A Bite of Douluo Continent

Looking at Gulu's soft, flowing, beautiful fur, a mix of silver-gray and dark silver, Su Qianyue couldn't control the primal power within her and cautiously reached out her hand.

Gulu gently put down the plate on its head, then snuggled familiarly into Yu Lianxin's arms. Just as it was about to leave, it suddenly noticed a small hand approaching it.

"Meow?"

Gulu tilted its head in confusion and discovered that the owner of the hand was a cute girl.

Okay, I'll give you face since you're so cute.

So Gulu gently nuzzled Su Qianyue's outstretched hand before darting away from the second-floor area.

I'm so busy today!

"Ah, I touched Gulu!" Su Qianyue giggled, her heart filled with joy.

Yu Lianxin looked helplessly at her simple-minded junior sister, then her gaze fell on the dish that Gulu had brought over. Upon seeing it, she couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

These are... handmade beef balls?

When she was in Xingluo City, Yu Lianxin had eaten hot pot many times, but with hundreds of different kinds of hot pot ingredients, it was impossible for her to have tried them all.

These handmade beef balls are one of the dishes she hasn't had a chance to try yet.

Because of its dull and unappealing appearance, Yu Lianxin overlooked it several times when ordering food.

"Who ordered this?" Yu Lianxin asked curiously.

“Um… this was probably what I ordered.” Su Qianyue pointed to herself, “I found its round shape quite interesting.”

"Then give it a try. I've never had handmade beef balls before." Yu Lianxin smiled slightly, and Yunxi and Yanxi nodded at the same time.

It seems neither of them has ever tried this dish before.

According to the menu, these handmade beef balls need to be cooked in a pot for about five minutes.

A serving of handmade beef balls contains sixteen pieces. After discussing it, the four women put four beef balls into four different hot pot bases.

The quantity is just right.

During the five-minute wait, various other dishes were served one after another. Finally, with Qi Han, who was "too busy to notice," bringing up three servings of snowflake beef, all the dishes for the four women were served and piled up on the shelf next to them.

"Shall we... eat the beef balls from the spicy hot pot first?" Judging that it was about time, seeing the beef balls bubbling in the pot, filling her nostrils with a rich, spicy aroma, Yu Lianxin swallowed hard and made the suggestion.

The other three women naturally had no objections, so Yu Lianxin took a strainer and scooped out the four round beef balls rolling in the pot one by one, placing them in her and the other three women's dipping saucers.

Yu Lianxin's face was full of surprise as she watched the beef ball bounce twice after falling into the dipping sauce.

These beef balls are so bouncy!

The bouncy texture felt nothing like food; it was more like a bouncy ball, a toy I used to play with as a child.

Looking at the still grayish surface, only a few shades darker than before, and smelling the unique aroma of beef mixed with a spicy and savory fragrance, Yu Lianxin took a deep breath, used her chopsticks to roll the beef ball in the dipping sauce, and then carefully picked it up.

cooked rice!

Chapter 388 Chaoshan Beef

Yu Lianxin gently bit into the beef ball with her pearly teeth, a hint of surprise suddenly appearing in her eyes.

She couldn't even bite through the beef ball right away.

The moment Yu Lianxin's pearly teeth gently touched the surface of the beef ball, the surface began to slightly sink and deform, but it was not bitten open. Instead, as Yu Lianxin relaxed the pressure, it slowly returned to its original shape.

Although this has nothing to do with Yu Lianxin's tentative bite, it is enough to show that the beef ball itself is very elastic.

With a hint of surprise on her face, Yu Lianxin bit down slightly and managed to bite off a small piece of the beef ball.

Almost instantly, the delicious broth burst out from the opening of the beef ball and flowed into Yu Lianxin's mouth.

Well…

The pure, delicious broth unique to beef blends with the spicy and numbing flavor of the hot pot base, and then mixes with the aroma of the dipping sauce, creating a unique and wonderful taste on the palate.

Startled for a moment by the sudden burst of juice, Yu Lianxin came to her senses after savoring the rich and delicious flavor, and began to slowly chew the beef ball in her mouth.

The broken beef ball wasn't any easier to chew than before; each bite was exceptionally bouncy. Clearly, the chewy texture wasn't just from the surface of the beef ball, but from the entire meatball.

