Geng Lishan cradled Dundun in his arms as if holding a baby.
Normally, Dundun disliked being held by people, but at this moment, he curled up obediently in Geng Lishan’s arms, behaving very well, which greatly surprised Lin Xu. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel•fire.net
Because usually, besides himself and his in-laws, others couldn’t even think of holding Dundun , not even his classmate Shen. What happened today?
Unable to guess what Dundun was thinking, Lin Xu simply greeted Geng Lishan and headed off to the kitchen to get busy.
The design sketch was already out, and the renovation was urgent. He needed to prepare as many ingredients as possible. That way, he could meet the needs of more customers and earn more points.
Right, there will be no point income for the coming month, so now I have to save as much as possible, just in case I need to exchange anything for Skill Techniques, so I won’t be caught off guard.
After an hour of soaking the Glutinous Rice and regular rice in the basin, Lin Xu checked and saw that the grains had visibly swelled up quite a bit. It was time to start stir-frying them.
He ladled the rice out of the basin to drain the water. Next, he set up a frying pan on the stove. With no oil in the pan, he directly started stir-frying the soaked rice grains.
"Lin, my young friend, what are you making?" Geng Lishan, curious, asked while standing outside the kitchen holding Dundun.
"I’m making some Steamed Meat Powder. I’ll make some Steamed Rice Flour Meat later. Since a connoisseur like you has made the rare trip to my shop, I definitely need to prepare a new dish for you to test."
"Good, Steamed Rice Flour Meat sounds good. I’ll be waiting then!"
Upon mentioning food, Geng Lishan immediately perked up. Originally, he thought it would be nice just to try some White Jade Lotus Root Strips today, but there was an unexpected surprise.
This young friend is really too polite.
Lin Xu kept stir-frying the rice grains in the pan over low heat. This was a process that truly tested one’s patience. At first, when he started stir-frying, there was hardly any noticeable change in the rice grains. He only felt he was truly getting somewhere after the moisture in the grains was fried out and they started to feel light and fluffy.
After stir-frying for a while longer, once the surface of the rice grains started to turn slightly yellow and emitted a distinct aroma, he sequentially added a few bay leaves, a small piece of cinnamon, two pieces of Star Anise, some Sichuan peppercorns, and a pinch of fennel into the pan. He continued stir-frying until the spices released their fragrance and the surface of the rice grains turned golden brown, then he turned off the heat and took the pan off the stove.
He spread the fried rice grains on a tray to cool down quickly, preventing the residual heat from scorching the grains or spices.
Once the temperature fell, he used a food processor to crush the rice grains and spices together. This step could also be done using a mortar to pound or a Stone Mill to grind. The aim was to process the rice grains into a granular powder to enhance the pleasure of eating the steamed meat.
After grinding, he had successfully made Steamed Meat Powder. This powder, whether used for steaming Pork Ribs, chicken pieces, or even beef or lamb, could produce a wonderfully exquisite texture and flavor. Furthermore, the Steamed Meat Powder could also be made in larger batches, sealed in bottles, and stored for a long time.
Next, Lin Xu sliced some pork belly. He began preparing the Steamed Rice Flour Meat. Not having the particular Skill for Steamed Rice Flour Meat, and to avoid errors, he specifically checked the dish’s tutorial online.
Steamed Rice Flour Meat is a classic dish of Sichuan cuisine that is almost universally made and loved in the Sichuan and Chongqing regions. The method of cooking this dish is quite simple. First, marinate the meat slices, then coat them with Steamed Meat Powder and steam them. During steaming, they can be placed on sweet potatoes, pumpkins, or other suitable ingredients, which enhances the flavor. While marinating, some Doubanjiang can also be added. This aligns more with the dietary habits of the people in Sichuan and Chongqing.
Thinking back to the last time Wei Qian was chopping Doubanjiang finely while preparing Fried Pork, Lin Xu scooped a spoonful of Doubanjiang onto the chopping board. Then he finely chopped it up as if mincing meat. This way, the flavor of the Doubanjiang would more easily infuse into the meat slices, and the texture would be better when eaten, without encountering chunks of Doubanjiang or chili skins.
He mixed the finely chopped Doubanjiang into the sliced pork belly. Then he added Light Soy Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, salt, pepper powder, and some Scallion and Ginger, mixing everything well before setting it aside to marinate.
After marinating for about half an hour, Lin Xu picked out the Scallion and Ginger, then added the prepared Steamed Meat Powder. He mixed it again, ensuring the Steamed Meat Powder firmly adhered to the surfaces of the meat slices.
Next, he prepared two slightly larger steaming dishes. He took out an old pumpkin from the storage room, washed and cut it into large pieces, and laid them on the steaming dishes. Then he spread the pork belly coated with Steamed Meat Powder on top of the pumpkin.
Today, he prepared quite a lot of pork belly. He filled two large steaming dishes to the brim, just managing to fit all the pork belly on them.
He opened the cabinet door, placed both steaming dishes inside, and started the steaming process.
Hoping nothing will go wrong... As he closed the cabinet door, Lin Xu couldn’t help but mutter to himself. Without Technique enhancement and rashly making this new dish, he felt somewhat less confident. However, the cooking method for this dish is relatively simple. Generally, any issues arise either from the flavor or the steaming time. As long as the seasoning isn’t too salty and it’s steamed for enough time, the chances of failure aren’t very high.
Just as dinner was nearly ready, Lin Xu was about to announce that it was time to eat.
Professor Xu and his wife, along with Old Man Zhou and Old Lady Liang, walked into the shop:
"Xu, let’s take our meal to go today. I heard you’re closing the shop for renovation. I’ve seen quite a few folks come here from the South Fourth Ring, changing subways multiple times. It sure isn’t easy."
After Professor Xu finished speaking, he suddenly noticed an old man sitting in the corner who looked very familiar. He paused, then nudged Aunt Xue next to him.