Huayu Chef

074 Whole Donkey Banquet

Braised donkey meat requires pork bone broth. Zhang Jinxuan first started simmering the pork bone broth, then took off his coat and began preparing the ingredients.

Donkey liver and donkey fat are first soaked in water.

Donkey fat is a good thing. Cut it into small pieces and render the fat. When braising donkey meat, add a spoonful to the broth. The donkey fat residue makes dishes incredibly fragrant.

Zhang Jinxuan sat on a small stool by the basin, turning the donkey's stomach, large intestine, and small intestine over. The smell of the offal was quite strong, and the stale food that came out was rather unappetizing. Zhang Jinxuan thoughtfully gave Yang Zi and Jingjing a break, letting them continue playing if they hadn't had enough.

It was too much trouble for Yang Zi to do such dirty work. She didn't take a penny and busied herself with it, which was enough. Zhang Jinxuan was also worried that she would be clumsy and leave the donkey offal uncleaned, which would be disgusting.

The food is so unappetizing that even the chef can't stand it, and you still have to take a meal when you need to.

Grandpa Yu didn't hold back at all. He pulled up a small stool and sat next to Zhang Jinxuan, helping him out.

"Senior brother, just use a medium-close shot to film me and Uncle Yu."

OK.

The senior from the directing department set up the camera and quickly made his escape.

Out of sight, out of mind; then I can eat to my heart's content tonight.

While cleaning the donkey's intestines of excrement, Zhang Jinxuan said, "Dealing with the whole donkey's head and offal is a huge job; I can hardly handle it by myself."

"Uncle Yu called at noon, and I told him I needed a helper. He came to Baoding without hesitation. What do you call that? A thousand miles away to help with cooking, showing deep affection and loyalty. Uncle Yu is a kind-hearted and good-natured man."

Grandpa Yu exposed him, saying, "Don't listen to Xiao Zhang's nonsense, he's just flattering me. I'm genuinely enthusiastic. When I heard he was going to make a whole donkey feast, I was not only excited, but my stomach was also excited, my whole body was excited, like thousands of ants were crawling all over me. I wouldn't feel comfortable if I didn't come to Baoding to eat some donkey meat."

"Haha, you've overpaid for this donkey meat."

"It's not expensive at all, I think it's worth it. The most important thing in life is to be happy."

"This episode's main dish is donkey meat sandwich. Has Grandpa Yu ever tried donkey meat sandwich?"

"I ate quite a lot; I reckon I'll be reborn as a donkey in my next life."

"After drinking a bowl of Meng Po soup, who can still remember their past life? Living this life well is enough; we can worry about the next life in the next life."

"Well said, let's live for today and have a good drink tonight."

Zhang Jinxuan couldn't help but joke, "Everyone says that you have three great hobbies, Uncle Yu: smoking, drinking, and getting your hair permed. It's really true."

"Not only that, there are also barbecue skewers and beer."

"Haha, most of it is related to food and drink, so you must be knowledgeable about food. Which dish came first, Baoding donkey meat sandwich or Hejian donkey meat sandwich?"

Grandpa Yu glanced at Zhang Jinxuan and grinned, "You've dug a big pit for me to jump into. Both dishes have their fans, and they've been arguing endlessly. I don't think it's necessary to argue. Like you said in the first episode of 'Wild Kitchen,' Baoding donkey meat sandwiches and Hejian donkey meat sandwiches have both become distinctive. They are two dishes, both Chinese dishes. Eat whichever you like."

"Uncle Yu, please tell us about the unique features of this dish."

"Alright, I guess I'm just showing off my skills in front of Guan Yu. Please forgive me if I don't explain it well." Grandpa Yu said slowly, "The first difference between Baoding donkey meat sandwiches and Hejian donkey meat sandwiches is the shape of the sandwiches."

"Baoding donkey meat sandwiches are round, while Hejian donkey meat sandwiches are 'dalian' sandwiches. When making them, the dough is first rolled into a long strip, folded in half like pages of a book, and then put together, resembling a dalian."

"The second difference is the ingredients and the way they're eaten. In Baoding, donkey rib meat is braised in broth, then chopped up and stuffed into a baked bun, topped with hot broth and eaten piping hot. In Hejian, donkey tendon meat is used to make braised donkey meat, which is eaten cold with other dishes like stewed meat, resulting in a richer flavor..."

Zhang Jinxuan listened attentively, greatly admiring the old man's knowledge. He loved to play, but not recklessly; he had taken it all to a certain level.

These hobbies and knowledge possess enormous commercial value in him.

In his past life, he raised horses. One of his horses won a championship in Macau, and Wu Jing and a group of celebrities in the industry became its owners.

