Chapter 79: Bean Sprouts, the Soul of Water-Boiled Meat Slices

Wanxing said in a low voice, "It’s 7:58."

"If she sticks to her schedule, Juju will open her stream room at 7:59!"

Soon, the clock ticked over to 7:59. The stream room, previously dark on their screens, suddenly lit up. Wanxing and Wei Mian excitedly jumped into the stream.

This joyous scene was playing out in every corner of the Federation where fans had been captivated by Jiang Qiuqiu’s cooking.

Then came her familiar voice: "Welcome, everyone, to my cooking stream. I’m Jiang Jiujiu, and today’s menu is: Water-Boiled Gugu Meat Slices. Stay tuned."

"She’s here! She’s here!"

"The goddess is wearing a brown outfit today! I’m going to wear the same one tomorrow! Let’s go!" Wei Mian loudly proclaimed her love for Jiang Qiuqiu.

Wanxing stared at the brown outfit, and her mind immediately made a connection to braised pork and fried cutlets. Even with the slight difference in shade, the resemblance was uncanny.

The thought made her...

"I’m craving braised pork now."

"Me too! But she never brings dishes back. Why doesn’t she ever remake the braised pork?"

"Maybe it’s a matter of probability." Wanxing mused for a moment, thinking, ’If it’s a lottery system, then the odds of drawing...’

Wei Mian inwardly winced. ’I just wanted to complain, not get a lecture from the Academic God!’ She immediately cried out, "She’s starting to cook! Xingxing, be quiet! Let’s listen carefully to Juju!"

As usual, Jiang Qiuqiu was introducing the ingredients.

"To make Water-Boiled Meat Slices, we need to select the tenderloin of the Gugu Beast. The meat from this part is the most suitable, allowing us to easily cut slices that are uniform in thickness and have a well-defined texture."

With that, she picked up a kitchen knife. The sharp blade glided smoothly across the meat, and in an instant, the long tenderloin was transformed into a pile of neat slices.

#Am I in the front row? A new dish today! This is bliss!#

#A Gugu Beast special! I love Gugu Beasts.#

#I must have been a bird of prey in my past life. I’m obsessed with eating Gugu Beast!#

#@The person above, not necessarily. I’m a Gugu Beast in this life, but I still love eating Gugu Beast. /mood: complicated, lights a cigarette#

#Eating your own kind is just the best, isn’t it, @poster above?#

#Hey, has anyone else noticed that Qiuqiu’s meat slices are thicker than usual today...?#

"Looks like some fans have sharp eyes," Jiang Qiuqiu said with a smile. "Today’s dish is a little different. The Water-Boiled Meat Slices need to be boiled for a bit, and if they’re too thin, they’ll overcook and lose their tenderness."

"Something like this—not too thin, not too thick—is best."

"Now that the Gugu Beast tenderloin is all sliced, let’s talk about what makes Water-Boiled Meat Slices so special: the numbing spiciness and the tender, smooth texture. The numbing spiciness comes from the seasonings. To get that tender, smooth texture, we need to add some starch before cooking."

The white powder sprinkled over the meat slices was unassuming, but it would make a world of difference to the final texture.

She added water, some spices, and a bit of egg white. "The egg white also helps make it tender and smooth."

#She keeps talking about ’tender and smooth’ today... what does that even mean?#

#Does meat always have to be ’tender and smooth’?#

"’Tender and smooth’ is a type of mouthfeel. Unlike fried meat, when you bite into a piece of tender and smooth meat, you can still feel the texture of the muscle fibers. It’s rich, juicy, and this process prevents the meat from getting tough while cooking."

"Once the meat is well-coated, we’ll set it aside and move on to this."

A new product from the Agricultural Research Institute made another surprise appearance on the stream.

A handful of bean sprouts appeared before everyone’s eyes.

There wasn’t much to say about these. She processed them directly—cutting them into sections, rinsing them, boiling a pot of water, and then dropping in the lustrous white bean sprouts.

As the bean sprouts hit the hot water, their jade-like bodies quickly turned translucent. They lost their beauty, but in exchange, gained a flavor that brought joy.