Chapter 61: Pine Needle Crab Free Giveaway

Even if fishermen occasionally catch some Sakura Long-legged Crabs, it’s difficult to secure a stable, long-term supply of them as an ingredient.

Unlike the Sakura Long-legged Crab, the Pine Needle Crab can be farmed. Although it’s not easy to raise them, it’s certainly easier than catching them in the wild.

Thanks to its delicious, smooth, and tender meat, the Pine Needle Crab is highly popular in the seafood market.

Its roe and milt become exceptionally delicious during its winter breeding season, making it even more sought-after by food enthusiasts.

In Sakura Country, the Pine Needle Crab often becomes the centerpiece of a winter meal, presented to guests as the most important dish.

Although in Sakura Country, Pine Needle Crab is more commonly used for sashimi or hand-rolled sushi.

But in China, it’s more commonly steamed or braised with scallions. This embodies the culinary philosophy: "There is no single recipe, no one definitive flavor; the best food is what suits your palate."

The same ingredient can have different names and preparation methods in different countries, or even in different regions.

Just because Pine Needle Crab is primarily used for sashimi in its country of origin doesn’t mean chefs can’t use it to create other dishes.

That kind of mindset not only limits the ingredient’s potential but also stifles the creativity of chefs.

For this stewed rice, the chef prepared the Pine Needle Crab in a unique way.

After steaming the Pine Needle Crab, the chef carefully extracted the leg meat and meticulously shredded it.

The other star of this dish was the 5J ham.

5J ham is hailed as one of Spain’s national culinary treasures, holding its own even against the finest Jinhua ham.

The reason for using 5J ham instead of Jinhua ham was simple: it wasn’t that Jinhua ham wasn’t good enough, but rather that high-quality 5J ham is easy to purchase, whereas top-tier Jinhua ham is not typically available on the commercial market.

This is also why many high-end restaurants prefer 5J ham.

Although the production volume of 5J ham isn’t massive, it’s enough to ensure a steady supply for commercial use.

5J ham is just a broad classification, with many sub-varieties under it.

And the ham used in the dish before him was, without a doubt, the highest quality of all: Spanish 5J Iberian Ham.

5J ham is made exclusively from 100% purebred, black-hoofed pigs. This breed naturally has a more even fat distribution than ordinary pigs. They are raised free-range, foraging on acorns and other forest fruits, and are never given any commercial feed.

In a sense, the flavor of this pork might even be better than that of wild boar.

A nutritious diet, combined with plenty of exercise, helps fat permeate the muscles, making the already beautiful, snowflake-like marbling even more pronounced.

Rich in unsaturated oleic acid, the meat of the black-hoofed pig has a unique flavor and a rich, distinctive aroma. With its perfectly distributed marbling, it’s an ultimate temptation for anyone.

Furthermore, 5J ham is not only delicious but also healthy.

5J ham is rich in essential proteins, trace elements, and folic acid, as well as large amounts of unsaturated oleic acid, which can help lower the risk of heart disease and reduce cholesterol levels.

When Li Xiao first read about this, he was quite surprised. He’d initially assumed that sellers had simply invented these health benefits to boost sales.

However, after poring over numerous sources, he finally confirmed that these claims were actually true.

Research showed that the fat structure of this ham is completely different from that of ordinary pork ham. Not only does eating it not cause weight gain, it might even have a weight-loss effect...

This expensive 5J ham has always been a favorite in high-end fitness circles, thanks to its delicious taste and high nutritional value.

Jiuhe Garden offered decent value for the money, but given the price point, they only used a few, very thinly sliced pieces of 5J ham.

Li Xiao scooped up a spoonful of the golden stewed rice and brought it to his mouth.

His pupils suddenly dilated, then contracted just as sharply.

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the 10th entry in your Collection.]

[Culinary entry unlocked: 5J Ham and Pine Needle Crab Stewed Rice]

[Rating: 97/100 [Excellent]]

[Due to the Excellent rating, your rewards will be multiplied by 4.]

[Congratulations! You have been awarded 800,000 in cash.]

[Congratulations! You have been awarded 800,000 in cash.]

[Congratulations! You have been awarded: Expertise in Ham Selection.]

[Congratulations! You have been awarded: 100 High-Quality Pine Needle Crabs.]

...

[Dear Mr. Li Xiao, the 100 high-quality Pine Needle Crabs you ordered will arrive at our store tomorrow. Please be sure to pick them up within three days. Otherwise, the crabs may perish or decline in quality due to prolonged storage. Store address: xxxxx, Contact: xxxxxxxx]

Seeing the system’s final reward, Li Xiao’s eyes widened.

’Holy crap, 100 high-quality Pine Needle Crabs???’

Pine Needle Crabs were delicious, but even if he ate them for every meal, there was no way he could get through so many in such a short time.

Suddenly, he remembered the giveaway he had just promised his viewers, and an idea sparked in his mind.

’A single high-quality Pine Needle Crab costs between 600 and 800.’

’They’d be perfect for the viewer giveaway.’

He glanced at his viewer count. The numbers were holding steady at over 9,000, probably because of the 200,000 in cash vouchers he’d just given away, or perhaps because he’d promised more to come.

Li Xiao:

"I promised everyone another giveaway, and now that I’m almost finished with my meal, it’s time to deliver."

"There are over 9,000 people in the stream right now, so let’s round that to an even 9,000. I’m going to give away 90 Pine Needle Crabs."

"Since Pine Needle Crabs are live seafood, this giveaway will have a few rules."

"I can ship them to you via Shunfeng air freight for free."

"However, if the shipping takes too long, the crabs will most likely die en route."

"Even though these Pine Needle Crabs aren’t the most expensive seafood in the world, I don’t want to send dead crabs to any of you."

"So, only viewers from the following provinces can enter this giveaway."

"Viewers in Guangdong, Guangxi, Nanhu, Jiangxi, and Fujian, as well as Taiwan and Hainan Island, can participate in this giveaway."

"As for everyone in other provinces, you’ll have to wait for the next event to participate."

"The rules are the same as the last raffle: the top 90 donors will be this giveaway’s lucky winners."

As he spoke, Li Xiao finished setting up the "red packet" giveaway.

Seeing that another giveaway was starting, the chat immediately exploded with comments.

"I’m actually crying, why did I have to travel today?! My IP address was in Guangdong this morning, and now it’s in Modu!!! ┭┮﹏┭┮"

"I just looked it up, a single live Pine Needle Crab costs five or six hundred yuan. This streamer is way too generous!"

"The user above must be new here. Didn’t you know the streamer just gave away 200,000 in cash vouchers?"

"The streamer is the best! He must know we can’t afford Pine Needle Crab, so he’s giving them away to us on purpose!"