Liu Xining actually doesn’t dislike these dishes, but compared to spicy dishes like Li Village white meat and Yu Gan spicy stir-fried meat, of course she’d prefer to eat the spicy ones first!
Jiang Yu, seeing her like this, couldn’t help but find it amusing. Wasn’t it said that Liu Xining had strong self-control? How could she not resist the temptation of just one dish?
He picked up the serving chopsticks, dipped them in the sauce of the Li Village white meat, and then reached over to the plates of mushroom chicken and silverfish steamed egg, leaving a drop of red oil on each.
After doing this, Jiang Yu smiled and said,
"Alright, both dishes have chili oil now. It’s much better than a single chili seed. Let’s dig in."
"!!!"
Liu Xining initially didn’t understand what Jiang Yu was doing, but once he said that, she was stunned!
What kind of cheeky technique is this?!
Just dipping a bit of chili oil into a dish and calling it ’adding chili’?
Who would have thought, Junior Brother Xiaojiang, you’re like this!
After being shocked for a while, Liu Xining finally came to her senses. She glanced at Jiang Yu with a complex expression and reached out with her chopsticks for the mushroom chicken.
In fact, she knew that with Jiang Yu and Pan Jingchen sitting next to her, it was impossible to eat spicy dishes today. She was merely testing the waters, and since she was stopped, she gave up on the idea.
Besides, the meatball mushroom chicken soup ramen made at noon wasn’t spicy at all, and didn’t she almost eat herself to fullness?
She could naturally eat the mushroom chicken and silverfish steamed egg as well.
Every dish made by Junior Brother Xiaojiang is delicious and flavorful!
Liu Xining picked up a piece of chicken, chewed it lightly, and her expression instantly changed.
Why does this chicken taste different from what she had before?
She rarely ate chicken outside because when she was young, her mom would cook chicken for her every year during school. That chicken was tough, dry, and got stuck in her teeth, like chewing sugarcane with a mouthful of pulp—extremely unpleasant.
But the piece of chicken she just ate was simply too good!
It was tender and smooth, juicy with every bite, filled with a broth so tasty it seemed like it might make you swallow your tongue, infused with a rich mushroom aroma...
How can a single word ’delicious’ describe it?
Once she snapped back to reality, Liu Xining didn’t say a word and immediately buried herself in eating.
As for the Li Village white meat...
Oh well, changing appetites occasionally isn’t bad. Plus, she’s still living right across from Jiang University, right?
As long as she wants to eat, there will always be chances in the future!
Meanwhile, Jia Dequan stopped after trying a few pieces of Li Village white meat. He raised his glass and drank it all, sighing contentedly:
"If I could eat like this every day, even gods wouldn’t trade for this life!"
"There’s some exaggeration in your words. If you really wanted to eat, you could, couldn’t you?"
Seeing Jia Dequan stop eating, Jiang Yu also put down his chopsticks, unable to help but smirk.
Jia Dequan himself is a master chef. While he might not reach the pinnacle in other cuisines, compared to chefs in restaurants or hotels, there’s a world of difference—like heaven and earth.
It’s just that since retiring, Lao Jia has become noticeably lazier, simply unwilling to cook himself.
Not thinking about it further, Jiang Yu pointed to the steamed lion’s head next to him, saying to him,
"Lao Jia, want to try this dish?"
"Right, I almost forgot, there’s a steamed lion’s head!"
Jia Dequan quickly picked up the clear water beside him to rinse his mouth before grabbing a lion’s head with his chopsticks and placing it in his bowl.
This lion’s head was as big as a girl’s fist, filling his small porcelain bowl completely.
This lion’s head was large and round. Just from its appearance, one could see the meat grains, as small as pomegranate seeds, glistening and full of texture.
After observing for a moment, Jia Dequan then used a spoon to scoop a small piece of meat from the lion’s head, revealing that even inside, the meat grains were distinct.
Putting the piece from the spoon into his mouth, Jia Dequan began to chew slowly. As he chewed, he couldn’t help but squint his eyes in enjoyment.
Only after swallowing the meat did he sip some fruit wine, smack his lips, and sigh:
"This lion’s head is wonderfully made! The taste characteristic of Huaiyang lion’s head is fresh, aromatic, crispy, tender, sticky, and elastic—all of which are achieved here.
To achieve this, besides selecting the right ingredients, the key lies in the knife skills. The meat shouldn’t be minced but cut into pomegranate seed-sized grains, roughly chopped another ten times, then mixed, slapped, and kneaded before forming the lion’s head base.
Once the lion’s head is ready, it’s then simmered slowly with stock; only this way can each lion’s head fully absorb the flavors, resulting in a dish that is soft and tender upon entrance, yet firm and chewy, fatty without being greasy, savory and slightly sweet—a delight that leaves a lingering taste!
Excellent, truly excellent!"
Unlike the Li Village white meat earlier, Jia Dequan was truly amazed by Jiang Yu’s steamed lion’s head. A mere taste and he was full of praise.
While the Li Village white meat, he had complained that Jiang Yu hadn’t sliced it thin enough!
After finishing his commentary, Jia Dequan didn’t wait for Jiang Yu’s response. He just picked up the spoon and began eating the remaining lion’s head in the bowl in big mouthfuls, looking like a starving homeless person seeing a steaming meat bun.