Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 67: The Astonishing Green Sichuan Pepper Scallion Oil
The four assistants who had been quietly working beside Lin Chen exchanged glances upon hearing him openly critique the dish that Chef Raphael had painstakingly refined through four versions to be just ordinary. Their hearts sank a little.
Despite keeping a straight face, each of them couldn’t help but steal glances in that direction, eager to see the impending drama unfold.
"You think so too? That’s great!"
Chef Raphael nodded appreciatively, "You haven’t been involved in developing new dishes before, have you?"
"Indeed, I haven’t."
"Every chef has their unique approach to developing dishes. Personally, I prefer to first determine the combination of ingredients, establish a foundational flavor profile, and then innovate with the seasoning to create a striking final product."
"In this current dish, I’ve roughly set the basic flavor profile, but I’ve tried several sauces that didn’t quite match. The original succulence and umami of the mushrooms need to be highlighted, while the sweet freshness of the pea purée must not be overwhelmed by heavy seasoning."
"I recall that in Great Xia Cuisine, Cantonese dishes typically emphasize the freshness of the ingredients themselves. Since you were also part of the preliminary discussions, I was wondering if you might have any suitable suggestions."
Lin Chen pondered, rubbing his chin and staring at the delicate mushroom roll on the plate for a few seconds. Suddenly, he reached over and grabbed a bag from the array of seasonings beside him, containing a greenish pepper-like item.
"This is...?"
Chef Raphael furrowed his brows, racking his memory, "If I remember correctly, this seems to be that pepper you mentioned with a numbing taste?"
"Yes, this is green Sichuan pepper. Compared to regular Sichuan peppercorns, its aroma is more intense and fresh. It’s commonly used in cold dishes and meat recipes and is only found in the Sichuan and Chongqing Region of Great Xia, though now it’s widely utilized in various cuisines."
After a brief explanation, Lin Chen quickly headed to the cold storage, retrieving a yellow onion, a bunch of cilantro, and a handful of scallions.
"Chef, is this dish meant to be vegetarian or can we use butter?"
"If possible, it’s best to make it vegetarian."
Nodding, Lin Chen immediately picked up a bottle of extra virgin olive oil and poured it into a milk pan, heating it over high heat.
Compared to regular olive oil, extra virgin olive oil has a higher smoke point, making it suitable for high-temperature cooking and steak grilling. It’s quite common in Western kitchens.
Following the method for making Sichuan and Chongqing chili oil, he chopped the onion and cilantro and tossed them into the oil for a slow fry. About five minutes later, he added the green Sichuan pepper and rosemary for aroma.
The pepper and spices shouldn’t be fried for too long, as they might burn and turn bitter. Once the aroma was released, he immediately strained out the residue, pouring the scallion oil back into the pot, and added the fresh green scallions.
The addition of the scallions infused the entire pot of oil with a wonderful fragrance, transitioning its color from pale yellow to light green.
He didn’t fry them for long, just softening the scallions slightly before removing them, throwing them into a blender, adding two spoonfuls of vegetable broth, and blending them into a scallion purée. He then steadily drizzled in more scallion oil.
Finally, he strained it again, producing a final product that was a crisp green, reminiscent of moss reflected in a mountain spring.
"Scallion oil?"
The method of making green scallion oil is commonplace in Western cuisine, mainly used for its color and fragrance, usually drizzled around the plate during final presentation.
Lin Chen incorporated the Great Xia method of making scallion oil on the foundation of Western scallion oil, enhancing it with onion and green Sichuan pepper for flavor.
Without even tasting, he confidently spooned some scallion oil onto the surface of the mushroom roll, adding some thinly sliced scallions as garnish.
The delicate green scallion oil slowly slipped down the top of the mushroom roll, imbuing the white eryngii mushrooms with a touch of vitality.
Chef Raphael’s eyes lit up: "Nice job, kid, I had thought about using scallion oil too, but found it too ordinary. The addition of Sichuan pepper has suddenly made the taste stimulating—just smelling it makes me want to sneeze."
The chef immediately scooped up a mushroom roll drenched in pea purée and popped it into his mouth. Before he could even chew, his eyes widened with astonishment.
The scallion oil on the surface of the eryngii mushroom exploded with an immensely rich scallion flavor as soon as it entered.
If the aroma of scallion oil in Western cuisine is subtle, the modified version Lin Chen made showcased itself boldly and unapologetically to the guests.
Moreover, following the scallion fragrance came the magical numbing sensation, spreading from the tip of the tongue to everywhere around, causing a slight tingle in the entire palate.
The originally unremarkable mushrooms were brought to life by the green Sichuan pepper, inciting an uncontrollable urge to keep eating.
"Amazing, truly amazing, Lin!!"
"As expected from someone coming from the ancient culinary nation, a problem that’s troubled me for two or three days was solved by you in less than fifteen minutes?"
"Uh... it’s not quite like that."
Lin Chen rubbed his nose, still unaccustomed to the exaggerated compliments from foreigners.
"The richness of Great Xia’s seasonings contributes to the novelty. In my view, there’s nothing particularly special about it."
Just then, Jolian and Anderson arrived punctually in the kitchen to begin their work, only to be immediately called over by the chef.
"Hey, you two, come try the sauce Lin paired for my new dish—it’s unbeatable! I bet this will be the best starter of the year!"
"Is it really that impressive?"
With a cheerful grin, Jolian walked over, picked up a mushroom roll, took a bite, and froze.
Anderson, who initially looked down on the scallion oil, found himself speechless as the wondrous numbing sensation hit him on the first bite.
"What, what is this? This numbing sensation, what on earth is it??"
"It feels like a mild electric current racing around my tongue, with countless tiny ants crawling on my lips—it’s fascinating. Plus, the aroma of this scallion oil is quite unique."
They cut open the remaining two mushroom rolls and divided them among the four assistants to taste, garnering unanimous praise.
The chef immediately waved his hand: "Lin, you don’t need to participate in lunch and dinner prep today. Here’s my current draft of the new menu, take a look and give me as many suggestions as possible. Ideally, bring some dishes to completion."
"If you can handle this round of new dish development, I’ll add your name to the new menu’s promotional poster!"
"What?!"
Anderson exclaimed in disbelief, while Jolian and the assistants cast envious glances his way.
Getting one’s name on a new menu launch at a renowned restaurant essentially means having one’s skills recognized, an opportunity not easily afforded to just any chef.
"But, Chef, what if handling all the meat dishes by myself might be a bit..."
"Then reflect on that."
Before Anderson could finish, Chef Raphael cut him off. "Lin completed it all alone without a single mistake, so why can’t you? If your skills are lacking, you need to practice more!"
"You’ve been working here for six years, yet your skills haven’t improved in the last two years—in fact, they’ve slightly regressed. And you still dream of becoming the sous chef? Keep dreaming!"
