Chapter 257 The Ultimate Mushroom and Chicken Rice Bowl
Lin Fan scanned the code to pay and returned to his car with the steaming hot roasted sweet potato.
He tore the paper bag open a little, made sure the outer layer wasn't too hot to handle, and then handed it to the person in the back row.
"Hold these to warm your hands before you eat them back home," Lin Fan instructed.
Tuantuan held the hot roasted sweet potato in both hands and nodded happily.
The car restarted.
At 4:30 p.m., the Wuling Hongguang smoothly drove into the underground parking garage of Jinmao Mansion.
Pushing open the door, I saw the underfloor heating had been on all along, and a wave of warm air rushed in, completely dispelling the early winter chill that lingered outside.
Lin Fan took off his black casual jacket and hung it on the coat rack by the door.
He reached into his pocket and felt the court delivery bag that he had signed for at noon that day.
Lin Fan walked into the study, opened the drawer of the mahogany desk, threw in the summons and indictment, and closed the drawer.
The court hearing will be held next Wednesday.
No matter how aggressive Su Qing's complaint was written, in his eyes it was just a few pieces of waste paper.
He doesn't need to be anxious beforehand, nor does he need to prepare any fancy rhetoric.
Because Wang Zhengming would use those solid tax payment certificates to utterly destroy Su Qing's pride in court.
Lin Fan left the study and went to the living room.
Tuantuan had already peeled the skin off the roasted sweet potato and was scooping out the golden, soft, and sticky sweet potato puree with a small spoon.
"Is it sweet?" Lin Fan poured a glass of warm water and placed it on the coffee table.
"Sweet!" Tuantuan ate until her nose was covered in black ash, her big eyes curving into crescents. "Daddy, you have a bite too."
She scooped up a spoonful and held it to Lin Fan's lips.
Lin Fan leaned over and ate some, nodding, "It's really good. But eat a little less, just enough to fill your stomach. Dad will go cook now."
Lin Fan took out a wet wipe and carefully cleaned the grime from Tuan Tuan's nose and the corners of her mouth.
"Go sit on the sofa and eat, be careful not to burn yourself."
Tuantuan nodded obediently, took the paper bag and ran to the leather sofa in the living room, swinging her little legs, watching cartoons and eating sweet potatoes in small bites.
Lin Fan turned and walked into the spacious and bright open kitchen.
Just as he turned on the tap to wash his hands, a crisp electronic voice suddenly rang in the depths of his mind.
[Ding! The system has detected that the host has triggered the life achievement "Winter Fireworks".]
[Achievement Reward: God-tier Home-Style Recipe - "Exquisite Mushroom and Chicken Rice Bowl"]
[Farm guide unlocks simultaneously: Lingshan Winter Mushrooms, Free-Range Three-Yellow Chickens.]
Lin Fan paused for a moment while wiping his hands.
Rice bowl.
This stuff is so common in the market; you can find it on any commercial street or under office buildings.
But very few people can actually make a good rice bowl.
The soul of a rice bowl lies in its toppings and sauces; the rich broth must completely coat every grain of rice, making it so delicious that you can't stop eating it.
The cold wind howled outside, and winter in Jiangcheng was getting colder and colder.
In this kind of weather, a bowl of steaming hot, savory rice is truly the most comforting thing to do.
Lin Fan closed his eyes and his consciousness sank into the system farm.
In a corner of the hill behind the farm, there were many large, dead trees.
Clusters of plump, fleshy winter mushrooms grew on the dead wood. The surface of the caps had natural cracks and exuded a rich, pure mushroom aroma.
In the nearby woodland, free-range yellow-feathered chickens with bright plumage are leisurely pecking at grass seeds.
With a thought, Lin Fan extracted half a pound of fresh shiitake mushrooms and two plump, processed chicken drumsticks.
Exit the system.
A bamboo basket suddenly appeared on the kitchen counter, filled with damp shiitake mushrooms. Next to it, a stainless steel basin held fresh chicken drumsticks.
When making rice bowls, rice is the base.
Lin Fan first took two bowls of Xiangshui tribute rice. This rice is naturally oily and sweet, but he deliberately used a little less water today.
The rice for a rice bowl must be slightly firm so that the grains don't become sticky or mushy when mixed with the sauce, maintaining a distinct texture.
Press the cook button on the rice cooker.
Lin Fan picked up a kitchen knife and began to prepare the ingredients.
He picked up a cleaver, sliced along the chicken leg bone, deftly removed the bone, and cut the chicken into thumb-sized pieces.
Place the chicken pieces in a bowl, add a little soy sauce brewed by the system, a little starch and a little purified water, and mix well by hand to coat the chicken.
This step is to lock in the moisture of the chicken and ensure a tender texture.
Wash the shiitake mushrooms and cut them into thick slices.
Heat the wok. Lin Fan scooped in a spoonful of black mountain pork fat.
Melt the oil, then add ginger slices and scallion segments to the pan and sauté until fragrant.
Pour the marinated chicken into the pan and stir-fry quickly over high heat.
The chicken skin shrinks rapidly under the pressure of the hot oil, turning slightly yellow and oozing clear oil.
Add sliced shiitake mushrooms to the pan and stir-fry with the chicken. The unique wild aroma of the shiitake mushrooms is fully released by the hot oil.
Next, Lin Fan poured in soy sauce, added a little oyster sauce to enhance the flavor, stir-fried it evenly, and then added half a bowl of warm spiritual spring water.
Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat.
The topping for rice bowls must not be too dry; it must have enough broth to mix with the rice.
The whole process was swift and efficient.
Lin Fan washed his hands, leaned against the countertop, and watched the white steam rising from the edge of the iron pot.
As the moisture slowly evaporated, a very rich aroma of soy sauce and meat began to spread throughout the kitchen.
This is a very comforting, home-style flavor. It doesn't have the high-end, luxurious feel of sea cucumber or abalone; it's just the kind of flavor that ordinary people look forward to most when they come home from get off work—a flavor that makes them feel full and warm.
The fragrance drifted slowly into the living room as the air circulated.
Tuantuan, sitting on the sofa, sniffed.
She glanced at the small piece of roasted sweet potato left in her hand and suddenly it didn't taste so good anymore.
The little girl put the sweet potato back in the paper bag, slid off the sofa, and ran to the kitchen door in her slippers.
She clung to the door frame, peeking out half her head, her big eyes fixed on the iron pot on the stove.
"Daddy, what does it smell like? It smells so good." Tuantuan swallowed.
Lin Fan smiled as he looked at his daughter's greedy expression: "Hungry?"
"Mmm! I'm hungry." Tuantuan nodded vigorously.
"Go wash your hands and get ready to eat." Lin Fan checked the time, just as the rice cooker beeped.
"Okay!" Tuantuan turned around and ran to the bathroom.
Lin Fan lifted the lid of the iron pot.
The broth in the pot had reduced to just the right consistency, becoming thick and glossy red.
The chicken pieces and shiitake mushrooms were coated in sauce and simmered in the pot.
He took a large, wide-mouthed white porcelain bowl.
Open the rice cooker, scoop out most of a bowl of white rice that is distinct and glistening with oil, and spread it at the bottom of the bowl.
Then, I picked up a spatula, scooped up a generous spoonful of the sauce, including the meat and mushrooms, and placed it directly on top of the white rice.
Finally, and most importantly.
Lin Fan tilted the iron pot and poured the remaining thick sauce from the bottom of the pot evenly over the topping.
The reddish-brown sauce seeped slowly into the white rice beneath the chicken and shiitake mushrooms, transforming the once snow-white grains into an enticing hue.
A perfect bowl of mushroom and chicken rice is ready.