Abandoned the Immortal Cultivator, returned to his hometown to farm and sing

Chapter 1229, Chapter 1218: Pork Knuckle with Rice

A large piece of pork knuckle is placed on top of the rice, and then gently pressed down with chopsticks.

The fat and sauce seeped out from the pork knuckle, soaking into the rice and giving the glistening rice a reddish-brown hue.

He scooped up a lump with a spoon and stuffed it into his mouth, rice and meat together.

Different sweetness, different softness, different chewiness—every bite is a change, every bite is a fresh experience.

It’s delicious.

Purr purr.

The entire pork knuckle was reduced to just the central bone; it was completely clean, with not a single strand of meat left.

The plates were spotless, and everyone shared the broth with their rice.

Yes, the rice bowl was clean, and the rice grains stuck to the rice spoon had been scraped off and eaten.

Not a single bit wasted...

Remove the empty disk.

Then brew another round of fragrant tea.

Everyone sipped their tea, rubbed their stomachs, and felt perfectly content.

Ruan Hetai didn't leave, but gave an awkward laugh, "Has everyone finished eating?"

Liang Yue and the others nodded subconsciously, but their movements were a beat slow.

The person's reaction time has slowed down, and they are drowsy and a little dizzy.

After nodding, they realized what was happening and started praising each other in unison.

"Wow, I never thought a pork knuckle could taste so good."

"I have never eaten such delicious braised pork knuckle in my life."

"To brag a little, my family is quite well-off, and I've never lacked food or drink growing up. I basically never touch big pieces of meat like braised pork knuckle because I think it's too greasy. But today's braised pork knuckle completely exceeded my expectations. I can't get enough of it, I just can't get enough."

These words truly resonated with everyone.

Today's exquisite feast was truly a process of reshaping one's worldview.

The very first cold dish was already amazing.

Take the cold-cooked rabbit as an example. The cold-cooked rabbit in the vacuum packaging of the cat head brand was already so delicious that I was completely addicted to it and thought I had seen the ultimate in deliciousness.

As a result, the cold-cooked rabbit prepared by the chef at Jiwei Banquet was three points better than the one from Maomaotou.

Hot dishes, on the other hand, are on a completely different level from cold dishes; they're incredibly delicious.

Then, a lemongrass and cured pork rice opened up a whole new world—who knew it could be made this way! And it could taste this delicious!

Finally, the braised pork knuckle was so delicious that my taste buds and my brain were both blown away.

One bite and you're completely intoxicated. Your mind goes blank, you lose all sense of whether it's delicious or not, you lose all thoughts and awareness, you just know how to eat, eat, eat!

It felt like entering paradise.

It's like thinking you've reached the summit, only to look up and realize you're just on a small hill, while the view stretches out to a series of towering peaks...

Braised pork knuckle with beef tendon, no wonder it's a dish that costs tens of thousands of yuan.
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Ruan and Tai listened with delight, echoing each other like straight men in a comedy duo.

Old Liang wanted to laugh when he looked at him, and pointed at him, "What are you so smug about, Ruan Hetai? It wasn't you who did it."

Ruan Hetai was still happy, "I baked this pork knuckle."

"Bake?" Old Liang suddenly realized the key point. "Does roasted pork knuckle have a baking step? Shouldn't it be roasted?"

Ruan Hetai chuckled and wagged his finger. "Old Liang, you're wrong this time. The traditional roasted beef knuckle is indeed roasted, but today's version is an improvement by Chef Xu, which uses pan-frying."

"Please don't worry, let me explain it to you in detail."

Ruan Hetai interrupted Liang Lao's speech and started from the beginning. He had finally found an opportunity to finish the work he had come here for.

"Niufu roasted pork knuckle must be made from fresh pork forelegs, with each knuckle weighing between 2.5 and 3 jin (1.25 to 1.5 kg). In this range, the pork skin is exactly 3 millimeters thick, with a good balance of fat and lean meat, and a good ratio of fat to lard. The bone diameter is no more than 4 centimeters to ensure that the bone marrow is plump and not dry after roasting."

"The best quality pigs are those that make a dull thud when lightly tapped with knuckles, indicating firm skin and tender flesh."

"Today's braised pork knuckle is made with a free-range Rongchang pig from Ping'an Gou, which was slaughtered this morning. It roams freely in the mountains and is exactly nine months old."

Wow, these materials are really high-quality.

It's that Ping'an Ditch stuff again, I'm tired of hearing it all day.

“I know! I know!” Liang Yue raised her hand high. “It’s the pig that Lao San used radar to catch all over the mountain.”

What the hell? ? ?
Ruan Hetai was stunned when he heard this, his face full of question marks. How did raising pigs get involved with radar?
Do the people next to Liang Yue know this?

They've all seen the cat head promoting products for radar, and they've even heard it's used to catch spies.

Er Ya's boyfriend, a very excited young man, immediately added, "Brother Radar, riding the waves to guard the vast sea frontier; Second Brother Radar, soaring into the clouds to become a sharp sword in the army; Third Brother Radar, helping the villagers catch pigs."

This was a particularly famous comment when the radar was first introduced.

He wrote it down.

This left everyone around them equally puzzled.

The grandfathers looked at each other, completely bewildered. Was there such a generation gap between them and the young people?
Okay, it's not important...

Nguyen Hoa Thai continued speaking.

"Once you've selected the pork knuckle, you should soak it in ice water for twelve hours. This will remove the blood and make the meat firmer."

"After soaking, it's time for the roasting stage. According to traditional methods, it needs to be roasted until it sizzles and oozes oil, and the surface is golden brown."

"This step is crucial. It's not just for removing the hair, but more importantly, after roasting, it needs to be placed in 80-degree hot water and scraped off the charred bits with a bamboo knife. This gives the pork skin a protective layer that prevents it from falling apart during stewing, activates the collagen in the skin for a more elastic texture, and allows the skin to develop a fine layer of pores through thermal expansion and contraction, without getting too cold."

"These pores are for letting sauce seep in and oil seep out."

Goodness, goodness again.

So meticulous, baking only once, to achieve four objectives.

The heat control is so difficult...

Ruan Hetai said the same thing, "The heat is particularly difficult to control. Too much heat and it will burn; too little and it will crumble. So, Chef Xu improved it, changing the roasting to searing. He heats the iron wok until it's red-hot without oil, and sears the pork knuckle skin until it's golden brown. The effect is similar to roasting, and even more even. Controlling the heat is much simpler now..."

At this point, Liang Yue raised her hand again, "Let's turn the grilled lamb skewers into teppanyaki!"

"Uh..." Ruan Hetai's words startled him again. After thinking about it carefully, it seemed that it really was true.

He gave Liang Yue a thumbs up, "Little girl, you're a genius."

Liang Yue was delighted to receive the praise.

Next.

Ruan Hetai then recounted the various details of this braised pork knuckle.

For example, what is baking?

It's actually a process that's neither quite roasting nor quite stewing; it involves using a low flame to extract the oil into the broth, which then seeps into the meat.

It took more than six hours to finally form a spectacular sight resembling a giant mountain, with the flavor fully developed.

The soup is made with beef bone broth as a base to enhance its richness, fermented glutinous rice as a sugar substitute to add freshness and spiciness, and aged Shaoxing wine to remove any fishy smell and enhance the aroma. Without any one of these three ingredients, the soup loses its soul.

Speaking of Shaoxing wine, this braised pork knuckle is made with 50-year-old Shaoxing wine, named Zhenpin Nu'er Hong (珍品女儿红).

I wonder whose daughter she is, she's fifty years old and still unmarried...

(End of this chapter)