I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 798 - 349: Is Sister Yuanyuan Coming to Beijing? Qiang Ge Successfully Joins the Company, Celebrating with Jin Cuisine! [Subscribe Please]_3
Oyster sauce can add a fresh flavor to dishes while also enriching the saltiness, making it a necessary condiment for preparing Vinegar Peanuts.
The standard Chen Vinegar is sour, sweet, salty, and savory with a silky and sticky consistency.
Only in this way, paired with the fragrant and crispy peanuts, can it soothe a Shanxi native’s homesickness and compel those who enjoy a drink to raise their glasses and drink heartily.
As the oil temperature rose, the moisture in the peanuts was gradually fried out, and dense, large bubbles appeared in the pot.
Continue frying until the peanuts float to the top, then scoop them out to drain the oil.
This step is nearly identical to that of Alcoholic Peanuts, except Alcoholic Peanuts are separated, while Vinegar Peanuts are kept whole.
Also, the last step for Alcoholic Peanuts involves dry-frying.
Vinegar Peanuts, on the other hand, are simply mixed with the sauce while cool.
The scooped-out peanuts were spread on a tray to cool.
While they were cooling, Lin Xu didn’t forget to spritz them with some high-proof Liquor using a spray bottle; the alcohol’s volatility would help remove moisture from the peanuts, making them even crispier.
Next, he poured the oil out of the pot.
Without washing the pot, he directly poured the prepared Chen Vinegar into it.
Today, Lin Xu had prepared about four pounds of Chen Vinegar and nearly a pound of White Sugar. This would result in a thicker vinegar sauce that wouldn’t need thickening with starch.
If the amount of sugar were reduced, Water Starch would have to be added; otherwise, the Chen Vinegar wouldn’t be thick enough.
After adding the vinegar and White Sugar, he added two ladlefuls of Light Soy Sauce and half a ladleful of oyster sauce.
There shouldn’t be too much oyster sauce, or it would completely overpower the flavor of the Chen Vinegar.
After bringing all these ingredients to a boil, he turned down the heat and stirred constantly with a spoon. This allowed the fermented aroma from the Chen Vinegar and Light Soy Sauce to evaporate, leaving only their fragrance.
This also allowed the White Sugar to dissolve completely and integrate with the other seasonings.
Once the sauce in the pot became a viscous liquid, he turned off the heat.
Lin Xu found an old-fashioned, teapot-style vinegar cruet, poured the prepared Chen Vinegar into it, and then added two ladlefuls of White Vinegar.
During the simmering process, most of the tartness of the Chen Vinegar had cooked off, leaving only its acidic aroma.
To ensure the finished Chen Vinegar had a robust sourness, White Vinegar needed to be added to enhance the acidity.
White Vinegar is also somewhat volatile, so it should be added after the sauce is removed from the heat. This ensures a strong sour flavor while also helping to lower the temperature and reduce the viscosity of the Chen Vinegar.
He used chopsticks to stir the White Vinegar and Chen Vinegar together evenly.
He covered the cruet with its lid but left the spout open, allowing the pungent aroma of the White Vinegar to slowly dissipate.
"Damn, Lin Xu, you really went all out with this Chen Vinegar sauce," Wei Qian exclaimed, having watched the entire process. He had wanted to interrupt with questions several times.
For instance, when it came to adding the White Vinegar, he had thought Lin Xu forgot, but it turned out it was meant to be added after cooking.
Someone unfamiliar with the method would never think of such a trick.
"Can it be used now?"
"No, it needs to cool down completely first."
There are two ways to make Vinegar Peanuts. The first is the "raw sauce" method, where the seasonings are mixed without cooking. The fried peanuts are added directly, and they become tastier the longer they soak.
The second is the "cooked sauce" method, which Lin Xu was using. Both the sauce and the peanuts need to cool completely before being used.
Moreover, they must be mixed right before eating and should not be left to soak.
The flavor would diminish over time.
