Chapter 348 - 147: A Foolproof Braised Pork Belly

Chapter 348: Chapter 147: A Foolproof Braised Pork Belly

As the meat seared, the rendered lard in the wok increased again.

It was almost level with the chunks of pork!

"What if I drain all the lard..."

Admittedly, Su Chen was a bit hesitant to take this step, but this was the Gourmet Practice Room!

He went ahead and drained all the lard, leaving only the seared pork.

Even at this stage, the pork belly was already emitting an intensely rich, meaty aroma—the kind that truly whets one’s appetite.

But it was clear that at this stage, it smelled much better than it tasted.

’Because it was seared for too long, the pork has lost not only its fat but also its moisture!’

A spoonful of soy sauce went into the wok.

After the fat was drained, the soy sauce drizzled into the wok seemed to soak into the pork at a speed visible to the naked eye!

’I think I’ve discovered something incredible...’

With no time to dwell on it, Su Chen immediately added a block of red fermented bean curd to the wok!

This was a well-thought-out move.

In the north, some restaurants use red fermented bean curd for dishes like braised pork or steamed pork belly. In reality, this method is a bit of a shortcut.

First, red fermented bean curd is made through fermentation, which means it contains a certain amount of alcohol that can help remove any gamey taste and cut through the richness.

Moreover, the fermented bean curd is salty. Paired with soy sauce, only a small amount of extra salt is needed later. The resulting dish’s savory flavor alone is incredibly fragrant!

And then there’s...

The color!

By making braised pork this way, Su Chen avoided the step of caramelizing sugar—a headache for many novices—and instead used soy sauce and fermented bean curd for color.

And the taste of fermented bean curd itself is also acceptable to most people in the north.

Especially in Jingzhou, many people enjoy eating steamed buns dipped in fermented bean curd, so adding it to this braised pork was not a problem at all.

After adding the fermented bean curd and stir-frying a few more times, the pork chunks took on a most alluring, deep reddish-brown color.

"Time to add the water."

He poured in boiling water until it was level with the pork, then let it simmer for a few minutes. This step was to set the color.

Without this quick boil, the color on the surface of the pork would easily be washed out by the added water.

’Now, to use Zhang the Second’s restaurant method...’

Su Chen took out a pressure cooker and dumped the bubbling pork from the wok straight into it.

’There can’t possibly be a simpler braised pork recipe than this...’

A pressure cooker only needs fifteen minutes at most, and using one is much better than slow-stewing on the stove for over an hour.

First, the shape of the pork pieces remains more intact. Second, the texture is also perfectly preserved.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly.

After releasing the pressure, Su Chen picked up a piece of pork with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth.

’This braised pork is so damn simple. What are those food bloggers thinking, making it so complicated?’

With one bite, Su Chen was stunned himself!

In the past, although Su Chen was a food streamer who couldn’t live without meat, he never really had much interest in pork.

Nowadays, everyone’s quality of life has improved and pork has become cheap, so basically, no one is particularly crazy about eating it.

But this bite!

’The salty, savory flavor profile is more in line with how northerners prefer their pork.’

’It’s not greasy. This meat isn’t the least bit damn greasy!’

He picked up another piece to examine it. It was five-layered pork belly with three layers of fat and two of lean meat. The fatty layers in the middle had become translucent and slightly gelatinous!

It didn’t even look much like fat anymore.

As for the lean parts, having absorbed enough of the broth in the pressure cooker, they had regained a tender, succulent texture that wasn’t dry at all. Every bite released a burst of savory, soy-infused juices, along with a hint of fermented bean curd.

’If I were to sell this at a food stall, there’s still one last step!’

This was what Zhang Heping called "restaurant thinking."

In many restaurants, when you order braised pork, it has actually been prepared the day before—to the exact state Su Chen had just achieved.

If a customer were to order the dish...

A portion of the braised pork would be taken from the pressure cooker, along with a ladle of broth, and returned to a wok to reduce the sauce over high heat.

When the sauce thickens enough to coat the pork pieces as you pick them up, the dish is complete!

He set the dish on the board.

Golden words materialized in the air above the Gourmet Practice Room.

[Homestyle Braised Pork: Evaluation, A Level]

"Perfect!"

Su Chen snapped his fingers. An A Level was good enough. From the evaluation system’s perspective, the braised pork was the same as the first dish, Stir-Fried Yellow Beef.

