I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 579 - 278 The Ceiling of Soft-Burn Dishes - Soft Burned Chicken Cake! New Side Quest! [Subscribe Please]_3

Chapter 579: Chapter 278 The Ceiling of Soft-Burn Dishes - Soft Burned Chicken Cake! New Side Quest! [Subscribe Please]_3

Lin Xu nodded, finally understanding the intricacies involved.

Taking advantage of the time it took for the Chicken Cake to cool, Dai Jianli chopped some green onion strips, preparing to make Soft Burned Chicken Cake.

The so-called "soft burning" is a cooking method that keeps ingredients tender, unlike techniques such as red braising or Dry Burning.

Before long, when the Chicken Cake was almost cool, Dai Jianli carefully poured it out of its container.

The Chicken Cake trembled. Visually, it was indistinguishable from tofu, perhaps even more delicate and tempting.

At this moment, the Chicken Cake couldn’t be cut yet. It needed to cool down a bit more so that it wouldn’t crumble when cut.

"There are many ways to cook Chicken Cake. Just like Furong Chicken Slices, you can quickly stir-fry it in a pan, simmer it in chicken soup, or make Freshly Smooth Chicken Cake, Soft Fried Chicken Cake, Clear Soup Chicken Cake, and so on. Just treat it like tofu, and don’t let your thinking limit you."

Don’t let your thinking limit you?

Lin Xu felt that this statement was quite apt. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The more skilled the chef, the easier it is to fall into rigid patterns of thinking.

Take this Chicken Cake, for instance. Since it’s being treated like tofu, why not make it into Mapo Chicken Cake? Aha, Mapo Chicken Cake.

Making Chicken Cake using the Mapo Tofu method... that flavor must be incredibly delicious, right?

Just as he thought of this, a system alert sounded in Lin Xu’s mind:

"Host has expanded their thinking, triggering the sub-quest [Dish Innovation]. The host is required to make a Mapo Chicken Cake of at least Superior Level using the Mapo Tofu method within 12 hours. Upon completion, the reward will be one draw for a Perfect Level obscure Sichuan dish."

A sub-quest? Dish Innovation?

Lin Xu hadn’t expected that merely by letting his thoughts wander, the system would generously create a task for him.

Twelve hours... so, today then.

For him, the method for making the Chicken Cake wasn’t difficult; the key was that he still hadn’t mastered the method for making Mapo Tofu. His only option was to use points to exchange for the recipe.

Once he had the recipe, he would then use the Mapo Tofu method to cook the Mapo Chicken Cake.

My hard-earned points are about to be spent again.

Lin Xu grumbled to himself, then entered the points shop to exchange for Mapo Tofu.

However, when he found the dish, his eyes couldn’t help but bulge.

[Qualified Level Mapo Tofu: 350,000 points]

[Excellent Level Mapo Tofu: 700,000 points]

[Superior Level Mapo Tofu: 1,200,000 points (includes a Skill Task)]

[Perfect Level Mapo Tofu: 2,000,000 points (includes a Trial Task)]

What’s going on? It’s just a tofu dish, so why does it start at 350,000 points? Is there some mistake? Is this greedy system price gouging?

But with the task at hand, he had to make the exchange.

He had originally wanted to exchange for the Superior Level cooking method. However, considering the Mapo Chicken Cake needed to be at least Superior Level, it was best to get the Perfect Level method.

With this in mind, he didn’t hesitate and exchanged for the Perfect Level Mapo Tofu method.

Two million points were deducted instantly, leaving Lin Xu no room for regret.

"2,000,000 points consumed. Obtained Perfect Level classic Sichuan dish—Mapo Tofu. Trial Task triggered: The host must create a similar dish using the Mapo Tofu cooking method within twelve hours. Only upon successful completion will the classic Mapo Tofu method be officially acquired; otherwise, it will be downgraded to Superior Level."

(Note: If the Perfect Level cooking method is downgraded to Superior Level, the Skill Task will not be triggered. Please take note.)

After reading the task description, Lin Xu felt somewhat relieved.

