I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 663 - 305: A Supreme Delicacy Made of Stone - Stone Cooked Chrysanthemum! [Please Subscribe]_2

Chapter 663: Chapter 305: A Supreme Delicacy Made of Stone - Stone Cooked Chrysanthemum! [Please Subscribe]_2

In order to enjoy delicious hometown fried noodles at noon, they really used every trick in the book.

"Let’s get ready for lunch. Lunchtime might be a tough battle, so everyone try to eat a bit more. Don’t start getting hungry halfway through."

The fried noodles for today’s lunch were made by Wei Qian.

He made a large potful, which looked like braised noodles, but once the staff had a bowl and tasted it, they found it was even better than braised noodles.

While everyone was eating, Xie Baomin arrived at the restaurant.

All eyes turned to him, curious about how those stones were used. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"You all want to learn, right? Then come on, I’ll show you."

Xie Baomin wasn’t secretive either. Seeing everyone’s interest, and even their curiosity, he took the initiative to invite everyone to the kitchen to learn together.

"These pebbles were picked up from a stream during my last trip to West Mountain. After bringing them back, I cleaned them many times over and have used them a few times—they are really quite practical."

The reason he brought the stones over was that his wife, Su Peipei, happened to be visiting Haidian Middle School today for an exchange.

Haidian Middle School was just a step away from here, so he planned to have lunch at the restaurant and take the opportunity to experience the bustling scene at Lin Ji’s Food during the lunch rush.

Since his wife was coming for a meal, he naturally had to be more diligent.

Xie Baomin brought the stones over to make a dish that his wife had recently become addicted to, and at the same time, to teach Lin Xu the stone cooking technique.

Well, in the absence of the master, it was his duty as the senior apprentice to conduct the lesson. This was the only way to fulfill the master’s instructions before he left and to improve his junior apprentice’s culinary skills. Only with a good foundation in cooking could one learn the master’s more advanced dishes.

"Do you have Chrysanthemum? The tender ones?"

Entering the kitchen, Xie Baomin started giving out instructions.

The dish he was preparing today was called Stone Cooked Chrysanthemum, which involved cooking the Chrysanthemum with stones. It tasted fresh and savory, leaving a long-lasting flavor, and was exceptional whether served with rice or alcohol.

Soon, a basket of clean Chrysanthemum was brought over by Che Zai.

Xie Baomin looked at them, casually pinched off a few stems that were a bit old, and then said, "Find a clean ceramic bowl, one that can be heated on the stove."

Is it starting now?

Zhu Yong quickly brought over a white porcelain bowl used for making soup.

Xie Baomin inspected it and nodded, saying, "Good. This dish must be made with pure ceramic; otherwise, it’s likely to crack."

He wiped the inside and outside of the bowl dry with kitchen paper, then placed it on the stove and began to heat it on low heat.

Next, he set up a wok on another burner, filled it with water, and started blanching the stones.

"When cooking with stones, be sure to choose ones that are fairly fine in texture, not too large—just slightly smaller than an egg. If there are white pebbles available, choose the white ones."

Wei Qian, curious, asked, "Why choose white, Chef Xie? Is it because white can withstand higher temperatures?"

"No, it’s just prettier."

Those around him let out a collective sigh. They had assumed some crucial technique was involved. However, white stones did indeed add an aesthetic boost when cooking.

Lin Xu felt this dish might be worth learning; it could possibly become a popular item on the menu at the restaurant.

Besides the unique and attractive stone cooking technique, the most important aspect was that the ingredient was the healthy and highly beneficial Chrysanthemum.

In ancient times, Chrysanthemum was a tribute food, only available in the imperial palace.

Thus, this dish was also known as Emperor’s Vegetable.

Modern cultivation techniques have made the texture of Chrysanthemum tenderer and the flavor better, while cooking methods have also seen new breakthroughs. The Stone Cooked Chrysanthemum that Xie Baomin was preparing today was an innovative way to cook Chrysanthemum.

"Before using stones for cooking, they must be blanched every time because next they will be put into a wok of hot oil for heating. Therefore, the stones must be clean; otherwise, they will give the hot oil in the wok a burnt taste."

Oh?

They’re going to fry the stones in the wok?

This dish was really challenging everyone’s understanding.

There was no prep work and no seasoning. The process started with heating a ceramic bowl, then blanching stones, followed by frying them.

This was seemingly breaking all norms and rules of kitchen cooking procedures.

Xie Baomin was not one to go into much explanation. Instead, he stood quietly by the stove, waiting for the water in the wok to boil.

The scene looked quite comical. It was as if they were preparing a meat dish—starting with blanching and then frying—but using stones instead.

And the blanching was quite particular.

Everyone watched as Xie Baomin actually skimmed the scum off the water.

After the water boiled, he simmered the stones for a few more minutes to ensure they were clean, then poured them out to drain.

He washed out the wok, dried it, and then poured some used oil into it—the kind that had already been used a few times for frying other things.

This used oil, also known as waste oil, is not directly suitable for cooking but can be used to fry salted fish or to fry ingredients with strong odors like pork kidneys, making use of the otherwise discarded oil.

After pouring this waste oil into the wok, he heated it to medium-high.

Although he was frying stones, the oil temperature couldn’t be too high, to avoid a temperature difference so great it would cause the stones to crack.

At this point, there was still moisture on the surface of the stones, so when they were put into the hot oil, it caused the oil to bubble vigorously.

Xie Baomin didn’t mind and turned around to take the Chrysanthemum from the workbench, shook off the excess water, and then placed them in a stainless steel bowl to start marinating.

The chefs watching nearby unconsciously crowded closer. They all knew the most critical step of the dish was approaching, so it was essential to watch carefully.

Xie Baomin smiled and said,