I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 565 - 274: Top Five Rice Killers? Salted Fish Eggplant Stew is a Must-Have! [Subscribe Please]
"What’s the difference? They look the same to me."
Not only was Chezai curious, but Wei Qian also came over to have a look.
While Lin Xu was recording the program, Old Huang had brought over some roasted gluten and salted fish—ingredients less commonly used in Beijing—and Wei Qian had even helped Chezai move a box.
But when they opened it, they found the roasted gluten to be identical to wheat gluten.
It was both honeycombed and irregular in texture, and yellowish-brown in color. Isn’t this just the type of gluten you can buy anywhere in the market, the kind that’s steamed after being fermented?
There are three types of gluten available in the market.
The first type is the kind used for grilled gluten skewers, which has a smooth and slightly chewy texture; this is made by directly boiling washed raw gluten, without a fermentation step.
The second type is wheat gluten puffs, which are ping-pong-ball-sized gluten balls fried from raw gluten, also without fermentation.
The third type is the honeycombed wheat gluten often seen in night market stalls and small eateries’ cold dishes, which is made by adding yeast to raw gluten and then steaming it.
The roasted gluten that they now had in the store looked almost exactly like the third type of gluten.
So, hearing Lin Xu say they were different immediately stoked Wei Qian’s curiosity.
"Although roasted gluten and wheat gluten are mainly similar in composition, they differ in raw materials. Gluten is made by washing wheat flour with water, whereas roasted gluten is made by washing whole wheat flour with water, giving it an extra layer of bran—the wheat’s outer shell."
Lin Xu took the roasted gluten and sniffed it, then added, "In traditional methods, roasted gluten needs to ferment naturally before it is steamed. So, roasted gluten has a strong sour taste, and it needs to be fried before it can be eaten."
The roasted gluten Old Huang brought was good; it had a strong sour smell. It was likely the authentic Four Happiness Roasted Gluten that Professor Cui wanted to eat.
After examining the roasted gluten, Lin Xu checked the two boxes of salted fish that had been delivered.
"He said these are all top-grade Plum-flavored Salted Fish, hard to come by even in the two Guang regions... I just opened a pack, and why does it smell so bad?"
Chezai’s expression was somewhat conflicted. The ingredients delivered today were either sour or smelly—could they really be used to make delicious dishes?
Lin Xu said with a smile, "Roasted gluten is a memory for many people in the Yangtze River Delta area; outsiders might not be used to it. But this salted fish is truly a delicacy. The Salted Fish Eggplant Stew it makes can rank in the top five rice killers."
Chezai opened his mouth, hardly believing his own ears. The famous Salted Fish Eggplant Stew was made from this stinky, sticky Plum-flavored Salted Fish? That’s truly surprising.
He curiously asked, "Boss, what are the top five rice killer dishes?"
Wei Qian, who was nearby, said, "You don’t know? What kind of chef are you? Listen up, the top five rice killer dishes are acknowledged to be Fried Pork, Fish-flavored Meat Shreds, Salted Fish Eggplant Stew, Tomato Stew Beef Brisket, Stir-fried Pork with Chili Peppers, Boiled Beef in Hot Sauce, Dry Pot Fatty Intestines..."
He rattled off more than ten dishes in one breath, making the already somewhat bewildered Chezai even more perplexed. "Is that the top five?"
Lin Xu patted the young man on the shoulder. "In our country, there are more than ten universities considered to be in the top five. It’s about the same with the number of ’rice killer’ dishes."
He looked at the salted fish in the boxes; indeed, they smelled bad, but this was the source of the "Plum" fragrance.
Plum-flavored Salted Fish, to be precise, should be called moldy-flavored salted fish. Like Dried Vegetable and moldy tofu, these are fermented and pickled ingredients evolved by the Ke Family during their migrations.
But the character for "mold" sounds unpleasant, and the smell can be off-putting, hence the euphemism "Plum-flavored."
Since the salted fish had arrived, they might as well make a few Salted Fish Eggplant Stews for lunch and give it a try.
Hmm, just eating hand-torn cabbage is somewhat bland; adding a flavorful and rich-tasting Salted Fish Eggplant Stew would greatly improve the meal.
Thinking this, Lin Xu said to Chezai, "Wash a few clay pots later; we’ll cook Salted Fish Eggplant Stew for lunch to test the taste. If it’s good, we’ll start serving it in the restaurant this afternoon."
"Okay, boss."
At the kitchen doorway, upon hearing that Salted Fish Eggplant Stew would be served for lunch, Geng, who had just stuffed his belly full of rice, was speechless. "..."
You should have said so earlier! If I’d known, I would have endured my hunger and saved some dishes for Sister Doudou. Poor Sister Doudou didn’t even get to taste that delicious hand-torn cabbage. If she had eaten it, then I could have had more of the Salted Fish Eggplant Stew for lunch. What a miscalculation!
Geng lamented, pounding his chest and stomping his feet.
「Meanwhile.」
Tan Yajun found Shen Jiayue and said, "Yueyue, let’s go to Lin Ji together for lunch. I have a flight to Yu Zhou at 2:00 PM. After lunch, I’ll have to head to the airport for a research meeting."
"Okay, Uncle Tan. What would you like for lunch? I’ll have Xubao make it for you."
Tan Yajun said cheerfully, "No need, no need. I’ve heard from netizens that Lin Ji’s employee meal is the tastiest and most abundant. I’ll experience it today at noon and see just how delicious it can be."
The buzz on the internet had piqued the Auditor’s curiosity.
He planned to personally investigate just how delicious Lin Ji’s employee meals were. If they were as good as rumored, he would start driving to Lin Ji for lunch from then on.
「Around ten in the morning.」
Having finished all the prep work, Lin Xu began preparing the Salted Fish Eggplant Stew.
This dish required simple ingredients: besides purple-skinned long eggplants and Plum-flavored Salted Fish, only a small piece of Pork Fat was needed.
Although called Salted Fish Eggplant Stew, in this dish, the salted fish only played a role in enhancing the umami and flavor; the real source of aroma was lard.
