I'm the Culinary God

At the same time, the soaked sea jellyfish in the clear soup bears a resemblance to a pine tree, which is why it has earned the nickname "Sea Floor Pine."

Qiu Yaozu briefly blanched the sea jellyfish and then cooled it in ice water.

Seizing the moment, he efficiently whipped several egg whites, adding a pinch of salt and some pepper, beating the egg whites with chopsticks.

"Egg whites shouldn’t be fully whipped; otherwise, they lose texture. Generally, they should be whipped to a creamy consistency. If the foam is too large, the texture will suffer greatly."

The whipped egg whites were poured into a bowl, covered with cling film, and placed in a steaming pot that had been brought to a boil.

Then, he took out the cooled sea jellyfish, angled it with a knife, and continued soaking it in clear water.

When steaming this kind of soup dish, the basic cooking principle is "let it come out when flavorful, let it enter when not." Sea jellyfish itself is flavorless, and to achieve a refreshing taste, it needs to be cooked with chicken soup and pepper.

The chicken soup enhances the jellyfish with a fresh flavor, while the pepper helps induce perspiration and relieve summer heat.

In the heat of summer, having a bowl of this soup helps alleviate the damp and oppressive heat.

Logically, it’s currently winter, making this dish unsuitable, but in the heated rooms of the North, one might feel some stuffiness, so at times like this, a bowl of clear soup made with sea jellyfish is needed.

The chicken soup at home is already prepared, and to achieve better clarity, Qiu Yaozu specifically used chicken meatball to sweep it, making the originally light tea-colored broth clearer.

With the soup ready and the egg whites steamed,

The sea floor pine in the basin was slightly expanded after being soaked in clear water.

Qiu Yaozu placed the wok on the stove, poured the prepared clear soup into it, added pepper, and then put the sea jellyfish slices in to simmer, allowing the fresh taste of the chicken soup to penetrate the jellyfish.

Once the fresh taste of the chicken soup emerged, he carefully poured the soup and jellyfish into a white porcelain bowl.

Using a metal spoon, he cautiously scraped the steamed egg whites into an oval shape, then gently placed them into the soup, allowing the egg whites to float on the surface.

Finally, he sprinkled some minced ham, completing the dish.

When making this dish, only adding some minced ham is sufficient; for the salty flavor, the ham does the job, no additional seasoning is necessary.

It seems very simple in terms of method,

But though simple, it’s not really simple, because whether it is whipping egg whites or cooking sea jellyfish, or even making clear soup, each task is quite challenging.

Just as Qiu Yaozu finished sprinkling the minced ham, Lin Xu silently chanted in his heart:

"Use Cooking Learning Card!"

Inside his mind, there was an immediate response:

"Learning subject: Qiu Yaozu. Current skill: General Sea Floor Pine Cooking Technique, do you wish to learn?"

Darn it, can I really learn this?

Lin Xu immediately chanted silently in his heart:

"Learn!"

Right away, he mastered the entire series of methods. This Cooking Learning Card was truly worth it.

After obtaining the skill, Lin Xu gained a completely new understanding of the entire series of dishes, though he was more interested in Furong Sea Floor Pine with Silver Lung.

This dish, which calls the thoroughly soaked, blood-free pork lung ’Silver Lung,’ piqued Lin Xu’s curiosity.

Pork lung, such an inexpensive ingredient, almost considered as an extra, can actually be made into a renowned dish?

He voiced this question, to which Qiu Yaozu smiled and replied:

"Stewed Silver Lung has always been a famous dish. Despite appearing ordinary, reaching the level of Silver Lung is challenging, especially when stewed with stock. The lung shrinks several times, and its taste and texture change, almost melting in your mouth. You won’t be disappointed once you try making it yourself."

Well, since he put it that way, I’ll have to try making it myself sometime.

Just as Lin Xu smiled and was about to say he’d prepare it when he had time, a system alert sounded in his mind:

"Host attempts a new dish, triggering the main quest [Reconnaissance Pig’s Lung]: The host is required to use the obtained technique to create a high-end clear soup dish with pork lung within ten days, thereby re-evaluating this ingredient, with a reward of one Perfect Level draw for offal dishes upon completion."

Great, another mission.

I’m a bit curious about what the prize will be this time.

He took a spoon, served a bowl of clear soup for himself and Qiu Yaozu, and was just about to taste it when Xie Baomin, Song Dahai, and Qiu Zhenhua walked in.

"What’s cooking that’s so delicious? The aroma hit us the moment we entered the door."

Xie Baomin, treating himself as one of the family, immediately noticed the bowl of Furong Sea Floor Pine upon entering the kitchen.

Qiu Yaozu, not too pleased, looked at him and said:

"What are you doing here? Worried I might bully your junior brother?"

Xie Baomin smiled:

"No, I just wanted to see what private lessons you were giving my junior brother; I thought I’d come and have a look too."

"How did Elder Gao end up with a disciple like you?"

Originally, Qiu Yaozu was quite comfortable with Lin Xu, but once Xie Baomin stepped in, the atmosphere changed. This shameless guy just started drinking the soup like it was nothing, never mind treating himself like he didn’t belong here.

In contrast, Song Dahai was much more restrained.

It wasn’t that Qiu Yaozu was scary, but this elder’s usual stern demeanor was naturally intimidating, exuding an air of authority without anger, which made him seem distant.

Moreover, he specialized in Huaiyang cuisine, which inherently carried a sense of detachment.

Qiu Zhenhua glanced at the simmering Three-in-One Duck in the clay pot and said with a smile:

"Call Siming and ask him to join us; he feels awkward, but this pot of Three-in-One Duck is not something you get to eat every day."