The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 177 Improvements Unique to Danju City

“This tastes much better than the previous one.” Zhao Qian nodded in agreement and casually took one to share with Bubu next to her.

"Delicious!" Yu Zaozao gave Cao Dongdong a thumbs up.

Although Qin Lang pointed out many problems, as an ordinary person whose sense of taste is not so sensitive, she already thought this time it was very delicious.

"Wait, I'll continue!" Encouraged, Cao Dongdong turned around and went back to the kitchen without saying another word, and started working again.

Third edition... Fourth edition... Fifth edition!

With a crisp crackling sound, the rich, fruity filling flows out instantly, the mixed fruit flavors intertwining with the crispy, sweet crust, and the distinct fruit pieces bring an even richer texture as you chew.

"This is the version." Qin Lang nodded. "But when you bring it out for the judges to taste, I suggest letting it cool down a little."

"Hot, hot, hot!" came Yu Zaozao's scream from the side. She had hurriedly taken a big bite and was burned by the fruit pulp inside.

Qin Lang shrugged and gave Cao Dongdong a look that said, "You know what I mean."

"Understood." Cao Dongdong chuckled. "There's still some time before tomorrow's competition. I'll go back later and do it a few more times."

"By the way, Qin Lang, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

Upon hearing Cao Dongdong's question, Zhao Qian and Yu Zaozao both looked over.

They were both equally curious about the answer to this question.

"The second qualifying match tomorrow, huh?" Qin Lang smiled.

There are so many delicious foods that fit the "sweet and sour" flavor.

After all, there was a specific word for "sweet and sour" in his previous life, and Qin Lang could easily come up with dish names that used "sweet and sour" as a prefix.

Sweet and sour pork tenderloin, sweet and sour fish, sweet and sour spare ribs, sweet and sour eggplant fritters...

This time, however, Qin Lang plans to make a dish that was even more familiar to him than these dishes in his previous life.

It belongs to Northeastern cuisine, which is outside the eight major cuisines of China.

"I'm planning to make a sweet and sour pork dish."

Sweet and sour pork?
A look of confusion flashed across the eyes of Cao Dongdong and the other two, before they quickly became excited.

Yay, it's a new dish!
"Qin Lang, we're such good brothers, it's not too much to ask you to make it for me to try beforehand, is it?" Cao Dongdong swallowed hard and chuckled.

“That’s right, that’s right. We’ve been through life and death together, so it’s perfectly reasonable for us to try the sweet and sour pork beforehand.” Zhao Qian nodded in agreement.

"Even if you don't consider me, you have to consider the hundreds of thousands of fans in the live stream, right, fans?" Yu Zaozao winked at the camera, which resulted in a frenzy of comments.

Damn it, they want to eat it too!
"Alright." Qin Lang stood up, both amused and exasperated. "Actually, even if you hadn't told me, I was planning to try the taste beforehand."

"After all... I plan to make some improvements this time."

Qin Lang grabbed a tangerine at random and turned to go into the kitchen.

Whether it's sweet and sour pork or other sweet and sour dishes, the sweet and sour seasoning mainly uses white sugar and rice vinegar. However, over time, there have been more and more improved versions, the most representative of which is the addition of tomato sauce.

In addition, the practice of using fruit juices such as orange juice also exists.

Many people feel that this method is not authentic enough, but others prefer these newer approaches.

Qin Lang's attitude towards culinary innovation is not conservative, after all, the dishes of our ancestors have evolved slowly over hundreds or thousands of years.

There's nothing wrong with making traditional dishes better, as long as it's reasonable and truly an improvement.

Take sweet and sour sauce as an example. Adding sweet and sour fruits and vegetables can indeed better cut through the greasiness and add more layers of flavor. In the next qualifying round, Qin Lang plans to create a modified version, a modified version of Guo Bao Rou unique to Danju City.

"Egg Baby!" Qin Lang took the pork tenderloin out of the refrigerator and handed it to Egg Baby, then turned around to start making the sauce.

Add a large spoonful of white sugar, two large spoonfuls of rice vinegar, appropriate amount of salt, soy sauce and sesame oil, and finally pour in a spoonful of freshly squeezed juice from tangerines.

After stirring well, Qin Lang dipped a small amount into the mixture with chopsticks and tasted it. He then added a small spoonful of tangerine juice, tasted it again, and nodded in satisfaction.

An excellent chef must have the ability to quickly restore the balance of flavors during the cooking process.

Therefore, even with improvements that had never been attempted before, Qin Lang was able to achieve the most ideal results in one go, unlike Cao Dongdong who needed to make multiple improvements.

His tongue is a ruler!

After preparing the sauce and setting it aside, Qin Lang took out a packet of potato starch, poured it into a bowl, added an excessive amount of water, stirred it, and then let it sit.

Meanwhile, Eggbao had already prepared the pork tenderloin.

Cut fresh pork tenderloin into slightly thick slices, soak them in water until there is no obvious blood, then take them out and squeeze out the water.

Add salt and cooking wine, and mix well until slightly sticky.

After processing the pork tenderloin, the potato starch that had been left to stand had separated into two layers. The starch had completely sunk to the bottom of the water and felt hard to the touch.

That means it's completely soaked.

The batter on the surface of Guo Bao Rou (sweet and sour pork) requires soaked potato starch in water. This step is different from that of sweet and sour pork, but it is an important reason for the final crispy texture of Guo Bao Rou.

Pour off the water from the top layer, then use kitchen paper to absorb the moisture from the surface of the starch.

Add the soaked potato starch to the pork tenderloin, add a little water and mix well so that each piece of tenderloin is coated with a layer of batter.

Heat the oil to 70% of its maximum temperature, then spread out the pork tenderloin slices and place them into the oil.

"Bah-"

With a sizzle of oil, the pork tenderloin that was added first released a rich and mouthwatering aroma as the hot oil heated it up.

Fry until set and golden brown, then drain and remove from the oil.

"Gulu!"

Danbao, who was standing to the side, was so hungry that his mouth was practically watering. He watched longingly, and as soon as Qin Lang scooped it out, he rushed over to it.

"It's not ready to eat yet, let's wait a bit longer."

Qin Lang stopped it, both amused and exasperated. Looking at the little guy with its watery eyes, he said helplessly, "Haste makes waste."

The oil temperature quickly rose to 80% hot. While continuing to soothe Danbao with words, Qin Lang quickly put the pork tenderloin into the pot for a second fry.

Once the surface of the pork tenderloin turns slightly red, remove it and drain the oil.

Leave only a little oil in the pan, sauté the ginger and carrot shreds until fragrant, then add the freshly fried sweet and sour pork. While tossing the pan, slowly pour in the sweet and sour sauce, ensuring that the sauce evenly coats each piece of pork.

Finally, add shredded scallions, green onions, and cilantro, then toss a few more times.

Tender green scallion shreds, pale green onion shreds, bright green cilantro, and orange-red carrot shreds adorn the surface of the golden-brown sweet and sour pork. As the steam rises, a meaty aroma mixed with the fragrance of oranges wafts out.

As Qin Lang skillfully removed the pork from the wok, a delicious and visually appealing dish of sweet and sour pork was completed.

(End of this chapter)