txolops Chapter 48 Sweeping the Soup Like Water
Chapter 48 Sweeping the Soup Like Water
9:30 a.m.
Rental housing in urban villages.
Lin Chen and Wang Hai carried the groceries and pushed open the door to enter the house.
Without pausing, the two put down their things and immediately went to the sink, washed their hands, and tied on aprons.
"Fatty, rinse the rice first, then put it in the pot to simmer."
Then chop the scallions.
Lin Chen assigned tasks in an orderly manner.
"Alright, leave it to me."
Wang Hai deftly picked up the huge stainless steel sink and began washing the rice.
Lin Chen then turned around and picked up the two old hens and four pork bones he had just bought.
He picked up a kitchen knife, removed the chicken breast from the old hen, and placed it in a small bowl for later use.
He threw the remaining chicken carcass and pork bones directly into a large stainless steel bucket.
Add cold water to cover the ingredients.
Turn the fire up high.
As the water temperature gradually rises, a layer of foam begins to appear on the surface of the water.
This is blood and impurities from the bones and chicken meat.
Lin Chen took a strainer and skimmed off the foam little by little until no more impurities floated to the surface.
He turned off the fire, took out the old hen and pork bones, and carefully rinsed them clean under warm water.
He then took a clean, deep soup pot, put in the washed chicken and bones, and added enough purified water.
"Smack."
Lin Chen picked up a piece of old ginger and slapped it hard with the flat side of a knife.
He casually tossed the broken ginger into the pot without adding any scallions, cooking wine, or other spices, just some salt.
"Brother Chen, don't you put any spices or star anise in the soup?"
While chopping scallions on the cutting board, Wang Hai curiously peeked inside.
"unnecessary."
Lin Chen put the lid on the pot and turned the heat to medium-low. "A truly good soup is all about the natural freshness of the ingredients."
The spices are too strong and will overpower the original flavor of the chicken and bones.
Moreover, this soup is meant to accompany fried rice, so its flavor must be pure and not overpower the scallion aroma of the fried rice.
Wang Hai nodded as if he understood, and continued chopping the scallions with a "tap tap tap" sound.
The rented room quieted down, with only the sound of a cleaver hitting the cutting board and the bubbling of soup gradually rising from the pot.
Two hours later.
Over time, the fat and collagen in the old hen and pork bones are thoroughly extracted through boiling.
The entire rented room was filled with a pleasant fragrance.
Wang Hai had already spread the cooked rice evenly on a bamboo winnowing basket and was turning on an electric fan to blow it.
He couldn't help but swallow hard as he smelled the aroma.
"Brother Chen, this soup smells amazing, is it almost ready?"
Wang Hai walked over.
Lin Chen lifted the pot lid.
At this point, the soup in the pot had turned into a rich, milky white color, with a thick layer of bright yellow chicken fat floating on the surface.
It did smell very fragrant, but that was definitely not the standard Lin Chen wanted.
"This kind of white soup is called turbid soup, it's too greasy."
If you pair it with dry fried rice, you'll feel oily in your stomach after just a couple of sips.
Lin Chen shook his head, his tone calm, "Now is the time to truly test your skills."
Lin Chen picked up a large strainer and scooped out the stewed hen and bones from the pot, placing them in a bowl beside him.
Only half a pot of bubbling, milky-white broth remained in the pot.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Chen took the fresh chicken breast that had been removed and placed it on the cutting board.
The cleaver in his hand flew up and down.
"Knock knock knock knock—"
The sound of fine chopping meat rang out.
In less than five minutes, the chicken breast was completely minced into chicken paste.
Lin Chen put the minced chicken into a large bowl, added a little cold water, and quickly stirred it in one direction with chopsticks until the minced chicken and water were completely combined and turned into a thin paste.
"Brother Chen, what are you doing?"
"Making chicken meatballs?"
Wang Hai was completely confused.
"This is called 'sweeping up the soup'."
Lin Chen did not offer any further explanation.
He went to the stove and turned up the heat to bring the soup to a full boil.
Then, he picked up the large bowl full of chicken paste and poured it evenly into the soup along the side of the pot.
A miraculous scene unfolded.
The minced chicken pieces immediately began to solidify upon contact with the scalding hot broth.