It was a dish where everyone has their own preference.

It was impossible to get an S Class on the first try.

"I’ve got the savory version down. Next is the sweet version."

Unlike northerners, many southerners prefer their braised pork sweet, especially in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai region.

Su Chen had once visited a restaurant in Shanghai to try their world-renowned "Grandma’s Braised Pork." The moment it entered his mouth, it was cloyingly sweet!

Sickeningly, cloyingly sweet!

The flavor was very unfriendly to a northerner’s palate!

But you couldn’t argue with the fact that southerners loved that taste.

’I won’t rush to make the sweet version. For now, I’ll focus on making the savory version and see if I can reach the S Class required by the mission, and film a video while I’m at it.’

The Delicious Douyin account wasn’t what it used to be. With over a hundred thousand followers, it was important to post new videos regularly.

After leaving the Gourmet Practice Room, Su Chen immediately ran back to the second floor. Because he had reached A Level on his very first attempt, the only time that had passed in reality was the time it took him to climb the stairs.

In the kitchen, Zhang Heping had just brought out a piece of pork belly and turned on the stove to sear the skin.

"Stop, stop."

"Huh?" Zhang Heping was stunned. "Didn’t you just go upstairs? Why are you back down already?"

Su Chen said, "I’ll cook this dish. You all can be the taste testers. If it’s good, we’ll add it to the menu for this afternoon’s service!"

Hearing that Su Chen was going to cook personally, Fang Chang slapped his thigh in excitement. "Boss Su! You’ve finally had a pang of conscience!"

Zhan Yang had just video-called him several times, saying that even if he couldn’t eat Boss Su’s cooking, he had to at least watch.

Fang Chang had refused several times, to the point that Zhan Yang went straight to the group chat and said that Fang Chang was just showing off. Showing off normally was one thing, but was he going to show off about something like taste-testing?

But now!

Brother Fang Chang immediately started a group video call.

’Let’s see if *I’m* the one showing off now!’

Seeing this, Su Chen said, "Fang Chang, instead of just video chatting, let me get you some equipment so you can help me film a proper video."

"Film a video?"

Su Chen nodded. "Yeah. Our company account gained over a hundred thousand followers from the stream the other day, so we need to post some videos. I think this homestyle braised pork is perfect for it."

"Sure, that’ll work. Where’s the equipment?"

Su Chen went to Ling Shuyu’s office and took out Liu Ahbao’s set of professional equipment.

The gear had only been used a few times by He Shuting to film videos; it had been collecting dust in the office ever since.

"You don’t need to film my face. Just find an angle and keep the camera on the wok and my hands."

That wasn’t difficult. While managing the group video call, Brother Fang Chang found a good angle and focused the camera on Su Chen’s hands.

"Today, I’m going to teach everyone how to make an unbeatable version of homestyle braised pork!!!"

Su Chen delivered his opening line, then began cooking with swift, skillful movements.

「Twenty-five minutes later...」

Zhang Heping, Chen the Eighth, and Fang Chang.

The three of them stared blankly at the small wok in front of Su Chen, which held the braised pork with its reduced sauce.

It looked a bit plain, nothing special.

"That’s it?"

"Yeah, that’s it. What more did you want?"

Zhang Heping scratched his head. "Your braised pork seems a little... slapdash. You only used four spices in total? Scallion, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon?"

Su Chen scoffed. "Aren’t soy sauce and fermented bean curd ingredients too?"

His single sentence left Zhang Heping, the master of Lu Cuisine, speechless.

"Fine, I’ll give it a try!"

"I’ll try too!"

The three of them were at a loss for words. They had thought a pure meat dish like braised pork would be a complex procedure in Boss Su’s hands, a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate!

But looking at it now, that didn’t seem to be the case. They just had no idea what it would taste like.

...

「Meanwhile, at the foot of the Delicious building.」

"Restaurant reviews are full of bull, so let a real chef tell it like it is! Today, we’re at a restaurant that suddenly blew up online! Jingzhou, Delicious!"

"The boss of this company is a bit unusual, ha! He only takes reservations. Old Tang here couldn’t get one, but I’ve got thick skin! Let’s go, upstairs we go to check it out!"

As the first to arrive in Jingzhou, Old Tang had already started filming a new episode for his restaurant review series!