Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Chapter 278 190: Crispy Red Fermented Bean Curd Beef Brisket, Spicy Steamed Beef with Rice Flour

Even though the entire restaurant was filled with the rich aroma of curry and coconut milk, no one paid attention to him.

Everyone, including several waitress girls, stared unblinkingly at Lin Chen's movement of shaving noodles, as if they were enchanted and couldn't look away.

When the dough visibly reduced in size, Lin Chen stopped shaving and reached out for chopsticks, stirring the noodles that were already floating in the pot to prevent them from sticking to the raw dough.

There was no need to cook for long, about three to five minutes in boiling state and it could be scooped out.

Without plating, he flipped the knife-shaved noodles into a basin, ladled a few spoons of clear beef broth from the nearby insulated bucket onto them, sprinkled some spring onions and coriander, and placed a few slices of beef and white radish on top.

"Beef knife-shaved noodles, please enjoy."

Wang Ziqin naturally picked up the communal chopsticks and began to serve the two head chefs again.

As he picked up the noodles, both chefs carefully observed the shape of this magical bowl of noodles.

It looked like wide noodles at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was completely different.

Thin at both ends, thick in the middle, roughly uniform in thickness, but with slight unevenness in the details, and most importantly, each noodle varied in shape and length.

The noodle broth was very clear, with a faint yellow hue, but unlike the bone broth flavor from Lanzhou Noodles, it didn't have such a strong spice aroma.

The white radish slices were cut extremely thin, seemingly blanched beforehand, floating on the surface in a semi-transparent state, looking quite appetizing.

"Sizzle—"

Before they had time to taste, the sound of frying came from Lin Chen's side again.

Everyone turned their heads once more, only to see him holding large chunks of braised brisket, coating them with flour, and tossing them into the oil pan.

Fried brisket?

Brisket has few recipes in Western cuisine, primarily stewed, like red wine stew or vegetable stew with tomatoes.

Similarly in Japanese cuisine, miso stew or soy sauce stew, paired with radishes and green onions.

Brisket itself has a relatively tough texture that requires long stewing to soften, so similar cooking methods are used globally.

Using it for frying was something neither had seen before.

There were indeed many unfamiliar things tonight, quite a lot of information to absorb.

Not only the fried brisket, but they were also thinking about the steaming tray of beef wrapped in broken rice grains.

The freshly served knife-shaved noodles shouldn't soak too long, as the noodles could become mushy; they understood this principle. They immediately grabbed bowls and started eating while keeping their eyes on Lin Chen.

The knife-shaved noodles initially had a smooth texture, followed by a unique chewiness and firmness.

Although the surface of the noodles seemed to have no sauce, the rich beef broth flavor was evident in every bite, suggesting it had thoroughly permeated within.

But the noodles were clearly cooked in plain water and only a brief pour of broth before serving, just a matter of seconds, how could it be?

"Having tasted the original flavor, now add some vinegar and chili oil; this is the correct way to enjoy knife-shaved noodles."

Wang Ziqin pointed at the bowl in front of him, covered with surface red oil making it appear very spicy, and spoke to both chefs, savoring the noodles in front of them remarkably enticingly, with oil dripping from his mouth.

They had already tasted the chili oil earlier and knew it wasn't overly spicy, just aromatic. So they didn't hesitate, mimicking Zhao Ziqin's method, scooping a few spoonfuls of chili oil with pepper flakes into their bowls, then pouring a circle of aged vinegar and stirring.

After these steps, the hot noodle broth fully activated the aroma of the red oil, mixed with a subtle vinegar scent, causing saliva to uncontrollably flow from their mouths.

Picking up a chopstick-full of knife-shaved noodles, now the surface was completely covered in bright red oil, making it even more appetizing than before.

"Slurp~"

Once coated with oil, the noodles became even more slippery, not requiring much effort to slurp them directly into the mouth.

With the addition of vinegar and chili oil, the whole bowl of noodles drastically changed its flavor profile.

The sourness was prominent but not overwhelming, the right level, paired with the rich pepper and spring onion aroma from the chili oil, the more they chewed, the more appetizing it became, constantly tempting them.

The braised beef in the noodles wasn't particularly special, just the usual brisket texture; Sho had tasted it yesterday. Instead, the white radish slices drew more of his attention.

Sakura People loved white radish almost as much as they adored eating carbs, seen everywhere from oden to side dishes, or grated as underlayer decorations.

Especially when white radish is stewed, its unique sweetness is unmatched by any other vegetable.

The white radish slices were so thin they were translucent, comparable to a facial mask, its surface covered in red oil continuously dripping.

Nagishiro Sho couldn't resist swallowing his saliva, feeling these slices of radish attracted him more than the beef, impatiently stuffing the whole piece into his mouth.

