txolops Chapter 131 The Superior Minced Meat Sauce: Tempting Even Before It's Cooked
Chapter 131 The Superior Minced Meat Sauce: Tempting Even Before It's Cooked
9:30 a.m.
The van drove into the urban village and parked downstairs in front of the rental houses.
"We've arrived. Unload the truck."
Wang Hai took the car keys, opened the car door, and jumped out.
Lin Chen got out of the passenger seat, opened the back door, and took Tangtang, who was holding a small water bottle, out of the car and placed her on the ground.
"Tangtang, stand properly to the side and don't bump into anything."
Lin Chen gave a word of advice.
"good!"
Tangtang obediently stepped aside, watching the two busy with their big eyes.
Lin Chen and Wang Hai worked together seamlessly, carrying all the groceries from the trunk upstairs in one trip.
After moving the last item, Wang Hai rolled up his sleeves and walked to the pool.
"Brother Chen, I'll prepare the vegetables for tonight's stall. Should I blanch the old hen and stew it first?"
Wang Hai asked.
"Okay, let's proceed as usual."
Lin Chen took an apron, tied it on, turned around and took out a small stainless steel basin, poured in the dried shiitake mushrooms he had bought, and added warm water to soak them.
"Daddy, Tangtang wants to help too!"
Seeing that the adults were all busy, Tangtang couldn't hold back any longer.
She ran to the kitchen door with her short legs, looked up at Lin Chen with her little face full of expectation.
Lin Chen paused for a moment.
Seeing his daughter's positive attitude, his expression softened.
"it is good."
Lin Chen moved a small plastic stool over and placed it next to the sink. He took a small plastic basin, poured half a basin of water into it, and then scooped out a few shiitake mushrooms from the large basin and put them in.
"Tangtang, sit here and help Daddy wash the mushrooms."
"Rub gently, like you're washing your little hands, okay?" Lin Chen said softly.
"Guaranteed to get it thoroughly clean!"
Tangtang happily ran to the little stool, rolled up her sleeves, and put her two chubby little hands into the basin of water to rub the mushrooms.
After settling his daughter in, Lin Chen turned around and focused his attention on the bag of shallots on the cutting board.
To make authentic minced meat sauce, ordinary scallions, ginger, and garlic cannot bring out that complex aroma. The true soul lies in "fried shallot oil," and the only ingredient in fried shallot oil is shallots.
Lin Chen picked up the kitchen knife and deftly peeled and washed the shallots. Then, the blade moved quickly up and down on the cutting board.
"Knock knock knock knock—"
The sound of fine, even chopping echoed in the kitchen.
In less than ten minutes, all two pounds of shallots were sliced into uniformly thick rings.
Lin Chen walked to the stove, turned on the fire, and dried the large iron pot.
He scooped out a large chunk of snow-white pork fat and put it into the pot.
As the temperature rises, the pork fat melts rapidly, turning into a clear, fragrant liquid.
"Sizzle—"
Lin Chen poured the chopped shallots into the warm lard.
The oil bubbles in the pot instantly became denser, making a slight boiling sound.
Lin Chen held the spatula in his right hand, turned the heat to medium-low, and began to stir slowly along the edge of the pan.
Making fried shallots is a test of patience. Too high a heat and they'll turn bitter; too low a heat and the shallot flavor won't come through.
It must be simmered over low heat to allow the moisture in the shallots to evaporate little by little.
Ten minutes passed.
The shallots in the pot gradually changed from their original purplish-white color to translucent, and then the edges began to turn slightly yellow.
At that very moment, a fragrant aroma of scallion oil suddenly rose from the wok, instantly filling the entire kitchen.
Wang Hai, who was processing an old hen in the pool next to him, stopped and twitched his nose twice.
"Brother Chen, this tastes absolutely amazing."
Wang Hai turned his head and looked at the steaming iron pot. "I originally thought shallots were similar to scallions, but I didn't expect the aroma to be so rich after frying them. They're not even in the same league."
"Red shallots have less moisture, so their aroma is more concentrated."
Lin Chen kept his eyes fixed on the pot, stirring the spatula a little faster. "Frying it thoroughly removes the fishy smell and enhances the aroma. Ordinary scallions can't create this complex base flavor."
Seeing that the shallots in the pot had turned golden brown, Lin Chen decisively turned off the heat.
He quickly grabbed a slotted spoon and scooped out all the crispy fried shallots, spreading them out to cool on a plate.
Leave the remaining scallion oil in the pot for later use.
