I'm the Culinary God

"Today we’re not making Braised Pork Belly; instead, I’ll prepare a lost dish called Red Stew Meat. The method is quite simple. As for the taste, you’ll know once you try it."

A Perfect Level dish might not taste great, but it shouldn’t be too bad either. Why not take this opportunity to cook the meat and give it a try? If it’s good, then we’ve discovered another delicious dish.

Besides Red Stew Meat, Lin Xu thinks they should soon find time to make Tea Oil Duck as well.

We can try it during May Day; if it’s good, we’ll produce it in large quantities. It can not only be a new item in the store to sell but also be sealed and sold online.

This type of pre-marinated duck can be eaten just by steaming it. With the aroma of Tea Oil permeating it, I’m sure many would want to buy and taste it.

Red Stew Meat?

Shen Jiayue became interested:

"Great, great, we’ll wait to taste it then."

Based on experience, whenever Lin Xu makes a dish no one has tried before, it leads to a culinary storm.

Upon arriving in the kitchen, Lin Xu picked up a five-pound piece of pork belly. The skin had been singed and thoroughly cleaned, ready for cooking at any time.

He cut the meat into mahjong-sized pieces and prepared half a bowl of sweet bean paste.

In this dish, sweet bean paste serves the dual purpose of flavoring and coloring, so the amount shouldn’t be too sparse.

Other than meat and sweet bean paste, the rest is just Rice Wine.

The method is so simple that Lin Xu even questions whether he can do it correctly.

He washed the meat once more, arranged the pieces in a clay pot, poured in Rice Wine to level the pork, and then added most of the sweet bean paste from the bowl.

After putting the sweet bean paste in the pot, he stirred it cautiously with chopsticks before turning on the heat to start cooking.

Soon, the Rice Wine in the pot began to boil. The lid shouldn’t be covered yet; the alcohol from the Rice Wine needs to evaporate to carry away the pork’s odor.

As for the sweet bean paste, it has already melded with the Rice Wine and settled on much of the pork.

After ten minutes, when no smell of alcohol wafted from the pot, Lin Xu covered the pot and turned the heat to the lowest setting, commencing to cook by stewing.

During cooking, when alcohol is involved, the lid should not be covered.

The purpose of adding alcohol is to use its volatility to remove the food’s odors and impurities. Once covered, the intended aromas are driven back into the food by the alcohol, having the opposite effect.

With the meat simmering on low heat, Lin Xu, having some free time, picked up his phone and called Lao Huang to order a hundred cleaned ducks and eighty pounds of Tea Oil.

If we’re going to make it, we shouldn’t make too little. Later we’ll have a car bring a large jar home, store it in the top-floor utility room, and in four months, the delicacy will be ready.

Making too little would mean waiting another four months to enjoy it. It’s better to complete it in one step.

Besides this preservation, Lin Xu plans to cure another hundred ducks after the New Year for personal consumption.

As for Tea Oil Duck produced in bulk later, we’ll figure that out when the time comes.

"Wow, is this meat simmering in the pot? This sweet bean paste aroma is really comforting."

Wei Qian leaned closer, sniffing the fragrance emanating from the clay pot, and couldn’t help but twitch his nose.

Lin Xu said:

"This is an ancient method for Red Stew Meat. I’m trying it out; if it’s good, our store will have another rare dish."

Upon hearing about rare dishes, Wei Qian brightened up:

"How is this Red Stew Meat made? Teach me."

Lin Xu briefly explained the method.

Honestly, the preparation of Red Stew Meat is so simple that anyone hearing its entire process wouldn’t believe it.

Take Zhu Yong, for example; upon hearing the method, he immediately asked:

"Isn’t this too simple? Doesn’t the sweet bean paste need to be stir-fried? Without frying, the aroma won’t come out."

Wei Qian replied:

"No stir-frying is needed; if you fry, the coloring happens too fast, requiring raw paste. Wait for the Rice Wine to complete its evaporation, then the sweet bean paste will, under the influence of pork oil, release its fragrance and gradually color."

The coloring of Red Stew Meat is particularly slow. The method has strictly defined that once it turns red, it’s ready to be removed from the pot.

This indicates that the coloring occurs last. The reason might be that when the Rice Wine has fully evaporated, the fat in the pork has been rendered, allowing the pork oil to bring aroma and color from the sweet bean paste.

As someone who has dealt extensively with pork, Wei Qian immediately noticed the ingenuity of the process.

Lin Xu followed the system-provided technique and hadn’t really thought about it.

Hearing Wei Qian’s explanation, he said:

"If we consider it this way, the pork shouldn’t be browned or parboiled beforehand; otherwise, the pork oil would render early, affecting the final coloring."

No wonder the process doesn’t mention parboiling or browning; it turns out those steps aren’t feasible.

I’ve learned something new.

Let’s see how the meat turns out later; if it’s delicious, I can make it frequently in the future.

Wei Qian smiled and said:

"The simplest paths often have the best results; consider Lin Xu’s Braised Pork Belly, which uses just Soy Sauce, Crystal Sugar, and Rice Wine. Relative to Red Stew Meat, there’s only an additional seasoning, and Soy Sauce with Crystal Sugar, combined together, becomes sweet bean paste."

Many dishes are like this; they seem lost but are actually simplified by later generations by breaking down ingredients or steps.

Lin Xu feels this dish helps analyze the evolution of certain dishes.

An hour later, the sizzling sound emanating from the pot indicates that the cooking is complete.

Lin Xu lifted the lid, revealing that all Rice Wine had vanished, and the once-white meat now looked rosy.

The pork pieces displayed a translucent amber color, signifying perfect stewing.

Using chopsticks to pick up the meat, it surprisingly separated immediately, showing that this waterless stew method made the meat tender and thoroughly cooked.

He carefully transferred the meat to a bowl, drizzling the remaining oil over it, finally finishing the dish.

Red Stew Meat must be eaten with its oil, as the sweet bean paste’s aroma is all within the oil; without it, the dish’s fragrance would be significantly diminished.

"Wei Qian, there are some left in the pot; try them later. I’ll take these out first."

"Alright, let’s have Niu Chuan steam some hollow buns to eat with the meat pieces."

Lin Xu brought out a small bowl of Red Stew Meat, where Shen Jiayue and others were eagerly awaiting.

Seeing the meat in the bowl, they exclaimed:

"Wow, this meat’s color is so beautiful!"

"So fragrant, the aroma makes one want to taste it."

"Quickly, I’ve already scooped the rice and am waiting for this meat as a side dish."

"..."

Without even taking photos, everyone hurriedly stretched out their chopsticks, carefully picking up the meat from the bowl to taste...

————————

This Chapter is 5200 words; guys, requesting Monthly Tickets! The double Monthly Tickets have started, remember to vote if you have any!