To make the Vinegar Peanuts even more delicious, Lin Xu had also prepared two stalks of Celery. He diced them, blanched them in hot water, and then plunged them into cold water to soak and become crisp.
「Just after four in the afternoon, dinner service began at the restaurant.」
Lin Xu took a deep plate, sliced some green and red peppers and some onions into it, then added a handful of the blanched Celery.
Finally, he added the thoroughly cooled peanuts.
He tossed them lightly to mix the ingredients.
Then, picking up the cruet containing the cooled Chen Vinegar, he drizzled it evenly over the peanuts.
After pouring it in circles over the dish, Lin Xu brought this plate of Vinegar Peanuts out of the kitchen and announced, "Folks, your Vinegar Peanuts are ready."
After speaking, he picked up his chopsticks and took the first bite.
The Chen Vinegar coating the peanuts was cool to the taste, but then the pleasant sweet-and-sour flavor emerged.
This sweetness and sourness were mingled with a savory saltiness that wasn’t the least bit cloying; instead, it whetted the appetite.
With one bite, the peanuts were fragrant and crispy.
Eaten with the sweet-and-sour flavor, the sensation was truly beyond words.
Especially since these peanuts had been marinated with numbing and spicy seasonings, chewing them released subtle threads of numbing and spicy flavor, making them even more appetizing.
A single small peanut contained a multitude of tastes and textures: sour, sweet, salty, savory, fragrant, numbing, spicy, and crispy.
Who wouldn’t love peanuts like these?
"Delicious, delicious! I feel like these peanuts are even tastier than meat."
"Eating these makes me crave a drink."
"Me too. Yan Bao, shall we split a small can of beer?"
"Tch, aren’t you embarrassed? Splitting a small can of beer? Next time there’s a banquet, you can sit at the kids’ table. With that tolerance, you’re a disgrace to our family."
Shen Baobao pouted. "I just can’t hold my liquor, that’s all. It hasn’t stopped me from finding a boyfriend, has it?"
Chen Yan trailed off, "..." Alright, alright, keep showing off. Wait until our little cop... I don’t even know if he’s ours yet. What if he despises the wealthy? I, Chen Xiaoyan, might have to stay single.
Dinner that afternoon was pumpkin millet porridge, which paired well with the Vinegar Peanuts.
Besides these two dishes, there were also layered meat pies and small pickles—relatively simple fare.
One couldn’t always indulge in rich, heavy meals; sometimes, lighter food was necessary.
Shen Baobao seemed quite bothered by her inability to drink. While eating, she grumbled indignantly, "Not being able to drink just means I still have my childlike innocence, that I’m still a kid... Xu Bao, is there a non-alcoholic drink that tastes like alcohol and is suitable for kids?"
What’s with this layered charade?
Lin Xu couldn’t help but smile. Right when he was about to suggest Pineapple Beer, the system prompt sounded in his mind:
"Host aspires to make a drink that pleases his fiancée, thus triggering the reward task [Beverage Making]: Please make a non-alcoholic beverage that tastes like alcohol before moving. Upon completion, you’ll be rewarded with one Perfect Level beverage lottery."
How, how, how, how did this happen again?
I didn’t make a resolution, and I didn’t agree!
Is this so-called Kitchen God system actually a repurposed simp system or what?
Why else would it keep giving out tasks like this?
But the reward is pretty nice. It’s getting cold, and the Sour Plum Soup has been off the menu for a while. It’s time to add a new drink suitable for winter.
With this in mind, Lin Xu said to Shen Baobao, "Whether it exists or not, I’ll make it for you. You can enjoy the sensation of drinking without getting drunk."
"Wow! That’s absolutely awesome! Thank you, Xu Bao!"
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The second update has arrived. I’ve found that writing with noise-canceling headphones helps me concentrate more, although that might just be an illusion. The real reason I write so much is because I’m poor. This Chapter is 5,200 characters; please subscribe and vote with your Monthly Ticket!
