At this point, the flour had not yet absorbed enough water, but its hardness was already significant; she only needed to press the dough into blocks, forcefully wipe off the batter stuck to the inside of the bowl, then dip her hands in water to wash off the flour on them, and sprinkle it onto the dough.
In this way, the dough gradually took shape, becoming fine and smooth.
"Not bad! You know how to use the traditional three-water kneading method."
Beside her, seeing Kuguchi Sonoka diligently kneading the dough, Sosuke couldn't help but say with satisfaction.
"I'm a Totsuki graduate, you know, and French and Italian cuisines often use flour, so kneading dough is no challenge for me."
Kuguchi Sonoka giggled.
She seemed very happy to receive Sosuke's approval.
…
After resting the dough, the most important step began: rolling the dough!
She was seen holding a two-foot-long rolling pin, which felt somewhat heavy, but when pressed onto the dough, it seemed light.
Although rolling dough is a strenuous task, without arm strength and skill, it is very difficult to roll it thin and round.
However, as a former Totsuki graduate, this task certainly wouldn't stump Kuguchi Sonoka.
She first took a deep breath, then her left hand tightly gripped the rolling pin, gently placing it on the edge of the dough, while her right hand lifted the dough onto the rolling pin, pushing the rolling pin inward with the momentum.
Then, she pressed both hands on the rolling pin, rolling it back and forth a few times, then forcefully pulled the rolling pin back, allowing her left hand to catch it perfectly!
Soon, light, thin, and round dumpling wrappers were all rolled out.
"Now, use wheat starch, also with hot water above 80 degrees Celsius, pour it onto the wheat starch."
"Be careful not to add too much water; pour it slowly, little by little. Then, once it forms a dough, let it rest for about 10 minutes first!"
Looking at the dumpling wrappers, and then at the bit of flour on Kuguchi Sonoka's face, like a powdered kitten, Sosuke almost didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Then, he continued to instruct her to make the dumpling wrappers made from wheat starch.
"Wheat starch?"
"Are we going to make two different kinds of dumpling wrappers?"
Kuguchi Sonoka paused slightly, then seemed to realize something.
Afterward, she said no more and began to roll out the other type of dumpling wrapper according to Sosuke's instructions.
Objectively speaking, if the rolled dumpling wrappers are mostly uneven in thickness, or in coarseness, softness, and hardness,
Then, in the aesthetic eyes of most people, this is a minus point!
…
On the other side, Sosuke also began to act.
He prepared some fresh shrimp, casually picked one up, and used scissors to snip off its whiskers and legs.
Next, he pressed the shrimp onto the cutting board and used a sharp knife to cut open its back.
Then, he diced the shrimp meat and mixed it with cooking wine, ginger powder, white pepper, sugar, salt, sesame oil, and shrimp roe, stirring evenly and marinating for 10 minutes.
"Shopkeeper Zhang, may I ask a question?"
While waiting for the Rising Dragon Dumplings to steam, Kuguchi Sonoka, who had been secretly glancing at Sosuke, finally mustered up the courage to look up and ask.
"Go ahead. You're a Chef at the Izakaya now; you can speak freely about any doubts you have."
Sosuke turned his head and replied indifferently.
"Why did you tell me to pay special attention to the various proportions of flour, dumpling filling, and water when kneading the dough?"
"Is there some particular secret behind it?"
Kuguchi Sonoka blinked, seemingly full of curiosity about this question.
"Yes!"
"You must remember."
"Flour is very important, generally 50% of the dumpling filling, and water is 59% of the flour."
"Among these, the dumpling filling includes meat, vegetables, and all seasonings, and any excess water should be drained. Flour refers to dry flour without added water."
"That is to say, if the dumpling filling is 1000 grams, you should use 580 grams of flour and add 342 grams of water."
"The dough kneaded this way will have just the right softness and firmness."
"It will be easy to roll, chewy, and also not easily break during steaming and boiling."
"Of course, because two different types of dumpling wrappers are used, and because the flying effect of Rising Dragon Dumplings is due to the different expansion effects of the two dumpling wrappers when heated,"
"Therefore, the proportion of flour should be less, it can be 48% of the dumpling filling."
"So that's how it is."
"Ultimately, even if I know this kind of experience,"
"But due to personal habits, the size and weight of the dumplings I make won't be exactly the same as yours, Shopkeeper, so it can't be perfectly applied?"
Upon hearing Sosuke's explanation, the clever Kuguchi Sonoka quickly understood.
This kind of obscure knowledge, if she hadn't stayed here to be his Chef, she might really never have known it in her lifetime!
Beside her, looking at Kuguchi Sonoka who was lost in thought, Sosuke secretly rejoiced.
After all, it wasn't until now that he truly understood how great it was to have a Chef by his side.
Especially since her identity was that of a former Totsuki graduate.
And just experiencing the feeling of being able to order her around, telling her to do whatever, and she'd do it all, made Sosuke feel even more satisfied.
Although Kuguchi Sonoka's abilities might not have improved much during this period,
It must be admitted that she was very talented, whether it was her understanding of cuisine or her various ways of handling ingredients.
She could always quickly and diligently complete tasks according to Sosuke's ideas.
It's no exaggeration to say that with her current skill level, she could completely serve as a "capable assistant" by Sosuke's side.
…
Time slowly passed.
When the time was finally ripe, Sosuke, with his keen eyes and quick hands, quickly opened the steamer.
Upon seeing each exquisite, small shrimp dumpling ascend like a giant red dragon, Kuguchi Sonoka couldn't help but cover her mouth in surprise.
"Wow!"
"That's truly unbelievable."
"The dumpling wrappers I rolled actually ascended into the sky!"
With that, her eyes seemed to be glued with 502 glue, staring intently at the Rising Dragon Dumplings.
At this moment, her heart was very excited.
Because she knew very well that such miraculous dishes as Sosuke's,
Even if one understood all their principles and methods, it would be very difficult to perfectly replicate them with one's own ability.
One must know that even Erina, who possessed the God Tongue talent, had tried countless times and still couldn't produce this "flying dragon in the sky" effect.
----------------------------------
I've already posted 70 new chapters on Patreon!
If you like the story and want to reaad more, please visit my patreon. Every support is very meaningful!
[patreon.com/Kazenova223]
Thank you very much!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"