is also vastly different... Steam transfers much weaker heat.'
That's why we can get burned by 100-degree hot water but can enter a 100-degree sauna.
So, using the subtle heat of steam, even more delicate than direct fire or double boiling, allows for more precise temperature control.
Watching this entire process, a dish name suddenly popped into Ji-young's head.
'Could this be... Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?'
What Dang Baek-ryong was demonstrating was undoubtedly the highest-grade Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
Literally, it means 'a monk jumps over the wall.''
'So, it's the dish that made a meditating monk jump out of the temple after smelling it...'
According to general knowledge, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall originated in the late Qing Dynasty.
But as the humorous nuance of the name suggests, the name 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall' is actually closer to a marketing term of that era.
The original name of this dish is Fushouquan, meaning 'praying for fortune and longevity,' and even today, there are no clearly defined ingredients or recipes.
It's just a dish where all the precious and good ingredients are thrown in, so there are only different versions for each chef.
'...But there is a base dish that it comes from.'
The root of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is a traditional Cantonese dish.
It's a soup dish called Lao Huo Liang Tang, which is simmered for a long time with the subtle heat of steam to fully bring out the flavor of precious ingredients.
Dang Baek-ryong seemed to have added Sichuan-style seasoning to it and transformed it in his own way.
'...So, what he's making now is the ultimate Lao Huo Liang Tang, upgraded in his own way using the finest ingredients!'
Since it's a dish heated using the Steaming Method, it will surely take another three or four hours to complete.
Then, we can't just stand here and watch.
Ji-young strode to the middle of the banquet hall.
"While the Ming Dynasty's dish is being completed, we will begin our dish."
"Alright. Show them a proper taste."
As Yeonsangun's permission fell, the Royal Kitchen cooks rushed to bring out the ingredients.
"Royal Cuisine Master, we have prepared everything as you said.The first thing Jang-geum brought out was a 'black chicken.'It's often confused with Silkie Chicken, but this 'Ogye' is a Korean specialty and a completely different species from Chinese Silkie Chicken.'
Even today, 'Yeonsan Ogye' is designated as Natural Monument No. 265.
Unlike common Silkie Chickens, it is characterized by everything being black from the chick stage: comb, eyeballs, beak, and even the flesh.
It was the chicken that the gourmet Yeonsangun liked the most.
The Ogye that Ji-young received was not a fully grown adult but a medium-sized chicken, slightly larger than a chick.
In modern times, such chickens are often called 'young chickens,' but originally, the word for such small chickens was 'soft chicken.''
'First, cut off the organs and fat.'
With nimble movements, Ji-young swiftly cut off the unnecessary parts.
The tips of both wings, the fat around the neck, and the fat around the tail. The organs inside the belly were also emptied cleanly.
This is to prevent any gamey smell from the broth and keep it clean.
'But we can't just throw these away.'
Ji-young put the remaining bones and chicken feet from the trimming separately on the brazier.
If those are simmered and used as broth, a rich umami flavor can be extracted.
Next, glutinous rice, jujubes, chestnuts, huangqi, and whole garlic cloves were put into the belly of the eviscerated Yeon-gye.
And the last thing to put in was none other than 6-year-old red ginseng.
'Oh, she's going to use steamed red ginseng in the dish?'
The eyebrows of the Ming Dynasty envoy Liu Jin, who was watching the scene, were slightly raised.
This must be like a declaration from the Korean side.
It meant that they would definitely show the efficacy and flavor of red ginseng steamed in the Korean style.
Liu Jin's lips curled up as if he found it ridiculous.
'Interesting... Go ahead and struggle as much as you want.'
Ji-young, who had filled the belly of the Yeon-gye with various ingredients, sealed the entrance by crossing the chicken legs in an X shape.
It is a method often used in French cuisine under the name Farces, and in English, it is called Stuffing.
'Now it's time to use the secret weapon!'
Ji-young placed a uniquely shaped brass pot on the brazier.
The bizarre appearance alone was already causing a stir among the audience.
"What, what is that?"
"How would I know? It's something I've never seen before."
It was none other than Jang Chun-saeng's special pressure cooker.
It was the very thing that had been created after all sorts of hardships.
Ji-young put the stuffed Ogye inside and poured in the chicken feet broth that had been simmered separately.
Then, after closing the lid, she locked the latch to completely seal the inside.
'Now, all I have to do is heat the pot to raise the pressure inside!'
Soon, the pressure cooker heated up, and the sound of the broth boiling inside began to be heard.
At the same time, a strange hissing sound echoed throughout Gyeonghoeru Pavilion.
'I hope it goes as planned...'
Ji-young was anxiously watching the weight on the pressure cooker lid.
It was a device that could control the pressure inside the pot.
'Like a scale, you can adjust the pressure by adjusting the position of the weight.'
It was also a device included in Papin's design.
The test at the blacksmith shop was at medium pressure.
That was about 1.5 atmospheres of pressure.
'With the metallurgy and sealing devices of this era, the pot might explode if it goes beyond that.'
The boiling point in a 1.5 atmosphere environment is about 110 degrees Celsius.
