I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 614 - 289: A High-End Sichuan Cuisine with Both Looks and Taste—Snowflake Chicken Nao! [Subscribe]_3

Chapter 614: Chapter 289: A High-End Sichuan Cuisine with Both Looks and Taste—Snowflake Chicken Nao! [Subscribe]_3

The meat paste was poured in and stirred until evenly mixed, allowing the two types of paste to fuse.

With the addition of egg white, the small amount of meat paste at the bottom of the bowl significantly increased in volume. This was why a single chicken breast could make an entire dish; the volume added by whipped egg white was truly considerable. Without egg white, at least two chicken breasts would be needed for one dish.

Once the meat paste was ready, Lin Xu boiled the prepared ham in plain water. Boiling it this way allowed the fermented aroma in the ham to dissipate and also extracted excess salt, making the ham more fragrant and delicious.

Just as the ham began to boil, Chen Yan, dressed like a supermarket promoter, walked into the kitchen. "Looks like everything’s prepared. Wait a moment. I’ll go upstairs to change. Then, Chef Chen will lead you all in completing today’s hospitality task."

She marched upstairs like a teenager in her ’rebellious phase.’

While rinsing oranges, Shen Baobao pouted. "Calling herself a head chef when she can’t even make Orange Steamed Eggs? ’Lousy chef’ is more like it."

After grumbling, she asked Lin Xu, "Xu Bao, where should I cut it open again? I’ve forgotten!"

Lin Xu walked over, picked up an orange, and pointed to its upper third, saying, "About here. After cutting it open, use a spoon to scoop out the pulp. Add some sugar to the pulp to make juice, then mix the egg wash and orange juice in a 1-to-1.5 ratio. Pour the mixture back into the orange rind and steam for a few minutes."

The method for Orange Steamed Egg was relatively simple. Of course, it could be made more complicated, such as by meticulously peeling out segments of orange flesh and adding them to the egg mixture for a better texture. But considering Shen Baobao’s and his sister-in-law’s cooking skills, he wisely refrained from making that suggestion.

Sometime later, he removed the boiled ham and set it aside to cool. Once cool, he first sliced the lean part into one-millimeter thick slices, then julienned them. Finally, he diced the julienne strips into small pieces, slightly larger than sesame seeds. This step required cutting, not chopping; the finer the cut, the better the result.

By eleven in the morning, with all the ingredients prepped, Lin Xu set a wok on the stove and began to cook.

To prevent any dark flecks from appearing in subsequent dishes cooked in the wok, Lin Xu decided to prepare the Snowflake Chicken Nao first. In Chinese cuisine, dishes made with meat paste like this one are more challenging than ordinary dishes because the paste can easily scorch and stick to the bottom of the wok when heated. Moreover, with continuous heat from the stove, any paste stuck to the bottom would eventually burn, creating black specks that would mix into the dish, ruining its appearance and imbuing it with a burnt taste. Such dishes were best prepared on a professional restaurant stove, which had strong flames and heated up quickly, minimizing the chances of sticking.

To prevent sticking, Lin Xu heated the wok on the stove until it was red-hot before adding a spoonful of salad oil to season it. After this initial oiling, he poured out the oil, reheated the wok, and repeated the process. He did this three times in total. Finally, Lin Xu poured out the oil from the wok and added a large spoonful of gleaming white lard. To achieve a rich egg-like aroma and a snow-white color for the Snowflake Chicken Nao, lard was essential. It was a colorless fat with a rich mouthfeel that could elevate the quality of the dish.

Soon, the lard in the wok melted. Once the oil was hot, he poured half of the prepared meat paste into the wok. Household stoves had weaker flames, making it easy for food to stick and scorch, so it was crucial to cook in batches.

As soon as the meat paste hit the hot wok, Lin Xu began to constantly push it across the bottom with a spoon. This technique dislodged the paste that had set upon contact with the hot oil, making room for the unset portion. If he were using a professional restaurant stove, the meat paste would have set by now. But at this moment, it was still half-solid and half-liquid; it would take a little longer for the paste to solidify completely.

