Gourmet: Midnight Vending-Chapter 382 - 352: Wild Cauldron Garlic Phoenix Tail Shrimp

Chapter 382: Chapter 352: Wild Cauldron Garlic Phoenix Tail Shrimp

No one left the queue because of what was said.

This wasn’t a spontaneous decision by Chen Mo.

When analyzing the recipe for Phoenix Tail Shrimp, the system provided multiple solutions.

The most authentic Phoenix Tail Shrimp was the one Chen Mo made before, and there were two other methods.

One was a sweet and sour Phoenix Tail Shrimp, and the other was a garlic-flavored Phoenix Tail Shrimp, which is suitable for both hot and cold preparations. Chen Mo chose the garlic flavor because using the previous method for a large pot was simply unrealistic.

Only by giving the ingredients a new flavor can the shortcomings of large pot cooking be concealed, and of course, there are also advantages.

Dishes made in a large pot tend to have a richer flavor compared to those from a small pot, which perfectly aligns with the garlic flavor method.

Duck fat was still poured into the pot.

Once all the river shrimp were evenly coated with breadcrumbs, the oil in the pot was heated to 160°.

A whole large basin of river shrimp was poured into the pot!

In an instant, the iron pot bubbled intensely, creating a sizzling frying sound, while the aroma of duck fat mixed with the freshness of shrimp filled the entire alley.

Many people’s mouths watered at the smell.

This step of frying only lasted a little more than forty seconds. Chen Mo used a super-sized colander, transformed from a black ladle, to scoop out all the shrimp in a few swift motions, temporarily placing them in a basin.

There were just too many!

It was a bit unrealistic to leave them to drain the oil.

Once the oil in the pot returned to 180 degrees, he quickly re-fried the shrimp that had just been scooped out.

"Initial fry to set, refry to crisp; this little boss really knows how to handle large pot dishes."

Among the crowd were chefs who came to try the dish, and seeing Chen Mo’s technique, they nodded secretly, becoming even more eager to taste the large pot version of Phoenix Tail Shrimp.

The refrying time was shorter.

Twenty seconds later, Chen Mo scooped out all the shrimp from the pot again.

That’s when the benefits of using duck fat became apparent. After twice frying, the shrimp meat still maintained a pure, jade-like whiteness. Of course, this wasn’t solely due to the duck fat, but also because of Chen Mo’s painstaking initial prep work, where he meticulously removed the red veins from the shrimp, achieving this effect.

The refrying was complete!

The hot oil from the black pot was temporarily poured into a nearby large bucket for storage, and the black pot was quickly cleaned.

Chen Mo then tossed a chunk of solidified fat into the pot, followed by a small amount of vegetable oil.

"He’s actually using butter?" Huang Bo exclaimed.

He recognized the ingredient, but using butter in this dish was beyond his understanding.

In Chinese cooking, butter is rarely used as a fat.

Chinese cuisine often revolves around stir-frying, which typically requires high heat.

Butter, which tends to burn easily, doesn’t quite align with these cooking methods.

"Let’s just see what happens. Boss Xiao Chen must have his reasons, although adding butter to Phoenix Tail Shrimp is a first for me. I wonder what the head chef at Tingfeng Tower would think."

Huang Bo glanced at the person speaking and suddenly chuckled, "Oh, Chef Yang? Still here, huh? I thought you’d head home early for a good rest since you have work tomorrow."

Yang Wenhua rolled his eyes at Huang Bo, slightly annoyed.

They had a pretty good relationship in private. Each of the Four Great Towers had its specialty dishes, so there wasn’t any real competition between them.

The executive chefs knew each other and would occasionally have meals together privately to share insights.

"You’re in no position to mock me; you lost yesterday, I only lost today. When you think about it, I’m still a bit stronger than you."

Huang Bo: ???

Is that even a fair comparison?

"Yet each step that Boss Xiao Chen takes surprises me, no wonder he was previously criticized online. His approach really has strayed from traditional Huaiyang cuisine."

