After taking his seat, he couldn’t wait to pick up a mouthful with his chopsticks. The kidney flowers were cut into a wheat spike pattern and coated with a thin layer of sauce, giving them a glossy sheen. As soon as he took a bite, a salty fragrance burst forth in his mouth. The surface of the kidney flowers was tender, smooth, and crisp due to the dry starch coating. It’s truly a dish worthy of a State Banquet chef, bringing out the best in this ingredient! He took a bite of the kidney flowers, then picked up his glass to sip a little Liquor. Delightful!
As he was eating, Shen Guofu suddenly rembered the Spicy Fried Kidney his son-in-law wanted to trade with Chef Xie. He couldn’t help feeling an insatiable desire for more. I’ll definitely have to try it when I have ti, he thought. Sour and spicy kidney flowers... just thinking about them makes want a drink!
「In the kitchen.」
Lin Xu carefully removed the transparent mbrane from the surface of the pig kidneys. He then laid them flat on the chopping board and, using a chef’s knife, sliced them horizontally, splitting each in two. The series of glands inside the kidneys now lay exposed. These were the source of the kidneys’ off-putting sll, so he had to press down on the tender kidney with one hand while carefully slicing the glands away with the knife in the other. The glands had to be completely removed, or the dish would be inedible. After slicing, he washed the kidneys again to ensure no residual sll lingered on their surface from removing the glands. Then, he placed the kidneys on the cutting board and started making decorative cuts. Only after being incised this way could the kidneys truly be called "kidney flowers." Sticking to the wheat spike pattern suitable for pig kidneys, Lin Xu soaked the prepared kidney flowers in fresh water to remove any lingering sll and blood. While they soaked, he went to the storage room to get so Pickled Peppers and pickled ginger, starting to prepare the ingredients for the Spicy Fried Kidney.
As he was busily working, a trainee entered the kitchen carrying a box of pig kidneys, followed by Dai Jianli and Guo Weidong, who had co for the banquet.
"My god, what are all these kidneys for?" Dai Jianli asked, his curiosity piqued upon seeing the kidneys the trainee was holding. He looked at Xie Baomin, then at Lin Xu, and finally asked in a hushed tone, "Who’s feeling weak here? Old Qiu?"
Not far away, Qiu Zhenhua, who was making Loach and Chinese yam soup, imdiately grabbed his chef’s knife and approached. "Old Dai, are you asking for trouble again?"
Although Chef Qiu usually appeared genteel and easy-going, he beca furiously indignant whenever soone suggested he was feeling weak.
"Ha, he’s getting riled up! Looks like he really is weak," Dai Jianli said, ducking behind Xie Baomin. His mouth, however, didn’t stop as he continued to analyze the situation with mock seriousness.
Qiu Zhenhua was speechless. There’s no reasoning with such a thick-skinned rascal.
Xie Baomin said, "Old Dai, I just cooked a stir-fried kidney flower dish, and my junior apprentice brother here is preparing Spicy Fried Kidney. Do you want to show off by cooking up a fiery kidney flower dish too?"
"Sure... But why are you making so many kidney dishes? Are we having a kidney flower banquet or sothing?"
Xie Baomin whispered, "You probably don’t know, but Old Huang is feeling a bit down, so we’ve prepared a bunch of kidney-strengthening ingredients... Weidong, maybe you’d like to show your skills too?"
Guo Weidong glanced at the pig kidneys the trainee had brought in. "Then, I’ll make Drizzled Kidney Flowers later."
Drizzled Kidney Flowers is a slightly less common dish. The intricately cut kidney flowers are blanched in water, then served in a shallow dish with a special sauce drizzled over the top. It’s refreshing and delicious, particularly suited for sumrti consumption.
Lin Xu, busy working, felt a pang of regret. What a great learning opportunity, but I don’t have a Cooking Learning Card!
And it wasn’t over yet. When He Baoqing from Building One ca in and heard that everyone was making kidney flower dishes, he imdiately declared he would make Oil-Poured Kidney Flowers. Zhu Yong’s uncle, Song Dahai, decided to make Boiled Kidney Flowers. Then ca Cold Mixed Kidney Flowers, Blanched Kidney Flowers, Mushroom Soup Kidney Flowers, and Soup-Fried Kidney Flowers. Shen Guofu, already full, felt a surge of excitent hearing all this.
Goodness , Shen Guofu thought, they say pig kidneys are a man’s fueling station. But this table of dishes isn’t just a simple fueling station; it’s like we’ve struck oil! I’ll definitely have my son-in-law cook them all soday, so Old Shen here can also enjoy the thrill of diving into an oil field!
「Once all the head chefs were present, dish after dish was taken to the private dining room.」
Upon seeing all the kidney flower dishes, the chefs teased each other, all curious about who was feeling under the weather enough to warrant such an array. Each one claid they felt absolutely fine. Today, it’s just roast lamb for . I won’t touch a single bite of kidney flowers, they all seed to declare.
However, when Lin Xu finished his work and went to toast the chefs, he discovered that the roast lamb had barely been touched. Instead, it was these kidney flower dishes, which they had all claid they wouldn’t try, that the chefs had devoured completely.
As Lin Xu entered, Song Dahai was still rummaging in the serving dish that had held the Drizzled Kidney Flowers. He grumbled as he searched, "Cantonese cuisine really isn’t generous. Such a big bowl, all that sauce, and it’s gone in just a few bites."
TSK. TSK. TSK.
So, these middle-aged n, who just monts ago claid they were all in fine form, are actually like this in private? Lin Xu mused.
Qiu Zhenhua was goading Xie Baomin to drink more when he saw Lin Xu enter. He imdiately put down his chopsticks and said, "Old Xie, you’re in your junior apprentice brother’s territory now; you’ve got to lead the drinking! The brothers here are all waiting to clink glasses with you."
With that, he gave Song Dahai a wink.
Song Dahai raised his glass and said, "That’s right! I’ve always wanted to have a few drinks with Old Xie but never got the chance. Today, even if the King of Heaven himself showed up, this glass I must—"
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Xie Baomin pulling out a box of cephalosporin from his bag.
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