Chapter 366: Chapter 278: French Herb-Crusted Lamb Chops, Indu Butter Chicken

Not only is there the fresh and sweet juice of the mushrooms themselves, but also the crisp sweetness of the bell pepper, the bouncy shrimp, and the rich milky flavor of the mozzarella cheese. It’s like an explosion of flavors in your mouth, full of excitement.

Each vegetable carries its unique sweetness, which doesn’t overshadow other ingredients but instead highlights its own characteristics.

Most importantly, there’s a distinct sweet and sour taste complementing everything in between.

The mysterious sauce?!

The girl’s eyes sparkled with delight; she had never tasted a Western-style appetizer so simple yet so flavorful.

Unlike the flashy appetizers of the trendy Western restaurants back home, the mushroom tower made by Lin Chen, in terms of flavor, is actually just average, but it excels in how well the ingredients complement each other.

These ingredients themselves are bland, without any strong flavors, so combined together, there are no chemical reactions.

However, the addition of mozzarella cheese and the slightly drizzled mysterious sauce act as the magic touch, swiftly elevating the taste of the mushroom tower. It achieves a harmony where sweetness combines with zest, and zest with freshness; the milky flavor is apparent, yet it’s balanced by a touch of acidity, preventing it from becoming overly greasy.

The more she chews, the more fragrant it becomes, and the more she chews, the more it whets her appetite. The girl eagerly swallowed the food in her mouth and pushed the remaining half of the mushroom tower into her mouth, not even sparing the sauce left on the plate, licking it clean.

"It’s so delicious, what’s in this sauce? I’ve never tasted anything like it!"

"The black one? It’s a pre-made sauce, available in supermarkets."

Lin Chen didn’t bother to hide the truth, openly revealing it.

"It’s called concentrated sweet black vinegar sauce. Black vinegar is another name for Italian balsamic vinegar, the same kind found in basic oil and vinegar dressings."

"Concentrated sweet black vinegar sauce is made by reducing that vinegar with syrup. Because even when made in the kitchen, the taste turns out the same, there’s no need to waste time. It’s more convenient to buy the ready-made sauce."

"You can think of this as the Western version of sweet and sour sauce. It goes well with anything, even ribs, making it a versatile sauce."

As he explained to the two of them, he continued working, deboning and shaping the lamb chops, trimming off excess meat and membranes from the ribs, scraping the bone surface clean to form the shape of a Western-style lamb chop often seen on TV.

Various herbs and many ingredients they didn’t recognize were thrown into a machine to be crushed. The whole lamb chop was fried until browned, large chunks of butter, garlic, and rosemary were added to the pan.

Tilting the pan, spooning oil over the lamb chop to ensure even doneness, while also infusing the butter flavor into the lamb.

The fried lamb chop was placed into an oven preheated to two hundred degrees for four minutes.

"I think I’ve seen this dish on TV shows, it’s quite famous, isn’t it?"

"Yes, it’s French herb lamb chops. The appetizer was Italian, now it’s French cuisine, next is American-style butter garlic shrimp, then Indian butter chicken. The dishes after that haven’t been decided yet."

Aside from the main course, a French dish also must include a side dish on the plate. He casually chopped some potatoes and tossed them into boiling water, then started peeling shrimp.

He removed the head and shell of the river shrimp, leaving only the tail, arranging them neatly and symmetrically in an olive-shaped baking dish, creating clear visual tension.

A whole garlic bulb, unpeeled, was cut one-third from the top, drizzled with olive oil, wrapped in foil, and tossed directly into the oven with the lamb chops, ignoring both time and temperature.

Four large chicken legs were neatly laid on the cutting board, the sharp tip of the knife lightly slicing through, cutting to the bone.

First, he cut and disconnected the tendon at the ankle, then gradually separated the chicken meat from around the leg bone, finally making a circle around the knee bone, detaching the whole chicken leg meat easily.

Lin Chen’s movements appeared casual, boning a chicken leg in just seven or eight seconds, but only those knowledgeable would understand the dedication behind such skilled actions.

Jonathan’s expression was moved, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Lin Chen’s hands, mentally following the tip of the knife.

Until all four chicken legs were completely dismantled, he softly sighed.

"Damn, Lin Chen’s speed in deboning chicken is a third faster than mine. How does he do it?"

He knew himself well enough, although he enjoyed being lazy, he was absolutely diligent and hardworking when on duty, or else he wouldn’t have reached his current position.

With his sword skills, even in God’s Kiss’s kitchen in Paris, he was among the top chefs, second only to Chef Marchello.

Yet the fact that Lin Chen from a branch could debone chicken legs so much faster—is it possible his skills have surpassed my own?

No wonder the man can exchange culinary skills with the Michelin Chefs!

"Lucas! Help me get a box of unsweetened yogurt and some five-spice masala powder from the pantry. The masala is on the spice rack!"