Once cooled, the shallots become crispy and can be easily crushed into crumbs with a gentle squeeze.
This is the soul of the minced meat sauce—fried scallion oil.
"Daddy, the mushrooms are washed!"
Tangtang held up the small basin as if she were showing off her achievement.
The water in the basin turned a light brownish-brown, and the mushrooms were washed clean and plump.
"Tangtang is so capable."
Lin Chen wiped his hands with a towel, took the small basin, and said, "Go rest for a while. Dad is going to cut some meat."
Lin Chen squeezed out the water from the soaked and washed shiitake mushrooms, placed them on a cutting board, and chopped them into small, even shiitake mushroom cubes.
Then, he took the pork leg and pork belly that he had bought that morning.
You absolutely cannot use a meat grinder to make minced meat sauce.
Meat ground by a machine is called meat paste. The fibers are completely broken, and when cooked, it becomes like mushy mud with no chewiness.
It must be cut entirely by hand.
Lin Chen exerted force with his wrist, and the kitchen knife flew across the cutting board.
First cut into strips, then into cubes.
The foreleg meat, with three parts fat and seven parts lean, paired with layered pork belly, was all cut into small cubes.
Lin Chen cut eight pounds of pork, and his forehead was slightly sweaty, but the cut pieces were all the same size and clearly separated.
With the ingredients prepared, it's time to start cooking.
Lin Chen relit the stove and heated up the remaining scallion oil in the pot.
Without adding any extra seasonings, he directly picked up the cutting board and poured all eight pounds of diced meat into the pot.
"Sizzle—"
The hot oil sizzled loudly when it came into contact with the fresh meat.
Lin Chen gripped the spatula with both hands and quickly stirred the ingredients in the wok.
As the temperature continues to rise, the fat in the pork belly and foreleg meat is gradually forced out.
As the oil in the pot gradually increased, the surface of the diced meat changed from bright red to slightly yellow, exuding a pure meaty aroma, and the originally sticky diced meat became distinct.
"Sizzle"
Seeing that the diced meat was stir-fried to perfection, Lin Chen poured a ring of high-quality light soy sauce and a little dark soy sauce along the edge of the scalding hot wok.
The soy sauce boils upon contact with heat, instantly releasing its rich, savory aroma. The diced meat is evenly coated with the reddish-brown color of the soy sauce as it's stir-fried.
Next, Lin Chen added the diced shiitake mushrooms and continued to stir-fry.
The shiitake mushrooms, like sponges, quickly absorbed the grease and sauce from the bottom of the pot, releasing a rich mushroom aroma.
Lin Chen picked up a small bowl from the side, grabbed a handful of yellow rock sugar, and sprinkled it into the pot. Rock sugar not only enhances the flavor but also makes the broth a brighter, thicker red.
Stopping the stir-frying, Lin Chen crushed the fried shallots he had prepared earlier and sprinkled them evenly into the pan.
Next, star anise, bay leaves, and a little cinnamon were added.
Add water.
Lin Chen picked up the kettle that had been boiling and poured the hot water into the pot.
The water level was just enough to cover all the ingredients.
The fire boils over high heat, and the surface of the pot is bubbling.
Lin Chen used a spoon to skim off the layer of grayish-white blood foam that had risen to the surface. After confirming that the soup was clear, he turned the stove to the lowest heat.
"Put the lid on the pot."
Lin Chen took the pot lid and placed it on the iron pot.
Flames were burning at the bottom of the pot.
The rest is up to time.
As it simmered over low heat, the pot emitted a muffled "bubbling" sound.
The fat and collagen in the pork belly begin to melt and decompose gradually under the long-term action of low heat.
In just half an hour, the entire kitchen was filled with the rich aroma of meat.
After finishing with the ingredients, Wang Hai stood up and looked at the iron pot with the lid on.
"Brother Chen, just by smelling this, this minced meat rice is already done."
"With this aroma, when we lift the lid of the pot in the square next Friday, it will definitely tempt all the passersby."
Tangtang, who was sitting on a small stool, also dropped her toys, ran to Lin Chen's legs, looked up at him, and sniffed.
"Daddy, what's cooking in the pot? It smells so good!" Tangtang's big eyes sparkled.
Lin Chen cleaned the cutting board and knife thoroughly, then picked up a dry towel and wiped his hands.
He looked at the small flame that was still flickering slightly, his tone calm and resolute.
"Minced meat."
Lin Chen glanced at the clock on the wall. "It needs to simmer for another hour and a half. Only when the fat has completely dissolved into the broth will the flavor be just right."