"The braising liquid for todayâs dishes is different from the one I used for the braised meat last time," she explained, answering a question from the chat as she lifted the lid off a metal container.
The new, unheated braising liquid didnât have a particularly enticing aroma. Instead, once the lid was off, a faint medicinal smell wafted out.
It wasnât an unpleasant smell, but to claim this was the key to a peerless delicacy seemed like a bit of a stretch.
Soâ
#This pot of dark, weird-smelling stuff is the star of the show today?#
#Is it for a new dish? Ahhhâ#
#Could it be specially prepared for todayâs event... so if it isnât that tasty, people wonât focus so much on the food and will be more in the mood to chat?#
#That canât be it, boo hoo hoo. If itâs for the event, you should make it even *more* delicious! If itâs so good we cry, maybe things will be easier to resolve with tears in everyoneâs eyes!#
The stream chat was being its usual weird self today.
Jiang Qiuqiu always found her audienceâs train of thought fascinating. "Nope, todayâs dish is just a regular one."
"This is a braising liquid for cooking, not something you drink directly. Plus, itâs cold right now, so the aroma isnât very strong. Once the liquid comes to a boil, a sweet and spicy fragrance will fill the air."
#Seriously? Iâm not the sharpest tool in the shed, so donât you go pulling my leg.#
#Anticipating...#
Jiang Qiuqiu chuckled, turned on the stove, and began to focus on her stream.
In front of their screens, young sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters were also explaining, "Donât mind that the braising liquid looks a little ugly. Anything Juju makes is guaranteed to be delicious!"
An adult would then ask, "Is it even better than what we had when we went to the Federation Restaurant together?"
The children would reply without a second thought, "The Federation Restaurant canât compare to this!"
"Is it really that good?"
Thatâs just how the younger generation is. As long as you look approachable and give them an opening, a little bit of encouragement is all they need to truly shine.
"Exactly! Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, if you could just taste it, youâd understand why Iâm always drooling at the light screen."
The young kids gradually began to chatter away.
A few of the elders, who were usually stern, had faint smiles in their eyes.
-
The braising liquid was put on the stove to simmer slowly over the lowest heat.
With the lid off, the various aromas of the spices drifted out subtly as the liquid began to bubble.
Jiang Qiuqiu lit another burner and started to prepare the dayâs main ingredients.
When you talk about braised foods, you have to mention their perfect match: duck. I mean, just think about itâbraised duck wings, necks, feet, and carcasses... The amount of braised duck people on Earth eat every year could circle the planet countless times!
That fragrant, numbing, sweet, and spicy flavor, the firm texture, the heat that blooms on the tip of your tongue with a single lick, and the feeling that it gets more and more flavorful with every bite, making you never want to stopâ
"The main protein for todayâs braised dish is bird. Weâre using a medium-sized bird, around two years old. Due to time constraints, Iâve already prepped and portioned them."
"Before they go into the braising liquid, we first need to blanch them."
In the chat, some newcomers who had just joined from the front page were very curious.
#Why is this all stuff I donât understand? Whatâs "braising"? Whatâs "blanching"? Whatâs this about eating birds? Why are there so many people in this stream? Are you all here to eat birds?#
#Warriors, all of you?#
The newcomer was clearly too inexperienced.
The chat immediately went wild. #You are blessed to have found this stream. Believe it or not, if you just hang around for an hour, by tomorrow youâll be out there telling everyone you know to come eat birds with us.#
#...What? I donât believe you.#
#Then how about a bet?#
Little did the girl know that the moment she decided to make that bet, she had already gambled away her future freedom.
Her freedom after 8:00 PM on every odd-numbered day from now on.
#Youâre on!#