Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 57: Stir-Fried Shredded Potatoes, The Art of Flame
The crisp sound of da-da-da seemed to carry a special rhythm, instantly drawing everyone’s attention to the blade.
As the knife flashed with lingering shadows, one could clearly hear the ’ka-cha ka-cha’ sound of potatoes being sliced.
Slices of extremely thin potatoes obediently piled up on the other side of the blade on the chopping board, forming a shape akin to collapsed dominos.
In just over ten seconds, that potato had been transformed into strands as fine as yarn.
This thickness was the optimal choice Lin Chen made after much practice.
Any thinner, not to mention whether he could consistently cut them, it wouldn’t greatly improve the texture, and they might break during stir-frying, affecting the presentation.
Ensuring taste while also displaying his skills is the best approach.
After slicing five potatoes, he let the strands soak in clear water, then continued to slice green pepper strips, tomato chunks, and rolling-cut eggplant pieces.
On the nearby stove, sweet and sour ribs were heating, and the pot lid had to be lifted and stirred occasionally to prevent burning.
Each stir intensified the sweet and sour aroma, causing several nearby customers to sniff incessantly.
"Ah... it smells so good, what’s stewing?"
"Let me see, the menu says... sweet and sour ribs? The translation is quite accurate, I instantly understood the ingredients, thought it might have been translated to sweet and sour ribs."
"Hmph!"
Lucas proudly raised his chin: "Look who translated it!"
Lin Chen swiftly beat a bowl of egg liquid, added a little milk, and mixed it evenly. The oil wok was already hot, so he poured it right in.
The cold egg liquid met the sizzling hot oil, instantly erupting with crackling sounds, and the surrounding egg quickly solidified.
He used the spatula to push the edges inward, letting the central egg liquid out, and preventing the already solidified egg from overcooking.
Once 70% of the egg liquid had solidified, it could be taken out of the wok, using the remaining heat to slowly finish cooking it, achieving a low-temperature slow-cooked effect, making the eggs even more tender.
No need to wash the wok, just add a little oil to moisten it, and directly toss in the cut tomato pieces. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
Under the high heat, the tomatoes began to release juice and break down visibly quickly.
These tomatoes were scalded with hot water at home, their skins removed, making them dissolve very quickly when stir-fried.
After about two minutes, a rich tomato sauce had accumulated at the bottom of the wok.
To make tomato scrambled eggs, the tomatoes need to be cut into large chunks; when stewed, they will retain shape; otherwise, they will all turn into water, affecting presentation.
Add a little water to boil, season with sugar, salt, and MSG, finally pour in the eggs, stir evenly, and chop into small pieces.
No need to dry the sauce completely, as it’s the soul sauce for mixing with rice.
In just five minutes, a tempting dish with scarlet red intertwined with golden yellow egg pieces was served, the sweet and sour aroma quickly overshadowed by the fresh fragrance of tomatoes and eggs.
The eggs appeared extremely tender, with a slightly runny surface, actually solidified, enveloped in a rich tomato sauce that made people’s mouths water uncontrollably.
"Sizzle"
The sound of oil exploding startled a few people.
Lin Chen grabbed another wok, poured the drained potato strands in.
The residual moisture on the potato strands quickly turned into large clouds of steam in the wok.
Lin Chen gripped the wok handle and gave a firm shake with his wrist!
"Whoosh"
Intense orange-red flames rose up instantly, trailing the white smoke along the edge of the wok into it.
The pale yellow potato strands twirled and danced amid the raging flames, dazzling like elves in the fireworks.
"Good heavens!"
"It’s magic, magic with fire!"
Most foreigners had never seen the cooking methods of Great Xia Cuisine, assuming it was like other Asian dishes from different countries, just boiling and stir-frying in a pot.
Suddenly witnessing this miraculous scene, each of them widened their incredible eyes, their jaws dropping wide open.
The wok continuously flipped over a dozen times, tossing in a big handful of green pepper strips to continue stir-frying.
Without any special actions, the flames in the wok suddenly extinguished at a certain moment, leaving behind the fragrant, glistening potato strands sizzling.
No special seasonings were needed, just a little light soy sauce drizzled along the wok’s edge to enhance the freshness and color, then a bit of salt, a pinch of chicken essence, and lastly a handful of chopped scallions before serving.
The next dish, braised eggplant in sauce, was much simpler with no particular highlights in technique, but the aroma was even more intense than the previous two dishes combined.
With the addition of Pixian Douban Sauce, the whole sauce appeared faintly red, exuding a strong fragrance of fermented bean paste.
The mashed potatoes were steamed all the way there, just simmered on the side, and now ready to be mashed into a runny consistency with some chicken and braising sauce, along with various seasonings, was a job well done.
Westerners are extremely familiar with mashed potatoes, just like how Great Xia People view rice and noodles.
Spectating Lin Chen’s entire cooking process, they could say mashed potatoes were the least expected dish.
It seemed simply more runny and hardly differed from those sold in restaurants and fast-food outlets?
The rich flavors of braised eggplant and Chinese hawthorn ribs consistently wafted into everyone’s noses, testing their patience to the limit.
"Quick, give me a serving, all four dishes!"
"Why choose, I want them all too!"
"Meat dishes are 3 Euros, vegetarian 1 Euro, rice and mashed potatoes are free? Just 8 Euros in total, I’ll take them all!"
"Don’t rush, don’t rush, today we also have brand new drinks."
Lin Chen gestured with both hands for everyone to calm down, "Old friend, come help me carry!"
A bucket of heavy ice jelly and another of chilled red bean soup.
With the aid of ice and an upgraded refrigerator, in just half an hour, this pot of red bean soup had reached an entirely refreshing temperature.
He made a cup for Lucas as a demonstration, and the boy immediately patted his chest: "Simple, leave it to me!"
Ice jelly for 5 Euros, red bean dumpling soup for 2 Euros, everything adding up to just 17 Euros, and the most important part, rice is not only free but can be refilled indefinitely!
For those with small appetites, enough for two girls to eat until they can’t finish.
Unable to stomach the hunger any longer, from the moment he smelled that tangy sweet meat aroma, Meng Qi’s stomach started cramping as if it were having spasms.
Receiving the first bento box from Lin Chen amidst the envious and jealous gazes of other diners, he stepped aside, yet didn’t leave, immediately reaching his chopsticks toward the glistening, tantalizing ribs.
This dish was sprinkled with a fair amount of white sesame, resembling ribs roasted with American barbecue sauce, visibly appetizing.
Gently taking a bite, without even using much force, the tender rib meat fell off the bone instantly.
As soon as it entered the mouth, a rich, sweet-sour hawthorn flavor spread across the tongue, meat juices concentrated to perfection, sticky and clinging to the lips.
It seemed the rib meat also contained a slight amount of fat, with a distinct burst of fatty aroma upon biting, perfectly blending with the sweet and sour sauce.