"Huh? No, when did you buy the masala? I have no memory of it at all?"

Lucas was bewildered but instinctively got up to run errands for him.

Lin Chen smiled smugly without explaining. A cautious chef is like this, buying anything they feel might be useful when placing orders, just in case it becomes needed for dinner someday.

The tourists here come from all over the world, and no one can guarantee whether a few Middle Eastern guests will show up. Masala, being a soul seasoning, must be prepared in advance.

The couple who finished the mushroom tart couldn’t sit still and came over again to watch his cooking process.

Indu butter chicken is an internationally renowned dish, and they had never tried it before, so they definitely wanted to record the preparation process carefully. Maybe they could try making it themselves later at home?

Seeing them filming, Lin Chen generously explained the name of each seasoning to them.

"Are you filming? Then I’ll start. This is turmeric powder, garlic powder, sweet pepper powder, coriander seed powder, cumin powder, fenugreek leaf powder, half a spoon of each, adjusted according to the amount of meat."

"Then chop some ginger and garlic into very fine pieces. You can use a blender or a garlic crusher."

"Finally, add a spoonful of five-spice masala powder and half a box of unsweetened yogurt. Mix all these things well, then toss the chicken in and mix it, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate to marinate."

"If you’re making it at home, try to marinate it for over four hours, the longer the better. Since time is limited now, I’ll just marinate it briefly for ten minutes, but our cold storage here has a good cooling effect, so the marinating efficiency will be higher."

"As for salt, you can add it or not, because the five-spice masala powder already has a salty taste. Salt will also be added during cooking later, which you can adjust according to your own taste."

Lin Chen’s actions were swift, so fast that the couple’s brains barely had time to react, and the marination of the chicken was already done.

"Pour some oil into the pan, any vegetable oil will do, then chop some onions casually like I do and throw them in to sauté." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

What he said sounded casual, and it did look casual as he chopped a few horizontal slices, then a few vertical cuts, without caring about shape or size, and directly tossed them into the pan.

"Cashews should be soaked in water ahead of time for half an hour. If you’re short on time or in urgent need like me, you can soak them in hot water for a minute or two, though the aroma will be slightly reduced."

While soaking the cashews, he didn’t forget to shake the frying pan a few times to prevent burning, and even took the time to chop two tomatoes into small cubes and set them aside on the cutting board.

"After the onions change color, add turmeric powder, sweet pepper powder, fenugreek leaf powder, five-spice masala powder, and cumin powder, also half a spoon of each, along with some green peppers and garlic. Stir and mix evenly, then drain the cashews and toss them in."

"When frying the spices, be careful not to use high heat, because without my kind of experience, it’s easy to burn the bottom if the heat control is incorrect."

Saying this, he tilted the frying pan slightly and scraped aside the ingredients on the surface to show them the bottom of the pan.

"See that? The layer of seasoning sticking to the bottom of the pan is the essence, but if you can’t control it well, it’s easy to burn, and if the time is too short, the aroma and umami won’t be rich enough."

"Once the heat is right, add the tomato cubes and stir-fry until they release water, which can dilute the essence at the bottom of the pan, blending into a broth in a short time."

"Finally, add some warm water and a small piece of butter, and let it simmer over medium to high heat for about ten to twenty minutes before transferring it to a blender to puree, and then strain it to avoid any uncrushed spices affecting the taste."

Compared to the simple dishes before, the preparation method and ingredients for this butter chicken are overly complex, making the couple’s heads spin, eliminating any thoughts of trying to make it themselves later at home.

However, they still filmed it because who knows, they might want to try making it on a whim someday in the future?

They’ve spent money and traveled all the way here; they can’t go back empty-handed!

As the spices were simmering on one side, the potato chunks boiling in the pot on the other were fished out by Lin Chen and tossed into the frying pan to begin frying.

This wasn’t difficult to make; just drizzle some oil into the pan and fry. Once a golden brown crispy crust forms on the surface of the potato chunks, add large pieces of butter and let it fully melt, allowing the flavor of the butter to perfectly penetrate into the potatoes.

When tapping with a spatula produces a distinct ’crack’ sound, it’s ready to be taken out and set aside.

Use oil-absorbing paper or kitchen paper to wipe off the excess oil, then transfer it to a large bowl and sprinkle with smoked paprika, crushed black pepper, and a bit of sea salt.

"Ding—"

The oven rang.

He took out the fragrant lamb chops, brushed a layer of Dijon mustard over the surface, then coated every crevice with a green powder, and put it back into the oven to roast for another four minutes.

Every step seemed meticulously planned, the entire process appearing organized and effortless, with each step seamlessly transitioning into the next, making it extremely visually appealing.

"No wonder he’s the Head Chef! I’ve only seen such smooth cooking in TV shows, it’s stunning!"