Chapter 475: Chapter 436: Why Are These Eggs Green?

Thursday afternoon.

After finishing cooking the afternoon snacks, Huang Jun did not choose to enjoy a moment of leisure, but instead continued to lead his kitchen team, diving back into the tense yet orderly culinary preparations.

The reason for continuing to stay busy...

was not to prepare tonight’s dinner, but to get a head start on the pastries for tomorrow.

No choice!

Though tomorrow’s pastries are not complicated to make, the need to use brine and a large clay pot makes it a time-consuming task, forcing Huang Jun to start early so tomorrow’s treats won’t fall through.

Oh well!

Just say Huang Jun made the menu choice himself, and even with tears, he has to carry on. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

This really makes it tough for Qian Guoxiang and the other two, who have to bear it along with him.

Uh...

They’re all in this together!

They can only "share in the blessing, endure the hardship" together...

Fortunately, the three of them share a common belief: in the face of delicious food, all the toil and trouble are worth it...

So!

Pain mixed with joy!

"Splash~"

As the crisp sound of running water echoed in the kitchen, Aunt Li and Aunt Lin carefully scrubbed each smooth, round egg with a scourer.

With each wash, the stains on the eggshells gradually disappeared, revealing their original pure shine.

"Chef Huang, why are these eggs green?" Aunt Lin asked curiously.

To her recollection, eggs were either pink, white, or brown, while duck eggs had blue shells.

These green eggs were a first for them.

Before Huang Jun could respond, Qian Guoxiang laughed and spoke first, "These eggs aren’t the usual ones found on the market; they’re eggs from Five-Black Chickens, naturally green!"

"Five-Black Chicken?" Aunt Li asked in bafflement, "What kind of chicken is that?"

Aunt Lin nearby also showed the same puzzled expression, feeling suddenly limited in her culinary knowledge.

Even though they’ve worked in the kitchen for years, tasted countless delicacies, and encountered various ingredients, since Huang Jun arrived at Dorami Kindergarten, they’ve realized there are still many unknown foods and dishes awaiting their discovery.

Like these green eggshells in front of them, if not for Qian Guoxiang’s explanation, they might have been suspicious that the eggs were dyed somehow.

Huang Jun laughed and replied, "The Five-Black Chicken is actually what we commonly call the black-feathered Silkie chicken, and it lays green-shelled eggs, which have higher nutritional value compared to regular ones and are especially suitable for making five-spice eggs."

"Oh, so it’s a Silkie chicken!"

Aunt Li suddenly understood, showing a bright expression: "I’ve tasted this chicken’s meat; it’s fresh and delicious, and its bones and flesh are black, really tasty. But this is the first time I’ve seen its eggs!"

Aunt Lin also smiled knowingly.

It’s not that they’re "long-haired but short-sighted"; it’s just that this chicken has other names too...

Seeing Aunt Li and Aunt Lin’s gleefully "I get it now" faces, Huang Jun couldn’t help but chuckle again: "The Five-Black Chicken is quite remarkable; not only are its meat and bones black, but its feathers, skin, and organs are all black as well, hence the name ’Five-Black’.

"It’s a unique chicken species in our country, rare both domestically and internationally..."

After a brief chat, Huang Jun began preparing the spice mix for the five-spice eggs.

This five-spice, consisting of red Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon sticks, fennel seeds, and cloves, combined together.

Don’t underestimate these ordinary spices; once combined, they create an extraordinary flavor, becoming the secret to the delicious five-spice eggs.

He placed these spices into a shiny stainless steel bowl, then poured in the appropriate amount of strong liquor and boiling water.

Just enough water to cover the spices!

He covered it up, letting the spices steep in a sealed environment for twenty minutes.

This step is crucial; it not only helps reduce the spices’ bitterness but also refines and enriches their aroma.

Once the steeping time ended...

He carefully washed the spices, filtering out excess water, and packed them into the prepared spice bags.

Thus.

The seemingly simple yet highly meticulous spice bag preparation was complete.

