Chapter 1018: Chapter 422: Clear and Transparent Broth, Silky Noodles—The Higher the Class, the Simpler It Is!

Everyone was speechless for a moment.

Everyone knows that the dishes in Building No. 2 are under confidentiality agreements. Many are secret recipes used at Fishing Platform to entertain foreign guests. Even if you learn it, anyone trying to serve it anew will definitely face penalties.

This damn guy really sets traps everywhere. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up deceived.

Yesterday, we were all acting close-knit like one big happy family at Yanjing Hotel.

Today in Building No. 2, it’s back to the usual state.

Xie Baomin said to Lin Xu:

"Come on, junior brother, we’re just starting the Clear Soup. I’ll teach you how to make it."

Everyone followed into the kitchen and saw the big pot in the Soup Department’s center, where a half-pot of rich white stock was cooking.

Lin Xu asked curiously:

"Is the stock ready?"

Xie Baomin laughed:

"Not yet, the stock my master makes uses stock to simmer beef bones, beef ribs, brisket, pork bones, pork ribs, ham hocks, whole chickens, whole ducks, ham, sea scallop, dried shrimp, mushrooms, along with celery, onion, carrots, and other ingredients."

Lin Xu furrowed his brow.

Using stock to make stock turns the biggest challenge of this dish from technique to cost, doesn’t it?

Is Master just showing off for the sake of showing off?

Just as he was about to ask, Guo Weidong sighed and said:

"I’ve tried it many times privately, and the resulting broth is either sour or has a strange taste. It’s nowhere near that clear and fragrant flavor... Old Xie, can you share the recipe ratios?"

Indeed, people have been practicing secretly.

And there’s more than just one person.

Because Lin Xu noticed Qiu Zhenhua also perked his ears up, ready to hear some wisdom.

Clearly, he’s also been thinking about this stock.

Xie Baomin said:

"I’ve said before, this is a soup my master crafted by combining Chinese and Western stock techniques. You can’t just throw vegetables and beef in there; you need to think with a Western culinary mindset."

A Western culinary mindset?

Everyone present was puzzled, not understanding what that meant.

Xie Baomin didn’t elaborate much. He just put all the blanched stock ingredients into the pot. Besides the major items, there were dried goods for flavor enhancement like sea scallop, dried abalone, and Yulan slices.

Looking at these ingredients, Lin Xu felt the cost was going through the roof.

Never mind the cost of noodles itself, just the stock already hits five figures, and factoring in the labor costs for making noodles...

When this bowl of noodles is done, from a cost standpoint, it should outmatch any noodles available on the market.

Add in the fame of the State Banquet’s head chef, it would make a Michelin three-star restaurant seem like a good value.

Though he just ate Spicy Soup and fried dough sticks, Lin Xu found himself craving noodles.

He really wanted to know what it would taste like to eat such a precious bowl of noodles.

Yin Hongbin asked curiously:

"When do I start with the dough? It won’t ruin anything, will it?"

Xie Baomin put all the ingredients in, turned up the heat, and once the stock in the pot boiled, he skimmed the foam and said:

"Just wait, it needs another three hours of simmering."

Guo Weidong asked curiously:

"What about the vegetables? When do they go in?"

"Wait a bit longer. First, cook out the aromas from these ingredients. Also, vegetables shouldn’t be cooked too long. One hour is enough; if the time drags on, the freshness will turn sour. The sour taste and odd flavor you mentioned are likely from overcooking."

Everyone gathered around the stove to observe. Simmering stock with stock is somewhat extravagant.

So everyone wanted to watch closely and see just how good this soup could become.

Lin Xu asked curiously:

"Are we not adding any spices?"

"Nope, just relying on the flavors of these ingredients. The saltiness comes entirely from ham... My master’s Clear Soup Noodles are fairly simple, no seasoning needed."

Simple?

Everyone was taken aback, stumped by that word.

Given the explosive cost of these noodles, how can you say it’s simple?

Song Dahai said:

"Don’t try misleading us. The noodles indeed need no seasoning, but the soup with ham, dried abalone, dried shrimp, and sea scallop has salty ingredients that must be perfectly balanced. Saying there’s no seasoning is harder than the seasoning of ordinary dishes, since you have to account for the broth’s reduction and the ingredients’ saltiness... I feel like you sneaky fellow aren’t sincerely teaching us here."

Xie Baomin shrugged and laughed:

"I only said I’d demonstrate, not teach you. If you want to learn, follow Old Cheng’s lead and kneel to offer a cup of tea... Old Song, put the knife down! I’m telling you, beyond this point, you’re either heading to the hospital or to jail. Do you want to reunite with Meng Dexing in the hospital, or Meng Kaifang in prison? Decide!"

Just now, when Song Dahai suddenly grabbed the boning knife from Yin Hongbin’s hand, it startled everyone.

But after hearing Xie Baomin’s words, Old Song gave a resigned smile:

"Can’t you say something decent? Who the hell wants to be around those two?"

Xie Baomin stood next to the tall Yuan Debiao and said:

"Fight is one thing, but you actually drew a knife against me, Old Yuan, there’s a sturgeon in Building Fifteen, shall we grab it and make a pot stew?"

"Sure, add lots of bean paste. Fish stewed in a pot isn’t tasty without it."

After the laughter and banter, Xie Baomin then said:

"All salty ingredients need to be calculated, and before that calculation, you have to personally taste the saltiness to accurately grasp the salt levels."