He could tackle both tasks simultaneously, which was the only piece of good news in this sub-quest.

He would start preparing the dish after returning home in the afternoon.

Since the number of ’rice killer’ dishes at the restaurant is increasing, why not add another, like Mapo Tofu? At this rate, these ’rice killers’ are bound to form a group and debut at Lin Ji’s Food sooner or later.

While he was muttering to himself, Dai Jianli, beside him, set a pot on the stove. He filled it half with salad oil and half with lard, then turned the heat to low and began cutting the Chicken Cake.

The cooled Chicken Cake was slightly firmer, making it easier to cut.

Using a kitchen knife, he cut the Chicken Cake into diamond-shaped slices, about seven to eight millimeters thick, and placed them in a large colander.

By then, the oil in the pot had warmed slightly, reaching about 30% heat. Dai Jianli submerged the colander into the oil, and small, dense bubbles gradually formed on the surface of the Chicken Cake.

Like Furong Chicken Slices, this Chicken Cake also had to be fried in lukewarm oil to maintain its tenderness as much as possible.

Lin Xu recalled his mother performing a similar step of passing ingredients through oil when she made Soft-baked Tofu in the past.

It turned out that Soft Burned Chicken Cake followed the same procedure.

They’re really treating the Chicken Cake just like tofu.

The Chicken Cake didn’t need to be fried for long; the goal was merely to let its surface tighten slightly. This would prevent it from breaking apart during the simmering process.

Once fried, the Chicken Cake pieces were removed and immediately soaked in warm water to remove excess grease.

He poured out the oil from the pot and added a small piece of lard. Once it melted, he tossed in a few Sichuan peppercorns to fry until fragrant, then removed them. Next, he added the shredded green onions, followed by the Chicken Cake, which he had drained.

Without stirring, he poured a large ladleful of rich chicken broth down the side of the pot. Then he began to season, adding table salt, white sugar, pepper, and a dash of light soy sauce.

He brought it to a boil over high heat, then reduced the heat to a simmer, allowing the sauce to fully penetrate the Chicken Cake.

Finally, he thickened the sauce with a little Water Starch, drizzled over some chicken oil, and transferred the dish to a plate.

The entire simmering process wasn’t complicated, but it demanded care. The Chicken Cake was extremely tender, and any rough handling could easily cause it to break apart into a mush.

After plating the dish, Dai Jianli looked at Lin Xu and asked, "How is it, brother? Have you learned it?"

"Almost," Lin Xu replied. "I plan to go home and practice thoroughly today. If I have any questions, I’ll consult you again, Chef Dai."

"You’re too kind, brother. Feel free to ask anything; there’s no need for such formality between us."

Dai Jianli pointed to the dish on the plate and said to Lin Xu, "Try it. See how it tastes."

Do I even need to taste it? The flavor is undoubtedly delicious.

But grumbling inwardly was one thing; Lin Xu still immediately picked up a pair of chopsticks and a small saucer.

A dish like this required a saucer underneath, as it was very easy to break when picking it up.

He carefully picked up a slice of Chicken Cake with his chopsticks, placed it on the saucer, blew on it gently, and then eagerly took a bite.

Just like tofu, even though he had blown on it, the first bite still scalded his mouth slightly.

The first sensation was the fresh taste of chicken, immediately followed by the rich aroma of lard.

Beyond the taste, the delicate texture of the Chicken Meatball and the unctuousness of the lard intertwined, creating a profound sense of happiness that welled up from the bottom of his heart.

It was truly wonderful.

Suppressing the burning sensation in his mouth, Lin Xu gave Dai Jianli a thumbs-up, "Master Dai, your skill is incredible!"

Dai Jianli waved his hand modestly. "This is about the extent of my abilities," he said. "However, at the Fishing Platform, my Chicken Cake is considered quite good. If it were Old Song, you could take him apart bone by bone, and he still wouldn’t be able to make this..."

Before he could finish speaking, Song Dahai’s voice boomed from outside, "You son of a gun, say that again if you dare!"