Rebirth to Save Myself

Chapter 114 New Year's Eve Dinner Presented

Boiled fish is a classic Sichuan dish, famous for its spicy, numbing, and savory flavor. This dish typically uses fresh fish as the main ingredient, paired with various vegetables and seasonings, and is carefully prepared.

Making boiled fish isn't complicated, but it does require some skill and patience. First, slice the fish into thin pieces and marinate them for a while with salt, cooking wine, and cornstarch to enhance their texture and tenderness. Then, cut various vegetables into appropriate sizes and prepare seasonings such as Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, ginger, and garlic.

Next, heat the oil, add Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies and sauté until fragrant. Then add ginger, garlic, and fermented bean paste and stir-fry until fragrant. Add an appropriate amount of water and bring to a boil. Add the marinated fish fillets one by one to the pot and cook until they change color. Remove them and place them in a bowl. Finally, pour the fish broth over the fish fillets and sprinkle with chopped green onions, cilantro, and Sichuan peppercorn powder.

Boiled fish is a very popular Sichuan dish, known for its spicy and savory flavor, tender and juicy fish, and refreshing vegetables.

Stir-fried winter bamboo shoots with pork belly is a delicious and traditional Chinese dish. This dish uses fresh winter bamboo shoots and pork belly as the main ingredients, along with various seasonings and side dishes, and is then stir-fried.

Winter bamboo shoots are the soul of this dish. They are usually harvested in winter because they are at their tenderest and most flavorful then. Winter bamboo shoots are pale yellow in color, slightly conical in shape, and have fine textures on their surface. They are crisp and tender, with a delicious flavor and a hint of sweetness.

Pork belly is another important component of this dish. Pork belly is a type of pork with evenly distributed fat and tender, juicy meat. During the stir-frying process, the fat in the pork belly slowly melts, adding a rich aroma and flavor to the dish.

To make stir-fried pork belly with winter bamboo shoots, first slice the winter bamboo shoots thinly and cut the pork belly into small pieces. Then, add a suitable amount of oil to a wok and heat it. Add the pork belly and stir-fry until it changes color. Next, add the sliced ​​winter bamboo shoots and continue stir-frying until the bamboo shoots soften. Finally, add appropriate amounts of salt, light soy sauce, cooking wine, and other seasonings, stir-fry evenly, and it's ready to serve.

Stir-fried winter bamboo shoots with pork belly is delicious and has a rich flavor. The sweetness of the winter bamboo shoots and the savory flavor of the pork belly blend together to create a unique taste. This dish is not only tasty but also rich in nutrients such as protein, fat, and carbohydrates, making it a very healthy option. Whether served as a casual home-cooked meal or a dish for entertaining guests, stir-fried winter bamboo shoots with pork belly is a popular choice.

The syrup bubbled and steamed in the iron pot, filling the air with a sweet, cloying aroma. Taro chunks tumbled in the syrup, coated in a glistening layer of sugar, resembling sparkling amber. Picking up a piece with chopsticks, you could even pull out long, thin strands of sugar, like a spider's silver web. The taste was exquisite; the sweetness of the syrup and the soft texture of the taro intertwined, creating a truly unforgettable experience.

The above three dishes were prepared by Chef Chen Jianguo, with Chen Chunqi assisting him, and took two hours to complete. The aroma of the boiled fish wafted from the closed kitchen door into the entire house, accompanied by Chen Chunqi's occasional coughs from being choked by the chili peppers.

Soybean stewed with pig's trotters is a traditional Chinese dish. Soybeans and pig's trotters are the main ingredients. After being stewed for a long time, the soybeans become soft and tender, and the pig's trotters become tender and delicious.

Pig's trotters are rich in collagen, making them a natural beauty ingredient. After long stewing, the collagen in the trotters dissolves into the broth, thickening it and giving it a smooth texture. Soybeans are a nutritious legume, rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Adding soybeans not only increases the nutritional value of the soup but also makes it richer and more flavorful.

To make braised pig's trotters with soybeans, first clean the pig's trotters thoroughly, cut them into small pieces, and then put them in a pot with enough water to cover them. Cook until the pig's trotters change color, then remove and set aside. Next, clean the soybeans, put them in a pot with enough water to cover them, and cook until the soybeans are soft and tender. Remove and set aside. Finally, put the cooked pig's trotters and soybeans into a pot, add enough water to cover them, along with ginger slices, scallion segments, cooking wine, salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and other seasonings. Cook until the pig's trotters are fully cooked and the broth is thick.

