Before starting the thickening process, Qin Huai first needed to confirm whether thickening was the same as what he saw and imagined.

From an academic perspective, thickening is achieved by utilizing starch that gelatinizes upon contact with water, possessing water absorption, adhesion, and a smooth lustrous finish. When the dish is nearly complete, starch water is poured into the pot, causing the soup to thicken, increasing the ingredients' adherence to the sauce, thereby enhancing the dish's appearance and flavor.

Additionally, there are many types of starch for thickening; the more common ones include mung bean starch, wheat starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, and corn starch. Different starches have different properties and are suitable for different dishes.

Of course, corn starch and potato starch are the most commonly used; for most dishes, potato starch is used for thickening.

Crab Yellow Sauce is clearly not among the majority.

It requires mung bean starch for thickening.

Mung bean starch has excellent transparency and stability superior to other starches. However, it has poor water absorption, and if the chef's skill is lacking, it could easily lead to clumping in the thickened dish, which demands a high level of skill from the chef.

Cao Guixiang, of course, did not specifically instruct Qin Huai on which starch to use for thickening, but Tan Wei'an's recipe clearly stated that mung bean starch should be used for thickening Crab Yellow Sauce. Given that Tan Wei'an's great-grandfather is likely the creator of the Double Crab Bun, there must be a reason for leaving this recipe.

Qin Huai had extensive theoretical knowledge of thickening, which was briefly mentioned during Huang Shengli's theoretical class. Considering that Qin Huai was purely a pastry chef and normally didn't use thickening while making snacks, Huang Shengli only mentioned it in passing without a deep explanation.

After all, before meeting Cao Guixiang, Qin Huai didn't realize that thickening could be so challenging and that the level of thickening could greatly influence a dish.

Essentially, thickening is a very common cooking technique, much like Go: understanding the rules is easy, but delving deeper into its intricacies is far more complex.

To put it this way, everyone knew Zhao Rong's culinary skills were on a par with the average household, a level that could be outdone by a nearby 10-yuan stir-fry restaurant.

Zhao Rong could thicken.

But if you asked Zhao Rong if she could flip the pan, she would ask you to clarify what flipping the pan means. Does it mean lifting the pan like in TV shows, or just stirring the dish with a spatula?

After asking, Zhao Rong might confidently tell you she can flip the pan. Isn't it just waving the spatula? Simple, she can ensure the dish doesn't fly out.

At this point, the questioner also realizes Zhao Rong doesn't actually know how to flip the pan.

From this, it can be seen that Qin Huai's previous notion that thickening was easy to grasp wasn't without reason, because it does look simple.

Just pour the starch water into the pot and stir, all it takes is a hand.

But how to thicken it correctly is indeed challenging.

Qin Huai first consulted Zang Liang to confirm his understanding and then mimicked the motions in the air. Zang Liang thought Qin Huai's actions were fine, confirming that Qin Huai had genuinely observed Master Cao thickening and seemed to have learned quite well. He then pointed out several critical aspects of thickening to Qin Huai.

He clearly explained when to add the first pour of starch water for the Crab Yellow Sauce, the differences between light thickening and regular thickening, and when to add the second pour of starch water.

Zang Liang was quite articulate, surely he would be a great mentor in the future.

Qin Huai nodded to indicate he understood.

"Thickening itself isn't difficult. Even without someone teaching you, an ordinary person could successfully thicken a dish after practicing a few times with online instructional videos at home. But that's just succeeding at it."

"Different dishes have different requirements; stir-frying, stewing, and braising all have varying demands for thickening. On the surface, thickening is just pouring starch water into a pot, but the type of starch water, how it's poured, with what motion, and to where are all parts of the technique."

"In essence, it's also about practice making perfect. Once you find that feel, you know how to thicken. You all say my thickened Crab Yellow Sauce isn't right, maybe because I haven't found that feel yet. Let me practice a few more times, and I should find it."

"Sigh, what exactly is this feel? How can there be so many feels to find when thickening? How do you all know what the feel is, and why don't I know?" As Zang Liang spoke, he transitioned from expressing rich theoretical knowledge to emphasizing finding the feel, without realizing it.

The feel-finding guru, Qin Huai, reassured from the side: "It's normal not to find the feel on your first try today. Do it like Zheng Siyuan, make Crab Yellow Sauce for a few more days and you'll find it. Zheng Siyuan can make Double Crab Bun; next time, let him make Double Crab Bun for you to try. It might not be successful, but tasting it should help you find the feel."

While Qin Huai was still reassuring, Zheng Siyuan had already begun making Crab Yellow Sauce.

The steps were identical, reflecting his skill level.

Soon, it was time to do the thickening.

Zang Liang helped Qin Huai mix the starch water, then handed it to him, standing at a distance where he could see the Crab Yellow Sauce in the pot clearly, explaining while observing.

"Look, now the Crab Yellow Sauce in the pot has started to bubble slightly. It's not time yet; in about ten more seconds, that's the best time to thicken the sauce. Don't worry about your first thickening attempt; don't pour all the starch water at once in haste for speed. Be sure to drizzle it, find the feel for drizzling."

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