"Hmm?!"

It wasn't the sweetness I imagined; instead, there was a faint tangy sweetness, somewhat resembling the taste of pickled radish.

The tangy sweetness was subtle, yet inexplicably distinct in the mouth, crisp and just right to balance out the slight greasiness of the beef soup and spicy oil.

This radish flavor was quite familiar to him. In Sakura, it's usually treated with yuzu vinegar to remove the natural bitterness of white radish while adding a tangy appetizing characteristic, normally served with fried dishes or appetizers.

Unexpectedly, it pairs so well with the soup noodles, proving to be an excellent inspiration.

Chef Marchello was evidently surprised by the presence of radish slices. They seemed like the most inconspicuous ingredient in the bowl, yet they could brighten one's eyes, a classic surprise element, much loved by the guests.

A dark shadow flashed before his eyes, and two weighty platters appeared on the table.

"Fragrant Crispy Braised Beef Brisket, Spicy Steamed Beef, please enjoy."

Large blocks of beef brisket were coated with a golden-yellow crust similar to breadcrumbs, already sliced into strips as wide as two fingers, still steaming hot.

Through the cuts, one could see the enticing sauce-red beef brisket inside, clearly treated with a special sauce.

Earlier, when Lin Chen was pressure-cooking the brisket, a sweet aroma filled the air, seemingly akin to a fermenting smell, yet neither of them had ever encountered such a scent and were naturally clueless about its origin.

The visual effect of the steamed beef was quite explosive, with uneven grains covering the meat pieces, mixed with visible chili fragments, presenting a brownish-yellow hue, clearly seasoned with soy sauce.

Piled into small mountains, the surface of the steamed beef was sprinkled with verdant cilantro fragments, harmoniously colored, directly served from the steamer basket for a unique visual presentation.

The fried brisket's aroma wasn't particularly strong, just a faint sweet fragrance, whereas the steamed beef's scent was overwhelmingly dominant.

The rich rice aroma blended with the beef's distinctive oily fragrance, with an unmistakable scent of fermented bean paste constantly enticing the nostrils.

Chef Marchello wasn't very familiar with this aroma, appearing somewhat puzzled, but Nagishiro Sho quickly caught on, having indulged in Chinese cuisine for several days, completed video homework, and recognized it as a special spicy marinated soybean paste from Great Xia.

Both dishes' presentation and cooking methods were forms they had never imagined before, rendering momentary indecision.

In the end, they could only pick up the chopsticks and adhere to the principle of selecting whichever dish was nearer.

Marchello chose the fried brisket; he didn't understand the Chinese name, but names were insignificant as tasting would reveal its ingredients.

As he picked up the brisket, his eyebrows sharply raised.

Surprisingly tender, tender to the point of disintegration with a slight exertion, the crispy crust perfectly serves as a stabilizing structure, convenient for diners to grab.

Regarding why it's sliced into strips instead of cubes, he deemed this to be Lin Chen's deliberate choice, surely with unique intent.

Like the principle of American-style smoked pork ribs, this tender strip of meat offers a more satisfying experience.

With a slight force at the tip of the chopstick, accompanied by the 'crackling' sound from the crispy crust, visibly streaming juices flowed from the brisket, pooling into a small puddle on the plate within moments.

"Not bad, this fried brisket turned out better than I expected. The boil-then-fry method surprisingly works on brisket, truly eye-opening."

He nodded in satisfaction, bringing his nose closer to inhale, detecting no special sauce aroma, only the increasingly concentrated distinct sweet fragrance.

"Strange, I can't identify the sauce's ingredients?"

Unyielding, he immediately took a bite.

"Crunch"

The crispy crust on the surface resembled fried chicken's coating at peak crispiness, soaked in beef oil fragrance, aromatic yet not greasy, seemingly exploding like a block of beef oil in the mouth, truly achieving a tantalizing quality.

The tender brisket melted subsequently, requiring minimal chewing, dissolving with simple tongue palming, not lodged between teeth, bursting with moisture.

The sauce's sweet fragrance didn't intensify upon entry; it remained subtle, whereas the soy sauce taste was more prominent, clearly containing added soy sauce, a fact he discerned.

Yet the faintly fermented sweetness remained elusive as to its source, somewhat resembling sugar, yet not quite, bizarrely peculiar.

However, to be fair, this crispy sweet and salty fried brisket was indeed delectable, addictive even.

He devoured the entire strip weighing approximately one hundred grams, still longing for more while licking the crumb remnants at his mouth corner, evidently unsatiated.

"Superb!!"

Suddenly.

Beside him, came the heartfelt exclamation of Nagishiro Sho.

On his chopsticks was a piece of bitten steamed beef, the layers visible from this angle, somewhat akin to the brisket he just ate, differing only in the surface coating.