Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 452: Chapter 286: Five Dishes

To the minced shrimp, add a splash of iced scallion-ginger water, a pinch of white pepper, and salt. Vigorously whisk it all in one direction until it becomes elastic. Once the shrimp paste lightens in color and becomes noticeably sticky, place it in the refrigerator to chill.

After roasting green peppers in an iron wok until most of their skins are charred, place them in a stainless steel bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The residual heat and moisture create steam, softening the burnt black skin so it can be easily rubbed off later.

While the wok was still hot, he poured in freshly boiled water, set a steamer basket on top, and tossed two large eggplants inside to steam.

He took another eggplant, making the first cut about eighty percent of the way through, not slicing it completely. The second cut went all the way through.

These large, round eggplants were about the size of a grown woman’s fist. The resulting stuffed eggplant slices would be more satisfying, but to allow more people to have a taste, they would surely have to be cut in half or quartered.

After slicing the eggplant, he filled the pockets with the shrimp paste he had prepared earlier.

"An eggplant and shrimp burger?"

Magnus, who was watching with great relish, raised his eyebrows in surprise. He never would have thought eggplant could be prepared this way.

’But if you cook it like that, won’t the eggplant just turn to mush?’

Just as he was wondering about this, the eggplants in the steamer finished cooking. They had become soft and mushy, and when Lin Chen lifted them out, the stem of one even fell right off.

He cut them in half, revealing the soft, translucent white flesh inside, and immediately put them in the refrigerator to cool.

Taking another iron wok, he poured in the leftover oil from a previous frying session and began to prepare a batter.

"Fried?"

Seeing this familiar process, Magnus understood in an instant.

"Oh, I see! Because the eggplant softens, coating it in batter and frying it creates a hard shell. You Da Xia People are so clever, coming up with a method like this."

"This is nothing. The best part is yet to come."

While the stuffed eggplant was frying, he picked up another eggplant, a yellow onion, a zucchini, and red and green bell peppers, dicing them all and setting them aside.

He was running out of eggplants, so he ran over to the vegetable stand to grab a few more, buying some other ingredients while he was there.

He cut some of them into thin slices, brushed both sides with the garlic oil from the wok, and put them in the oven.

Fresh, crisp snow peas were sliced diagonally into thin strips, a red bell pepper was julienned, and enoki mushrooms were pulled apart into small clusters.

By now, the oil was at the right temperature. He dipped a stuffed eggplant slice into the batter, coating it thinly. He didn’t use too much; he simply picked it up with chopsticks, let the excess drip off, and then slid it down the side of the wok into the scorching oil.

The aroma of the garlic oil gradually wafted through the air. Customers strolling through the market caught the scent and, as if by some unspoken agreement, began to flock toward Lin Chen’s stall.

It couldn’t be helped. Lin Chen’s stall was the newest in the market and the most unfamiliar to them. It also offered novel and delicious food, and most importantly, it wasn’t open every day.

It was a rare opportunity, so they definitely had to come and see what was going on.

"What’s he making? An eggplant dish?"

"I knew Lin wouldn’t make anything ordinary. Eggplant! This is great, now I can learn a new recipe!"

"That fried thing looks pretty thick. Is it stuffed with something?"

"What? Minced shrimp? My God, that sounds delicious already! As expected of Lin. Why couldn’t I ever think of a combination like that?"

Gasps of admiration and waves of praise rose from the crowd. Even though Lin Chen had already filmed here several times, he still wasn’t used to such compliments. For a moment, he didn’t know how to react and could only offer an awkward smile.

"DING!"

The oven timer went off at just the right moment.

He quickly turned to take out the baking sheet. On it, arranged neatly, were thin slices of eggplant, now roasted until soft.

He set them aside to cool. While the stuffed eggplant slices were still frying, he picked up another eggplant and quickly scored it with a few cuts, then rotated it ninety degrees and scored it again.

The scored eggplant was now only held together at the stem. With a gentle shake, the bottom fanned out into long, finger-thick strips.

Starch, egg wash, and breadcrumbs—after being run through the standard three-part breading, the once-unremarkable eggplant was now dressed in a golden coat. With each strip completely covered in breadcrumbs, it no longer looked like an eggplant at all, but rather like a batch of oversized french fries.

After frying the stuffed eggplant slices, he fried the eggplant strips. He then removed the steamer, stir-fried the diced and julienned vegetables he had prepared earlier, and set them aside to cool as well.

Having watched all this, aside from knowing about the two fried items, Magnus still had no idea what the other three dishes would turn out to be.

The strangest part was that after stir-frying the vegetables, Lin Chen started boiling water again, as if he were about to cook something else.

’He’s making eggplant dishes, and he’s already steamed, roasted, stir-fried, and deep-fried. Now he’s going to boil something too? Isn’t that a bit much?’

He was familiar with the other methods, but he had never seen steaming used this way before.

Then, he saw Lin Chen take a container of some unknown, paste-like substance from the refrigerator.

"This is white miso," Lin Chen said, holding it up for the camera. "It’s a type of Japanese miso. To put it simply, it’s a seasoned soybean product. It’s normally used for miso soup or ramen broth, but you can also use it to make sauces."

