Gourmet: Twins' Father and Chef of the Kindergarten

At this moment...

The voice of Qian Guoxiang resounded at the entrance of the preparation room.

"Chef Huang, what are you up to?"

As he spoke, he was already beside the stove.

Seeing it was Qian Guoxiang, who was supposed to be on vacation, Huang Jun was somewhat surprised and asked, "Assistant Chef Qian, why are you here?"

Qian Guoxiang laughed and said, "I was bored at home, so I thought I’d come to the kindergarten for some fun. I saw the kitchen door open and decided to take a look. I ran into Qingqing and Weiwei in the hall; they said you were in the preparation room, so here I am. Oh, by the way, Chef Huang, what are you busy with?"

Huang Jun was busy pouring the washed rice into the hot pot, the spatula flying in his hand, as he sautéed and answered Qian Guoxiang’s query: "Mayor Yang’s stomach is a bit uncomfortable, so I’m preparing some digestive porridge for him!"

"Digestive porridge? Isn’t it usually just boiled directly? I’ve never seen this fried rice operation before."

Qian Guoxiang looked puzzled.

To be honest, Huang Jun’s method overturned his inherent understanding of making digestive porridge.

Huang Jun smiled and explained, "I’m frying scorched rice! This is a wonderful thing where medicine and food share the same origin. Rice itself is a good thing for strengthening the spleen and stomach, sweet in taste and neutral in nature, entering the spleen and stomach channels, capable of tonifying the middle, benefiting qi, and strengthening the body. But once fried, its efficacy is multiplied. When rice is fried to a scorched yellow, the starch inside turns into activated carbon, a treasure that absorbs moisture, odors, and impurities in the body, helping to detoxify the intestines, strengthen the spleen, and dispel dampness. Usually, using fried rice to brew tea is also a great way to cleanse the intestines and protect the spleen and stomach."

Qian Guoxiang’s eyes lit up as he listened and pointed to the soaked dried tangerine peel beside him: "And what’s the story with this dried tangerine peel?"

Huang Jun laughed and continued to explain, "This is Xinhui dried tangerine peel, spicy, sweet, and warm in nature, with a unique aroma, a top-quality item where medicine and food are the same. It can promote qi and strengthen the spleen, stop vomiting, resolve phlegm, and also open the appetite, facilitate digestion, and dry dampness to relieve greasiness. Having some at home is a great choice, whether for brewing tea, cooking dishes, making soup, or porridge. Adding it to today’s digestive porridge makes it even better, with the effect doubling."

Qian Guoxiang did not expect Huang Jun to have such a deep understanding of ingredients; he was fascinated by what he heard and greatly admired Huang Jun’s culinary skills and use of ingredients.

"Chef Huang, you’re truly a gourmet in medicinal cuisine; I never noticed before!"

Huang Jun waved his hand with a cheerful smile: "Oh, it’s nothing, just a little knowledge."

"Chef Huang, being overly modest is just being proud!"

Qian Guoxiang joked with a smile.

With a keen eye, he saw that the dried tangerine peel Huang Jun had soaked was almost ready, so he volunteered: "Chef Huang, should the dried tangerine peel be shredded now? Let me help you, I’m free anyway."

"Alright, then I’ll trouble you, Assistant Qian."

Huang Jun nodded and agreed with a smile.

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all..."

Qian Guoxiang immediately got to work, deftly slicing the dried tangerine peel into fine strips.

Huang Jun, on the other hand, turned down the heat and continued to stir-fry, ensuring each grain of rice was evenly heated.

As the stir-frying continued, the rice gradually took on a light golden hue, emitting an enticing scorched aroma.

When the scorched aroma reached perfection, he turned off the heat, but he didn’t rush to plate the scorched rice; instead, he let it continue to heat in the pan using the residual warmth, allowing the aroma to penetrate further into the grains.

During this interlude, he quickly fetched a large clay pot, cleaning it thoroughly.

Then, he added part of the fried scorched rice, the shredded dried tangerine peel, washed red dates, and an appropriate amount of clear water into the clay pot, bringing it to a boil over high heat...