Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Desserts Made from Lard
Translator: 549690339
What dessert will make Su Zhi happy?
Qin Lang blinked his eyes and then turned his head to look at Su Zhi who was beside him.
Apparently, this test question was riddled with uncertainty.
The evaluation she made after tasting the Daisy Ripple Cake last night was evident – she was very picky about desserts.
After finding out Song Hui’s identity, Qin Lang somehow understood Su Zhi’s performance yesterday.
The question was, what kind of dessert could possibly make a little girl like her happy?
“Can I ask Su Zhi what kind of dessert she would like first?” Qin Lang asked cautiously.
“You can.” Song Hui nodded.
“Su Zhi, what kind of dessert do you like? I’ll make it for you.” Qin Lang slightly bent over and asked her closely.
“Well…” Su Zhi knew that the more detailed she was, the more it would help Brother Qin Lang. After thinking for a moment, she said, “1 like desserts that are crisp, have a strong aroma, and if it’s exquisite and good-looking, that would be even better.”
Crisp, rich aroma, and beautiful appearance.
Qin Lang nodded slightly.
Although the caramel layer of Caramel Pudding could be considered crispy, what Su Zhi wanted was probably not that kind.
Soon, Qin Lang had an idea.
“Well, wait a moment. I’ll let you taste it when I’m done.” Qin Lang smiled and touched her little head, then stood straight and turned to Song Hui on the side, “I’ve decided what to make.”
“Come with me.” Song Hui nodded slightly, then led Qin Lang into the kitchen, “There are ingredients and utensils for common desserts here. Do you need anything else?”
“I am missing one ingredient.” After having looked over everything, Qin Lang spoke somewhat embarrassedly, “I need pork fat, about one pound.”
“Pork fat?” Song Hui blinked.
It was the first time she had heard that this was needed to make a dessert.
In her experience, most desserts she made used butter.
However, Song Hui didn’t ask any further questions and immediately called the Food Material Market.
A moment later, she hung up the phone and looked at Qin Lang, “It will be delivered in three minutes.”
“Alright.” Seeing Su Zhi poking her head out from the kitchen door and looking over anxiously, Qin Lang smiled at her, “Don’t worry, it will be fine.”
Three minutes passed quickly. Song Hui received a call and stepped out for a moment, coming back with a bag of high-quality pork fat and placed it on the counter.
“I’m looking forward to your performance.”
With all the ingredients prepared for Qin Lang’s challenge, Song Hui left the kitchen and also took the curious Su Zhi with her.
The spacious kitchen was left only to Qin Lang and Dan Bao.
“We’re starting now.” Qin Lang took a deep breath and placed the pork fat on the cutting board, “First step, refining lard.”
In regular desserts, butter is indeed the primary fat used, while lard is most commonly used in cooking dishes.
But in a significant branch of desserts, one can hardly spot butter.
That was the traditional Chinese pastry.
This world has lard, but it was processed.
That kind of lard didn’t meet Qin Lang’s needs, so he had to refine it himself. “Gurgle?”
Dan Bao leaned over to see what Qin Lang was up to, with a curious look on his face.
What will he make today?
“A dessert called Lotus Seed Paste.” Qin Lang was introducing it while rapidly cutting the pork fat into mahjong-sized pieces, “I think it should meet Su Zhi’s preferences.”
Lotus Seed Paste, huh…
Dan Bao pseudomorphically noted this name, his eyes filled with anticipation.
As long as it’s made by Qin Lang, it must be delicious!
He boiled water over high heat, put the pork fat into the pot with cold water, added cooking wine.
Seeing Qin Lang do this familiar blanching action, Dan Bao was somewhat confused.
“Gududu?”
Is this a dessert or a dish being prepared?
“You reminded me,” Qin Lang laughed, “After frying lard from pork fat, the remaining fragrant pork grease can be sprinkled with a little salt and it becomes a rare delicacy.”
What? What?
Excitement sparked in Dan Bao’s eyes.
Pork grease can be a delicacy?
His Spirit Chef was really amazing.
Can’t wait to try it!
As their mind and spirit were interchanging, water started to boil over the high heat producing large amounts of steam, and a thin layer of foam was clearly visible.
Blanching was used to remove the off-flavor and blood foam from the pork fat, resulting in a more refined and pure lard.
About a minute after the water came to a boil, Qin Lang skimmed off the foam, removed the pork fat, added more water, and then returned the pork fat to the pot.
Seeing Dan Bao’s eager expression, he laughed, “Very soon, now let’s prepare scallions and ginger.”
“Gududu!”
It’s my turn now!
Dan Bao’s spirit lifted, he hovered over the scallions and ginger that Qin Lang had taken out and began to blow forcefully.
They smelled oh-so-fresh!
“Well done,” Qin Lang encouraged after Dan Bao used the Food Skill. He then began cutting the scallions into sections and slicing the ginger.
The lard being rendered was to be used in the preparation of the Lotus Seed Paste, so not much scallion and ginger was needed. A moderate amount added in the middle and later stages of refining the lard would be enough to eliminate the smell.
While the ginger and scallions were ready, the water in the pot began to boil quickly again on high heat.
The pork fat floated on the surface of the water, full of bubbles. Amidst the rising mist, one could faintly smell the fragrance of the lard.
Qin Lang reduced the heat and patiently stirred with a spoon.
As time passed, the water and the lard that had melted into it formed a milky-white liquid.
As the water in the pot diminished, the resulting steam was still rich, but the aroma of the lard became increasingly profound.
Unable to resist, Dan Bao took a sniff and then involuntarily drooled.
The lard smells so good!
Seeing Dan Bao’s greedy little face, Qin Lang freed a hand to pat its ear, “When the steam decreases, it means that the water in the pot is almost gone, after that the rendering of lard will speed up.”
Because Qin Lang didn’t add too much water, this stage came quickly.
Under Dan Bao’s eager gaze, the steam in the pot really became thinner and thinner.
Accompanied by the rich aroma of lard, the milky-white turbid liquid in the pot gradually turned clear and the pork fat visibly shrank.
After adding the previously prepared scallions and ginger and simmering over low heat, he continually pressed down on the pork fat with a sieve, scooping the pure lard into a container placed nearby. He quickly filled a large bowl.
The pork fat in the pot turned into pork grease and mixed with the fried fragrant scallions and ginger. After filtering, Qin Lang left it on a plate on the side.
After sprinkling salt on it, he picked up a piece and tasted it. Experiencing the crispy texture and the rich aroma, he nodded in satisfaction.
It’s just out of the pot, the texture is just right.
Qin Lang placed the plate in front of Dan Bao, who had been swallowing saliva since earlier.
“Wanna try?”
“Gududu!”
Dan Bao cheered and started gobbling without holding back.
Leaving Dan Bao to enjoy its delicious food, Qin Lang looked over to the table next to him.
Next up, he would make the Lotus Seed Paste.
The bonus content for this chapter:
[Rendering Lard]
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