I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 874 - 374: Northwest Hearty Dish with the Lowest Culinary Demands—Hand-Pulled Lamb!
Yin Hongbin said:
"As long as you buy the right kind of lamb, making hand-pulled lamb is very simple, just boil it in plain water."
Lin Xu curiously asked:
"If you can’t get this top-quality lamb but still want to eat lamb, what should you do?"
"Buy freshly slaughtered live lamb, soak it in running water for more than two hours to remove the blood, then put it in cold water in a pot, bring it to a boil, and skim off the foam. Add some spices to remove the gamey smell, like angelica dahurica, white cardamom, white pepper, fennel, and so on... You can’t just give up eating because you can’t get good lamb; you need to adapt to the ingredients."
Lin Xu agreed with this.
When it comes to cooking, you can’t rigidly adhere to rules.
Spices should be used when necessary; flavor comes first, not the ingredients.
While the two were chatting, Xie Baomin somehow cut a piece of beef hoof and was gnawing on it as if it were a bun:
"Junior, don’t talk too much in the video about lamb meat. People from every place think their local lamb is the best and not gamey at all. The more you say, the more likely you’ll start an argument."
Whoa, Senior Brother sure knows the internet well.
Lin Xu said with a smile:
"I haven’t talked too much. Generally, when talking about dishes from a place, I praise the local customs of the place. Life is already bitter enough; if we don’t say nice things, everyone will be more depressed."
At this time, the water in the pot was already boiling.
Yin Hongbin took a spoon and carefully skimmed the little foam that appeared on the edge of the pot.
He continued to boil on high heat for five minutes. When there was no more blood foam, he used the spoon to add a bit of salt into the pot.
"Generally speaking, you shouldn’t add salt when boiling lamb, but when boiling lamb, you have to go against the norm and deliberately add a bit of salt. Do you know why this is, Master Lin?"
Oh, are you testing me?
When lamb has salt added, the muscle tissue dehydrates, making it feel firm when eaten, so you usually add salt when it’s cooked or almost cooked, making the meat’s texture better.
But for lamb... Earlier, Senior Brother mentioned that the meat of lamb is initially tender and soft... Thinking of this, Lin Xu said:
"Is it to enhance the meat’s texture, making it firmer to bite?"
Yin Hongbin and Xie Baomin exchanged glances and had a look of pleasant surprise on their faces:
"Old Xie, your Junior Brother’s talent is truly impressive, immediately grasping the idea."
Then he said to Lin Xu:
"You guessed correctly. It’s to enhance the texture, and also to add some base flavor to the lamb. Actually, in the process of cooking lamb, you don’t completely omit salt. Usually, you add two to three percent of the total salt amount, otherwise, the lamb lacks base flavor and tastes a bit bland."
Xie Baomin tossed the clean beef hoof into the trash and said with a smile:
"Now we have to blame the ’A Bite of China’ crew. From the first season to the third season, they kept emphasizing sprinkling salt on lamb when it comes out of the pot, misleading people nationwide. Until now... Old Yin, your beef hoof braised nicely. Give me a few pieces later."
"You ask for everything you see, huh? Do you want this lamb meat?"
"Yes, of course, do you really mean it?"
"I’ll give you a big whack... Beef hoof might be okay, guests who come here to eat generally avoid such scraps, but lamb is our signature dish, you truly dare to ask."
The lamb in the pot cooked on low heat.
You shouldn’t cover the pot when boiling this type of meat; keep it open so the steam carries away any offensive odors.
"Whether it’s lamb or other meat, it’s taboo to add water midway through, so the meat must be cooked in a large pot, adding just enough water once. If you really need to add water, it must be freshly boiled water."
Yin Hongbin was somewhat similar to Guo Weidong, explaining cooking techniques in great detail.
However, Guo Weidong is a typical academic type, expanding horizontally whenever he talks about cooking techniques, whereas Yin Hongbin says whatever comes to mind.
At this moment, the kitchen’s lunch has started, and Lin Xu saw many chefs begin to busy themselves.
Evidently, they intended to finish their work quickly to enjoy a good lunch.
Lin Xu curiously asked:
"Executive Chef Yin, what do you usually eat for lunch?"
"It varies; eat whatever you want. Beef noodles, beef soup, lamb pie, sesame pancake, grilled bun, hand-pulled noodles, big plate chicken, over-oil meat mixed noodles, Nang bag meat, stir-fried rice noodles, lamb soup noodle, beef soup noodle... Plenty to choose from. Northwest cuisine is rather bold and grand, and its flavors are expansive."
Lin Xu wasn’t particularly hungry initially, but hearing Executive Chef Yin list numerous dishes made his mouth water.
Fortunately, the lamb was almost cooked by then. Yin Hongbin brought a wooden tray, lined it with lettuce leaves, and scooped the lamb from the pot.
He didn’t take the freeloading duo to the employees’ dining room, but instead went directly to the small room next to the kitchen. Upon entering, the table was already set with several dishes and various dipping sauces.
Lin Xu looked over and saw a platter of large-grain salt, a platter of pepper salt, a platter of dipping sauce similar to barbecue seasoning, a platter of chili sauce, and a platter of chive flower sauce.
He curiously asked:
"In the Northwest Region, do they dip hand-pulled lamb in chive flower sauce too?"
"There’s no special rule; the classic way is to dip it in salt. As for other dipping sauces, they’re added based on customer preferences. Chive flowers aren’t exclusive to Inner Mongolia; they are found in the Northwest too, and it’s normal to use them as a dipping sauce."
As they sat down, Yin Hongbin said:
"We have big tasks this afternoon, so no drinking. You brothers shouldn’t treat yourselves as outsiders, just grab and eat directly... It’s just simple food, don’t be picky."
Looking at the quivering lamb rib, if this is considered simple food, then this simple meal is incredible! So good that you’d want to take some home when you leave! 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Xie Baomin took a lamb rib, gently pulled, and two ribs came off. Then he dipped the deboned rib meat into the pepper salt sauce and took a big bite:
"Hmm, lamb is truly satisfying. Junior Brother, don’t just stand there, hurry up. It won’t taste good once it gets cold."
After saying this, he picked up a slice of raw onion and chewed it with the lamb with a crunch.
This authentic Northwest eating style turned this State Banquet Executive Chef into a local Uncle Mamat.
Lin Xu was less rough than Xie Baomin. He held a piece of lamb rib, scooped chive flower sauce with a small spoon to drizzle over it, and bit into the fatty yet lean part near the head of the rib, savoring the sensation as the juice oozed all over his mouth — truly delightful.
The meat was tender with a full aroma, juicy, lean without being tough, and fatty without being greasy. It melted in your mouth with a burst of fresh lamb flavor.
Eating this delicious lamb made me understand why the ancients used fish and lamb to create the "fresh" character. This savory taste instantly conquered the taste buds.
It’s incredibly tasty!
"Executive Chef Yin, this lamb is amazing, absolutely fantastic!"
"Take your time, Master Lin, it’s because we have good ingredients. With premium ingredients, anyone can make delicious hand-pulled lamb."
Unlike the rough eating style of the two brothers gnawing on the lamb, Yin Hongbin’s eating style was much more refined.
He took a small knife and, in the Northwest style, cut a piece of lamb from the ribs with the blade facing inward, then dipped it in large-grain salt before slowly chewing it.
Just as they were eating, a roar came from outside:
"Old Yin, is that dog Xie Baomin here? I heard he picked half a bag of persimmons from me and brought them here! You tell him to get out!"
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This Chapter is 5400 words long, asking for monthly tickets, brothers!
