CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50: MAKING CRYSTAL SHRIMP DUMPLINGS

Naturally, there are snacks made with shrimp as the main ingredient, and they are very famous, like crystal shrimp dumplings.

The translucent skin and overflowing delicious taste are its two biggest features.

During these days of selling steamed buns, he realized that many people in the community are from the South. Southern people prefer seafood, so this is both catering to their taste and giving himself a new flavor.

After buying shrimp, he walked to the vegetable stall and bought some fresh water chestnuts and green bamboo shoots, which are the ingredients for the crystal shrimp dumpling filling.

Today he doesn’t plan to make three types of fillings; another filling will be dried plum vegetables and pork.

After buying everything, he went home and started preparing.

Wang Fan picked up a large green shrimp and, as always, cut its head with scissors, then gently pulled to clean the shrimp line and head. He threw the shrimp line in the trash, while the shrimp heads were set aside in a basin for later use; since he bought the shrimp, there should not be any waste. Meanwhile, he could also cook some shrimp porridge to sell.

Removing heads, shells, and lines from 10 pounds of large green shrimp is a tedious job, but Wang Fan is accustomed to it, doing it without impatience.

After cleaning the shrimp, Wang Fan took out a large ancestral porcelain bowl.

He squeezed the shrimp meat to remove the moisture, called out "hey yo," and forcefully slammed the shrimp meat into the big porcelain bowl.

He collected the deformed shrimp meat together and continued to knead, calling "hey yo."

"Hey yo" "Hey yo" "Hey yo"

He was finding amusement in hard work. With the sound of "hey yo," the shrimp meat gradually turned into a big lump of shrimp paste, forming a layer of gelatin.

At this point, Wang Fan added the chopped fatty pork, along with the diced green bamboo shoots and water chestnuts into the shrimp paste.

For seasoning, Wang Fan only added three things: a little salt for taste, a bit of sugar to enhance the flavor, and a touch of pepper to remove any fishy smell.

He felt his hands had turned into scales, magically stopping at the right amount when he grabbed a pinch of salt from the jar and sprinkled it into the meat filling.

Salt is the foundational taste of all foods. If a chef masters the use of salt, he is qualified to boast himself as a great chef.

After adding the seasonings, Wang Fan continued slamming and stirring the mixture until the ingredients formed a large cohesive ball.

The dough for crystal shrimp dumplings is different from ordinary steamed bun dough, which Wang Fan had already purchased earlier.

He poured wheat starch and potato starch in equal proportions into a basin. After adding some salt and mixing well, Wang Fan quietly waited.

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle..."

The sound of boiling water came, Wang Fan reached over and picked up the kettle.

Holding chopsticks in one hand and the kettle in the other, he poured the boiling water into the dough basin.

When the dough absorbed the water, Wang Fan scooped a large spoonful of lard onto the cutting board.

The hot water made the dough slightly hot, but Wang Fan found that as his Chef Level improved, his hands became more unfeeling, capable of enduring increasingly higher temperatures.

He placed the dough onto the cutting board and played stacking the sheets.

Text from the recipe constantly flashed through his mind, and Wang Fan’s movements grew more assured.

Layer by layer, covering each layer, finally transforming the scattered hot dough into a ball.

He tore off a piece of dough, rolled it into a strip, and used a knife to quickly cut it into evenly sized portions, once again closing his eyes.

In his mind seemed a figure in white, skillfully making crystal shrimp dumplings.

He smacked a portion on the board with his right hand, turning the portion into a dough sheet, then placed a broad knife flat on the sheet, rotating clockwise then counterclockwise.

Raising the knife, a thin crystal shrimp dumpling skin appeared on the board.

With a flick of the knife, the shrimp dumpling skin obediently fell to the side of the board.

He opened his eyes, a flash of light in them, and Wang Fan completed the movements, reproducing the process of smacking, rotating the knife clockwise then counterclockwise.

Wang Fan expectantly lifted the knife.

A misshaped, broken, uneven piece of shrimp dumpling skin quietly lay beneath the knife.

"Ah, this..."

Wang Fan felt a little awkward, as though a confident strike to pierce the heavens ended in a miss.

Thinking back to the procedure, maybe the force was off?

Try again!

This time was better, resembling a pig’s head.

Try again!

This time much improved, except the sheet stubbornly stuck to the board and wouldn’t come off.

Try again, try again, try again...

Wang Fan stubbornly attempted again and again until, on the 85th try, he achieved the shape he wanted.

Looking at the wafer-thin, round flat shrimp dumpling skin, Wang Fan finally revealed the seldom-seen aunt’s smile.

Ultimately, it’s done!

One, two, three...

After producing one flawless shrimp dumpling skin, Wang Fan’s muscles seemed to form muscle memory.

The strength, angle, timing were all perfectly executed.

Soon, the large piece of dough turned into several round shrimp dumpling skins.

He scooped the filling with a spoon, spread it onto the shrimp dumpling skin in his right hand.

With slender fingers twisting elegantly like playing piano, a shrimp dumpling was completed.

While it’s also steamed, since it’s called a dumpling, naturally it was formed like a dumpling.

Soon the shrimp dumpling skins in Wang Fan’s hand turned into shrimp dumplings, neatly lying in the steamer waiting for transformation.

...

At 4 PM, Wang Fan finished steaming the buns again.

crystal shrimp dumplings and 800 dried plum vegetable pork buns were his limit.

Thanks to his potential as a time management master, an average person accomplishing even half of that would be considered an expert.

Just as Wang Fan started the car to leave, Officer Zhong also couldn’t conceal his joyous smile as he prepared to go out.

Officer Wu looked at him puzzled, saying: "Why are you so happy doing fieldwork?"

"Huh? I am?"

Officer Zhong touched his face in confusion.

"Not at all? Your grin is harder to suppress than an 88 sniper rifle."

"Cough cough..." Officer Zhong coughed a few times to hide his embarrassment: "I just want to take a stroll outside after spending the whole day inside the station."

With that, he ran off.

Officer Wu sneered, thinking this guy couldn’t fool him?

His eyes were akin to discernment, knowing what he was up to precisely.

This is either to see Bai Yueguang or to do something related to her!

"Little brat!"

Officer Wu chuckled and didn’t pay further attention, lowering his head to continue with the files.

Officer Zhong left the station, jumped into the police car, and zoomed away with a press of the accelerator.