I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 612 - 289: A High-End Sichuan Dish With Both Aesthetic and Flavor - Snowflake Chicken Nao! [Subscribe Requested]

Chapter 612: Chapter 289: A High-End Sichuan Dish With Both Aesthetic and Flavor - Snowflake Chicken Nao! [Subscribe Requested]

Eating the delicious breakfast, Shen Baobao completely forgot about her stomach discomfort.

She held a fried dough roll, enjoying it immensely with pickles and a dish of cucumber mixed with fried dough sticks. Occasionally, she would take a big slurp of the delicious vegetable porridge, displaying her straightforward and unpretentious Yanjing girl demeanor to the fullest.

"Xu Bao, what was the name of the dish you said you were going to make again?"

"Snowflake Chicken Nao."

"Nao? As in the ’nao’ from ’nao teng’ (making a fuss)?"

Lin Xu initially thought his Baobao was just joking to liven up the atmosphere. But seeing the curiosity on his father-in-law’s and mother-in-law’s faces, he wrote down the character:

"It means ’mud.’ The dish involves preparing the chicken to a mud-like consistency that resembles snowflakes."

Upon hearing this, Shen Guofu immediately slammed the table.

"Let’s make this one! Today, I’d like to see if my brothers-in-law dare to mock me again. Shuzhen, don’t you dare tip them off. I’m determined to get them back today."

He came from a poor background, and graduating from high school was quite an achievement in those days.

But compared to the Han Family, where everyone was a senior doctor, the gap was rather large. It was only normal for him to be looked down upon.

Over the years, Old Shen had always harbored a grudge.

Now, the chance for payback had finally arrived.

He didn’t believe those doctors in white coats could correctly pronounce the name of the dish. He especially doubted they could correctly pronounce the character "Nao"—most likely, they would mispronounce it, just as he himself had initially.

Hmph, hmph. When the time comes, I’ll throw those words ’uncultured’ right back at them.

After the meal, Shen Guofu drove, taking Grandma Shen, Han Shuzhen, and Dundun back to the West Fourth Ring Villa to entertain relatives.

Meanwhile, Lin Xu and Shen Baobao headed back to the restaurant.

First, they prepared the mooncakes for the day. Then, they gathered the ingredients for Snowflake Chicken Nao—chicken breast, stock, and Jinhua Ham—and drove to the West Fourth Ring Villa to prepare lunch.

Snowflake Chicken Nao needed to be garnished with ham, specifically the richer-flavored Jinhua Ham, to ensure the dish was fragrant and delicious.

If they used Xuanwei Ham or another type, it would be somewhat lacking.

Since only a small amount of ham was needed, just sprinkling some finely chopped ham on the dish after plating was sufficient. Lighter-tasting hams like Xuanwei Ham would lose their saltiness and fragrance when chopped so finely.

Only the more intensely flavored Jinhua Ham, which was thoroughly cured and deeply fermented, was up to the job.

Sprinkling it on the cooked Snowflake Chicken Nao not only added fragrance and color, but the ham’s unique savory umami flavor also enriched the otherwise mild dish, making it more delectable.

In Sichuan cuisine, these finely chopped ham bits, when used as a topping, were often referred to as a "ham mantle" or "ham covering."

In the past, when resources were scarce and ingredients limited, Jinhua Ham was synonymous with high-end ingredients. Chefs would sprinkle finely chopped ham on dishes as a garnish, much like modern chefs use black truffles.

In fact, some chefs, in pursuit of a sense of luxury, even sprinkled black truffles on Snowflake Chicken Nao.

Although this indeed elevated the dish’s perceived luxury, such a practice was incorrect.

Because Snowflake Chicken Nao is inherently mild in flavor, it needs a sprinkle of savory ham to add layers to its taste profile, making it even more captivating.

Black truffles, possessing umami but lacking saltiness, wouldn’t stimulate the appetite in the same way and were thus purely a waste of ingredients in this context.

Upon arriving at the Shen Family villa, the relatives had not yet arrived. Lin Xu carried the ingredients into the kitchen, while Shen Baobao went upstairs to change into her chef’s uniform.

Ehehe! It was finally time for Chef Shen to take the stage again!

With relatives present today, it was naturally a time to showcase her culinary skills.

Although she and Chen Yan had even obtained health certificates to break into the culinary world, they wouldn’t dare mess around in the Lin Ji’s Food kitchen. After all, it was a place of business, not suitable for playing around.

But at home, it was a different story.

Tying up her lustrous black hair, she donned a pristine white chef’s uniform, complete with a tall toque blanche nearly a foot high. She then cheerfully greeted the pretty chef in the mirror:

"Hello, Chef Shen!"

After making sure her attire was impeccable, Chef Shen stepped into the kitchen wearing her canvas shoes.

At the kitchen entrance, she didn’t rush to start working. Instead, she first took a lovely selfie with the pots and pans in the background and posted it to her social media feed:

"This Mid-Autumn Festival, Executive Chef Shen Jiayue of Lin Ji’s Food wishes everyone a happy family reunion and a joyful Mooncake Festival! Today, I’ll be presenting an uncommon and delicious dish to my family. Stay tuned!"

Once Xu Bao makes that... what was it, Snowflake Chicken Nao... I’ll seize the chance to snap a picture and post it to my feed.

Hehe, the dishes my Xu Bao cooks... well, if you round things up, it’s practically like I cooked them myself! Perfectly logical, right?

After posting the update, this young lady tucked her phone into her pocket and, looking at Lin Xu, asked:

"Xu Bao, I’m here! Is there anything I can help with?"

Lin Xu looked at her attire curiously and asked:

"First, tell me what you’re planning to make. Then I can figure out how to coordinate."

"I was thinking of steaming an egg custard for each family member, but using individual steaming cups... wouldn’t that be quite wasteful?"

If there were fewer dishes, making an individual egg custard for everyone would be easy.

But with so many dishes today, everyone would at most take a couple of bites of the custard. If she made too much, it would indeed be a waste. Chef Shen was a bit troubled by this.

Lin Xu adjusted the girl’s chef hat and said with a smile:

"You could make steamed eggs in orange shells. The portions would be small, they’re delicious, visually appealing, and it would definitely surprise the relatives."

Steamed eggs in orange shells?

Shen Baobao’s eyes lit up.

Thank you, Xu Bao, for giving me a new idea for the egg custard!

Meanwhile, Chen Yan, who had secretly indulged in a pile of takeout last night, had just woken up to find it was already past nine o’clock.