Since the debut of Li Zhuang White at, it’s either been hung on a rack or placed on a plate; no one ever thought to arrange it like a flower.
Wang Fan got the idea while eating French cuisine, where they often engage in this kind of plate decoration, so he decided to give it a try. Surprisingly, it worked out.
Though the at slices are thin, they’re quite resilient. Rolling them doesn’t break the slices. Just by slightly trimming the edges, you can create a pretty decent-looking at peony.
Finally, pairing it with so cucumber skin as leaves brings its own special flavor. Wang Fan found his idea quite satisfying.
"Master Jia, why don’t you give it a taste?"
He wasn’t sure if this slicing thod would affect the taste of the white at or if the at flower would make any difference.
Master Jia brought the plate in front of him, scooped so imitation soy sauce over the at flower, added another layer of red oil, and sprinkled it with minced garlic and scallion.
After pouring the sauces, he frowned, feeling like he had ruined the flower.
"I think you could put so thought into the seasoning as well, which might make your at flower look even better," he said before picking up the at flower.
The rolled peony flower was dense and just the right size to take a bite out of half of it in one go.
As soon as the at entered his mouth, the sweet aroma of the imitation soy sauce quickly assaulted his taste buds, followed by the numbing spice of the red oil, the pungency of the garlic, and the fresh aroma of the scallion, piercing through his taste buds, whetting his appetite.
The thin slices of pork belly were tender and slippery, slightly elastic without feeling dry. One bite into it, Master Jia discovered the unique effect of the at peony.
He used to eat this type of white at in two ways: one was simply stacking it and pouring sauce over it, and the other was picking it up with chopsticks and twirling it in one direction, rolling it onto the chopsticks and then pouring on the sauce.
The first thod was loose while the second was tight, providing slightly different textures.
With Wang Fan’s thod, just a gentle bite can give a clear sensation of teeth cutting through layers of at.
When reaching the flower’s center, because it was rolled tightly, it provided the sa texture as twirling with chopsticks; this one flower encapsulated both looseness and tightness.
The sauce was self-made, so there was no problem with it, but just this variation in texture elevated the deliciousness of the dish a notch.
"I’m impressed; I don’t know how you trained yourself, but your at flower has more layers in taste than mine, enhancing the texture significantly. If my master’s relatives back ho knew, they’d be jumping with joy."
Chen nglong exclaid, "Really? The texture changes? Isn’t it all just at?"
Master Jia replied, "Slice another one yourself, pour the sauce, and see if there’s any change in the appearance. And let Master Chen and the others have a try."
Wang Fan was intrigued by this suggestion and got to work, slicing and forming another at peony.
With the reddish sauce and the at roll in hand, Wang Fan placed the spoon under the flower, lightly twisting it and then swiftly pulling it to the side, forming a flower stem under the spoon.
Even though the sauce wasn’t poured directly onto the at, it looked quite nice.
Though he wasn’t finished, he dripped so of the sauce in the middle of the at peony and poured red oil on top. As the red oil flowed down, the whole at flower looked more lush.
He placed scallions in the center as the flower’s core, with minced garlic acting as the stigma, making the whole piece look much more lively.
Chen nglong bared his teeth and said, "Goodness, with this tweak, it could be a signature dish at our restaurant. Never mind the taste; just the appearance would make others feel it’s worth it."
Wang Fan chuckled and said, "Our ancestors didn’t like things just for show, otherwise how would foreigners have anything to do?"
Master Jia was delighted to hear this: "Exactly, people want clean and affordable food. Making it too fancy would an our kind-hearted citizens might be reluctant to ruin it, which would even reduce their appetite; plus, the price might go up quite a bit."
Wang Fan pushed the plate in front of Chen nglong and continued slicing at. With so many people in the kitchen, favoring so but not others wouldn’t be traditional for Huaxia.
Even though the at in this dish is warm, pouring the sauce makes it essentially a cold dish, using warmth mainly because it helps hold the sauce better.
Chen nglong didn’t eat imdiately, waiting until Wang Fan had finished before joining in.
Each person got a portion, leaving the last ones for Zhuo Qianqian and himself.
Once the last portion was done, Chen nglong gestured for everyone to dig in and taste the at peony.
"The layering of this sauce is really rich; no wonder Lao Jia didn’t mix the sauces together. This alternating sweet, spicy, salty, and fragrant taste is truly rare."
"The ingredients are top-notch, and the cooking is spot-on. The pork belly is fattier than secondary cuts, but there’s no feeling of greasiness when eating it."
"Though the at slices are thin, they’re quite chewy. Most importantly, the layering of this at flower combined with the sauce is simply perfect."
"Mm, compared to just dipping in sauce, it does give more variety in texture, adding interest to the entire dish."
Being professional chefs, their remarks were very professional indeed.
Chen nglong thought for a mont and said, "Since we’ve already innovated, why not be even bolder? Add a bit of plum wine to the sauce. I’ve heard that people in France often use wine when cooking, so this would be like following local customs."
Master Wang clapped his hands: "Yes, and since this is consud with green plum wine, it ties it all together. And I think adding a bit of rice vinegar to the sauce might make the at more appetizing."
"I think..."
This mont thoroughly sparked the chefs’ desire for innovation, not just for this dish; several others also adopted the chefs’ ideas.
Wang Fan then took charge of realizing these ideas one by one.
So ideas were fantastic, and naturally, so were unsuitable. The group diligently recorded each, constantly revising the nu, enjoying every minute of it, even to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep.
Having tasted so many dishes, they weren’t really hungry. If their age allowed, they might have stayed up all night.
Wang Fan felt like he had transford into a giant sponge. These chefs were at the pinnacle of their respective cuisines, and their suggestions for improvents were even better than the system’s.
Wang Fan enthusiastically experinted, infusing many of his ideas into the process. Looking at the finalized nu and recipes, Wang Fan was ticulous.
In three days, whoever cos will end up bowing to Chinese cuisine and singing its praises!
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