Chapter 220: One-Bite Crispy Tofu

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the 86th collectible.]

[The gourmet collectible you unlocked is: Cajun Cheese Baked Sticky Rice Chicken]

[Dish Rating: 90/100 [Excellent]]

[As the dish was rated Excellent, your reward is multiplied by 4.]

[Congratulations! You have received a cash reward: 800,000]

[Congratulations! You have received a cash reward: 800,000]

[Congratulations! You have received a reward: 0.1% of Haitian Flavors’ shares.]

[Congratulations! You have received a recipe reward: Cajun Cheese Baked Sticky Rice Chicken Recipe]

…

Seeing the system notification, Li Xiao shook his head helplessly. This reward had come a little too late.

If this reward had arrived sooner, he wouldn’t have had to spend his own cash to buy shares.

But he decided to just take it as it came. It was free, after all, so Li Xiao couldn’t ask for too much.

After taking two more bites of the sticky rice chicken, Li Xiao finally stopped.

“Excellent. They’ve innovated on the traditional sticky rice chicken by using a Western baked rice method.”

“It’s delicious. Not only did they preserve the essence of sticky rice chicken, but they also incorporated elements of baked rice.”

“Taking a traditional dish and adding elements that appeal to the younger generation is a fantastic idea. The chef’s understanding is spot-on; it’s not a forced fusion, and the two combine perfectly!”

“I highly recommend this dish as well.”

He finished every last bit of the sticky rice chicken in his bowl. Taking a short break, he drank half a cup of tea before Li Xiao turned his attention to the plate of golden, bite-sized crispy tofu.

He picked up a small piece of the crispy tofu with his chopsticks. The moment they touched the tofu, its golden outer layer made a delightful, crisp sound.

Instead of eating it right away, he started explaining to everyone how the bite-sized crispy tofu was made:

“It’s rare to see a simple one, so I’ll explain how it’s made.”

“If you’re interested, you can try making it at home.”

Hearing this, the viewers in the stream chat weren’t happy.

“What do you mean, ‘a simple one’?”

“The streamer’s trying to say that anyone with hands can make it, right?”

“Wow, I feel so discriminated against.”

“Come on, I help my mom with the New Year’s Eve dinner! How can you look down on me like that?”

“I’m curious about the expert upstairs. Do you ‘help’ your mom by buying the groceries or by washing the vegetables?”

“Let’s be real, of all the dishes he’s shown so far, which one do you guys actually think you could learn to make?”

As soon as that was said, the previously bustling stream of comments came to an instant halt.

But a second later, the chat exploded again. This time, however, the comments were no longer scolding Li Xiao for underestimating them.

As for getting the “honorable viewers” to admit they were wrong? That was absolutely impossible.

Li Xiao glanced at the chat and chuckled, ignoring the viewers’ absurd claims of being able to cook a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, and began to speak softly:

“This dish is incredibly simple to make. The only difficult part is the coating on the outside of the tofu, which requires a special kind of frying batter.”

“Mix rice flour, all-purpose flour, potato starch, and aluminum-free baking powder in a 2:2:2:0.1 ratio to create the batter mix.”

“Cut silken tofu into small, thumb-sized cubes.”

“Evenly coat the surface of the tofu with the batter mix. Gently lift it with your hands and shake off any excess powder.”

“Wait 5 to 10 seconds to let the surface of the tofu become slightly moist again, then roll the tofu in the batter mix once more and shake off the excess.”

“A second coating makes the crispy shell thicker, locking in the tofu’s moisture while enhancing the crunch.”

“Place the coated tofu in oil heated to 130 degrees Celsius and fry until golden brown, then remove.”

“Let the fried tofu rest for three minutes. This helps drain the oil from the surface and allows the crispy shell to cool down.”

“After three minutes, double-fry the tofu. Once you’ve drained the excess oil, sprinkle it with an appropriate amount of shichimi and it’s ready to serve.”

“Shichimi is a spicy seasoning. If you don’t like spicy food, you can of course use other seasonings instead.”

“Alright, you can put away your little notebooks now.”

“Let me see how their bite-sized crispy tofu actually tastes.”

He popped the tofu held between his chopsticks into his mouth.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH~~

HISS!

After he bit through the crispy shell, the scorching, semi-liquid tofu inside nearly burned Li Xiao’s tongue.

Luckily, his tongue was battle-hardened; otherwise, he might have spat it out involuntarily.

He quickly sucked in air to rapidly cool the scalding tofu in his mouth.

He finally managed to deal with the searing hot tofu in his mouth.

Li Xiao let out a long sigh of relief.

“The shell is very crispy and light, but it’s a little too thick.”

“Evidently, their technique for coating it wasn’t precise enough, so a bit too much batter mix was applied.”

“But that can’t be helped. After all, the chef in the kitchen wasn’t just making a single portion for me.”

“Of course, another reason could be that they used more than two layers of batter mix to ensure the shell was extra crispy.”

“But aside from that, everything else is very good.”

“The silken tofu inside is very tender. Under high heat, it turns into a semi-liquid. With one bite, the smooth tofu bursts out from the crispy shell. The texture is fantastic.”

“If you all try this, be extra careful, because the tofu inside is truly scalding hot.”

At the same time, the system’s notification sound echoed in his mind.

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the 87th collectible.]

[The gourmet collectible you unlocked is: Bite-Sized Crispy Tofu]

[Dish Rating: 85/100 [Good]]

[As the dish was rated Good, your reward is multiplied by 3.]

[Congratulations! You have received a cash reward: 400,000]

[Congratulations! You have received a cash reward: 400,000]

[Congratulations! You have received a recipe reward: Bite-Sized Crispy Tofu Recipe]

…

Li Xiao continued to savor the bite-sized crispy tofu, a look of culinary satisfaction on his face.

“The key to this dish lies in the choice of tofu. You have to use the highest quality silken tofu.”

Li Xiao took a deep breath and continued his explanation.

“This type of tofu has a delicate texture that practically melts in your mouth, making it perfect for deep-frying at high temperatures.”

He picked up another piece of tofu, blew on it gently to avoid a repeat of the earlier “accident,” and then took a small, careful bite.

“The outside is fried to a golden, crispy perfection, while the inside retains the tofu’s original tenderness. This textural contrast is just fantastic.”

Li Xiao’s eyes sparkled with admiration for the dish.

“The chef here must have put a lot of effort into adjusting the ratio of the batter mix. Even though the crust is a bit thick, it does a perfect job of protecting the tofu’s delicate flavor without making the inside overly greasy.”

He savored it deeply once more, feeling the wonderful interplay between the silky tofu and the crispy skin.

However, after eating two pieces in a row, he realized why this snack couldn’t achieve an “Excellent” rating.