The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 133 A Distinctive Saltiness

Upon hearing Zhao Qian's words, the others also turned their gazes to Qin Lang, with Ruan Cen waving her hand and urging, "What are you still standing there for?"

"Go cook!"

Seeing this, Qin Lang didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Please wait a moment."

As he spoke, he picked up the main ingredients he had chosen: green peppers and pork foreleg, and strode towards the kitchen.

"Ok?"

Zhao Qian, who had only just realized what ingredients Qin Lang had chosen, couldn't help but widen her eyes in disbelief.

What did she see?
chili?!
If I remember correctly, the theme of this food recommender assessment should be "distinctive saltiness", right?

Adding chili peppers would just mask the saltiness, wouldn't it?

What's more, Qin Lang chose pork!
"The ingredients Qin Lang chose... aren't they a bit off?"

Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Ruan Cen, has Qin Lang changed the cooking theme?"

“Of course not.” Ruan Cen shook her head slightly. “Qin Lang’s cooking theme is the same as yours, which is ‘distinctive saltiness’.”

"As for why he chose these ingredients..." A glint of light flashed in Ruan Cen's eyes, "Let's see how he performs."

Saltiness is an essential yet easily overlooked flavor in traditional dishes, to the point that it has been categorized as a "dark cuisine" flavor.

But Ruan Cen knew very well that a truly excellent chef should have a very accurate grasp of flavor, and that saltiness could be just as prominent, surpassing sour, sweet, spicy, and umami, becoming the main color of a dish!
That was what Ruan Cen had been pursuing all his life. In his decades-long history as a food recommender, whenever a spirit chef he favored came to take the food recommender test, the theme was always "distinctive saltiness".

What kind of answer will the boy in the kitchen give?

He was curious.
-
"Gulu gulu?"

Inside the kitchen, before Qin Lang could finish counting the ingredients and seasonings, Danbao volunteered to come over.

Upon seeing the frozen pork foreleg in the refrigerator, it knew its time to make its appearance!
“The pork foreleg does need to be processed with freshness, but wait a moment.” Qin Lang held down the restless Danbao, rummaged through the cupboard, and quickly took out a small bag of things with a light laugh. “I found it.”

Upon opening the bag, a small bag of dried white fungus came into view.

Wood ear mushrooms are better suited to growing in damp, shady places. Places like Wuyin Mountain, which are shrouded in mist all year round and not exposed to direct sunlight, are the easiest for them to grow. Although Ruan Cen's courtyard does not have any special cultivation, Qin Lang guessed that since the other party has lived here for many years, he must be looking for some mountain delicacies.

Qin Lang pulled a small handful of dried white fungus from the bag and placed it in front of Danbao along with a piece of pork foreleg. "Here you go."

After being promoted to one star, Egg Treasure's Freshness can be applied to two ingredients at the same time, but they must be applied simultaneously. You cannot make one ingredient fresh first and then make the other ingredient fresh immediately.

This is also why Qin Lang stopped Danbao earlier.

Egg Baby cheered and then started blowing on the food.

Frozen pork foreleg meat visibly transformed into fresh pork foreleg meat, naturally completing the thawing process, while dried white fungus regained its moisture and looked like it had just been picked.

This is not only more efficient than soaking, but the taste of fresh white fungus is also incomparable to that of soaked white fungus.

While Danbao was using his cooking skills, Qin Lang had already picked out all the necessary seasonings and started the actual cooking process.

Separate the lean and fatty parts of the pork foreleg, and slice each into thin slices according to a 3:7 ratio of fat to lean. Marinate the lean meat with oyster sauce, soy sauce, cooking wine, and a little cornstarch. Heat oil in a wok and stir-fry the sliced ​​fatty meat.

"Fuck-"

With a slightly sharp sizzling sound, the aroma of lard intensified and spread throughout the kitchen.

Upon smelling the aroma, Danbao immediately thought of the many bowls of plain noodles he had eaten yesterday, and his mouth watered instantly.

It eats the special version for Egg Baby, which is made with premium eggs laid by Little Fat Chicken. It's so delicious!
Hearing Danbao unconsciously swallow, Qin Lang smiled and said, "Stir-fried pork with rice is absolutely delicious. You'll be able to try it soon."

As he spoke, Qin Lang looked at the rice cooker that was in the keep-warm mode.

This should have been prepared by Zhao Qian beforehand, but the jade crystal jelly she made didn't go well with the rice, so she abandoned it.

As the two people and the spirit spoke, the fatty meat in the pot had already rendered out a lot of oil, shrinking and changing from white to a slightly yellowish color.

Add garlic slices and chili peppers to the wok and sauté until fragrant. Then add the lean meat and stir-fry quickly until it is 60% cooked. Drain the oil and set aside.

Qin Lang had just placed the bowl of meat aside when Danbao came over.

"Gulu?"

"It's not ready yet!" Qin Lang said, both amused and exasperated. "This dish is called stir-fried pork with chili peppers, and look, the chili peppers are still on the cutting board."

Hearing this, Danbao reluctantly moved away from the bowl of spare meat.

Okay, looks like we'll have to wait a while before we can eat.

After calming Danbao down, Qin Lang added the chopped green peppers to the hot oil that had just been used to stir-fry the meat, along with two spoonfuls of salt.

Chili peppers absorb a lot of salt, so even if you add more salt, the dish won't become too salty. Instead, it will help to dry out the moisture faster and soften the peppers while dissipating their spiciness. This is the essence of stir-fried pork.

Stir-fry until the chili peppers peel, then add the previously served meat and a little white fungus. Stir-fry over high heat for a few moments, then Qin Lang skillfully tosses the wok a few times, and all the stir-fried chili peppers and meat in the wok falls onto the plate.

A plate of stir-fried pork with chili peppers, still steaming hot and incredibly appetizing, is perfectly ready!
Qin Lang scooped the rice out of the rice cooker, carrying the rice in one hand and the stir-fried pork with chili peppers in the other, and quickly walked out of the kitchen.

Seeing the four pairs of eager eyes in the restaurant, he smiled and gently placed the food in his hands on the table.

"Stir-fried pork with chili peppers, please enjoy."

"Let me try it!" Ruan Cen smelled the rich aroma in the air and picked up her chopsticks without saying a word.

The aroma that hits you is a rich blend of meaty and chili flavors.

Yes, it has a chili aroma, but not a spicy taste.

Ruan Cen did not smell any pungent spiciness in the air, only a unique fragrance that only exists in chili peppers after the spiciness has been completely removed.

Swallowing hard, Ruan Cen carefully examined the stir-fried pork with chili peppers in front of her.

The green chilies are glossy, while the stir-fried pork has been cooked to a light brown color. The combination of these two colors seems unremarkable, yet it has a magical power that inexplicably whets the appetite of the taster.

Unable to bear it any longer, Ruan Cen picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth.

The next instant, his slightly cloudy eyes widened suddenly!
(End of this chapter)