"Wow, is this the Snowflake Chicken Nao? It looks so beautiful!" Shen Baobao leaned over for a look and immediately fell in love with its snowy white color.

Lin Xu stirred rapidly in the wok with a spoon. Before long, the seemingly plentiful oil was completely absorbed by the meat paste, and there were slight signs of sticking at the bottom of the wok. Fortunately, by this time, all the meat paste had firmed up. He stir-fried the lumpy meat paste a few times, then pressed it gently with the back of the spoon to ensure no part of it was still raw before transferring it to a plate.

The meat paste appeared in fluffy, white clumps, similar to scrambled eggs, but its snow-white color made it look even more tempting.

Lin Xu grabbed a handful of minced ham and sprinkled it on top. The white morsels of chicken and dark red minced ham created a striking contrast, giving the dish a very sophisticated appearance.

Lin Xu handed the dish to Shen Guofu, who was waiting outside, saying, "Dad, this dish is ready. You can let everyone have a taste."

"Alright, alright! We’ve been waiting for this." Plate in hand, Old Shen hurried to the living room where the relatives were gathered. He had been waiting all morning for this moment.

Returning to the kitchen, Lin Xu saw that Chen Yan and Shen Baobao had stopped their prep work. He asked curiously, "What happened?"

"Several oranges were cut badly, so we’re a bit short. We’re going out to buy a few more."

"Then go ahead. I’ll start steaming these for you."

Upon hearing this, the sisters didn’t even bother changing their clothes, excitedly hopped into the X1, and drove to a nearby large supermarket to buy oranges.

When they arrived at the supermarket, Chen Yan was parking when she spotted a pancake stall in a nearby alley. It would still be a while before their meal at home, and she hadn’t eaten breakfast. With this in mind, she said to Shen Baobao, "You go in and buy them; just pick large ones. I’m going to buy a pancake to tide me over."

"Okay, let’s meet back at the car later."

After they split up, Chen Yan, still in her chef’s uniform and hat, quickly made her way to the pancake stall. Only as she got closer did she notice that the pancake vendor was tall and well-built, probably in his twenties. He wore a fashionable Bluetooth earpiece, and his head bobbed slightly, as if he were listening to music.

He’s not bad looking, and his stall is quite clean. Maybe he’s like my brother-in-law, a master of both looks and cooking.

But he seems to lack business sense. So many people are passing by out on the main street, yet he sets up in an alley. Does he have something against making money?

Good thing I have a keen eye; otherwise, he might not have made a single sale all morning.

Thinking this, she walked up to the stall and said to the tall owner, "Give me one pancake, add two eggs, and plenty of crispy bits."

With that, she took out her phone to pay.

The pancake vendor seemed a bit hesitant but still ladled a scoop of mixed-grain batter onto the hot plate. Then, rotating the hot plate, he used a spreader to flatten the batter. But as he spread it, he was clearly distracted, constantly looking around, and not applying enough pressure. The batter spread unevenly, some of it even oozing off the edge of the hot plate.

Chen Yan frowned. He looks the part, but his technique is worse than my cousin’s! What a waste of his good looks.

She pursed her lips in dissatisfaction.

The stall owner also noticed something was wrong and smiled apologetically, saying, "Sorry, I just set up. My bad. I’ll make you a new one."

He then scraped the misshapen pancake off with a spatula and started over. Although the vendor was very serious this time, his poor skills meant he still couldn’t control the pressure well, and the pancake was ruined again.

Chen Yan looked at him, conflicted. Seriously, man, if you can’t cook, you don’t have to run a stall. No need to force yourself like this.

She was just about to ask for her money back when an idea from an internet meme popped into her head. She asked softly, "Comrade, are you undercover or something?"

Sorry for the late update today. This Chapter is 5,500 words. Brothers, I need your Monthly Tickets!