He scooped out several large spoonfuls of the white miso, drizzled in a little hot oil, and whisked it into a silky-smooth consistency. He then spread this evenly over the thin eggplant slices, layered the cooked julienned vegetables on top, and rolled them up tightly. Finally, he garnished the rolls with finely chopped French chives.

Next, he took the stir-fried diced vegetables, mixed them with a drizzle of concentrated Italian sweet vinegar, and spooned the mixture onto a bed of salt and vinegar potato chips—a Western favorite. He finished it with another light drizzle of the sweet vinegar.

He took two packs of fresh, handmade alkaline noodles from the refrigerator and dropped them into the boiling water for about ten minutes. They were best left slightly al dente, not cooked completely through. He then scooped them out and immediately plunged them into an ice bath to cool down.

He mashed a few century eggs, then added the torn roasted peppers and the peeled, steamed eggplant, mashing them a dozen more times. He drizzled in a swirl of sesame oil, light soy sauce, salt, sugar, vinegar, and chili oil, along with some minced garlic and ginger paste. After mixing all the seasonings thoroughly, he added the chilled noodles and tossed everything together.

And with that, five distinct eggplant dishes made their grand debut.

"This is fried stuffed eggplant, which is popular in the northeastern region of Great Xia. It’s usually made with a pork filling, but since we’re by the sea, I adapted it to the local ingredients and used shrimp paste."

"These are Golden Eggplant Strips, a popular snack from the food stalls of southern Great Xia. You just cut off the stem and eat the strips like french fries. You can sprinkle them with your favorite seasoning powder or dip them in ketchup."

"And this," he said, pointing to the exceptionally tempting bowl of noodles, "is Cold Noodles with Mashed Pepper, Eggplant, and Century Egg. The original version doesn’t include noodles; it’s served as a cold side dish with rice. But for some reason, this noodle version has become popular online recently. This is my first time making it this way, but I guarantee it’s absolutely delicious."

"I don’t think I need to introduce this one. It’s potato chips with stir-fried diced vegetables, drizzled with a concentrated Italian sweet vinegar. A classic Western-style snack."

"You probably guessed what this one is from my earlier explanation. They’re Japanese-style Miso Vegetable Eggplant Rolls. It uses Japanese seasonings with the concept of a spring roll, making it a fusion dish."

The five dishes were laid out in a row on the counter. He had specially plated a portion of each just for filming, leaving the rest in their serving dishes, ready to be packed for any customers.

"Lin!"

Kardashian waved to him from several meters away. She’d been watching the whole process, and her mouth was watering. Seeing the five finished dishes displayed on the counter, she couldn’t wait to have a taste.

Lin Chen nodded with an amused smile, packed up a small portion of all five dishes, and sent it over to her.

"Where’s my shrimp... oh, I see it! It’s this one, right?"

Kardashian’s eyes immediately fell on the pinkish-white shrimp paste inside a cut piece of the stuffed eggplant, and she picked it up without hesitation.

The twice-fried eggplant was still piping hot. It radiated not only a rich, garlicky aroma but also the clean, fresh scent of black tiger shrimp that was so familiar to her.

She dipped it in a bit of ketchup and eagerly popped it into her mouth.

CRUNCH—

The crispy batter shattered instantly. The thick slice of eggplant immediately softened into a sweet, savory puree, cutting through some of the greasiness while creating a burst of flavor.

The shrimp paste in the middle had an incredibly firm, bouncy texture, unlike anything she had ever tasted. Paired with the cool, sweet-and-sour ketchup, it was so delicious that she began stomping her feet on the spot and waving her arms ecstatically for the camera, her face a picture of pure bliss.

"This is so delicious! My God, how can this shrimp be so bouncy? I have to learn this technique! When are you posting this video?"

She couldn’t believe that, as someone who had been selling seafood for over a decade, she never knew the meat of a black tiger shrimp could be made so incredibly bouncy.

She would even bet that no Western restaurant could make a shrimp patty with a texture like this.

Chefs from Great Xia were truly in a class of their own, having carved out a culinary path completely distinct from that of the West.

Magnus, still standing by the stall, stared at the five dishes before him. He was suddenly faced with a dilemma: he didn’t know which one to try first.

’I should eat the fried things first,’ he thought. ’They won’t be as good once they get cold. The other three are cold dishes, so they can wait a bit.’

Hearing Kardashian’s periodic cries of delight from several meters away, he subconsciously reached for a piece of the quartered stuffed eggplant.

The moment he tasted the uniquely firm and springy texture of the shrimp paste inside, he finally understood Kardashian’s dramatic reaction.

It wasn’t just Kardashian; even he, a fifty-two-year-old man, had never tasted a shrimp patty with a texture like that in his entire life.

He devoured the crispy stuffed eggplant in just a few bites. Before he had even finished swallowing, his hand was already reaching for a golden, crispy eggplant strip, which he dipped into the ketchup.

CRUNCH—

The expected crunch, followed by a light shower of breadcrumbs.

The thick-cut eggplant was still hot enough to be a little uncomfortable, but it wasn’t as soft as the eggplant in the stuffed pockets. It retained some of its texture, and it really did taste a bit like a french fry, yet it was also filled with the unique, fresh fragrance of eggplant.

It was delicious, but not quite as stunning as the stuffed eggplant.

His gaze swept over the three remaining dishes. He ignored the two snacks and fixed his eyes on the exceptionally tempting bowl of cold noodles.

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