The horse farm was requisitioned for development, and it is said that Mr. Yu received a large sum of compensation.

He has written four books, including "Human Fireworks," "Human Loveliness," "Human Tenderness," and "Playing," and produced programs such as "Da Qian World" and "Qian Dao," all based on his experience and insights gained from playing around.

The only thing he went astray when it came to cooking was adding his own personal touches. He assumed everyone was like him, thinking that serving soy sauce and sesame oil in the green belt was enough to solve his daily meals, and then showing off for four kilometers.

Through the words of the old man, the audience was introduced to the differences between Baoding donkey meat sandwich and Hejian donkey meat sandwich. Zhang Jinxuan added some supplementary information, told a few short stories about the origin of donkey meat sandwich, and shared some tips on cleaning donkey intestines.

"Pay attention, this is important information. From now on, when cleaning ingredients like intestines, you can follow the procedure of 'first salt, then flour, then vegetable oil in the pan'."

"The first wash is with salt, the second with flour, and the third with rapeseed oil. After three washes, it's basically clean. I'm a bit particular, so I wash it again with cornstarch..."

After cleaning the donkey's underbelly, Zhang Jinxuan found a blowtorch and, together with Grandpa Yu, singed the donkey's head. This was a delicate and tedious task, and after singeing, the donkey had to be thoroughly cleaned and washed several times.

The simple tasks were left to Grandpa Yu and the senior from the directing department, while Zhang Jinxuan carefully washed his hands and started simmering the braising liquid and donkey oil.

The best braising broth for braised donkey meat is an old stock, which makes it more fragrant, but Zhao Jingsu didn't have any at home, so Zhang Jinxuan could only increase the seasoning.

Time passed slowly, and the sun was about to set.

Yang Zi, Jing Jing, Second Brother, and Zhuang Zhuang, who had gone out to have fun, returned carrying large and small bags. People from the donkey farm also came to attend the all-donkey feast.

Everyone is eagerly awaiting it.

The kitchen is filled with aromas.

By this time, the donkey meat was braised, the flatbread was almost done roasting, and Zhang Jinxuan's stewed donkey meat with cabbage, vermicelli, and shank meat was ready to be served...

"Sister Jingsu, Aunt Gao, Zimei, Jingjing, Xiaozhuang, tidy up the table, let's get ready to eat."

"Okay."

The group dispersed after a brief argument, with no one showing any enthusiasm.

Zhang Jinxuan took the flatbread out of the oven, put on gloves, and used a cleaver to make a small cut along the edge of the flatbread to make it easier to stuff the donkey meat inside.

Next, divide the braised rib meat into two parts. Slice one part, plate it, and serve it with dipping sauce. Chop the other part into smaller pieces, put it in a bowl, and bring it into the living room.

There were too many people eating tonight, so we split into two tables. Zhang Jinxuan, Grandpa Yu, Yang Zi, the driver, and the other eight people sat at one table.

More than twenty dishes, including donkey liver, donkey intestines, donkey lungs, donkey heart, donkey kidney, ribs, donkey tongue, donkey face, donkey lips, donkey ears, and donkey meat stewed with cabbage and vermicelli, along with various dipping sauces, filled the table to the brim.

In the very center is a donkey head with the meat removed; this is significant, as it's called a "Tyrannosaurus Rex" design.

Grandpa Yu and the driver unloaded a case of liquor from the minibus. It contained Moutai, Fenjiu, Zhuyeqing, beer, wine, and more—a complete package. He was all smiles, walking with a brisk pace, clearly intending to drink, eat, and play to his heart's content.

"Eat the baked buns while they're hot! Everyone, stop staring and get started!"

Zhang Jinxuan picked up a baked bun, stuffed some rib meat inside, and ladled a spoonful of boiling braising broth over it. Instantly, the rich aroma of the bun and the braised meat rose up. My goodness, just smelling it made my mouth water.

"Here you go, Zimei, be careful it's hot."

Yang Zi said apologetically, "Brother Xuan, I'll make it myself. Give it to Uncle Yu first."

Grandpa Yu offered to pour drinks for everyone, but didn't have time to eat donkey meat sandwiches for the moment. He said jokingly, "I'm a seasoned gentleman, I have gentlemanly manners and principles. Ladies first. Please go through the trouble and warm our mouths for us."

Everyone chuckled.

Zhang Jinxuan said, "You eat it. It's not difficult anyway. I can make it again."

"Thank you, Brother Xuan."

Yang Zi thanked him and carefully took the donkey meat sandwich. The rich aroma wafted into her nose, making her mouth water. Ignoring whether it was hot or not, she opened her mouth and took a big bite.