He gently placed some glistening rock sugar into a hot pan, along with a dance of the spatula, and a little clean water, beginning the sugar caramelization process.

On low heat, he slowly heated it, causing the rock sugar to gradually melt into a liquid state.

As the sugar melted...

He adjusted the heat to medium, maintaining the syrup’s temperature.

At this point, if the temperature were slightly lower, the sugar would re-crystallize, ruining the perfect caramel color.

He continued observing the transformation of the syrup’s color...

Once the syrup turned an enticing dark red and began bubbling vigorously, he quickly added some clean water and continued boiling.

This move was to remove any potential burnt taste from the syrup, making the caramel color more pure, with an enticing aroma.

After boiling for a minute, he transferred the finished caramel syrup from the pan.

Quality caramel syrup naturally lessens its sweetness during the caramelization process, so he takes it out at the optimal time to ensure its reddish-brown hue is neither bitter nor sweet, perfectly balanced.

"Chef Huang, the water in the clay pot has boiled..." Qian Guoxiang saw the large clay pots bubbling, and reminded.

"Alright, I got it!"

Huang Jun sprinkled the right amount of salt into each clay pot, adjusting the water’s salinity to the perfect level, so the eggs could better absorb the brine’s flavors.

He then added the previously cooked glossy caramel syrup and aromatic spice bags to the clay pots.

To harmonize the flavor, he also added a few pieces of rock sugar and finally tossed in several red chili peppers for a kick.

Now, the five-spice egg brine was complete!

This brine should never include chicken essence or monosodium glutamate, as they wouldn’t enhance the aroma but rather magnify the egg’s fishy taste, affecting the final flavor.

He turned down the heat, simmering quietly for fifteen minutes, allowing the spice flavors to permeate into the broth so the eggs would be aromatic inside and out, biting into them would fill the mouth with pleasant aroma and leave a lasting memory!

Fifteen minutes passed in a flash...

The broth during this time had already transformed into alluring aromas, spreading throughout the workspace, suffusing every corner.

Huang Jun timely turned off the stove, allowing the brine temperature to naturally decrease slowly.

Because eggs should not be placed directly into boiling water, or else the egg whites would expand rapidly due to high temperature, causing the shells to break and impacting their appearance.

This is one of the critical factors to ensure the eggs do not burst during the brining process.

"Chef Huang, we’ve cleaned all the eggs." Aunt Li and Aunt Lin together moved the cleaned Five-Black Chicken eggs onto the workbench.

"Great! Thank you for your hard work!"

Huang Jun picked up an egg and tapped the round end, creating a crisp sound.

Mastering this force is crucial, it must break the shell without damaging the egg film.

This way, during cooking, the crack in the eggshell forms a natural vent, helping release the pressure inside the egg, preventing the shell from cracking due to excessive pressure, another key step to keeping the eggs intact.

He submerged the processed eggs one by one into the deep, aromatic clay pot brine.

He adjusted the heat to medium-low, allowing the brine to slowly come to a boil.

At this point, avoid high heat, as excessive heat could cause the water temperature to rise too quickly, leading the egg whites to solidify rapidly and swell, breaking the shells, a third key factor to prevent egg breakage.

As the brine softly bubbled with gentle murmurs, he kept the flame low, tenderly embracing the eggs, brining them for five minutes, letting every drop of flavorful aroma slowly seep in, the egg whites solidifying in warmth, shaping into their initial form.

Once time was up...

Huang Jun scooped them out one by one.

Using chopsticks like a paintbrush, he lightly tapped the egg’s surface, with each touch carrying subtle changes in force and angle, as if conducting a silent yet intricate carving.

The eggshell responded with cracks, the lines naturally flowing, like meticulously carved patterns, promoting the penetration of aroma and giving the egg a unique artistic beauty.

Immediately afterward, he returned these now rough-shaped, elegantly cracked eggs into the brine, continuing to simmer them slowly.

During this process, the five-spice aroma and caramel’s reddish-brown hue seeped gradually into the eggshell’s cracks...