I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 563 - 273: Hand-Torn Cabbage is So Delicious! Quick Kimchi That Only Requires Hands, Super Simple! [Please Subscribe]_2
Hmm, although I can’t be of much help, I’ll try not to hold anyone back.
Just as I came out of the kitchen, I saw Dou Wenjing talking business on the phone. The beautiful general manager wore a spotless white shirt tucked into a gray skirt, beneath which her slender legs were wrapped in high-quality stockings. Visually, Manager Dou had fulfilled everyone’s fantasy of a gorgeous female boss. But at that moment, this lovely lady boss held an out-of-place bun in her hand, her eyes glued to the plate in Geng Lele’s hands.
While listening to the other party on the call, she mouthed to Geng Lele, "Save some for me, don’t eat it all up!"
Little Mushroom Head immediately nodded vigorously and then gestured an "OK" to Manager Dou. "Don’t worry," she declared, "I’ll make sure it’s all eaten up, not even the sauce will be left!"
Approaching the booth, she set down the plate and the rice, then took a mouthful of cabbage with her chopsticks and hastily scooped up a mouthful of rice. The salty, fragrant, and crunchy cabbage paired with the perfectly cooked rice was an exquisite match—so delicious!
While she was eating, Shu Yun, having just finished checking the cleanliness of a third-floor private room, came downstairs. Seeing Geng Lele eating the cabbage, she wanted to try some too. She glanced at Manager Dou, who was on the call, and noticed the bun gripped in her hand. Then, Shu Yun walked over in her high heels—CLICK, CLICK, CLICK—and took the bun.
She tore the bun in half, stuffed one half back into Dou Wenjing’s hand, and then, holding the other half, she quickly walked toward the booth. As she passed the sterilizer, she remembered to grab a pair of chopsticks from it.
"Quick, Sister Yun, this cabbage is super tasty!"
Shu Yun sat down, eagerly picked up a mouthful of cabbage with her chopsticks to taste, and her face instantly lit up with a delighted expression. "Indeed, it’s super delicious! Do we need to save some for Manager Dou?"
"No need," Geng Lele replied. "Sister Dou just told me not to waste food and to eat it all. I promised her I would."
"If she’s not eating, then we really shouldn’t waste it, especially since it’s made by the boss himself. Others might not even be able to get a taste, even if they paid."
「In the kitchen.」
Lin Xu organized the cabbage stalks and then went to the storage area to bring back half a basket of ingredients suitable for making quick pickles. There were white radishes, yellow radishes, carrots, watermelon radishes, celtuce, celery, bell peppers, and beauty peppers, among other ingredients.
Yesterday, it was fried pork chops because of a bit of spicy soy sauce; today, it’s quick pickles because of some cabbage stalks. These past two days felt like he was constantly ’making dumplings just for the vinegar’—getting drawn into bigger tasks from small starting points... Lin Xu muttered, arranging the ingredients on the worktable.
Feeling that there weren’t enough cabbage stalks, he went to the adjacent kitchen area and cut half a cabbage.
Quick pickles weren’t picky about ingredients; basically, any firm-textured stems and leaves could be used. However, for a more aesthetically pleasing and attractive presentation, a variety of colorful ingredients were generally chosen. Take radishes, for example: white, yellow, and red ones, combined with green and red peppers—all mixed, they were visually very appealing.
Beyond these vegetables, some other flavorings were also necessary, like bagged pickled chilies or wild mountain chilies, as well as ginger, garlic, coriander, and so on. These would make the pickles taste even more delicious and enticing.
After all the main and supplementary ingredients were ready, he washed the vegetables he would be using. Then, the recording began.
Quick pickles go by many names. For instance, in the Sichuan and Chongqing regions, they are commonly called "jump-in pickles," implying they’re ready to eat almost as soon as the vegetables "dive" into the brine. Other places call them "instant pickles," "lazy pickles," or "simple pickles." The names might differ, but the methods were largely the same: ingredients were first salted to draw out moisture, then soaked in a specially prepared liquid. They were typically ready to eat after one night, making it very convenient.
After a brief introduction, Lin Xu boiled a pot of water on the stove, adding Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and a few bay leaves to make a simple Sichuan peppercorn water. Using Sichuan peppercorn water for quick pickles could enhance their flavor.
The Sichuan peppercorn water didn’t need to boil for too long. About five minutes was sufficient, then the heat could be turned off to let it cool. This brine had to be completely cooled before use. Otherwise, the resulting pickles would become soft and mushy, losing their crispy texture.
Once the Sichuan peppercorn water was ready, Lin Xu started processing the ingredients. All the radishes were cut into small, consistently sized strips, about 1.5 to 2 centimeters square in cross-section and five to six centimeters long. This not only made them easier to pickle but also ideal for plating. Celery was cut into sections. Cabbage leaves were first torn off one by one, then stacked and sliced.
Once all the ingredients were cut, they were placed in a basin. Lin Xu sprinkled them with half a ladleful of salt and then began to mix them by hand, ensuring each piece was evenly coated. The salt’s dehydrating effect was immediately obvious. As soon as he started mixing, water began to seep out at the bottom of the basin. After mixing thoroughly, the ingredients were set aside for the salt to draw out their moisture.
Taking advantage of this time, he started to prepare the seasonings for the pickles. A bowl of washed and drained small hot chilies were cut in half lengthwise, ginger was sliced, garlic was halved, and coriander was cut into small pieces.
"These seasonings aren’t absolutely necessary," Lin Xu explained to the camera as he worked. "You can still make tangy, sweet, and crunchy pickles without them. However, adding them will enhance the flavor, so I hope you won’t skimp when making them. After all, who wants to eat imperfect pickles, right?"
After preparing these seasonings, the vegetables still needed more time for the salt to draw out their moisture. So, he signaled to the cameraman to pause filming, intending to resume after the process was complete.
Washing his hands, he stepped out of the kitchen and saw Geng Lele sitting at the booth, rubbing her belly, looking thoroughly stuffed.
