He looked down at the water spinach on the table. Apart from a bit of minced garlic and a few dried chilis, there wasn’t a speck of minced at, let alone ham.
But the taste of this dish...
She took another bite and was sure it was that distinct ham flavor. She had just eaten a fresh flower ham mooncake, so the flavor left a strong impression on Director Zeng.
When the others heard, they each tried a piece of water spinach with their chopsticks and indeed tasted a rich ham flavor.
It was clearly a dish that looked entirely vegetarian.
But as they ate, it was filled with the kind of richness usually found only in at dishes.
This was simply astonishing.
Lin Xu, who had just served himself a bowl of rice and sat down to eat, comnted, "This dish was stir-fried with oil rendered from stead ham. Feel free to eat more if you like; the kitchen has plenty of water spinach, enough for everyone to eat their fill."
Ham oil? No wonder it tasted so good.
Lin Xu picked up a piece with his chopsticks and tasted it. It was an explosion of fresh, savory flavor. The vivid green water spinach had a satisfyingly crisp texture, and the distinctive salty umami of the ham coated each strand, making the dish tender, delicious, appetizing, and a perfect accompanint to rice.
"Anyone who says greens aren’t a good match for rice should try this water spinach. It’s absolutely beyond imagination!"
While everyone was enjoying their al, Shen Guofu and Han Shuzhen returned ho from work.
"Dad, Mom, co quickly and try this! It’s a new dish today, and it tastes amazing!"
Shen Baobao sat next to Lin Xu, her face radiant with a joyful smile.
Ever since Lin Xu had sent her that heartwarming afternoon tea after lunch, her smile hadn’t faded. Now, seeing her parents, she was eager to share her happiness.
YES! I need to find a photo studio to laminate that note later. Then, when I have a grandson, I can take it out and tell him the story. Hmm... I’ll be quite old by then. I wonder if Xu will still like . I’ve heard n are very consistent in their tastes; they only like young won in their twenties. I’ll have to keep a close eye on this little rascal to stop him from going astray.
Lin Xu had no idea that his Baobao was already making plans for her life after retirent.
He stood up to serve his father-in-law and mother-in-law each a bowl of rice, casually explaining how to make the Mapo Chicken Cake.
While serving the rice, he made sure to give his father-in-law a slightly larger portion.
The father-in-law and son-in-law exchanged smiles; everything was understood without a word.
Earlier that afternoon, Shen Guofu had been dreading dinner, as those low-fat als held no appeal for him.
After receiving his son-in-law’s call, his mood had lifted; it was as if flowers were blooming and everything had beco wonderful.
Now, holding his bowl of rice, eating the delicious Mapo Chicken Cake that paired so well with rice, and the garlicky water spinach infused with ham aroma, he couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of life.
After finishing his bowl of rice, Lin Xu went to the kitchen.
Since he planned to make Milk Yellow Mooncakes, he had to start the preparations now; otherwise, they might not be ready by tomorrow.
After all, making these mooncakes involved several steps requiring freezing, and no shortcuts could be taken.
He fetched so ready-made salted egg yolks from the cold storage.
After washing them, he arranged them on a baking tray, sprayed them with a layer of strong white liquor to remove any off-odors, and then placed them in the oven to bake until the oil rendered out.
Baking the salted egg yolks before use not only effectively removes any off-odors but also enhances their fragrance and texture.
These ready-made egg yolks were already cooked, so they didn’t need to bake for too long.
Typically, when the surface starts to exude oil and bubble slightly, it indicates that the yolks are perfectly baked.
He took them out of the oven and crushed them while they were still hot.
This step needed to be done quickly. Hot salted egg yolks are sowhat soft and easier to crush into a powder. If they cool down, they not only harden, but the resulting particles are also less fine.
After the salted egg yolks were completely crushed, he sifted them through a fine-sh sieve to ensure an even smoother texture for the filling.
The Milk Yellow Mooncake consists of three parts: the crust, the milk yellow filling, and the flowing heart filling.
