Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 148 - 123: Nourishing Dinner, Red-Braised Feast (Part 2)

For this braised beef tendon, Lin's personal preference is to have it cooked to a soft and tender texture, easy to chew without being tough. It requires longer pressure cooking.

It's now five o'clock, and it should cook for one hour, but it's only been 48 minutes.

Uncover the pot, and the rich aroma of braised beef wafts into the air. The beef tendons in the pot have turned semi-translucent, coated completely in a shiny, red-brown sauce. With a gentle touch, they jiggle uncontrollably, making one's mouth water.

He carries the pot back to the kitchen and pours the contents into a stockpot to continue stewing.

To achieve a tender, gelatinous texture for the pork trotters and melt-in-your-mouth braised pork, it needs at least one and a half hours of cooking.

Half-past six.

Lin takes out the spice bag from the pot and throws it away, avoiding bitterness from over-reduction during the sauce gathering.

Originally half a pot of sauce is now reduced to about half its volume. Cook it for seven to eight more minutes on high heat, stirring clockwise gently to prevent scorching.

When the sauce becomes thick enough to coat the pot's sides, resembling glaze, it's ready to be turned off.

Cover the pot again and let it sit for a few minutes to allow flavors to deepen.

Cooked rice has finished, with a green light indicating readiness. He lifts the lid, using a rice spatula to fluff and scatter it, ensuring excess moisture evaporates quickly, providing a more chewable texture.

He then heats the remaining fish and lobster broth, tossing in fish pieces, fish balls, and shellfish for cooking.

With time almost up, Lin picks up his phone and sends a message to the two women.

[Time to eat]

Just as he puts down his phone, footsteps from outside the kitchen are heard.

"Chef, why is there a catering truck parked outside? Should we call someone to tow it away?"

Dais approaches with a furrowed brow, dissatisfaction clearly written on her face.

"How can someone be so inconsiderate, not knowing that vehicles shouldn't be parked whimsically in front of a restaurant?"

"Exactly, I feel like this is a deliberate provocation, a malicious competition from peers! How could the hotel staff allow it, it's visible just outside the door!"

"Uh..."

Lin Chen is left speechless by the two, scratching his head: "That's my catering truck."

"Huh?"

"Didn't I send room cards of notification to each occupied room in the morning?"

"What notification, I didn't receive anything. Was there even a card? Elsa, did you see anything?"

"I didn't either. Without your help this morning, I wouldn't have managed to get out of bed."

"......"

"......"

The three look at each other, eyes wide in realization that a misunderstanding had occurred somewhere.

"This morning I was selling pork and shrimp pot stickers, which are Fried Dumplings, at the restaurant entrance. Elise at the front desk assured me all rooms received small notification cards under the doors, and given the customer turnout, she wasn't lying."

"Customers?"

Dais astutely captures the keyword and points to herself: "But... we're not customers... We're considered hotel staff, aren't we?"

"..."

Lin Chen blinked incredulously.

Damn, that's right!

No wonder they hadn't asked about breakfast all day; he wondered if they'd just overslept and were embarrassed to inquire.

Internal hotel employee notices don't include the two of them, and neither do customer notifications.

It turns out, they simply were clueless!

Upon realizing they unwittingly missed his handmade dumplings, both women felt inexplicably deflated.

Especially Elsa, being half Asian, she understands how delectable handmade Fried Dumplings are.

Dumplings are trendy in Sakura Country, especially Fried Dumplings.

Considering Great Xia as the birthplace of dumplings, the flavor is undoubtedly superior.

Dais seems to have an idea, "Chef, have you been street vending these last few days?"

"Uh… yes, it's been three days, as a form of market research."

After briefly explaining why he hadn't informed them earlier, the two clearly sighed in relief.

They assumed Chef was intentionally avoiding them, which turned out not to be the case, setting their minds at ease.

"Alright, alright, it's good you're here; let's eat first and chat while we do."