Soybeans stewed with pig's trotters have a rich and delicious broth, making it a very tasty dish. It not only has beauty and skin-nourishing properties but also provides essential nutrients, making it a particularly suitable dish for women.

Chen Yuan chose a very easy and simple dish; all she had to do was put it in the pot and wait for it to cook before serving. She proudly showed off her culinary skills to Chen Wenwei, hoping he would compliment her on her cleverness.

Braised pork ribs, a classic Chinese dish, is renowned for its unique texture and rich flavor. This dish typically uses pork ribs as the main ingredient and is prepared through various cooking methods such as boiling, frying, and braising.

The braised pork ribs have an enticing reddish-brown appearance, coated in a thick sauce that exudes a rich aroma of meat and savory sauce. Each rib is tender and juicy, with clearly visible meat texture. One bite reveals a crispy exterior and tender interior, leaving you wanting more.

To make braised pork ribs, first wash and cut the pork ribs into pieces, then boil them in water until thoroughly cooked to remove blood and impurities. Next, drain the ribs and pan-fry them in oil until golden brown; this will make the ribs more fragrant and crispy. Then, add appropriate seasonings such as ginger, garlic, cooking wine, soy sauce, sugar, and salt, and stir-fry evenly to allow the ribs to fully absorb the flavors. Finally, add an appropriate amount of water, cover the pot, and simmer for a while until the ribs are flavorful and the sauce has thickened.

Braised pork ribs are not only delicious, but also rich in nutrients such as protein, fat, calcium, and phosphorus, making them a highly nutritious dish. Whether served as the main course for family gatherings or as a delicacy for entertaining guests, braised pork ribs are sure to leave a lasting impression.

Lu Lu added a touch of dried tangerine peel to this dish, making it less greasy. The tangerine peel effectively neutralized the meat flavor, making it irresistible to slurp it up one after another. The broth was also used to mix with rice, and not a single drop was wasted.

Everyone was amazed by Lu Lu's cooking skills, and she then revealed that she had started helping her mother cook when she was seven or eight years old, learning by watching. As she got older, she took over the cooking duties. Especially during winter and summer vacations, she not only had to work in the fields but also take care of the family's three meals a day.

Boiled cabbage in clear broth is a traditional Sichuan dish. It uses cabbage hearts as the main ingredient, seasoned with a rich broth. It is light and delicate in flavor, with a rich and mellow aroma. The broth is thick and flavorful, not oily or greasy, yet refreshing and delicious. At first glance, the finished dish looks like a few cabbage hearts soaking in clear water, without a trace of oil, but when you eat it, it is refreshing and delicious.

This dish isn't complicated to make, but it requires patience and care. First, wash the cabbage hearts, cut them into appropriate sizes, blanch them in boiling water, and drain them. Then, bring the broth to a boil, add the blanched cabbage hearts, and simmer over low heat until the cabbage is tender. Season with salt and chicken bouillon to taste.

The unique feature of boiled cabbage in clear broth is its exceptionally delicious flavor, despite its clear, watery consistency. This is because the broth is simmered for a long time, allowing the umami and nutrients from the meat to fully dissolve into the soup. Combined with the sweetness of the cabbage heart, this makes the broth even more flavorful. Furthermore, the quality of the cabbage heart is crucial; only the tenderest heart must be selected to ensure a crisp and refreshing texture.

In short, boiled cabbage in clear broth is a light, refreshing, and nutritious Sichuan dish that is loved by many.

Braised beef shank is a traditional Chinese delicacy, renowned for its unique texture and rich aroma. Its preparation requires a long, slow simmering process to ensure the beef is thoroughly flavorful.

The first step in making braised beef shank is selecting high-quality beef shank. Shank from the foreleg or hind leg is usually chosen because these cuts are firm, chewy, and suitable for slow cooking. Wash the selected beef shank, cut it into appropriately sized pieces, then place it in a pot with enough water to cover it. Bring it to a boil, skim off the foam, and drain.

Next, prepare the braising liquid. The recipe varies depending on the region and personal taste, but it typically includes light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, rock sugar, ginger slices, scallions, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and other seasonings. Su Xia also added oyster sauce, pepper, thirteen-spice powder, and dried chili peppers to enhance the flavor. Place these seasonings in a pot, add enough water to cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes to fully release the aroma of the seasonings.

Next, place the cooked beef shank into the braising liquid and simmer over low heat for about 2-3 hours, until the beef is tender and flavorful. During the simmering process, turn the beef shank occasionally to ensure it absorbs the flavors of the braising liquid evenly. The simmering time can be adjusted according to the size and firmness of the beef.

