sinovels Chapter 101 Visit
Chapter 101 Visit
"Watch closely, the first step in making braised pork is not cutting, but braising."
Chen Feng held a high-temperature spray gun in his hand, and blue flames spewed out from the muzzle.
He used tongs to pick up the pork belly he had brought back from the suburban market and held the skin side up to the flame.
"Sizzle sizzle—"
A burnt smell instantly filled the kitchen.
Under high temperature, the pig skin shrinks and turns black rapidly, with fine oil bubbles appearing on the surface.
Su Chen stood beside the cutting board, his eyes wide open, holding a small notebook and a pen, ready to take notes at any moment.
"Brother Chen, this meat is all burnt black, is it still edible? It's practically charcoal!" Su Chen pointed at the piece of pork skin that had completely changed color, looking completely puzzled.
"This is called scorching the skin to remove the fishy smell." Chen Feng turned off the spray gun and threw the scalding hot pork belly into the basin of cold water that had been prepared in advance.
"The hair follicles on pig skin contain the strongest fishy smell. Only by burning them thoroughly with an open flame to destroy the sweat glands can the meat be considered clean."
Chen Feng picked up a kitchen knife and vigorously scraped the charred surface in cold water.
As the blade scraped across the surface, the black charcoal fell off, revealing the golden-brown, firm skin underneath.
Xingruo stood by the sink, holding a clean rag in her hand, her eyes fixed on Chen Feng's movements.
"Master, what happens after you're done shaving?" Xingruo asked softly.
"Cut it into pieces." Chen Feng took out the washed pork belly and laid it flat on the cutting board.
"When making braised pork, the pieces shouldn't be cut too small."
Cut into two-finger-wide cubes, with skin and meat, a good balance of fat and lean; only then will it have that wobbly texture after braising.
The cleaver rose and fell, making a rhythmic "thud-thud" sound.
The plate quickly piled up into a small mountain.
"Put the meat in cold water, add ginger slices and cooking wine, blanch it to remove the blood foam." Chen Feng picked up the plate and shoved all the meat pieces into a large pot filled with cold water, then turned on the heat.
"Daddy, I want to learn too! Mengmeng will make braised pork for Daddy when we grow up!"
Mengmeng stood on a small plastic stool, her little hands gripping the edge of the counter, tiptoeing to look into the pot.
Chen Feng reached out and rubbed Mengmeng's head, then turned to look at Su Chen and Xingruo.
"Su Chen, Xing Ruo, open your eyes wide and watch carefully the next step."
The key to making braised pork belly is not in blanching, but in caramelizing the sugar.
This step requires the most patience.
Chen Feng started a new wok, poured in some oil, threw in a handful of rock sugar, and then immediately turned the heat down to the lowest setting.
"Grease the pan with oil, add rock sugar, and simmer over low heat." Chen Feng held a spatula and drew circles very slowly on the bottom of the pan.
"Don't rush it. If the heat is too high, the sugar will burn, and the braised meat will taste bitter."
You have to watch it melt little by little, from large chunks to small pieces, from transparent to amber.
Su Chen gripped the pen tightly, his upper body involuntarily leaning forward as he stared intently at the changes at the bottom of the pot.
"See that? Big blisters are forming." Chen Feng's shovel didn't stop.
"But that's not enough. When the large bubbles subside, turning into dense clusters of small bubbles, and their color becomes maroon..."
Before Chen Feng could finish speaking, he suddenly grabbed the blanched and drained pork belly next to him and poured it directly into the wok.
"Sizzle—"
A loud explosion rang out in the kitchen.
The reddish-brown syrup quickly coated the meat the moment it came into contact with it.
Chen Feng tossed the wok with one hand, the pork belly tumbling in mid-air before falling back into the wok, each piece coated with an incredibly tempting, glossy caramel color.
"Did you understand?" Chen Feng turned to look at Su Chen.
Su Chen swallowed hard and nodded vigorously: "Got it! Timing, timing, one second too long and it will taste bitter, one second too short and it won't turn out properly."
"Go and bring me the scallion segments, ginger slices, star anise, and bay leaves," Chen Feng instructed.
In the kitchen, four people were gathered around a pot, working on it with utmost care.
It was exactly 8:00 AM.
A very smooth luxury car slowly drove into the old street and finally came to a steady stop in front of the "Human Fireworks" shop.
The driver quickly got out of the car and opened the back door.
Lu Feng stepped out of the carriage first. He turned around and very carefully reached out his hand to protect the top edge of the door.
Xiao Xue climbed out of the car.
She wore a beige knitted cardigan today, and she looked many times more energetic than yesterday.
"Slow down, slow down." Lu Feng supported Xiao Xue's arm, his eyes fixed on her feet, afraid that the uneven cobblestone path would trip her.
Xiao Xue slapped Lu Feng's hand away, quickened her pace, and walked straight to the wooden door of "Human Fireworks".
Lu Feng quickly caught up and was about to push the two tightly closed wooden doors when his gaze fell on a wooden sign hanging on the doorknob.
It was a newly carved wooden sign with the words "Preparing food, not open for business" engraved on it.
Lu Feng frowned, ignoring the sign, and placed his palm directly on the wooden door, preparing to push it open with force.
"Hey! What are you doing!"
Xiao Xue reacted quickly, grabbing Lu Feng's wrist and forcefully pulling his hand back.
"Push the door open and go in," Lu Feng said, looking at his wife with a hint of helplessness.
"You've only just recovered a little. It's windy this morning. What if you catch a cold standing outside?"
"I'll take you inside to sit and wait. Boss Chen is definitely inside."
"No way!" Xiao Xue glared at Lu Feng with extreme seriousness.
"The sign clearly says 'Closed,' and you just barged in without even looking at it—that's incredibly rude!"
"I..." Lu Feng opened his mouth, trying to refute.
"I don't want to bother them, I just want you to have a chair to sit on."
"At worst, I'll just pay more to book the whole venue..."
"Lu Feng, can you please tone down that annoying CEO habit of yours?"
Xiao Xue interrupted him without any politeness, reaching out and forcefully poking Lu Feng's chest.
"This is not your meeting room, this is Boss Chen's shop."
We're here to eat and to repay a debt of gratitude, not to put on airs.
Since they've put up a sign, we have to follow their rules.
You stay outside and wait there quietly.
Seeing his wife's somewhat angry expression, Lu Feng was completely at a loss.
He sighed. The ruthless and decisive CEO Lu, so adept at business, could only raise his hands in surrender at this moment.
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you and follow the rules. I'll wait outside. But you can't just stand here like this."
Lu Feng turned around and walked to a stone chair a few steps away from the door.
He took off his suit jacket, folded it a couple of times, laid it flat on the cold stone surface, and then helped Xiao Xue walk over.
"Sit here." Lu Feng pressed Xiao Xue's shoulder and made her sit on his suit.
Xiao Xue did not refuse and obediently sat down.
Her hands were on her knees, but her gaze was fixed on the tightly closed wooden door, as if rooted to the spot.
She even peeked out slightly, inhaling deeply through her nose, as if trying to smell the aroma emanating from inside through the heavy wooden door.
Lu Feng stood to the side, his hands in his pockets, looking down at his wife's appearance.
He shook his head helplessly, but couldn't help but smile.
Looking at Xiao Xue's cheeks, which were noticeably rosier, he couldn't help but recall the scene from last night.