As the boiling water churns, these tiny chicken pieces resemble a giant, all-encompassing net, swirling and churning in the pot.
Lin Chen held the soup spoon and gently pushed it along the edge of the pot to prevent the chicken paste from sticking.
As the chicken paste solidifies, it absorbs all the tiny fats, meat scraps, and suspended particles that originally made the soup white and cloudy.
Just a few minutes later.
All the minced chicken coagulated into a sponge-like patty, floating on the soup.
Lin Chen seized the opportunity and quickly turned the heat down to the lowest setting, keeping the soup noodles at a gentle simmer without boiling.
He then took the strainer and carefully scooped out the layer of chicken patties floating on the surface of the water, which were full of impurities and grease, and threw them into the trash can.
"That's it?"
Wang Hai craned his neck, his eyes fixed intently on the pot.
Lin Chen did not speak.
He took a clean, deep bucket, lined the opening with two layers of clean medical gauze, and then used a ladle to scoop out the soup from the pot, filtering it through the gauze into the deep bucket.
After the last bit of soup was filtered out, Lin Chen removed the gauze.
Wang Hai leaned forward and peered into the bucket.
Upon seeing this, Wang Hai was completely stunned.
The liquid in the bucket was a light amber color, clear and transparent.
If it weren't for the steam rising from the surface, it would look no different from a bucket of plain water.
There is not a trace of grease, and not a trace of turbidity.
"Brother Chen..."
Wang Hai rubbed his eyes and pointed at the pot of soup. "No, we simmered this broth for over two hours, how come you turned it all into plain water after stirring it with chicken?"
Lin Chen put down the stray net, took a small bowl, scooped half a bowl of clear soup from the bucket with a ladle, and handed it to Wang Hai.
"Try it."
Lin Chen only said two words.
Wang Hai took the small bowl with some skepticism.
The liquid in the bowl was still crystal clear, but when the bowl was placed in front of him, a pure, fresh aroma without any fishy or greasy smell entered Wang Hai's nostrils.
Wang Hai lowered his head and took a small sip.
The moment the soup entered his mouth, Wang Hai's eyes widened in shock.
This liquid, which looks like plain water, actually contains a rich and mellow umami flavor!
The freshness of the old hen and the aroma of the pork bones, after long simmering and rigorous filtration, all the essence is concentrated in this clear soup.
The soup glides smoothly down the esophagus, warm and smooth, without any greasy or sticky feeling in the mouth. Instead, it fills the entire mouth with a refreshing sweetness.
It was so fresh it almost melted on my tongue.
"Gulp."
Wang Hai tilted his head back and drank the remaining half bowl of clear soup in one gulp.
"Holy crap..."
Wang Hai put down the empty bowl, let out a long sigh, and looked utterly incredulous.
He looked at the empty bowl in his hand, then at the bucket of crystal-clear soup, and gave Lin Chen a big thumbs up.
"Brother Chen, your cooking skills are amazing!"
This is amazing! It looks like water, but how can it taste so fresh?!
And it's not greasy at all after drinking it; it's just full of the aroma of chicken soup!
Wang Hai rubbed his hands together excitedly, "Just for this bowl of soup, even if you sold it for thirty yuan a bowl, let alone giving it away for free, those white-collar workers would fight tooth and nail to get their hands on it!"
Lin Chen remained calm as he observed Wang Hai's reaction.
He had absolute confidence in his skills, and this soup was just right to accompany the 99-yuan dry fried rice.
"Alright, stop flattering me."
Lin Chen washed the soup ladle and placed it aside. He then turned and pointed to a large stack of unopened disposable soup bowls and plastic lids in a cardboard box next to him.
"Please organize these disposable soup bowls; we'll use them tonight."
"Use the remaining time to continue breaking up the rice and prepare the ingredients for the evening's stall."
"Alright!"
Wang Hai was full of energy. He rolled up his sleeves and said, "Don't worry, Brother Chen, I'll take care of this!"
"Once this soup is served, our stall's business will absolutely explode!"
Lin Chen turned around, picked up the kitchen knife and rag, and continued working.
The rented room returned to its busy rhythm, with only the clear, fragrant soup quietly steaming, waiting for evening to arrive.