Finally, she soaked the braised beef shank in the braising liquid and refrigerated it overnight. This made the beef shank more flavorful than when it was freshly cooked. She then used half of the sauce, minced garlic, chili oil, cilantro, and other seasonings to make a cold beef salad, which resulted in a richer and more diverse flavor.

Su Xia's skill in braising food is unparalleled. Ever since she first demonstrated this skill, braised dishes have become an indispensable part of the New Year's Eve dinner every year. Last year it was a braised food platter, the year before it was a braised dish inspired by a certain duck brand. She keeps innovating and improving, so that people never feel that it's the same as before, and always look forward to it.

Steamed hairy crab is a very popular traditional Chinese dish. Hairy crab is a type of crab that lives in freshwater; its meat is delicious and nutritious, making it a favorite delicacy for many.

Steamed hairy crabs are very easy to make. First, wash the hairy crabs, put them in a steamer, add an appropriate amount of water, and steam over high heat until cooked. While the crabs are steaming, you can prepare some seasonings, such as minced ginger, minced garlic, chopped green onions, soy sauce, and vinegar, for flavoring.

Once the hairy crabs are steamed, remove them from the steamer and place them on a plate to enjoy. Steamed hairy crabs have tender, flavorful meat and abundant roe, offering an excellent taste. When eating hairy crabs, you can use the crab claws to crack the shell, extract the crab meat and roe, and then dip them in the sauce for an even more delicious flavor.

Steamed hairy crabs are not only delicious but also highly nutritious. They are rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B1, and vitamin B2, offering excellent health benefits.

In short, steamed hairy crab is a very delicious and nutritious dish that is loved by many. Whether at a family gathering or a restaurant, steamed hairy crab is a very popular delicacy.

Garlic butter shrimp is a classic Cantonese dish, renowned for its tender texture and rich garlic aroma. While the preparation requires some skill and patience, once you master the techniques, you can easily make delicious garlic butter shrimp at home.

First, select fresh prawns, remove the shrimp vein and whiskers, cut them open along the back with scissors, remove the vein, and wash them thoroughly. Mince the garlic, julienne the ginger, and cut the scallions into sections.

Next, heat oil in a pan, add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add shredded ginger and scallions and continue to sauté. Add appropriate amounts of cooking wine, light soy sauce, sugar, and salt to taste, stir-fry evenly, and then set aside.

Place the prepared prawns in a steamer, add an appropriate amount of water, and steam for about 5-8 minutes, until the prawns change color and are fully cooked. Remove the prawns, spread the stir-fried minced garlic evenly on top of them, and then steam them again for 1-2 minutes to allow the aroma of the garlic to fully permeate the prawn meat.

Finally, remove the steamed garlic-baked shrimp and sprinkle with chopped green onions and cilantro. This dish is tender and juicy with a rich garlic flavor, making it a perfect choice for family gatherings or get-togethers with friends.

These steamed dishes didn't require much skill. Chen Yuan and the other two cleaned the seafood, Chen Jianguo deveined the shrimp, and Chen Chunqi arranged them on plates and put them in the steamer. The hairy crabs were a gift from Chen Jianguo's client; each one weighed a full six ounces, and they were all female. Although female crabs aren't as plump as they are in autumn, they were still incredibly large!

This is a mouthwatering platter made with abalone, baby lobster, mantis shrimp, king crab, razor clams, clams, and whelks—a true gift from the sea. The umami flavors of the various seafood blend together, creating a feast for the senses.

Abalone meat is firm and delicious, every bite bursting with the taste of the ocean. Baby lobster meat is tender and sweet, leaving a lingering aftertaste. Mantis shrimp meat is plump and delicious, every bite satisfying. King crab legs are delicious and rich in flavor, irresistible. Razor clams and clams are tender and delicate, offering a refreshing taste of the sea. Whelk meat is firm and delicious, every bite bursting with the flavor of the ocean.

This platter of mixed sauces is not only delicious but also nutritious, making it a truly exceptional dish. Every bite evokes the charm of the sea, transporting you to the beach and allowing you to enjoy the sea breeze and sunshine.

Once the seafood is steamed and mixed with the prepared sauce, the final dish is complete. By 6:30 PM, all the dishes were cooked. Chen Yuan poured drinks for everyone, and then poured red wine for Chen Jianguo and Chen Chunqi. Su Xia and Lu Lu set out the bowls and chopsticks, and arranged the portable wet wipes Chen Chunqi had bought. Finally, they waited for Chen Chunqi to take a picture before they could start eating!