Lin Chen hurriedly shifts the topic; continuing this line of discussion would make things uncomfortable, and as a leader, he cannot allow misunderstandings within the team.

He lifts the pot's lid, releasing a savory braised aroma.

The two, not yet stepping fully into the kitchen, had already caught scent of this aroma, compelling stomachs to audibly rumble upon closer smell.

"What is it boiling, such an enticing scent!"

"Is it soy sauce braised? Great Xia Cuisine?"

Elsa immediately identifies the key flavoring ingredient, joy blooming across her face.

"Yes, it's Great Xia's most common and famous cooking method, red-braising, primarily using soy sauce to create varied flavored braised meats."

"The parts I've used today are pork belly, pork trotters, beef tendons, and ox tail, renowned braising cuts in Great Xia. Should be something you both can eat, right?"

"No problem for me!"

Elsa raises her hand eagerly, discreetly swallowing as the aroma tantalized her.

Dais shows a normal expression, not showing the reaction he anticipated.

"I haven't tried pork trotters before, although I have eaten pork shank, and it wasn't too bad, just typical pork. Do they differ much?"

"A little different. The shank is like the upper arm, primarily muscle, akin to the human biceps and triceps, so it's lean with just a thin surface layer of fat and skin." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"The trotters, however, are from the palm area, with little meat, mostly skin, collagen, and tendons, offering a chewier texture. The lower arm portion is separate and not bought today."

Lin Chen animatedly gestures with his hands to illustrate differences between parts, to which Dais nods with understanding.

"I see, but seeing as it's pork, the flavor won't be weird, right? I trust Chef's skill."

Isn't it reassuring dealing with people from a foodie nation?

Lin Chen can't help but recall when, while sharing a flat, his cooking was once likened by a United States roommate as using dog food for a meal, contrasting sharply to the present scenario, fostering genuine appreciation.

He fetches two plain porcelain plates, scoops out fluffy rice, retrieves three thumb-sized pieces of braised meat, two halved pork trotters, three chunks of meaty ox tail, and some sliced tendons, placing it around the rice.

Finally, he drizzles half a ladle of braising sauce over the dish.

"Here, have a taste. Pick up the bone pieces with your hands; it's the most satisfying way to eat."

As he pours the sauce, the two women stare in awe.

Though the sauce appears dark brown, upon pouring, it instantly turns reddish-brown, further brightening when absorbed by the rice.

Especially the glossy coat of sauce over the meat pieces, radiating a glaze-like sheen.

Upon receiving the plate, the pork belly, trotters, and beef tendons visibly wiggle like jelly.

Even without tasting yet, one can imagine the soft, tender texture just by sight.

There is braised meat in Japanese cuisine as well, albeit adapted to be char siu paired with ramen, or accompanied by shredded cabbage-like vegetables, predominantly offering a sweet taste.

This kind of rich sauce-covered whole meat chunk is the first Elsa's seen.

"This is the legendary Great Xia Braised Meat? Just the appearance makes it so appetizing!"

Unable to wait, she scoops a piece, along with sauce-soaked rice, delivering it swiftly to her mouth.

The instant the braised meat contacts the palate, it feels akin to touching tofu; barely any pressure is applied before something seems to start deforming.

Her tongue gently presses upwards, and the tender pork skin along with the fat layer melts effortlessly, perfectly merging with the rich, mildly sweet sauce.

The natural fragrant oils surpass any seasoning in boldness, delivering a heady sense of satisfaction indefinable by words.

Although the fat layer appeared thick, once dissolved no oily taste lingered, only a pure sensation of happiness and contentment.

The sauce flavor surpasses any soy dishes she's had before, intensified seemingly tenfold, with a subtle aftertaste sweetness, indicating a pinch of sugar imparting this characteristic.

Savoring the braised meat's deliciousness, she hastens her chewing, eager to experience the delightful texture when mixes with the sauce-covered rice.