This elasticity, unlike the hardness of food that makes it difficult to chew, brings a wonderful texture to the beef ball. This experience is so novel and amazing to Yu Lianxin that in just a moment, her lake-blue eyes began to sparkle, and then she took another bite of the beef ball that had left a bite mark.

"Awoo!"

Who would have thought that these seemingly ordinary beef balls would be so amazing!

Yu Lianxin was unaware that the handmade beef balls in the Cold Food Hot Pot were not ordinary.

Its prototype is the Chaoshan beef ball from Blue Star China.

Chaoshan is a collective term for the three regions of Chaozhou, Shantou, and Jieyang. Chaoshan beef, as a specialty of Chaoshan, has a concept that is completely different from other cuisines, whether it is beef soup, beef hot pot or the most famous beef balls.

Chaoshan beef has two distinct characteristics. First, it is slaughtered on the spot, and the beef selected is the freshest meat.

Secondly, we pay attention to knife skills. All the beef is cut into uniform thickness, so that it can be eaten after being cooked for ten seconds.

In most dynasties of ancient China, the capital was located in the north, so the Chaoshan region became a remote area, and many laws and regulations were less effective there, making it almost autonomous.

Therefore, the Chaoshan area, which is close to the natural pastures of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, was not subject to such restrictions in an era when killing and eating cattle was illegal. They began to study beef cooking methods very early on, and now the influence of Chaoshan beef has spread throughout the country, not just limited to Guangdong and Guangxi.

Chaoshan beef balls are made by hand and have a crisp texture. They can be divided into two types: beef balls and beef tendon balls. Beef balls have a more tender texture, while beef tendon balls have some tender tendons added to them to enhance their chewiness.

Qi Han's beef balls are a type of beef tendon ball, which is why Yu Lianxin found them particularly chewy after tasting them.

With the increasing sophistication of machinery, many foods that could only be made by hand can now be produced by machines, including Chaoshan beef balls. However, machine-made beef balls lack soul in both texture and taste. Because of this, the traditional method of making this delicacy has not been completely lost, but has been passed down.

Making handmade beef balls is a traditional task that requires a lot of skill from the chef.

The traditional method uses fresh beef thigh meat as the main ingredient. After removing the tendons, it is cut into chunks, placed on a large cutting board, and then pounded into a paste using two specially made square hammer knives weighing about three pounds each. A small amount of cornstarch, refined salt, high-quality fish sauce, and MSG are added, and the meat is pounded for another fifteen minutes.

The square-shaped hammer knife looks like a solid square steel pipe. The handle has a design for easy gripping. The cross-section of the hammer knife is square. Such a hammer knife is not sharp, but when used to pound beef, it can allow the force to penetrate evenly into the deep layers of the beef, thus pounding the beef evenly and faster.

The chef needs to hold a three-pound pounding mallet and pound for more than half an hour without stopping, which is a great test of physical strength and arm strength.

So when you see Chaoshan beef balls outside costing tens of dollars for just a few pieces, don't complain about the price. If they are truly handmade, they are definitely worth the price.

After the beef balls are pounded, they are placed in a large bowl, and minced dried fish, diced pork, and MSG are added and mixed well. The mixture is stirred vigorously by hand until it becomes sticky and does not fall off the hand. At this point, the meat paste has completed all the seasoning work. All that is needed is to shape it into meatballs to make the famous Chaoshan beef balls.

Grab a handful of meat paste with clean hands, then clench your fist and slowly squeeze the paste from between your thumb and forefinger to form a ball. Use a spoon to scoop it out and then gently place it into a basin of warm water for initial shaping.

At this moment, the surface of the beef balls is still a slightly pinkish red, which looks quite appealing, but they don't have much elasticity.

After shaping all the meat paste into beef balls, put them in a pot and simmer over low heat for about eight minutes to set the shape. The handmade beef balls are now ready.

Authentic handmade beef balls contain only a small amount of starch as a binder and almost no starch inside. One pound of beef can only make about twelve ounces of beef balls, making them extremely substantial.

These beef balls, made purely from beef, have a unique and fascinating characteristic: when dropped on the ground, they bounce incredibly high.

