Free Web NovelChapter 1137: Chapter 461: Like Stone Lions, Gently Shake Off Water—How Many Meatballs Can You Eat?
"After kneading the dough for the steamed buns, they need to be proofed before steaming. The same goes for the meatballs; letting them rest will enhance the texture."
Xie Baomin explained, then glanced at the chicken soup Wei Qian had prepared earlier and nodded, saying:
"Not bad, this chicken soup has been simmered diligently."
The chicken soup primarily uses old hen and Jinhua Ham, simmered over a low flame for more than six hours to achieve this effect.
It appears clear but has a rich and savory taste, a flavor that can only be achieved through long simmering of meat ingredients, something chicken powder, chicken essence, or flavoring cannot recreate.
While the meatballs are resting, Lin Xu cuts the base of the cabbage and slowly peels it apart.
He discards the outermost two to three layers, keeping only the tender yellow leaves and stems inside.
Later, when stewing the meatballs, use these cabbage leaves to cover the meatballs, ensuring they are completely submerged in the chicken soup and preventing them from being partially boiled and partially steamed.
Additionally, during simmering, the cabbage leaves’ unique absorptive properties can absorb the fat released, keeping the chicken soup fresh.
Also, the cabbage leaves’ unique sweetness is absorbed by the meatballs, giving the meatballs a fresh vegetable taste.
Having finished these preparations, Lin Xu wipes his sweat and takes a sip of water, resting briefly.
Even with skills at hand, making so many meatballs at once is tiring.
He interacted with the online viewers, answering their questions.
Half an hour later, he set up a soup pot on the stove, added over half a pot of water, and heated it to a high temperature, then placed a large sand pot on the adjacent stove, poured in the chicken soup, and similarly heated it to a high temperature.
Next is the step of putting them into the pot, but this requires attention.
The meatballs shouldn’t go directly into the chicken soup but first into the boiling water to set their shape and boil out the foam so that they can be added to the chicken soup.
Placing raw meat directly in the soup would ruin it.
Preparing this dish is similar to making braised dishes, not allowing the soup to contact raw meat, as it affects the quality.
The water in the pot soon comes to a boil.
Lin Xu removes the loosened meatballs from the fridge.
He picks up one meatball, gently shaping it with both hands so the relaxed surface becomes tight again, then carefully places it in the pot.
Dai Jianli said:
"Lin, you’ve really mastered the essence. When I first learned to make meatballs, I just dumped them in the pot, and then I ended up drinking minced meat soup for three meals."
The live stream was immediately filled with "thanks for the tip" messages.
Even if people might never make this dish, it’s important to understand the principle.
If they ever encounter meatballs, they can show off this knowledge.
The meat is currently raw, and the water is boiling, so the meatballs need to be gently and slowly placed in the pot.
Carefully placing the meatballs one by one into the pot, he uses a spoon to skimmer the foam.
Then gently flips the meatballs with the backside of the spoon.
When foam stops forming, he uses a slotted spoon to remove the meatballs and places them into another pot that has the boiling soup.
After all the meatballs are in, bring the pot to a boil, skim off the foam, and adjust the stove to a chrysanthemum flame, which resembles a simmering state.
After adjusting the flame, cover the meatballs with prepared cabbage leaves, leaving no gaps.
Put the lid on the sand pot and start stewing.
Xie Baomin checked the time:
"It’s six-thirty now, we can take out the pot at eight-thirty."
The on-site director responsible for the live stream asked:
"Can we uncover the pot later for a close-up shot?"
"No way, don’t even think about it. The deliciousness of the meatballs lies in the slow breakdown of the protein during stewing, which is a secret to the flavor. This process requires stable temperature and pressure to occur; uncovering the pot would disrupt this stability and stop the process."
Xie Baomin immediately rejected the suggestion and spoke to the camera:
"As the saying goes, slow cooking is better than fast boiling. When making such dishes, try to restrain your curiosity and don’t uncover the pot until the time is up, or you might end up ruining the dish."
Now, what should be live streamed for the next two hours?
Viewers in the live stream started to clamor:
"Lin, sing us a song."
"Dance, we’ll appreciate it."
"..."
Lin Xu thought for a moment and said:
"Set up a tripod at the service desk downstairs and let Dundun tell some stories."
This is the easiest and most relaxing way to stream, letting everyone pass the two hours quickly.
Soon, Dundun lay on the small roof before the service desk downstairs, facing the live camera, meowing again, completely not like a cat.
Yet the fans in the live stream were very excited:
"I’m not pretending anymore, I’m a die-hard fan of Dundun, I’m revealing it!"
"Who else here only follows Lin Xu to watch Dundun?"
"Handshake, me too, waiting every day for Dundun’s updates."
"Looks like Dundun has gained weight again."
"What do you mean fat? That’s called cute, you fake fan!"
Shu Yun saw the comments and couldn’t help but step in to defend her godson:
"Actually, Dundun hasn’t gained weight; it just grew a layer of fur after it got cold, making it look fluffy, but its actual weight is the same."
Generally, cats that eat carbs are likely to gain weight.
Dundun, who eats pure meat, maintains a stable weight.
