Wenchu People licked the marinade from their fingers and said in surprise,
“The lion-head goose here is really high-quality. There’s no gamy or fishy taste at all.”
Wen Yaqian, sitting nearby, also nodded in agreement.
“It really is delicious. The marinade isn’t salty at all. In fact, it has a light sweetness. I wonder how they make it.”
Hearing her question, Li Xiao began to explain,
“Actually, there are many different kinds of marinades.”
“Even though they’re all called marinades, each type has its own distinct flavor, texture, and purpose.”
“What we usually see is a soy-based marinade. This so-called ‘soy-based marinade’ is made by adding large amounts of soy sauce and sugar, which results in a rich, savory aroma and a very thick consistency.”
“This kind of marinade is perfect for braising things like pig’s trotters or various animal organs. The main reason is that these ingredients tend to have a bit of an off-smell, especially since most places use chilled, not fresh, ingredients for braised dishes. That makes the odor even stronger.”
“And because a soy-based marinade has such a strong flavor, it can easily cover up these undesirable odors.”
“But the lion-head goose we just ate is of a very high quality. The meat is naturally sweet, with no off-smell at all, so there’s no need to use a soy-based marinade to mask any odors.”
“This is a light, clean-tasting marinade. The flavor is very subtle, with very few seasonings. Its main purpose is just to impart the complex fragrance of the spices to the food.”
“The pairing of the two is, you could say, quite perfect.”
Just then, the door was pushed open, and a young chef in a white uniform walked in, pushing a small cart.
The waitress politely introduced the dish,
“This is the Broiled Conch in Its Own Juices. This is our chef, and he will be handling the entire grilling process for the conch.”
The young chef was clearly very shy. He smiled at the three of them but didn’t say a word.
He quickly put on a pair of gloves and took a conch out of a water tank.
The conch was huge, about the size of a football.
Like a tree, a conch has rings on its shell. For each year of growth, another ring is added.
Based on the number of these rings, you can easily determine the conch’s age.
Li Xiao counted carefully. There were nine rings on the conch’s shell, which meant it must have been growing for nine years.
The conch, feeling the external disturbance, quickly retracted its slowly crawling body back into its shell.
Then, the chef took out a small, red clay charcoal stove from the bottom of the cart.
The waitress explained,
“The conches we use in our restaurant are all large specimens, at least eight years old and weighing between 2.75 and 3.3 pounds. High-quality conches like these are not common on the market.”
“Our chef will now prepare it here in the room. The entire process will take about half an hour, so we ask for your patience.”
The charcoal in the small, red clay stove was already glowing red. A brand-new stainless steel grill grate was placed on top of it.
Li Xiao noticed that the charcoal in the stove wasn’t the common, eco-friendly briquettes, but a very rare olive-pit charcoal.
Olive-pit charcoal, as the name implies, is made by firing olive pits in a kiln.
This type of charcoal is normally used for brewing tea for a simple reason: it provides very stable, low heat, produces no smoke when it burns, and emits a faint, charcoal-like olive fragrance.
A single pound of olive-pit charcoal can cost two to three hundred yuan. Li Xiao was surprised that this restaurant was willing to use such expensive charcoal to grill a conch.
After the conch was drained of excess water, it was placed on the grill grate.
As the heat from the charcoal enveloped the water-filled conch, the creature, which had been hiding deep inside its shell, began to struggle violently, and a large amount of juice seeped out from the opening.
The juices dripped onto the charcoal, instantly making a SIZZLING sound.
The restaurant clearly had no intention of making its guests wait idly. Just as the conch began to slowly roast over the charcoal, the fourth course was served.
The waitress introduced it with a smile,
“This dish is Pan-Seared Pocchong. Our restaurant uses the white variety. This type of Pocchong is very nutritious and has a wonderful texture. It’s said to nourish the kidneys, replenish vitality, enrich the blood, and lower blood pressure. Please, enjoy.”
The waitress carefully placed the Pan-Seared Pocchong on the table, instantly capturing all of Li Xiao’s attention.
Pocchong is divided into three types: white, variegated, and black.
Pocchong are relatively large, with a smooth, spineless body. On both sides of their underside are rows of thick protrusions resembling a sow’s nipples. Furthermore, because of their large size, a live Pocchong resting on the seabed looks like a small, resting piglet from a distance, which is how it got its name, literally ‘sow sea cucumber’ in Chinese.
There are many ways to prepare Pocchong, but the pan-seared method has only emerged in recent years.
The Pocchong was seared until its outer skin was slightly charred and crisp, giving off an enticing aroma, while the inside remained tender and smooth.
This unique cooking method gave the Pocchong’s outer layer a pleasant crispiness, while the inside retained its natural, fresh seafood flavor.
Li Xiao picked up his chopsticks, gently lifted a piece of the Pan-Seared Pocchong, and placed it in his mouth.
The moment it touched his tongue, he could feel the crispiness of the skin and the tenderness of the interior intertwining, creating a wonderful textural contrast.
The charred skin released the Pocchong’s aroma to its fullest extent.
The meat of the Pocchong was tender and plump, forming a perfect pairing with the crispy skin created during searing, which offered a unique flavor distinct from traditionally prepared seafood.
As he savored it, Li Xiao tasted the freshness of the deep sea and a natural sweetness contained within the Pocchong.
Every bite of the Pocchong was filled with the ocean’s gifts—not just the savory taste of the sea, but also the essence of the sun and the sea breeze.
This natural flavor, combined with simple seasonings added during the searing process, gave the dish a well-defined complexity, preserving the Pocchong’s original taste while adding a touch of culinary finesse.
At the same time, the system’s notification sound rang in his mind.
[Congratulations, you have unlocked the 47th entry in the Food Guide.]
[Food Guide entry unlocked: Pan-Seared Pocchong]
[Dish rating: 90/100 [Excellent]]
[As the dish rating is “Excellent,” rewards are quadrupled (x4).]
[Congratulations, you have received a cash reward: 800,000]
[Congratulations, you have received a cash reward: 800,000]
[Congratulations, you have received a food reward: 500 kg of high-quality Pocchong]
[Congratulations, you have received a recipe reward: Pan-Seared Pocchong Recipe]
···············
‘The Pan-Seared Pocchong is excellent overall. The only slight drawback is that this piece is too rich and heavy.’
‘I didn’t really notice it at first, but after finishing the whole piece, there’s a definite cloying aftertaste.’
‘It’s a good thing the portion wasn’t too big, or that feeling would have been even more pronounced.’
‘Still, I can’t think of a good way to solve that issue right now.’
‘The Pocchong itself doesn’t have much flavor; it relies entirely on the broth it’s cooked in to bring out its natural savory sweetness.’
‘Changing the broth recipe would be no easy task.’
After finishing the Pocchong in front of him, a faint, clean aroma of seafood began to drift over from the red clay charcoal stove.
Needless to say, that was the smell of the grilling conch.