Since the cooking time is generally halved if the boiling point temperature rises by only 5 degrees, a boiling point of 110 degrees Celsius is generally an excellent cooking condition.
'But... that's not enough in this situation.'
Papin showed 2 atmospheres.
He used that monstrous pressure cooker called 'Steam Digester', or 'Diagesteur' in French, to show the ultimate performance of boiling even the marrow inside the bones of the meat, shocking the audience.
That's exactly what's needed now.
Overwhelming performance.
'Since I've come this far anyway... I'm going to go all the way!'
- Click
Ji-young pushed the weight of the lever blocking the steam vent all the way to the end.
2 atmospheres.
Now, the weight would only lift and start venting steam when the pressure inside the pot reached 2 atmospheres.
That would raise the internal temperature to 120 degrees Celsius.
'The key is whether that pot can withstand that pressure properly...'
The pressure cooker was already shaking with the force of the steam.
The hissing sound was getting louder and louder from the seams of the lid.
"Wh-what on earth is she doing?"
"I don't feel good about this..."
Frightened murmurs erupted from here and there.
The viewers could intuitively feel it. That the pot might explode at any moment.
The Ming Dynasty envoy Liu Jin, Yeonsangun sitting at the head table, and Dang Baek-ryong standing next to him.
Everyone narrowed their eyes and looked at the pressure cooker with a mixture of anxiety.
- Hiss hiss hiss hiss
The movement of the pot, shaking with a bizarre sound, was getting bigger and bigger.
Ji-young swallowed hard.
If the pressure cooker exploded, it wouldn't end with just one or two people getting hurt.
Even here, there is the King of Joseon, the Emperor's envoy from the Ming Dynasty, and the ministers of both countries.
'...There would be no greater disaster than that.'
Even with ten necks, it would be difficult to survive.
As everyone watched with tension, the weight of the pressure cooker, which had been shaking noisily for a while, finally popped up.
And.
- Piiiiiiii
A ghostly flute sound rang out, emitting a stream of white steam.
'Whew-'
Only then did Ji-young secretly sigh.
Chun-saeng's brass pressure cooker had easily withstood the pressure of 2 atmospheres.
'Now all that's left is to boil the Ogye inside that pressure cooker until the bones are completely soft!'
* * *
How much time had passed?
Ji-young took the pressure cooker off the brazier and slowly cooled it to lower the pressure.
'...High pressure and temperature, and cooked for a long time in that state, now it's time to check the results.'
Carefully opening the lid of the pressure cooker, a thick steam spread out, and the appearance of the Ogye, which had been simmered like a herbal medicine, revealed its figure.
Ji-young transferred the contents to a soapstone pot, added ground pine nuts and perilla seeds, and boiled it once more.
The broth, which had now become as thick as cream soup, began to bubble.
'And with this, the finishing touch!'
Ji-young finally took out a truffle from a bundle wrapped like a treasure.
"Oh, what kind of smell is this?"
"It's a smell I've never smelled before..."
Just taking it out of the bundle was enough to draw the attention of the audience as the fragrance lingered in the banquet hall.
- Swish swish swish
Ji-young used a small slicer to thinly slice the truffle.
Like autumn leaves falling, the thinly sliced truffles fluttered one by one and fell onto the Samgyetang.
And finally, placing the completed dish, Ji-young calmly opened her mouth.
"It is complete."
This is.
[Truffle Red Ginseng Ogye Samgyetang Cooked in a Pressure Cooker]
Meanwhile.
At almost the same time as Ji-young, the lid of the bamboo steamer prepared by Dang Baek-ryong was also opened.
With a splendid fragrance, white steam scattered, and an earthenware pot covered with lotus leaves revealed its appearance.
Dang Baek-ryong carefully peeled off the lotus leaves covering the earthenware pot.
Inside was a soup filled with various ingredients in a reddish-brown broth, and a translucent jelly-like substance lightly covered it.
Dang Baek-ryong smiled and shouted in a cheerful voice.
Dish complete!"
Named,
[Sichuan-style Lao Huo Liang Tang with Bird's Nest, Shark Fin, Huotui, and Ginseng]
* * *
A pot and an earthenware pot, two dishes were placed in front of Yeonsangun and Liu Jin, respectively.
The fragrance emanating from both dishes alone was enough to fall into ecstasy and suffocate.
"Now, let's each take a bite and talk frankly about how it tastes."
"Envoy, please eat first."
"No, Your Majesty, please eat first."
"...Then, how about we lift our spoons together?"
The two people, who had been strangely reserved with each other, finally nodded as if they had reached an agreement and lifted their spoons together.
The place where Yeonsangun's hand first went was the Lao Huo Liang Tang made by Dang Baek-ryong.
'The fragrance is very amazing, but I wonder if the taste is the same... Let's see...'
Yeonsangun took a spoonful of the Lao Huo Liang Tang broth along with the translucent jelly-like substance and put it slightly in his mouth.
And the moment he rolled it around in his mouth a few times to feel the taste and aroma, his eyes widened, his pupils contracted, and the blood vessels in his body stood on end.
"Ooooooh?"
Yeonsangun was already trembling at the end of the hand holding the spoon.
