A group of people in the bullet chat seemed to be having a very hard time accepting this.
Butâ
#Is the person above me so sure theyâll actually win a spot??? When the time comes, you probably wonât get to choose between preserved greens and thin air.#
#Why did you have to call me out so mercilessly! I can choose! Even if I donât win now, I can keep trying in my dreams tonight!#
#...Impressive.#
As the bullet comments flew past, Jiang Qiuqiu firmly pressed the stir-fried preserved mustard greens on top of the pork slices.
This step was a little puzzling to the viewers.
#???#
#What is this?#
#Is she burying the meat in the preserved greens to make it absorb their flavor?#
Everyone guessed and voiced their confusion. Jiang Qiuqiu mulled it over for a moment before saying, "To be more precise, itâs to let the preserved greens absorb the meatâs flavor."
"And also to make the dishâs name more fitting."
This cryptic explanation only left everyone more confused.
But that didnât matter. Understanding the process had nothing to do with eating the food. She brought the water to a boil over high heat, the pre-prepared steamer already placed on the wok.
Steam billowed up. Amidst the vapor, Jiang Qiuqiu placed bowl after bowl of preserved greens with pork belly into the steamer basket. They were arranged neatly and uniformly.
It was just that the appearance of this dish seemed noticeably different from her previous creations.
âAh! Dark-colored food really is ugly.â
Ugly? Jiang Qiuqiu just smiled without a word.
Steam rose, swirling like mist over the steamer. Under the intense heat, the stir-fried preserved greens and seared pork began a magical chemical reaction.
The fat from the pork rendered out, only to be completely absorbed by the preserved greens on top.
The once sun-dried, dehydrated greens were now infused with fat, adding a smooth richness to their texture. Yet, thanks to their intense, sun-cured flavor, they werenât the least bit greasy.
The aroma gradually began to fill the air.
For the veterans in the stream, this was Jiang Qiuqiuâs "first course." This course wasnât dependent on luck; as long as the stream was on, you could "eat" it.
Advanced sensors transmitted every nuance of the scent directly to their mindsâ
It was as if their brains had already savored the meal in advance.
While waiting to open the steamer, Jiang Qiuqiu set out a stack of plates on the table.
#A new dish?#
#Are we getting a two-course meal today? Does that mean the âone hundred million unlucky soulsâ curse is broken?#
#So curious!#
"Nope, these plates arenât for a new dish. They have a special use. Weâll find out what it is when I open the steamer."
#Why are you building the suspense! AHHH! You canât just say that, now Iâm dying of curiosity.#
But despite their curiosity, Jiang Qiuqiu didnât offer an early explanation.
Instead, she waited until the aroma grew richer, then whisked the lid off the steamer. A sudden cloud of hot steam completely obscured her vision.
When the steam dissipated, what lay beneath the intoxicating aroma was still the plain-looking preserved greens.
Jiang Qiuqiu slipped on a pair of special gloves, picked up a bowl, and asked her fans, "Do you know why this dish isnât called âpork buried in greens,â but has a name that means âinverted porkâ?"
The emphasis, of course, was on "inverted."
A small plate was placed over the top of the bowl. The audience couldnât even clearly see Jiang Qiuqiuâs movementâall they saw was a swift exchange of her hands, and suddenly the plate was on the bottom and the bowl was on top.
Because the bottom of the bowl was oiled, the unmolding was exceptionally smooth.
As she lifted the small bowl, the preserved greens scattered from the momentum, revealing the highly anticipated pork belly. It had transformed from semi-translucent to utterly crystalline.
The seared portions were a beautiful, glossy sauce-brown. The fatty part was so translucent it seemed to glow, while the lean meat was firm and finely textured.
It looked rich but not greasy, and was exceptionally tantalizing.
"This," she said, "is the âinversionâ."
"Invert the bowl, and the pork gleams like crystal."
"..."
#!!!!#
#ME ME ME ME ME! NO ONE WANTS TO WIN A SPOT MORE THAN I DO!! AHHHHH!#