Its elasticity is in no way inferior to that of a basketball.

Yu Lianxin had no idea that the simple phrase "pounding the beef into a paste" on the menu had such a magical backstory, but that didn't stop her from happily eating the beef ball with a look of satisfaction and surprise on her face, and then turning her gaze to the other three hot pot bases.

The three women sitting next to Yu Lianxin ate the beef balls in the dipping sauce one after another, and their faces were full of surprise. Obviously, none of them expected that these grayish-looking beef balls would have such a magical taste.

"Let's have sukiyaki next!" Yan hope suggested, then used a slotted spoon to divide the four beef balls tumbling in the sukiyaki into one for each person.

Let's eat!

...

"These beef balls are quite chewy and rather unique." Qi Po-xiao scooped a beef ball out of the hot pot, took a bite, and smiled. "They're just not very friendly to an old man like me."

Tang Qianqiu couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Although he is indeed an old man in terms of age, how could the Limit Douluo have bad teeth? Is this guy addicted to relying on his age and acting like an old man?

Tang Qianqiu scooped a beef ball from the sukiyaki in front of him, chewed it twice, and a satisfied expression immediately appeared on his face.

The fresh and delicious flavor of the beef blends perfectly with the unique sweet and savory taste of sukiyaki, resulting in a light yet delicious dish.

These beef balls have always been one of his favorite dishes, especially when paired with a light broth, which brings out the natural freshness and deliciousness of the beef, making it simply wonderful.

It's said that these beef balls are best paired with the Chaoshan beef hot pot base, one of the eighteen types of hot pot bases, along with the spicy and fragrant satay sauce. I might try it next time.

(P.S.: The bonus chapter for monthly tickets is finally out! Everyone, take advantage of the double monthly ticket bonus and give it a try!)

Chapter 389 Qi Han's Chicken Soup for the Soul (Last day of double monthly tickets, please vote!)

"Is this the hot pot you two sneaked out to Xingluo City for?" Niu Yue picked up a thin slice of snowflake beef, put it in the spicy broth for a moment, then took it out, dipped it on the dry plate in front of him, and put it in his mouth. He felt the wonderful taste of the tender beef and the spicy flavor completely blended together, and his face showed a bit of satisfaction. "It really tastes great."

"Right, right?" Talley chuckled. "This food is so delicious, I could eat it for another week, let alone a week..."

Halfway through his sentence, Thales suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Turning around, he met Tang Qianqiu's ambiguous smile from a short distance away. He shuddered. "Even if it takes another week, I will never abandon my post again!"

He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the chill behind him slowly dissipate.

Good heavens, what's the sect leader doing here?

That scared me to death.

Across from Tai Lei and Niu Yue, Zhao Yunsheng leisurely scooped up a small spoonful of the Chaoshan beef hot pot broth in front of him, poured it into a clean small bowl, took a sip, and a look of contentment and comfort appeared on his face.

"Old Sparrow, can we drink this broth directly?" Yu Hua, who was standing nearby, noticed Zhao Yunsheng's actions and asked in surprise.

Zhao Yunsheng smiled mysteriously, “The eighteen types of hot pot broth each have their own characteristics. For example, the spicy broth of Old Rhinoceros and Old Monkey can only be used for simmering. If you drink the broth directly, the spicy flavor is too strong and pungent.”

“But my Chaoshan beef hot pot is different. It’s light but full of the fresh and delicious flavor of beef. You can cook it in the broth, or you can enjoy the soup base directly.” As he spoke, Zhao Yunsheng took another sip of the delicious soup base from the beef hot pot.

The pure, fresh taste of the beef was truly indescribable.

"Oh?" Yu Hua became interested. "My hot pot is just as delicious. Would you like to try it?"

As he spoke, he picked up a spoon, scooped up some soup, put it into a clean little bowl, took a sip, and his face immediately lit up with surprise.

Indeed, the broth from this health-preserving hot pot is exceptionally delicious even when drunk directly.

However, Yu Hua still prefers the feeling of hot pot.

Yu Hua seemed quite enthusiastic about trying hot pot for the first time.

He picked up a slightly bluish paste, raised an eyebrow, and said, "This is... shrimp paste, right?"

He had some recollection of this dish from the menu.