Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 161 - 130: Are You Planning to Feed the Pigs?

"Is this the taste of chicken blood?? Why does it... taste like tofu."

Dais opened her eyes wide in surprise, completely unable to believe her own tongue.

She had only tried animal blood in the form of blood sausages, made by stuffing blood and other ingredients into sausage casings. It usually carried a fishy taste—love it or hate it, there's no middle ground.

Since it's sausage, there's no notion of freshness; it's usually smoked or cooked after preparation and stored till needed. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

But something like this freshly slaughtered and bled chicken blood dish was a first in her lifetime.

Not only does it lack any strange taste, it's remarkably sweet!

She could tell that this sweetness was not from any seasoning but the innate sweetness of the ingredient itself.

Blood inherently has a slight sweetness apart from its salty, fishy taste—those who've licked their wounds would know that taste.

She really didn't expect that despite the blood tofu being set with salted water, it was not salty at all but sweet—truly miraculous!

Trying a bit of the larger chunk of duck blood beside her, she found the texture even more delicate than chicken blood, though otherwise not markedly different.

The spicy and numbing base had completely permeated the blood tofu—one bite opened her appetite, two bites got her hooked, and she couldn't stop after three or four, her mind just focused on getting more rice.

"Chef, is the rice ready?"

"This is incredible; I have never craved rice so much before—I'm desperate!"

Not only were the unfamiliar flavors new to Dais and Elsa, but even Lucas, Jiang Shuqi, and Lin Chen found their appetites stirred by this fragrant and spicy aroma.

"The rice needs five more minutes; I know you're eager, but don't rush—have some poached chicken to tide over."

He picked up a piece of chicken breast from the bowl and stuffed it into his mouth, attempting to curb the urge in the most straightforward way.

Chicken breast—how delicious can it be...

....

?????

Taking just a small bite, he was immediately frozen in place.

The thin chicken skin was crispy and elastic, like a rubber band—full of resilience without being hard to chew. There was no excess fat, and it tasted refreshing.

Underneath the skin, there was a light pink jelly-like layer, the delicious result of gelled chicken broth.

Below it, the chicken breast was tender and juicy, not dry at all, with a savory richness that enhanced the jellied broth as it melted on the tongue—the more he chewed, the more flavorsome it became.

Although this basic flavor might not be suited for pairing with rice, it was still so delicious that he couldn't resist grabbing another piece.

He personally never really liked poached chicken; during festivals, his family often bought poached chicken from outside, which was as dry as hay, yet his parents loved it and would dip it in soy sauce and vinegar.

After eating it several times, he developed a psychological aversion to poached chicken, never thinking that chicken could taste so bad.

Fortunately, growing up and trying poached chicken at many restaurants gradually changed his views; he became less averse.

However, this poached chicken made from the system's recipe was truly the most fragrant and tender chicken he'd ever tasted!

"Turns out the chicken must be soaked in warm salted water to get both flavorful and tender—no wonder my previous attempts were dry and rough, must have been due to high temperature."

As a chef, he instantly realized which stage of cooking had caused the difference in texture.

If this technique is applied well, he will never serve bland chicken breast again.

"The whole chicken needs to be soaked for over twenty minutes, on low heat throughout, with the broth not boiling; for only chicken breast, perhaps turning off the heat and soaking for twelve minutes should do, maybe heating a little midway to keep the temperature steady."

Silently calculating the exact time mentally, he planned to try it out in the future.

The poached chicken with bones tends to be favored by locals and Asians; for foreign diners, except for chicken wings and legs, it's better to avoid presenting bones.

Without bones, cooking time must be reduced, which requires repeated trials to determine accurately.

"Hmm?!!

"Oh my god, this chicken is so tender!"

Dais and Elsa, beside him, were equally amazed by the poached chicken's deliciousness, nodding repeatedly and pointing at the bowl with their chopsticks, expressing their admiration for his culinary skills through body language.

Jiang Shuqi wasn't keen on trying the poached chicken, as it was quite ordinary to her; instead, the stir-fried duo caught her attention.

The stir-fry of chicken and duck offal with fresh green peppers, chili, and garlic looked superb—spicy and fragrant, with no offal taste at all.

The sliced chicken and duck intestines curled slightly, and the livers, still faintly pink, revealed perfect cooking control just by sight.

If cooked too much, liver becomes soft and dry, hard to swallow; at eight or nine parts cooked, its texture is optimal—exquisitely tender and juicy.

Of course, only fresh liver can be handled this way; using less-than-fresh liver without thorough cooking would guarantee stomach trouble.

As a Yuhang local, living close to neighboring families, stir-fried chicken and duck offal with peppers can be found at roadside diners, and she owed much of her growth to these homely, rice-friendly dishes.

Otherwise, relying solely on fish wouldn't have sustained her all these years.

Grabbing a crisp piece of green pepper along with it, she eagerly stuffed it into her mouth without caring what she got.

The subtle spiciness of the green pepper layered throughout her mouth, blending perfectly with any slight offal taste and simultaneously releasing a mysterious substance that made her salivate uncontrollably.