Chapter 390 - 200: This Is the Taste

Chapter 390: Chapter 200: This Is the Taste

"This isn’t considered a representative dish of the Kong Sect. It should be considered a signature dish of the old Luo Family Cuisine, and it was once the specialty of Le Ming Restaurant. Master Luo Han’s father was particularly skilled at making this Snowflake Chicken Porridge and Pottery Pork." Zhou Yan said, his gaze falling upon Luo, who stood to the side with reddened eyes.

"In 1958, Master Luo’s father passed away suddenly before he could finish passing down his techniques. As a result, the lineage for several classic Luo Family Cuisine dishes was lost, which was a great blow to our Master, Kong Huafeng.

"This spurred him to compile his life’s work and all the Kong Sect recipes into teaching materials. He abandoned the tradition of passing skills down only within the family and began to hold classes, which is how the Kong Sect grew into the thriving and diverse school it is today.

"For decades after that, Master constantly tried to recreate the Snowflake Chicken Porridge, but all his attempts ended in failure. It became one of his greatest regrets. Before he passed away, he even urged my own master to keep trying.

"I happened to come across a recipe for Snowflake Chicken Porridge, and I’ve spent the last six months trying to recreate it. I’ve had a bit of a breakthrough recently.

"Since we’re celebrating Master’s nephew, Mr. Qian, successfully reuniting with his family, and since so many disciples of the Kong Sect are gathered here—including Master Luo Han and Grand-Uncle Second Master Kong—I thought I’d prepare Snowflake Chicken Porridge for everyone to sample, so you can all judge my attempt at recreating it.

"If I can successfully recreate it, then it will serve as an affirmation of our Master’s dream—the dream he pursued when he gave up the tradition of family inheritance to teach openly, all for the sake of preserving the culinary arts of Sichuan Cuisine.

"I believe that as long as generations of Sichuan Cuisine chefs remain dedicated and diligently hone their skills, the legacy of Sichuan Cuisine will never be lost."

A hush fell over the room. Everyone was looking at Zhou Yan in a new light.

Luo Han’s eyes reddened again, and the hand hanging at his side trembled slightly.

"Zhou Yan’s getting more and more eloquent. That was an impressive speech," Zhao Tieying whispered to Zhou Miao.

Kong Qingfeng’s eyes also grew red. He clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Well said! Our Master would be so proud to have a grand-disciple like you! Just go ahead and make it. We’ll be the ones to judge it, for better or worse. Even if you don’t get it this time, with that kind of determination, you’re bound to succeed eventually."

Everyone else joined in the applause.

"Not only is Zhou Yan an amazing cook, he’s got a silver tongue, too! How come I can never say anything that profound and insightful?" Kong Liwei muttered to the senior disciple next to him.

The senior disciple considered this seriously for a moment. "I guess it means our perspective is still too limited. We only see the dish itself, we don’t think about the profound meaning behind it."

Kong Liwei nodded thoughtfully. "My master’s no better, then. Earlier, a reporter asked him why he made Dongpo Pork, and he just said it tastes good, it’s famous, and Su Dongpo invented it. It didn’t seem so bad at the time, but when you compare it to what Zhou Yan just said, his answer was an absolute train wreck."

"Kong Liwei! No one would think you’re a mute if you just kept your mouth shut!" Kong Guodong, who had appeared behind him at some point, hissed through clenched teeth. "I must have been cursed to get stuck with a dimwit like you!"

"Master, I was just kidding..." Kong Liwei said with an awkward laugh.

The senior disciple beside him was suddenly preoccupied with his shirt, staring down and fumbling with a button that had been perfectly fastened a moment ago but was now suddenly misaligned.

"Where on earth did you find this apprentice? It’s bad enough that he’s a genius at cooking, but he’s this eloquent too?" Xu Yunliang couldn’t help but say, looking at Xiao Lei with envy. "Look at my guy. He’s as responsive as a block of wood. It’s like pulling teeth to get two words out of him."

"Senior Brother, that sort of thing comes down to natural talent. I think Zheng Qiang is great, he’s very steady and reliable. You can’t always be tearing down the younger generation. You have to praise them more. That’s how you get them to show their full potential." Xiao Lei said mildly, then turned to Zheng Qiang, who was arranging the stewed pork on a platter. "Isn’t that right, Master Zheng?"

"Exactly! Master, you should really learn from Master Xiao!" Zheng Qiang nodded in earnest agreement and looked at Xu Yunliang. "You see? Look at how respectful he is to the younger generation."

Xu Yunliang’s lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Is that right, Master Zheng? Well then, make sure you get me a feature interview in *Sichuan Cuisine* magazine next year, and the cover story while you’re at it. If you do that, I’ll even call *you* Master. But if you can’t pull it off, we’ll see just how tough this little bird’s wings have really gotten."

"Master, I was just kidding too! How could I possibly compare myself to Zhou Yan? He’s a genius," Zheng Qiang said quickly. ’Master Xiao is the worst! He praised me so much I got a big head and forgot my place.’

Meanwhile, Zhou Yan had already pounded the chicken breast into a paste. He set aside one of his cleavers and then meticulously began severing every fiber within the velvety chicken puree.

This step was critical, as it would determine the final texture of the Snowflake Chicken Porridge. If not done properly, a careful tasting would reveal a mouthful of stringy chicken fibers, which would be disastrous.

Luo Han took another two steps forward, coming right up to the cutting board and watching intently.

Zhou Yan’s movements were so practiced they seemed to have been repeated a thousand times over. They were composed, unhurried, and effortlessly graceful, and in them, Luo Han saw the shadow of his own father from all those years ago.

"Master Luo, please feel free to offer any guidance," Zhou Yan said with a smile, looking at Luo Han standing beside him.

Luo Han shook his head. "I wouldn’t dare presume to guide you. I was never able to learn it back then, and I’ve never once succeeded in all the years I’ve tried. If you manage to recreate it today, I’ll be the one who has to swallow my pride, call you Master, and ask you to teach me."

"That would really mess with our generational standing," Zhou Yan said, shaking his head with a laugh.

Processing the chicken puree was only the first step. He then added a prepared cold stock to the puree, thinning it out.

Once thinned, the chicken puree resembled a slightly runny white slurry. He separated eight eggs, adding only the whites into the chicken slurry and stirring until combined. Next, he added a starch slurry and a pinch of salt for seasoning, continuing to stir until everything was perfectly smooth.