Chapter 372 - 195: Snowflake Chicken Porridge

Chapter 372: Chapter 195: Snowflake Chicken Porridge

"Alright," Zhou Yan nodded. "Once Master Xiao perfects his Stir-fried Pork Liver, we can talk about the Mapo Tofu."

’He knew his former master might have been sincere in asking for advice, but that "Master Zhou" still had a slightly sarcastic ring to it.’

It was a good thing Master Zheng wasn’t here today, or he would have gotten a good laugh out of it.

In any case, he was perfectly capable of talking his way through it now, so he wasn’t too worried.

’Why should a genius have to explain his actions?’

’If anyone asks, the answer is simple: talent!’

Zhou Yan returned to the kitchen to continue cooking, finishing up the remaining few dishes for them.

Xiao Lei ladled a spoonful of Mapo Tofu into his bowl. The minced beef was fried to a golden brown, and the thickening sauce was perfectly balanced, coating the tofu completely. It was garnished with green garlic leaves and a final, thin layer of Sichuan peppercorn powder, from which a numbing and spicy aroma wafted up.

When he was younger, he had trained at Rongyuan Garden in Rongcheng and had eaten at Chen Mapo Tofu several times. He always ordered their Mapo Tofu, and its presentation was ninety percent similar to this one.

It was a level of similarity he had rarely seen since leaving Chen Mapo Tofu.

Chefs knew the secret to it. The Mapo Tofu supposedly required thickening the sauce in three separate stages, a technique that demanded the utmost skill in seasoning and Fire Control.

Even his own master couldn’t get this Mapo Tofu right.

Nowadays, Le Ming Restaurant also sold Mapo Tofu, but they used minced pork. However, the chef in charge wasn’t from the Kong Sect, so Xiao Lei wasn’t in a position to comment.

Although the taste was mediocre, the dish was famous enough that quite a few people still ordered it, so it had remained on the menu.

He blew on it a little before putting the tofu directly into his mouth.

’It was supposed to be hot!’

Mapo Tofu had to be eaten while it was piping hot.

Numbing, spicy, savory, and aromatic; crisp, tender, and scalding hot—all of these qualities were vividly expressed in that single bite.

Xiao Lei savored it carefully, nodding from time to time, unable to hide the look of amazement on his face.

This was, without a doubt, the best Mapo Tofu he had ever eaten. The control over the seasoning and Fire Control was on par with Chen Mapo Tofu. The beef was crisp yet tender, its fragrance infused into the sauce and soaked into the tofu, creating a rich, meaty flavor.

But the most crucial element was the tofu itself.

It was delicate, tender, and smooth, with a rich soy fragrance and not a hint of any raw, beany taste. One bite was all it took to know this was authentic West Bank Tofu.

Based on this point alone, Xiao Lei felt this Mapo Tofu was even more delicious than any he had eaten before. Its superiority lay in the ingredients.

Of course, being able to select superior ingredients was, in itself, a mark of a chef’s ability.

’Master Zhou really is something else.’

After Chen Mapo Tofu was nationalized, its recipe began to appear in various chef training programs, and versions of it even circulated in published books.

It wasn’t surprising that Zhou Yan had access to a recipe. Even he himself had seen several different versions.

But a recipe was just words on a page, often concise to a fault, with ingredient quantities expressed in vague terms like "a little" or "a dash."

Did the chefs at Le Ming Restaurant not know that Mapo Tofu was supposed to use minced beef? Of course they did. It was just that minced pork was more affordable, and pork was easier to source for the back kitchen.

But to replicate it as meticulously as Zhou Yan had, achieving perfection and even surpassing the original, was an extreme test of talent and required incredible perseverance.

Wang dished out a bowl of rice and ladled two spoonfuls of Mapo Tofu over it. It was his absolute favorite.

Qian Siyuan still preferred the Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork. He ate one mouthful after another, a joyful smile on his face today.

"Master Xiao," Qian Siyuan asked, looking at Xiao Lei with unconcealed curiosity, "I read in that magazine that Master Zhou recreated Kneeling Beef from a fragmented recipe. How is that possible? Is that a basic skill for a chef?"

"For a seasoned chef, it’s not hard to follow a recipe and make a dish," Xiao Lei said with a smile. "The challenge lies in making it delicious—ensuring it’s no less tasty than the dish described. It’s in making improvements based on available ingredients and spices, adapting the dish to be even more flavorful and suited to modern palates."

"This is a huge test of a chef’s fundamentals: seasoning, Fire Control, and Knife Skills—not one can be lacking. Among chefs, Zhou Yan’s talent is truly first-class.

As a diner, you eat his food and just think it tastes good. But if you were a student of cooking, seeing him would be like a mayfly looking upon the vast blue sky."

"I see." Qian Siyuan nodded thoughtfully, looking at Xiao Lei’s proud expression.

’Zhou Yan must be a genius in the culinary world. No wonder his cooking graced the cover of a professional food magazine when he’s only twenty.’

Xiao Lei’s gaze fell on the Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork. The shreds of meat were distinct, glistening with oil that formed a thin, clear ring around the edge of the plate. The color was a brilliant, tempting red. This was also a new dish recently added to the menu.

Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork was a common home-style dish, and Xiao Lei made a good one.

When it came to the "fish-flavor" seasoning profile, he was considered a standout among the three generations of Kong Sect chefs, specializing in Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, Fish-Flavored Eggplant, and Fish-Flavored Tofu.

When Zhou Yan was his apprentice, he had learned this dish from him. Back then, his attempts were a complete mess—either too sour or too sweet.

It might be called a home-style dish, but in terms of seasoning difficulty, it was definitely in the top tier of Sichuan Cuisine.

The ratios and amounts of ginger, garlic, and other seasonings were extremely particular. Too little, and it would be bland; too much, and it would overwhelm the signature "fish-flavor." It couldn’t be too sour, nor could it be overly sweet.

Many Sichuan Cuisine restaurants offered this dish, but few chefs could truly master it.

To the average person, they might all taste more or less the same, but an expert would know if the flavor was right with just a single bite.

The Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork Zhou Yan made used winter bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms.

Celtuce was already out of season, and using winter bamboo shoots was significantly more expensive—at least fifty cents for half a kilogram.

However, the price of pork had recently dropped. At two yuan per serving, as long as he could sell enough of them, the profit margin was still quite considerable.

He picked up a mouthful of the shredded pork with his chopsticks. Salty, savory, sour, spicy, and sweet—the flavors were incredibly rich. The "fish-flavor" profile was perfectly balanced with a mellow mouthfeel, highlighting the aroma of pickled Erjingtiao chilies, ginger, garlic, and scallions, which all fused together to create the so-called "fish-flavor."