Chapter 590: Chapter 565: Simmering a Pot of Soup for Three Days

"Thank you for your kindness, but I won’t be going."

"Ah? Teacher Wang, wouldn’t you reconsider? Our program is very well-known, and participating would definitely be beneficial for your career."

Wang Fan remained unmoved: "Sorry, I’m just a lazy person with no aspirations for development. I’m quite happy as I am now."

The person on the phone continued to persist: "Teacher Wang, you must be unaware of our program’s status. Let me put it this way, every day there are many popular celebrities asking to be on our show..." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Wang Fan simply laughed: "Then give those people a chance. I’m not going. I have more meaningful things to do here. Goodbye."

With that, Wang Fan directly hung up the phone.

Hearing the dial tone, the program staff on the other end was left dumbfounded.

This is currently the top-rated variety show!

And someone actually refused?!

So many big celebrities approach our program, just to get a bit of screen time, and a non-celebrity turned us down?!

Isn’t this the height of absurdity?

Wang Fan put down the phone, not letting it bother him at all.

He knew his own character; firstly, he wasn’t suited to that kind of environment, and secondly, it was impossible for him to say or do anything against his conscience according to a script.

He had just set a goal for himself; he couldn’t break it so soon, could he?

However, this call did make him a bit curious about the program. Can even cooking get you on a variety show these days?

Taking out his phone to search, he indeed found this show.

"Not a single drop of water added to this pork knuckle, just braised with two pounds of yellow wine..."

In the promo video, a man in his forties was sitting by the stove talking.

Wang Fan stared at the contents in the pot, lost in thought.

Unless I’m blind, this thing should be called a pig’s trotter, right? It can’t be a pork knuckle?

Even with different names, pig trotter is at most called pig hand, as far as Wang Fan knew, there were no other names.

A trotter, pig knuckle, in the South, might even be called pig foot—those refer to a pig knuckle.

But the shot was somewhat distant; maybe the pot did have chopped knuckles, who knows.

The technique of braising with yellow wine and rock sugar was not something Wang Fan had a problem with, as Dongpo Pork is prepared this way and is quite popular in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

However, watching further made Wang Fan grimace slightly.

Browning the pig’s trotter first and then adding rock sugar, that’s not impossible; it’s just a bit too homely. Only those who aren’t good with caramelizing sugar do it this way.

This method doesn’t allow the caramel to fully develop, resulting in poor color and aroma, with the only outcome being that the dish ends up overly sweet.

When he saw the man pull out a bottle of cooking wine, Wang Fan was truly bewildered.

That’s cooking wine, not yellow wine!

The main ingredient of cooking wine is indeed yellow wine, but cooking wine is processed, with added green onion, ginger, salt, and various spices. It isn’t pure grain-brewed semi-sweet yellow wine.

Moreover, with the limited heat of that small stove, braising pig’s trotter and knuckle with pure cooking wine would result in a musky taste; Wang Fan could already imagine the flavor.

Okay, and it’s covered and slow-cooked, with low heat, in cooking wine, with under-caramelized sugar.

Bitter is bitter, sweet is sweet, musky is musky.

"Wow... Oh... Perfect!"

Hearing the exaggerated praise during the meal, Wang Fan couldn’t help but cover his face.

Acting is really not something everyone can do!

Look at those top-notch acting skills, without any sense of incongruity, as if they’re indulging in gourmet delicacies.

This is what such a grand show amounts to?

Seeing this, Wang Fan decisively turned off the video, also feeling extremely grateful he declined the program’s invitation.

Whoever wants to go can go!

Feeling that both his profession and intelligence had been insulted, Wang Fan decisively went to the kitchen on the bus.

There awaited a dish crafted over more than 50 hours.

Having acquired a Golden Legend Level recipe, it was only natural to attempt making it. Having simulated it countless times in his mind, Wang Fan had started preparing three days ago.

The aroma from the stew filled the entire neighborhood, making Buddha overcome his cravings and leap over the wall.

A dish that combines mountain and sea delicacies, known as the number one dish of Min Cuisine and the King of Min Cuisine—Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!

This dish is extremely complex and time-consuming, and Wang Fan was eagerly anticipating this labor of love.

First, eight ingredients are melded into a pot to create a broth, followed by ten dazzling ingredients presented on top to whet the appetite.

The original name of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was Blessings and Longevity, but due to pronunciation issues in Fuzhou dialect, outsiders heard it as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

Locals found the latter name more profound, and so it was changed.

This dish was the most meticulous and complicated Wang Fan had ever made.

On the first day, you need to use local chicken, muscovy duck, pig trotters, pork skin, pork, dragon bones, chicken feet, and crucian carp for the stock.

And it’s not just a matter of throwing everything into the pot to stew; there are two separate stages to add the ingredients.

The first stage requires stewing to a milky white broth, with more bones added, simmered on high heat for two hours before adding the pan-fried crucian carp.

In the final hour, the stock needs to be "charged" by stirring constantly until all the raw materials are crushed into tiny pieces and perfectly blended with the broth. Then, filter out all the impurities to get the broth of the first day.

On the second day, the broth is further refined into a clear broth by removing grease and residue, creating a golden stock where Wang Fan used an entire bottle of yellow wine, without adding a single drop of water.

After pouring the wine, he even set it alight on the surface of the stock, allowing the orange flames to burn for over half an hour until they naturally extinguished.