"Before we start braising, let's first blanch the meat."
After the meat had been in the pot for a moment, a lot of scum rose to the surface. Jiang Qiuqiu nudged it with her spatula. "Once the scum has rendered out, we'll take the meat out and set it aside."
At this point, the pork belly already had a faint, meaty fragrance.
Words couldn't do it justice. As the faint, meaty aroma transmitted through the low-end sensors to the newcomers' terminals, the live chat suddenly exploded with comments.
These were all people who had seen Detective Zhuo's post yesterday and flocked to Jiang Qiuqiu's stream to see for themselves if she was just some Princess propped up by the Military Department, or a true culinary master.
When they first tuned in, they found her voice pleasant and her cooking methodical, but they remained skeptical.
Until the savory aroma of the gugu meat wafted through—
That's when this group of newcomers erupted.
#It smells so good!#
#She seems different from other streamers!#
#I thought gugu meat wasn't edible, but the host's preparation method is amazing!#
#What are the next steps for this braised dish? Is it ready to eat yet?#
Jiang Qiuqiu had just drained the pork belly and was preparing the spices when she glanced up and saw the flood of comments. She made a wry face. "It already has an aroma just from being blanched?" She bent down and took a sniff. It really was just the faintest scent of meat.
She could only marvel, "You all have really sharp noses."
"Actually, gugu meat is delicious. Whether you make it into steaks, braise it, stew it, or steam it, each method brings out its own unique flavor."
"The braising process is a little long, and we've only just begun. Please be patient. I made a larger portion today, so I'll be opening up more tasting slots."
With that, she heated some oil in her pot. She swirled it around with her spatula a couple of times until the oil evenly coated the bottom.
The fans in the chat were floored.
#What? That aroma was just the beginning?#
#She hasn't even started cooking the dish for real yet!?#
#It smells this good already?#
#The host isn't just bluffing, is she...?#
At first, Terry was delighted to see everyone's shocked and amazed reactions. But when he saw someone questioning Jiang Qiuqiu, he quickly jumped into the chat to retort.
#Terry is a wolf: Juju never bluffs. This is your first time watching the stream. This little bit of aroma is nothing.#
#Terry is a wolf: Besides, just talking about the aroma doesn't do it justice! Just wait until you snag a tasting slot, then you'll know what true deliciousness is!# The way he acted like the stream's official spokesperson made Jiang Qiuqiu laugh.
"Thank you for your support, Terry is a wolf. I've noticed you all have such a way with words. It always makes me happy to read your tasting reviews."
#Terry is a wolf: !Of course! I'm Juju's most loyal fan, so can you pull some strings for me when it's time to grab the slots today?!#
"The slots are controlled by the system's backend. I can't change the parameters."
#Terry is a wolf: Sigh.#
"Alright, while we've been talking, our aromatics have been stir-fried until fragrant. Now it's time to add the drained pork belly to the pot—"
The meat hit the ginger and garlic in the hot oil, and almost instantly, a much richer, meatier aroma erupted, aggressively assaulting the senses of the little interstellar fans!
Now they believed her. The aroma from before truly was just the tip of the iceberg!
#So fragrant!#
#It looks so delicious!#
Before they could get another word in, they saw Jiang Qiuqiu raise a slender hand, pouring in bowl after bowl of seasonings.
As she poured, she explained, "First, add some cooking wine to remove any gamey-ness. While it's stir-frying, we can add some Thorn Bee honey—add more if you like it sweet, less if you don't. Finally, we can add some black fungus. This will dye the meat a beautiful, deep red during the braising process."