Just blanch it slightly this morning, and it’s ready to eat.
To better align with the Wuhan people’s cherished "guò zǎo" (morning breakfast ritual), Ji Minghui and several chefs from the pastry departnt ca in an hour early on purpose today. They mixed the Sesa Sauce, fried pickled beans, deep-fried dough rings, and pan-fried doupi. They also boiled so Rice Wine egg-drop soup to accompany the food, wanting everyone to truly experience the joy of a Wuhan breakfast.
"Boss, it’s ready. Do you want a large bowl or a small one?"
Lin Xu said, "You all eat first. I’m going to wake up the lady boss."
After saying that, he picked up a freshly fried dough ring. Eating it as he walked, he headed outside. At the kitchen door, he didn’t forget to bring out the air-dried Chicken Breast, which was Dundun’s breakfast.
Not long after, a drowsy Shen Baobao followed Lin Xu over, nibbling on half a fried dough ring. Obviously, the one Lin Xu had taken when he left had been snatched by this girl.
"I’ll have the doupi first! I absolutely love the taste. Last ti I traveled with my dad, we bought a whole one, and it really annoyed the people waiting in line..."
Upon seeing the food, Shen Jiayue truly "woke up."
Watching his Baobao, who needed delicious food every day to maintain her energy, Lin Xu affectionately went to the kitchen to serve her a few slices of cut doupi. This was for their own consumption, so the presentation of the doupi was very simple. However, it was packed with quality ingredients; the filling inside was generous, and the outer layer was fried till crispy, making it incredibly satisfying and delicious.
After receiving the plate, Shen Baobao picked up a piece and took a large bite.
"Wow, this is so tasty!"
She then took out her phone, snapped a photo, and posted it on Lin Ji’s Food’s page:
"Lin Ji’s Food’s staff als are out of this world! Who would’ve thought you could experience the joy of guò zǎo with just a staff al? I’ve tried it for you all—authentic three-delicacy doupi. I’ve been on a diet recently, so I’ll just have five big pieces for now!"
It was only seven in the morning, precisely when many people were hurriedly heading off to work. Shen Baobao’s photo instantly breached the defenses of many netizens who hadn’t yet eaten breakfast. Especially that piece of doupi with a bite taken out, which completely revealed the generous filling inside.
"AAAAH, Lady Boss, that’s cheating!"
"You used to only post food temptations during al tis, but now you’re starting even earlier."
"These temptations cover morning, noon, night, and even late-night. What can we do but surrender?"
"Seeing the three-delicacy doupi makes suddenly miss ho. I didn’t have ti to go back for the Mid-Autumn Festival. I’ll return for the National Day holiday and devour two bowls of Hot Dry Noodles right after getting off the high-speed train."
"Wow, a fellow local up there! I’m also ready to go ho for the National Day holiday."
"Just curious, does the shop hire interns? These ever-changing staff als are making drool!"
"Every ti I dine at your place, I’m reminded that dishes not on the nu can’t be ordered. Yet, your staff eat so lavishly and fancily. You guys really don’t treat custors like gods at all!"
"..."
Lin Xu walked over with two bowls of prepared Hot Dry Noodles, handing one to Shen Baobao and starting on the other himself.
The noodles coated in Sesa Sauce and Chili Oil tasted incredible. Such a satisfying mouthful! The diced preserved vegetables and pickled long beans mixed into the noodles also helped cut through the richness. After the noodles, a big bite of a fried dough ring.
Carbs on carbs—double the joy, double the surprise!
This is a real man’s breakfast. Eat your fill, and you won’t feel hungry all morning.
"Xu Bao, are we having steam pot chicken for lunch today?"
"No, this afternoon. That way, our parents can try it when they get off work. Besides, there isn’t enough ti to prepare it for lunch."
"Then I’ll wait until this afternoon to eat."
「At eleven in the morning」
Lin Xu grabbed a handful of dried morel mushrooms and rinsed them to wash off the surface dust. These top-grade morels already had their tough stems removed, so there wasn’t much to clean. If they hadn’t been trimd, they couldn’t simply be rinsed. Instead, they would need to be blanched in slightly hot water to remove the stems and clean out any sand from inside.
After rinsing, he put the morels in warm water, around forty degrees Celsius, adding a handful of sugar to start the rehydration process. The umami compounds in morels are volatile and evaporate with heat, so the rehydration water shouldn’t be too hot. Cold water isn’t effective either, making around forty degrees Celsius ideal. The sugar was added to enhance the rich flavor of the morels.
Next, he soaked other ingredients and dicinal herbs such as Astragalus, dried dates, Black wolfberry, and Adenophora root, preparing for the steam pot chicken in the afternoon.
「At 1:30 in the afternoon」
Lao Huang’s car arrived punctually in front of Lin Ji’s Food. Carrying two plastic bags, he jogged into the store.
"Bro, six in total, all plump young hens. They were killed just over an hour ago; still warm."
To ensure his wife could enjoy authentic steam pot chicken, Lao Huang hadn’t even stopped for lunch. After placing the chickens at the kitchen entrance, he asked Che Zai for a few small sesa seed buns, planning to stuff them with so beef to tide himself over.
"Thanks for your hard work, Lao Huang!"
Lin Xu took the chickens to the kitchen and began preparing the steam pot chicken. Although the chickens for steam pot chicken aren’t supposed to be washed with water, they still needed so processing; at the very least, the skin had to be dealt with. He placed the chickens in a basin, grabbed a handful of salt, and rubbed it vigorously over their skin to remove dirt from the pores and any surface impurities.
For a chef, ’not rinsing with water’ and ’not cleaning at all’ are two different concepts.
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