Chapter 226: Brother's Success Congee

Having criticized the two ridiculously bad buns, he now reached for the next dim sum item with his chopsticks.

Caviar Shumai

Li Xiao picked up a yellow shumai and held it up to the camera.

“Xia Country is vast, so shumai from different regions have their own unique characteristics. Even though they’re all called shumai, their preparation methods and ingredients can be completely different.”

“Take the glutinous rice shumai from the Jiangnan Region, for instance. The filling is primarily glutinous rice, mixed with a bit of minced meat and shiitake mushrooms, and seasoned with soy sauce. The finished glutinous rice shumai is savory, fragrant, and absolutely delicious.”

“Then you have lamb shumai. Lamb is a favorite meat for people in the north, especially in winter. Eating lamb and drinking lamb soup helps to ward off the cold and keep warm.”

“In northern restaurants, lamb shumai is considered a main dish. It’s primarily made with wheat flour, lamb, and green onions.”

“When steamed, the wrappers of lamb shumai become translucent, and they don’t spill any soup or leak oil. The top is shaped like a flower, making it look like a real blossom. It’s known for its thin wrapper, generous filling, and savory, delicious flavor.”

“Lamb shumai has no gamy taste at all and is very chewy.”

“Of course, besides these, there’s also the southern-style ‘dry-steamed shumai’.”

“Dry-steamed shumai is a breakfast staple in Guangdong. It’s different from other types. The wrapper is made from a dough of egg, water, and flour, while the filling consists of fresh shrimp and a mix of fat and lean pork. Once wrapped, they’re ready to be steamed.”

“The finished dry-steamed shumai has a pale yellow color. The wrapper is soft, and the meat is firm and satisfying. There’s a bit of juice inside—take a sip, and it’s exceptionally tasty.”

“Alright, that’s enough of a shumai lesson for now. Let me have a taste and see if it’s any good.”

Li Xiao used his chopsticks to pick up the black caviar from the top and pop it into his mouth.

A savory, umami flavor flooded his taste buds.

The quality of the caviar was decent. The fishiness was faint, but it had a very distinct saltiness.

He took a bite of the shumai. A springy, crisp sensation spread from the tip of his tongue.

Pork, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and scallops, all rinsed clean, were chopped to a point where they were minced but not mush. Then, seasonings were added and mixed in evenly.

Finally, a suitable amount of egg white was added and stirred vigorously until it became sticky.

He finished the shumai in just two or three bites.

The system’s notification sounded in his ears.

[Congratulations, you have unlocked the 91st item in the Food Guide]

[The food item you unlocked is: Caviar Shumai]

[Food Item Rating: 85 Points (Good)]

[Due to the “Good” rating, you will receive 3x the rewards.]

[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: Caviar Shumai Recipe]

·······

Li Xiao nodded with satisfaction. This Caviar Shumai was indeed quite good. Although it didn’t reach the level of “Excellent,” it was at least much better than the two buns from earlier.

“Finally! I didn’t hit another dud. Otherwise, I would’ve had to call the cops!”

“This Caviar Shumai is quite impressive.”

“The meat is springy and crisp, and there’s a generous amount of shrimp and scallops inside.”

“It’s so crisp and flavorful. If I couldn’t still distinguish the texture of the pork, I’d have thought it was a pure seafood shumai!”

“If you all are interested, you should come and give it a try.”

Livestream Chat.

“The streamer really wears his heart on his sleeve. He was just criticizing, and now he’s full of praise.”

“This is what a real streamer is like, not like those paid shills who would praise a pile of shit to the high heavens.”

“That shumai is so packed with ingredients! The ones I usually get from street stalls are all just starch!”

“30 yuan for four shumai, of course the ingredients are good!”

“You get what you pay for! Just that layer of caviar on top must cost a pretty penny!”

········

While eating, Li Xiao greeted his various fans. Some of the more enthusiastic ones even came over to ask for a photo with him. He happily obliged all of these reasonable little requests.

Taking a moment, Li Xiao picked up a soup ladle and served himself a large bowl of congee. He showed the Jidi Congee, packed with ingredients, to everyone watching.

“This Jidi Congee has quite an impressive history. The very first bowl was made over five hundred years ago.”

“It’s connected to Lun Wensu, a gifted scholar from Guangdong during the Ming Dynasty. Legend has it that the Lun Family was very poor when he was young, and he made a living by selling vegetables.”

“His next-door neighbors sold congee. They saw how he persisted with his studies despite his family’s difficult circumstances and greatly admired him.”

“So, they made a point of having him deliver vegetables to them.”

“Every evening after he made his delivery, they would use the excuse that the congee shop had leftover ingredients that would go to waste if not eaten.”

“They would give him a bowl of plain congee, freshly boiled with pork meatballs, pork intestines, pork liver, and fish slices, as an extra reward.”

“Later, the Lun Family’s son passed the imperial examinations with high honors. Grateful for the kindness of the congee seller, he returned to his old home and ate a bowl of the same congee the owner used to make for him.”

“Since he was eating this congee when he passed the exam, an achievement called ‘jidi,’ the scholar named the dish ‘Jidi Congee’ and wrote the name on a plaque for the shop.”

“The name ‘Jidi Congee’ then spread throughout Yangcheng and has remained popular for over five hundred years.”

“Of course, as time went on, the ingredients in this congee became more and more varied.”

“Pork stomach, squid, beef, shrimp—all sorts of ingredients can now be found in Jidi Congee.”

After finishing the story behind Jidi Congee, Li Xiao bent over slightly, bringing his nose close to the surface of the congee to take a sniff.

Li Xiao gently scooped up a spoonful of the fragrant Jidi Congee. It was smooth and thick, like a culinary work of art crafted with immense care.

The choice of jasmine rice from Thailand not only reflected the restaurant’s pursuit of quality but also highlighted their exquisite congee-making technique.

The cooking process was a challenge of patience and precision, constantly switching between low and high heat, with timely stirring to prevent sticking and maintain the congee’s perfect consistency.

Even the slightest hint of a burnt taste would ruin the texture of the entire pot.

Taotaoju’s Jidi Congee cleverly incorporates dried tofu skin, which increases the congee’s thickness. At the same time, the aroma of soy and rice combines to create a richer, more layered flavor profile.

The use of dried tofu skin not only enhances the texture but also effectively prevents the congee from separating—a clever cooking technique.

The hard-grained jasmine rice from Thailand was simmered for four to five hours.

Although the grains still retained their “blossomed” shape, their texture had become incredibly soft and tender.

The moment it touched his tongue, the rice grains melted away, transforming into a warm stream that flowed down his throat.

The juices from the various ingredients—the fish slices, pork intestines, pork liver, and meat slices—infused into the plain congee under the high heat.

This allowed the originally plain congee to absorb the fresh, savory-sweet essence of the various meats.

The Jidi Congee here still used the most traditional recipe, without any luxurious additions.

But sometimes, good food doesn’t need to be made with so-called rare and precious ingredients.

Just like this bowl of Jidi Congee, which tasted exceptionally good.

The fish slices, pork intestines, pork liver, and meat slices were all incredibly fresh.

The fish had no fishy smell, and the pork and offal had no gamy taste.

Li Xiao finished most of the bowl of Jidi Congee and instantly felt a comforting warmth spread through his stomach.

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

[Congratulations, you have unlocked the 92nd item in the Food Guide]

[The food item you unlocked is: Jidi Congee]

[Food Item Rating: 92 Points (Excellent)]

[Due to the “Excellent” rating, you will receive 4x the rewards.]

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

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

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

[Congratulations, you have received a recipe reward: Jidi Congee Recipe]