The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 196 Top-Grade Leaping Lake Crab

"Zhao Qian is so slow at preparing the ingredients..."

In Qin Lang's room, Cao Dongdong sighed, resting his chin on his hand, "Why haven't they come yet?"

"It's probably because the ingredients needed for cooking are of higher quality," Qin Lang smiled. "High-quality ingredients are indeed more difficult to obtain."

"No matter what, I'll just focus on eating." Yu Zaozao secretly swallowed, revealing an expectant expression.

The origins of the food spirits are relatively confidential information for the Spirit Chef, so she had already ended the live stream in advance.

Another day that made the fans in the live stream envious and jealous.

"I'm coming!"

Zhao Qian, carrying several bags, pushed open the half-closed hotel room door, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and said, "Cao Dongdong, quickly help me carry these!"

"Why can't Qin Lang carry it?" Cao Dongdong immediately became unhappy.

"Because Qin Lang is going to give me some pointers later, and you're just here to freeload!" Zhao Qian glared at Cao Dongdong.

“…Alright then.” Cao Dongdong smacked his lips and stepped forward to help Zhao Qian carry the ingredients to the kitchen. Qin Lang and Yu Zaozao also got up and went into the kitchen.

When they saw the large, green-shelled crabs that Zhao Qian took out of the refrigerator, the three of them couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Such a big crab?" Qin Lang couldn't help but grab a crab that was already tied with hemp rope and weigh it in his hand.

The female crabs weighed eight ounces each, and each one was exactly the right weight.

Such a crab would have been worthy of being called the King of Crabs in its previous life.

“Yes.” Zhao Qian nodded. “These crabs are not from Tianhua Prefecture. They are Yuehu crabs from Yueyu Lake in Mingjing Prefecture. You can’t find better freshwater crabs in the entire Dongyun region.”

“A single one of these crabs normally costs tens of thousands of yuan, and I heard that there are even king crabs that sell for 100,000 yuan each. I’m really going all out to buy them.”

“Leaping Lake Crab…” Qin Lang nodded slightly.

This was the first time he had heard of this species, but he believed he would remember this crab well in the future.

"Let's get started."

"Okay!" Zhao Qian chuckled, but her expression instantly darkened when she turned to look at Cao Dongdong beside her. "Shut up!"

"Smack smack... Huh?" Cao Dongdong blinked innocently. "I helped you move the ingredients, so what's wrong with me eating some of your fruit?"

"These grapes are quite delicious, what variety are they?"

"This is also an ingredient! It's amethyst grapes, a specialty of my hometown!" Zhao Qian snatched a large bag of grapes from Cao Dongdong's hands with a dark face. The grapes, which shone like purplish-black agate under the light, looked incredibly tempting.

"Your hometown? Dongxia City?" Cao Dongdong couldn't help but ask curiously.

“No.” Zhao Qian shook her head. “Although my grandparents live in Dongxia City, my family is in Beihu Prefecture.”

"Oh, no wonder I've never eaten these grapes before." Cao Dongdong swallowed hard. "Could I have some more to try?"

"Not a single one!" Zhao Qian glared at Cao Dongdong, then quickly picked the grapes, washed them, peeled them, and put them into the juicer.

The flesh of the grapes, once the skin is removed, is a translucent pale green, and the juice extracted from them is also a clear, light green.

Under Cao Dongdong's expectant gaze, Zhao Qian poured a small glass for herself, Qin Lang, and Yu Zaozao, and then poured half of the remaining grape juice into the basin of water where the crabs were kept.

"Do not!!!"

Cao Dongdong let out a sharp screech, gritting his teeth as he stared at the bubbling crabs in the basin, as if they were his mortal enemies. "Pfft!" Zhao Qian couldn't help but laugh out loud, then poured a small cup of the remaining grape juice into Cao Dongdong's hand. "Here, just this one cup."

Qin Lang watched Cao Dongdong's antics with a smile, took a sip of grape juice, and raised an eyebrow slightly, "These grapes..."

It's not entirely sweet; rather, both sour and sweet flavors are prominent, while it also has a subtle red wine aroma.

It's such a waste not to use these grapes to make wine.

Seemingly sensing Qin Lang's thoughts, Zhao Qian casually introduced, "These amethyst grapes are often used to make wine in my hometown. Almost every household makes their own wine to entertain guests."

"Looks like I'll have to visit your place sometime." Qin Lang smiled and handed the remaining small bite to Danbao, who was eyeing it with longing.

"You're welcome anytime!" Zhao Qian said with a smile, and then continued with her preparations.

After sorting and arranging the various spices, Zhao Qian added the remaining half of the grape juice to the pot, along with the spices, and began to simmer the sauce.

Upon seeing this, a look of surprise appeared in Qin Lang's eyes.

By feeding the crabs grape juice in advance and adding it to the seasoning sauce, Zhao Qian clearly intended to thoroughly infuse the crabs with the flavor of grapes.

This action gave Qin Lang a strange sense of familiarity.

When Zhao Qian put the crabs, which had been soaking in grape juice, into the steamer, steamed them until cooked, and then soaked them in the sauce that had been cooled with ice, a thought flashed through Qin Lang's mind, and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Completely drunk?!"

"What atonement? What crime did you commit?" Cao Dongdong winked and joked.

"You misheard it." Qin Lang rolled his eyes, looking thoughtful as he watched Zhao Qian's actions.

Although he thought of the way drunken crab is made, Zhao Qian's method is still somewhat different from the real drunken crab.

First of all, Zhao Qian used grapes instead of wine throughout the process. In addition, Zhao Qian opened the shells of the steamed crabs, but did not completely remove them. Instead, she widened the gaps and joints in the crab shells.

This method is to help the sauce penetrate the crab more quickly.

Normal marinating requires at least twelve hours of refrigeration, but Zhao Qian's method can complete the marinating process in as little as half an hour.

As Qin Lang expected, after waiting for twenty minutes, Zhao Qian took the crabs, which were completely submerged in the sauce, out and placed them on a plate.

As the crab soaks in the sauce, its surface turns an unusually vibrant red, distinctly different from the usual red color of steamed crabs.

"Alright." With that, she placed the plate on the table expectantly. "Try my Red Jade Crab."

"Me too! Me too!" Cao Dongdong eagerly stepped forward and grabbed one, clearly craving it.

Although Yu Zaozao was also very tempted, she patiently waited until Qin Lang made his move before grabbing one herself.

Ignoring everyone else, Qin Lang began to carefully dissect the crab.

Thanks to Zhao Qian's pre-treatment, the process of disassembling the crab was even simpler than expected. With a gentle pull, a whole piece of tender white crab leg meat with some gray-black spots on the surface appeared before Qin Lang's eyes.

With one bite, the umami flavor of the crab meat, mixed with the sweet and sour taste of the grapes, exploded in Qin Lang's mouth, making his eyes light up.

The tender crab meat, seasoned to perfection, provided an experience that exceeded his expectations.

"It tastes great." Qin Lang couldn't help but give Zhao Qian a thumbs up.

(End of this chapter)