During assembly, the milk yellow filling envelops the flowing heart filling. This is then encased in the crust. The entire process resembles nesting dolls.
But this "nesting" also requires technique.
Otherwise, the flowing heart filling might lt, the milk yellow filling could separate and leak oil, and even the crust might lose moisture and crack.
Making Milk Yellow Mooncakes had countless potential pitfalls, so every step of the cooking process had to be executed perfectly.
Only then could the final product achieve its most perfect state.
Lin Xu placed the crushed egg yolks in the refrigerator. These powdery, fragrant yolk granules, with their characteristic fine, sandy texture, were suitable not only for Milk Yellow Mooncakes but also for popular Cantonese snacks like Golden Flowing Sand Buns.
If there were any leftovers, he would steam a few for Shen Baobao, giving the young lady a chance to try sothing new and special.
Just as he was busy, Old Huang arrived with his wife for dinner.
Lin Xu made a point to put aside his work and brought out two mooncakes to greet them.
After all, they had generously given him such a large ham for free and even shared their homade flower sauce; it was only right to show them respect, both out of courtesy and gratitude.
"Brother, your culinary skills are incredible!" Old Huang exclaid after he and his wife tasted the mooncakes. "The filling is seasoned perfectly, with just the right balance of salty and sweet." They were both full of praise for Lin Xu.
Mrs. Huang hadn’t expected much before coming; she had thought her husband might be exaggerating. But after tasting Lin Xu’s creations, she realized her husband had rely been telling the truth.
"Such craftsmanship! It’s hard to find mooncakes this delicious, even in Southern Yunnan," she complinted.
These days, mooncakes generally chase after excessive sweetness. Although ham is used, it’s often soaked and boiled until its salty flavor is significantly diminished.
Then, when making the filling, people often add excessive amounts of sugar, fearing it won’t be sweet enough.
This results in mooncakes that are overly sweet, lacking the ham’s essential savory flavor.
Tasting such delicious mooncakes, Mrs. Huang’s expectations of Lin Xu’s skills grew even higher.
She asked with a smile, "Brother, can you make steam pot chicken?"
Steam pot chicken?
Old Huang added, "My wife gets hosick. If she doesn’t eat Southern Yunnan cuisine for a while, she feels like sothing’s missing. Brother, if you can make steam pot chicken, please make it for us once. Money is no issue."
Lin Xu responded with a wry smile, "To make steam pot chicken, you need a steam pot. It’s very difficult to make it without one."
In Chinese cuisine, so dishes require specific cookware. For example, Claypot Rice needs to be cooked in a clay pot, and steam pot chicken requires a steam pot.
Without a steam pot, the dish would just be ordinary stead chicken.
"We have steam pots! We have steam pots!" Old Huang took a big bite of mooncake and said while chewing, "We have several steam pots at ho, big ones and small ones. But for so reason, the steam pot chicken never tastes authentic. Initially, I thought it was the pot’s fault. I even went to Jianshui specifically to buy a handcrafted clay pot, but it still didn’t work out."
"Didn’t work out?" Lin Xu’s interest was piqued. "How so? Was the pot leaking, or sothing else?"
Mrs. Huang chuckled sheepishly. "It has a gay taste..."
Lin Xu was montarily speechless. That’s a problem with the cooking technique! What good does constantly changing pots do? Those poor steam pots must feel incredibly wronged!
He said with a laugh, "Alright, Old Huang, when you deliver the vegetables tomorrow, bring your steam pot from ho. I’ll find so ti to make steam pot chicken. I can’t promise much else, but I can guarantee it absolutely won’t have any gay taste!"
Hearing this, Old Huang and his wife were overjoyed. "Then we’ll be eagerly awaiting it!"
---
I’m sorry, brothers. I wrote about a thousand words in the middle of this, didn’t like how it turned out, so I deleted it and started over. That’s why this is late. This Chapter is 5,400 words. Requesting Monthly Tickets!
User Comments
0 comments from readers