N-M Chapter 96 Dongpo Pork and Steamed Sea Bass
Chapter 96 Dongpo Pork and Steamed Sea Bass
Chapter 96 Dongpo Pork and Steamed Sea Bass
"Okay." Wang Sheng nodded, his hands still moving.
The best pork belly has already been cut into cubes according to the standard. Put it in a pot of cold water, add ginger slices and cooking wine, bring to a boil, and skim off the foam.
Remove the meat from the water, wash it, and drain it. In a separate pot, heat a little oil to coat the pot, add rock sugar, and slowly stir-fry over low heat until it turns a beautiful dark red color. Add the drained meat pieces and stir-fry quickly so that each piece of meat is evenly coated with the caramelized sugar, instantly making it glossy and tempting.
Add Shaoxing wine to bring out its rich aroma, then add enough light soy sauce, a little dark soy sauce, a few rock sugar pieces, scallion knots, ginger slices, star anise and bay leaves. Pour in hot water, bring to a boil over high heat, then transfer to a thick-walled casserole dish, cover and simmer over low heat.
As time passed, an indescribable, rich, and sweet aroma of meat began to seep out from the cracks in the casserole, gradually permeating the area around the window.
Many students in line couldn't help but sniffle, their eyes fixed longingly on the bubbling clay pot.
Wang Sheng was also enduring the ordeal. As a chef, he had to make a final taste check before the dish was served. When the time came, he lifted the lid of the casserole.
An even more surging and powerful aroma suddenly erupted!
The broth in the pot had thickened and become glossy, tightly coating each trembling, rosy piece of meat.
The fatty parts are translucent amber in color, as if they might melt at any moment; the lean meat is deeply soaked in the sauce, tender yet not falling apart.
He carefully picked up a piece of meat, which was specially placed there to check the texture, with the tip of his chopsticks, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.
The first thing your tongue touches is the thick, sweet and salty sauce. Then, as you gently close your teeth, the fatty part melts like solidified fat, and the sweet oil instantly fills your mouth without being greasy at all.
The lean meat was tender and flavorful, every fiber soaked in the essence of the broth. A mixture of extreme satisfaction and guilt overwhelmed him at the same time.
"Ptooey." He quickly spat out the remaining food residue in his mouth and rinsed his mouth several times with the water beside him. He cursed inwardly: This damn taste! How can it taste so good? Why can't a weight-loss meal have this texture and taste? The temptation he created with his own hands has now become a torture device for him.
The steamed sea bass on the other side was also ready.
The sea bass, with its slits cut into its surface, lies on a plate. After being steamed to perfection, the skin cracks slightly, revealing the snow-white, tender flesh underneath.
The scalding hot oil poured over the fish, along with the unique rich and savory aroma of steamed fish soy sauce, instantly activates the soul of the entire dish. The fish melts in your mouth, carrying the fresh and sweet taste of the ocean; while the tender parts, soaked in the fish juices, absorb the salty and mellow aroma of the soy sauce and the richness of the oil, creating a wonderful flavor that is the ultimate in steamed fish.
excellent.
It was so delicious that he wanted to sigh.
When it was handed to Professor Liu.
Professor Liu felt like he could hear the sound of someone swallowing.
After the busiest lunchtime rush, the queue in front of the windows gradually thinned out.
Wang Sheng made himself a "Four Delicacies of Exquisite Flavor".
After blanching, konjac noodles are cooled and mixed with a special hot and sour sauce, making them crisp, refreshing, and appetizing. Chicken breast is pounded into a fine paste and mixed with egg whites and starch to make smooth chicken tofu. Pumpkin is steamed, mashed, and seasoned with only a little salt and pepper, making it mild, sweet, and delicious.
Add a small handful of blanched seasonal vegetables. The presentation is exquisite, the colors are refreshing, and the total calories are probably less than one-fifth of a piece of Dongpo pork.
He sat down, picked up a clump of konjac noodles with his chopsticks, and put it in his mouth.
It's tangy and spicy, and crunchy – definitely an excellent taste for a weight-loss meal.
But—his gaze involuntarily drifted to the last two pieces of Dongpo pork that had been reserved for Su Weiwei in the warming cabinet next to him.
That glossy, alluring color, that aroma that seemed to beckon him—
He chewed the bland chicken and tofu dish with great effort, but it tasted like nothing at all.
You know best how delicious your own cooking is. It's precisely because you know that the gap between what you can't have and what you can't have is all the more cruel.
When will this end?
Are we supposed to keep making mouthwatering food while living on "grass" all the time?
For several days in a row, Wang Sheng experienced a life of "both extremes of heat and cold".
At noon, he is Boss Wang, the highly skilled and popular chef at window number 05, sweating profusely as he cooks up dishes that people line up to grab; while eating, he is a dieter sitting quietly in a corner, looking at his carefully prepared but "ascetic" weight-loss meal, tears welling up in his eyes.
The numbers on the scale slowly but steadily declined; he lost two pounds in three days, which offered him some comfort.
The outline of my abs seems to be returning a little bit.
The window was still busy at noon that day.
The aroma of twice-cooked pork was overwhelming. The bright green of the garlic sprouts and the golden brown of the pork belly slices tumbled in the wok. The red oil of the fermented bean paste and the salty aroma of the fermented black beans were brought to their peak by the heat. Wang Sheng made a beautiful toss in the wok, and the flames leaped up, drawing a chorus of low gasps and cheers from outside the window.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, an elderly couple with gray hair strolled hand in hand to the vicinity of the cafeteria.
The elderly man's surname is Li, and his wife's surname is Zhang. They are the parents of Li Ming, a resident of a nearby new residential area. Their son, Li Ming, works at an IT company and earns a good income. After buying a house, he brought his elderly parents from the countryside to the city to enjoy their retirement.
The elderly couple couldn't stay idle and didn't like to stay upstairs all day. They found that the nearby university campus had a good environment, lots of greenery, and a lake. The presence of many young people made it seem vibrant, so they developed the habit of taking a walk at the school every day.
As for meals, they always cook at home. Aunt Zhang is a good cook, and the elderly couple enjoys the food.
Today was an unexpected day.
Old Li got so engrossed in a war drama last night that he stayed up late.
Aunt Zhang didn't wake him up in the morning, thinking he could sleep a little longer. As a result, the two of them didn't wake up until almost eleven o'clock.
After quickly washing up, I found the refrigerator completely empty. We had finished yesterday's vegetables, and there wasn't enough time to go to the morning market to buy more.
"Old man, how about we eat at the school cafeteria today?" Aunt Zhang suggested. "We can't go hungry."
.
Grandpa Li put his hands behind his back, looked at the sky, and nodded: "Alright, the cafeteria it is, let's see what the students eat."
The two strolled into the cafeteria hall.
It was lunchtime, and there were people at every window, but the line at one window was exceptionally long, winding and stretching a considerable distance. Almost all the line consisted of young students, with a few people who looked like teachers among them. Old Mr. Li's eyes lit up, and he pointed over there: "Old woman, look over there! So many people in line, there must be good food! Let's go over there!"
Aunt Zhang tugged at him: "Old man, don't join the crowd. Look how long the line is. When will it be our turn? There are fewer people over there. Let's just grab some fried rice or noodles."
Grandpa Li's stubborn streak kicked in, and he retorted, "The more people there are, the better the food must be! Shouldn't we eat good food? Come on, let's see what this good stuff is!"