I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 589 - 281: The Mapo Chicken Cake that’s even more delicious than Mapo Tofu! Come on, serve the meal! [Subscribe please]_4

Chapter 589: Chapter 281: The Mapo Chicken Cake that’s even more delicious than Mapo Tofu! Come on, serve the meal! [Subscribe please]_4

When making Mapo Tofu, there is a step that involves blanching the tofu.

However, Chicken Cake cannot be blanched; it can only be passed through hot oil. This not only increases the Chicken Cake’s surface elasticity but also enhances its aromatic fragrance.

While the oil was heating, Lin Xu cut the almost-dried Chicken Cake into 1.5-centimeter square cubes, the standard requirement for Mapo Tofu.

The cut Chicken Cake was carefully placed into a large slotted spoon and then submerged into oil heated to about 90 degrees Celsius, beginning the deep-frying process.

This step could not be rushed; it had to be fried slowly to dry out the moisture on the Chicken Cake’s surface. Otherwise, one would literally "be too anxious to eat hot tofu."

When it was nearly done frying, the Chicken Cake was lifted out and then rinsed with hot water to wash off the grease on its surface.

After rinsing, it was set aside for later use.

Next came the cooking segment.

Lin Xu set a wok on the stove. He first seasoned it, then added cooking oil to the wok.

After the oil was hot, he quickly stir-fried the beef cubes, pressing them against the wok with the back of a spoon to help their internal moisture escape faster, achieving the goal of quick drying.

Stir-frying the beef cubes required patience. He flipped them until a sizzling sound could be heard when they were stirred, indicating that the surface had crisped.

He was then ready for the next step: Lin Xu poured the prepared chili powder into the wok.

He continued to stir-fry, bringing out the dry and pungent notes of the chili, until only its spicy fragrance remained.

After the aroma emerged, Doubanjiang was added.

Adding Doubanjiang at this point not only prevented the chili powder from burning but also enhanced the effect of the Red Oil.

Once the Red Oil was rendered, he added a large bowl of Beef Bone Stock.

Using stock to enhance the fragrance of Mapo Tofu was in line with the eight-character maxim’s requirement for "fragrance."

But the aroma of Beef Bone Stock alone was not enough; it was too plain. Additional fragrances from the beef cubes, Doubanjiang, Chicken Cake, garlic shoots, chili, and more were also needed.

All these fragrances combined constituted the true sense of "fragrance."

After adding the Beef Bone Soup, he poured in some Dark Soy Sauce to darken the base color, then added a spoonful of sugar to integrate the flavors.

After stirring, he poured the Chicken Cake from the large slotted spoon into the mix.

The most critical step was at hand.

Lin Xu gently pushed the Chicken Cake in the wok with the back of the spoon, afraid that the seemingly delicate Chicken Cakes would fall apart.

However, thanks to his good control of his strength and the well-executed step of oiling the wok before stir-frying, the Chicken Cakes simply slid around the bottom of the wok and then mixed with the sauce.

The first step was a success!

Lin Xu covered the wok, allowing the sauce to fully penetrate the Chicken Cake and the heat to transfer inside.

The eight-character maxim’s requirement for "scalding" dictated that each bite of the main ingredient must be mouth-burningly hot when served; therefore, it was crucial to cook it thoroughly now.

If the Chicken Cake had any coolness at its core, it would indicate a complete failure.

Given the System’s nature, it probably wouldn’t even reach Qualified Level.

While the contents of the wok simmered, Lin Xu brought over the pea starch he had soaked while making the Chicken Cake.

After simmering, the most classic and difficult step of this Mapo Tofu variation was next: thickening the sauce.

For those who understood cooking, thickening a sauce wasn’t difficult.

The difficulty lay in the fact that the sauce needed to be thickened three times, with each thickening serving a different purpose.

The intervals between each addition, the amount of starch slurry, and its concentration also varied each time.

Without an experienced master guiding them, one couldn’t even begin to learn this dish properly.

Lin Xu lifted the lid. The pea starch in the basin had settled, separating from the water, so it needed stirring before use.

For the first thickening, he scooped up about half a ladleful of the settled starch and mixed it with the water above to create a Water Starch slurry.

After mixing, he scooped up half a ladleful of this slurry and poured it into the wok in a fan-like motion.

This step was to thicken the sauce somewhat, so a generous amount was required, and it had to be distributed evenly.

Immediately after adding it, he used the back of the ladle to gently push the Chicken Cake, stirring the sauce in the wok to ensure the Water Starch was evenly blended and could take effect.

Once the sauce in the wok had thickened, he dipped the ladle back into the Water Starch, digging into the settled starch at the bottom and stirring to make the slurry even thicker than before.

He scooped up a little less than half a ladleful and poured it into the wok again.

This step aimed to make the ingredients more tender, so he tried to pour it primarily onto the Chicken Cake in the wok.

He wanted the Chicken Cake pieces to be coated with the starch, which would lock in moisture and also make their surface tender and smooth. This achieved the "tender" aspect of the eight-character maxim.

Lin Xu stirred and flipped the contents of the wok a few more times. Finally, he used the ladle to scoop a little of the thickest starch from the very bottom of the basin, drained off any excess water from the ladle, and then incorporated this concentrated starch into the wok.

This step was to make the sauce cling to the ingredients.

It was a well-known technique in Sichuan cooking called "sauce-coating."

The so-called sauce-coating is a cooking method that involves the sauce enrobing the surface of the ingredients. Fish-flavored Meat Shreds is a classic example of this type of dish in Sichuan cuisine.

After this step, the sauce in the wok had completely reduced and thickened, tightly enveloping the Chicken Cake.

The lustrous red color and rich aroma were simply irresistible.

However, it still wasn’t time to taste.

Lin Xu poured the chopped garlic shoots into the wok, stirred them a couple of times, and then transferred the dish from the wok into a large bowl.

The authentic version of Mapo Tofu must be served in a bowl to achieve the "scalding" aspect of the eight-character maxim. Only then will it retain the mouth-burning hot sensation while eating.

If it were served on a plate, the heat would dissipate quickly, losing the scalding sensation in just a few minutes, and along with it, the essence of Mapo Tofu.

Once plated, he used a small spoon to sprinkle the freshly ground Sichuan peppercorn powder on top. The "numbing" aspect of the eight-character maxim was now in place, and the dish was ready to be served.

"Damn! What is this dish?"

While Lin Xu was cooking, although Zhuang Yizhou and the others were watching nearby, no one dared to speak for fear of disturbing him.

Now that the dish was out of the wok, everyone felt as if they could finally breathe again.

"Damn, using Chicken Cake to make Mapo Tofu? That’s simply divine!"

"I’ve witnessed a miracle!"

"This flavor is absolutely heavenly!"

Wei Qian sniffed and called out to someone not far away, "Chezzo, bring out the rice! Today we really need to appreciate the boss’s cooking skills!"

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Sorry, everyone. When I was writing this, I was just focused on describing the dish to satisfy your cravings. Before I knew it, I’d written nearly seven thousand characters. I wanted to include an enticing picture of Mapo Tofu in this bonus Chapter, but after searching for a long time, I couldn’t find one I was satisfied with, which is quite disappointing.

Please vote with your Monthly Tickets, brothers! I’ll continue with a ten-thousand-character update tomorrow!