Free Web NovelChapter 1138: Chapter 461: Like Stone Lions, Gently Shaking Off Water—How Many Meatballs Could You Eat Like This?
Upstairs, Lin Xu sipped a glass of yam juice and saw Shen Jiayue playing on her phone in the corner. He curiously asked:
"What are you busy with?"
"Replying to the comments from netizens. The video I shot today went viral, many people said the tutorial was great, and a bunch of followers asked me to review their work."
Hammering chestnuts is not only easy to get the hang of, but also quite stress-relieving.
So in just a few hours, quite a few netizens submitted their work, and some even went to the hardware store to buy hammers because they didn’t have one at home.
Zeng Xiaoqi said:
"I was thinking about buying one too. The air fryer I bought earlier on a whim moved with me several times, but I haven’t used it yet. These days I definitely need to make some sugar-roasted chestnuts."
When I’m not busy at night, I’ll cozy up on the sofa with Chen Yuanyuan, eating the sugar-roasted chestnuts we made ourselves, and watching TV shows on the screen. Just thinking about it feels so leisurely.
Chen Yan pursed her lips:
"Eat, eat, eat, you’ll end up looking like a Michelin three-star tire sooner or later."
Zeng Xiaoqi shrugged indifferently:
"I don’t need to maintain an image in front of my partner. If I get fat, so be it. But for some people, watch out when you eat meatballs later; they are full of fat, super high in calories."
"You..."
Chen Yan squinted her eyes. It seems it’s time to prepare a mountain of small shoes for little Qiqi, to let her feel the cruelty and indifference of capitalists.
Lin Xu rested for a while, chatting with his master, listening to him talk about a bunch of tips for making meatballs.
At 8:20, everyone returned to the small kitchen to continue live streaming.
The live streaming room was now filled with a rich and aromatic smell, which was very pleasant.
To improve the presentation, Lin Xu specially washed some baby bok choy, then blanched it with chicken broth. He would put it at the bottom of the bowl when serving the meatballs as a garnish.
At 8:30 p.m., the meatballs had been stewing in the pot for a full two hours.
Lin Xu opened the lid, and a refreshing aroma wafted out from the pot. The fragrance of pork, the aroma of chicken broth, the delicate scent of shrimp roe, and the fresh scent of cabbage...
All these aromas blended together, and the small kitchen was filled with people inhaling deeply.
Dai Jianli said:
"Just from the smell, these meatballs are well-made. It’s a pity you can’t find this in regular restaurants."
Qiu Zhenhua nodded:
"Indeed, the cost is high, and if you make too many, they’re hard to sell. If they stew too long, the texture deteriorates... it’s really quite difficult to manage."
While they chatted, the cameraman had already moved close to Lin Xu, starting to film close-ups.
The cabbage in the clay pot was already soft and collapsed. Lin Xu carefully used chopsticks to slowly pick out the cabbage leaves, and the meatballs underneath were finally revealed.
When put into the pot, these meatballs were round balls the size of fists.
But now, the fat on the surface of the meatballs had melted away, leaving only the lean meat with a bumpy appearance.
They looked just like the heads of stone lions, which is where the name "meatball" (lion’s head) comes from.
These meatballs were light pink and fragrant. As they gently simmered, the entire meatball trembled slightly, indicating that they had stewed to perfection.
However, it wasn’t time to serve them yet.
Lin Xu took the remaining crab meat and dotted it over the meatballs, spoonful by spoonful.
After placing all of it, he covered the clay pot again, let the steam build, turned off the heat, and moved the pot to the workbench.
The most distinct feature of crab meat meatballs is the small scoop of crab meat atop each meatball. This crab meat can’t be added too early, or it will be flattened by the cabbage leaves, and the flavor would seep into the soup.
It should be added when serving, then let it steam briefly to release the crab’s aroma.
This way, when the lid is lifted, there’s a stunning burst of crab flavor.
"Ready yet?"
Lin Xu asked the cameraman in front of him.
"All set!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Xu slowly opened the lid with his hand on it.
The aroma grew richer, now with the addition of the crab’s unique deliciousness. The cameraman couldn’t help but swallow at the enticing smell.
"Let the camera guy try a bite; I heard him swallow from hunger."
"Haha, I heard it too."
"Cameraman: We’ve had professional training. No matter how tempting the food, we won’t swallow... gulp~~~"
"I really wanna try it; this pot of meatballs must be particularly delicious."
"I’m just asking if Lin Ji’s Food has anything new? If it does, no matter how expensive, I have to try it!"
Originally, Lin Xu didn’t plan on offering meatballs at Lin Ji’s Food, but with the barrage full of similar comments, he thought for a moment and said:
"Seeing that everyone wants to try, here’s the deal. We’ll make 100 meatballs each meal, limited supply. First come, first serve; if you’re late, you’ll have to wait for next time."
Other restaurants are afraid of making too many because they might not sell.
But Lin Ji isn’t afraid, with so many customers and business booming every day. The meatballs will definitely not be left over.
Hearing this, everyone started typing praise for Lin, the owner, in the comments.
Lin Xu hadn’t anticipated this reaction. He placed the blanched bok choy in small bowls, just about to serve the meatballs, when a system prompt suddenly sounded in his mind:
"Host has made a Perfect Level Clear Stewed Crab Meat Meatball, gaining two out of the three Huaiyang ’head’ dishes, triggering the limited-time task [Three Heads Gathering]: Please make the lead Huaiyang dish - Braised Whole Pig’s Head - within ten days, and completing it will unlock the Huaiyang cuisine branch task. Explore further details after completion."
Branch task?
What’s going on?
But since it’s a task, it should be done, and these literary dishes are quite pleasing to the eye. It’s worth it even just to make the family happy.
Deciding so, he came back to his senses, using a spoon to serve the wobbly meatballs into bowls, and scooping up a ladle of clear soup from the pot. This sample meal of meatballs was officially ready.
"Senior brother, have a taste!"
Having served several bowls, Lin Xu brought them to Xie Baomin, Qiu Zhenhua, and Dai Jianli.
The three, holding the bowls, didn’t use chopsticks, but instead scooped up a portion of meat with a spoon, gently shaking it in front of the camera. The meat on the spoon wobbled immediately.
This momentarily gave the impression of a stone lion coming alive, shaking its head to fling off the water.
This is the standard for judging if meatballs pass the test - the meatball should shake.
If the meat doesn’t wobble with a gentle shake of the spoon, it means it’s unqualified, substandard.
Xie Baomin said:
"Friends, next time you eat meatballs, be sure to use a spoon to shake them a bit. If they don’t move, it means you’re experiencing the same as me, being fooled by the restaurant."
After saying this, he put the piece of meat into his mouth, lightly pressing it and swallowing it instantly:
"See that? I didn’t chew. A good meatball doesn’t need chewing, it melts in your mouth... Junior brother, your meatball is really well made, save another piece for me later, I need to have two..."
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Sorry everyone, I’m late again! This Chapter is 5200 words, asking for a monthly ticket!