Huang Bo stopped smiling and nodded, "I don’t know what’s truly right anymore."

Their emotions were mixed, and for a moment, they were unsure of what to say.

In the pot, the butter was melting, blending seamlessly with the vegetable oil.

Chen Mo meticulously controlled the heat, slightly above low but not reaching medium.

A large amount of minced garlic was added to the bubbling hot oil, and the black ladle was used to keep stirring.

Onlookers tried hard to inhale the aroma filling the air.

Garlic flavor, a common and popular taste.

As they kept sniffing, people began to notice something off.

"Hey, do you smell it? Feels like the garlic scent is fading?"

"Yeah, why am I smelling nutty notes?"

"Me too! But I didn’t see the boss add any nuts to the pot!"

Huang Bo and Yang Wenhua exchanged a shocked glance.

It’s not that they were shocked by the fruity aroma that garlic takes on when cooked in butter — anyone with some Western culinary knowledge knows this technique.

It was the fact that someone would think to use this technique for a dish like Phoenix Tail Shrimp that was truly astonishing!

Once the nutty aroma became strong enough, Chen Mo poured all the fried Phoenix Tail Shrimp back into the pot.

This really showcased the advantages of large pot cooking!

An abundance of spices makes the aroma incredibly intense. When all these ingredients are tossed with minced garlic in the pot, the combination of flavors is several times stronger than that of a normal small pot dish!

As he tossed, he added a sprinkle of salt and some white pepper to the pot.

"Oh, right!"

Chen Mo suddenly remembered something.

He had changed his clothes today. This casual outfit might not have temperature control like before, but it did boost his physical strength.

"I wonder how much it enhances my strength. Could I flip the pot?"

The big iron pot with two handles, Chen Mo had one in front and another directly opposite him.

Chen Mo gripped the handle with a water-dampened towel, took a deep breath, and gave it a light test shake.

"Woah!"

The large black pot trembled slightly, as Chen Mo only tried it with minimal force.

"It actually feels possible."

This time, Chen Mo transferred the black ladle to his left hand, focused all his strength into his right arm, and gave a deft, powerful heave!

Although the black pot wasn’t completely lifted, it was clear to see it made a rhythmic back-and-forth motion against the burner ridges, with considerable amplitude!

The almost-full pot contents shifted from inside to out and flipped over!

Chen Mo continued to repeat this action, faster and faster!

The pot’s contents were also moving quicker, and eventually, it looked no different from how one would usually flip a pot!

The crowd was utterly mesmerized by this scene!

Huang Bo and Yang Wenhua were even more stupefied.

"He...?"

"This pot and its contents must weigh close to two hundred pounds, and he did that with one arm... is he even human?"

"Boss Xiao Chen doesn’t look like much, but his strength is surprising!"

"Wow, with such strength, why bother with a street stall? Why not climb stairs with those internet stars for $2,000 a day...oh wait, the stall probably makes way more than that."

This act truly left the customers dumbfounded.

The men’s eyes were filled with envy; who wouldn’t want such strength?

The women’s eyes were full of yearning; who wouldn’t want to be embraced by such strong arms?

The most excited of all was Chen Mo himself.

Even after a full minute of flipping, Chen Mo felt he hadn’t reached his limit and could go even harder if he wished.

But that would be over the top, and not a good look in front of so many people.

The purpose of the flipping was to ensure the tangy garlic and oils evenly coated each shrimp; using just a spatula often wouldn’t achieve this uniform effect.

Finally, he turned off the heat!

Sprinkling on the dish’s ultimate seasoning — parsley.

The warmth of the shrimp brought out a strange fragrant aroma from the parsley flakes.

"Two yuan each, Xue Ping, start selling!"

The man took a moment to react.

Watching as Chen Mo dumped the entire pot of Phoenix Tail Shrimp into a colossal stainless steel basin.

This basin was overwhelmingly grand, immensely exciting, devoid of any refined aura of the "Huaiyang famous dish, Phoenix Tail Shrimp."

This was a Wild Phoenix Tail Shrimp feast!