Li Xiao had no idea that the restaurant’s executive chef was already thinking about how to get on his good side.
His attention had already shifted to the fifth dish.
Steamed Morels Stuffed with Shrimp Paste. This dish also came in a small portion, with only three pieces per person.
Li Xiao gently prodded the three morels before him with his chopsticks. They only had caps, no stems. He was a little curious; it was an uncommon way to prepare a stuffed dish.
Stuffed dishes are a culinary tradition that originated with the Hakka people. Legend has it that they evolved from northern dumplings.
However, since wheat wasn’t grown in the south, even when flour was available, it was quite expensive. So, the Hakka people had to make do with what they had, using various local ingredients in place of dumpling wrappers to enclose the fillings.
Tofu, chili peppers, eggplant, bitter melon, tofu skin, eggs, taro, and green garlic were all common vessels for the stuffing.
Among these, stuffed tofu, stuffed eggplant, and stuffed bitter melon were the most outstanding, collectively known as the "Three Pan-Fried Stuffed Treasures."
To cater to their customers’ diverse tastes, many restaurants would serve a "Three Pan-Fried Stuffed Treasures" platter rather than just a single stuffed dish.
Stuffed dishes are the most famous creations of Hakka cuisine, earning the saying, "There is nothing that cannot be stuffed, and no feast is complete without a stuffed dish." Stuffed tofu, in particular, is a quintessential traditional dish in Hakka food culture and has been designated as a provincial intangible cultural heritage.
The stuffed dish here, however, was also unique in its own right.
The ingredients used were not common, clearly the result of the chef’s own innovations.
Typically, the "stuffing" process involves making an incision halfway through the ingredient, essentially opening it from the middle.
This is because the filling and the outer "vessel" cook at different rates. If the vessel were completely sealed, the outside would be cooked through long before the filling was done.
The morels here followed the same principle. The chef had made a small opening in the cap of each morel, which not only made it easier to insert the shrimp paste but also allowed it to cook more evenly.
Li Xiao used his chopsticks to pick up a fresh morel, which was completely different from its dried counterpart.
Even after soaking up enough water, the caps of dried morels still seem dry and firm.
But a fresh morel was soft and delicate. Its cap was intricately layered, and its color and shape were strikingly similar to actual sheep tripe.
Li Xiao took a gentle bite of the morel cap, feeling its crisp texture.
While the morel itself didn’t contain much moisture, it became tender and moist after absorbing the juices from the shrimp paste.
The morel’s aroma quickly filled his mouth, and his tongue was instantly captivated by the light, sweet, and refreshing juice from the shrimp paste.
The shrimp paste was tender yet springy, clearly made from wild sea prawns rather than farmed white shrimp.
Due to a special mincing technique, the prawn meat retained its fibrous structure. This gave the paste a crispness that was accompanied by the authentic, springy elasticity of real food fiber, not some artificial, processed texture.
When mixing the shrimp paste, the chef had added a minuscule amount of Huadiao wine, just enough to impart a subtle fragrance without any heavy alcoholic taste.
Aside from a little Huadiao wine, salt, and sugar, no other seasonings were added, preserving the original flavors of the ingredients.
The essence of this Steamed Morels Stuffed with Shrimp Paste was its pure, unadulterated flavor.
The glutamic acid from the morels and the inosinic acid from the sea prawns combined perfectly. A harmony of meat and vegetable, the umami flavors enhanced one another beautifully.
The fresh morels even carried a faint, grassy aroma.
Li Xiao noticed the tiny black specks scattered throughout the shrimp paste and instantly understood why the morel’s flavor was so complex and layered.
Those black, powdery specks were ground, dried morel.
Unlike the sweet freshness of the new morels, the dried morel powder added a unique, rich fragrance and a significant umami-boosting effect, greatly enhancing the flavor profile and complexity of the shrimp paste.
This was not just a dish with pure flavors; it was also a delicacy brimming with Cantonese style.
The predecessor of this dish was likely shiitake mushrooms stuffed with minced pork.
But here, the chef had used top-quality morels instead of common shiitake mushrooms and replaced the ordinary pork filling with shrimp paste, which had a better texture and a richer umami flavor.
Furthermore, concerned that the fresh morels might lack aromatic intensity, the chef deliberately dried and ground their stems into a powder, adding it to the shrimp paste to create a richer fragrance.
Brilliant! This was a truly brilliant dish!
Li Xiao licked his lips in satisfaction and popped the other half of the stuffed morel into his mouth.
At the same time, the System’s notification chimed in his mind.
[Congratulations, you have unlocked the 28th entry in your Illustrated Guide.]
[Food entry unlocked: Morels Stuffed with Shrimp Paste]
[Food Rating: 97/100 (Excellent)]
[Due to the Excellent rating, reward is quadrupled.]
[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: Recipe for Morels Stuffed with Shrimp Paste]
[Congratulations, you have received a physical reward: 1,000 jin of Top-Grade Wild Dried Morels]
Seeing the rewards, Li Xiao’s eyebrows shot up.
After years of research, morels could now be artificially cultivated.
However, there was a significant difference in quality between cultivated and wild morels.
Cultivated morels cost only a few dozen yuan per jin.
Wild morels, on the other hand, could cost several hundred yuan even for average quality, while some of the better ones could even reach several thousand yuan per jin.
So, while the reward might seem to be "only" 1,000 jin of top-grade dried wild morels, its value was actually extremely high.
To put it in perspective, one jin of fresh morels, when air-dried, would yield at most about two *liang*.
This meant that the price per jin for dried morels was more than five times higher than for fresh ones.
Based on the market price of 3,000 yuan per jin for top-grade wild morels, one jin of the dried version would cost at least 15,000 yuan. That made his 1,000 jin worth 15 million.
Li Xiao thought for a moment and decided not to use these morels for a fan giveaway.
Ordinary dried morels were easy to find and not too expensive, but top-grade wild ones like these were hard to come by, even for those with money.
Something this good would make a great gift for friends and family. Of course, using these top-grade wild morels to make soup was also an excellent option.
Li Xiao pulled his attention back from the rewards.
He picked up another stuffed morel and held it up to the camera.
"Everyone, if you get a chance to come here, trust me, you absolutely have to order these Morels Stuffed with Shrimp Paste!"
"If you miss out on this, you will definitely regret it!"
"Fresh, wild morels paired with fresh sea prawn paste—when you combine two ingredients of such high quality, even the simplest seasoning is enough to create an absolutely exquisite dish."
"This is the best thing I’ve eaten all night!"
"The recipe for this is super simple, it’s practically foolproof."
"You just need to cut a slit in the morel cap, season some minced shrimp, and stuff it inside. You can then stir-fry it or just steam it."
"If you can’t find fresh morels nearby, you can just buy dried ones and rehydrate them. They’ll work just the same."
In the live stream chat:
"Is it really that good?"
"We have tons of these mushrooms in the woods back home! We always thought you couldn’t eat them!"
"I’ve only ever had shrimp paste at hot pot places. I never knew you could make it into an actual dish."
"It costs 138 yuan? I definitely can’t afford that!!!"
"I can’t afford it either, but I just ordered half a jin of dried morels and a jin of shrimp paste on Taobao. All together it was only 100 yuan. I bet I can make a bunch of servings with that!"
"Person above, share the link!"
"I saw the reviews for this place were kind of mixed, so I was on the fence about going. But after watching the stream, I’ve decided to take my family to try it tomorrow."