The mist condensed again, but the phenomenon that appeared was not what Qi Han had imagined.
It had nothing to do with pigs.
This time, the phenomenon seemed different from the previous ones.
The mist gathered in midair, but no image emerged for a long while.
Instead, the thickening fog brought a sense of inexplicable oppression.
Just as Qi Han was feeling the pressure from the mist, a radiant celestial light, composed of nine colors, descended from the heavens.
It illuminated the dense fog below.
Under the nine-colored light, the mist seemed to encounter its nemesis, melting away like snow under the sun, finally revealing the image hidden within.
At that very moment, Qi Han felt an overwhelming urge to break free from restraints, an impulse surging through him like never before.
As the mist completely dispersed, the image within caused Qi Han's pupils to shrink sharply.
It was a celestial palace floating high in the heavens, with jade-green tiles and magnificent eaves, glowing brilliantly.
Countless celestial birds flew in circles around the palace, playfully chasing one another, while in the clouds, a divine dragon occasionally emerged, revealing a section of its gold-scaled body.
Faintly visible within the palace were numerous figures. It seemed as though celestial beings were gathering, with immortal maidens dancing, as if scenes from ancient times had been brought back to life.
Phenomenon: Celestial Light Illuminates the Heavenly Palace!
Though it wasn't the pig-related phenomenon Qi Han had hoped for, the breathtaking image of the celestial palace deeply moved him.
Shaking his head, Qi Han refocused his attention on the dish before him—Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat Meat.
Carefully, he picked up a portion of the dish with his chopsticks, separating a piece of the rolled meat and placing it into his mouth.
As the rich aroma of the meat unfolded with each chew, a satisfied expression naturally appeared on his face.
The pork skin had undergone a transformation—first heated in water and then cooled in cold water—causing it to tighten and become elastic. After being deep-fried, it lost all its moisture, becoming incredibly crispy.
Following a process of freezing, simmering, and steaming, it reabsorbed moisture.
This complex cooking process resulted in a unique texture for the pork skin—crispy yet tender.
This texture was unlike anything Qi Han had ever tasted before, combining a soft, melt-in-your-mouth quality with a slight chewiness.
The lean part of the pork belly was first boiled to medium rare, sealing its juices inside.
The ginger, scallions, and spices eliminated any unwanted odors. In the subsequent deep-frying process, the lean meat was only lightly heated, removing some moisture.
During the freezing stage, the water inside the lean meat expanded, resulting in an even more tender texture.
As a result, even without the fatty part to balance it, the lean meat had a wonderfully soft mouthfeel.
In the final stages of simmering and steaming, the lean meat absorbed the broth, not only replenishing lost juices but also allowing the spices to deeply penetrate the meat, enhancing its flavor.
The most impressive part of this dish, however, was the treatment of the fatty portion.
Though pork belly is composed of alternating layers of fat and lean meat, there's always one layer with the most fat—right under the skin.
During the deep-frying process, most of this fat melted away, leaving behind a crumbly, crispy texture akin to pork cracklings.
The following step, where the meat was pressed under heavy weight, caused the pork belly to tighten.
The part most affected by the pressure was not the skin or the lean meat, but the fatty layer between them.
It was compressed and dispersed to the sides, and later cut away when the pork was cubed into neat squares.
After freezing and simmering, only a small amount of fat remained, giving it a distinctive flavor without overwhelming greasiness.
This dish not only offered a rich but not greasy taste, but even after frequent consumption, it wouldn't leave anyone feeling overly full.
Thanks to its unique cooking method, it also contained far less fat than traditionally prepared pork belly, making it a guilt-free indulgence.
The portion of Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat pork was not too large.
Though it could be stretched into a nearly five-meter-long strip of pork belly once sliced, it was ultimately just a ten-centimeter square piece of meat.
Qi Han devoured it in just a few bites, and soon, even the smallest scraps of Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat pork were gone.
Only then did he reluctantly reach for the side ingredients.
Chestnuts, red dates, and lotus seeds.
Chestnuts, like many meat dishes, can be cooked in a variety of ways, such as stewing or other methods, and they always taste great, though they're somewhat niche.
Many people's perception of chestnuts is limited to roasted or sugar-fried chestnuts, but the flavor of chestnuts extends far beyond that. In Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat pork, the chestnuts had been steamed for two hours, becoming incredibly soft, almost melting in the mouth.
During the steaming process, the rich flavor of the meat had slowly seeped into the chestnuts.
The unique nutty fragrance of the chestnuts perfectly fused with the savory richness of the pork.
Coated with the pork's juices, the chestnuts melted in Qi Han's mouth during each chew, offering a sensation entirely different from simply eating meat.
Though he knew he was eating chestnuts, Qi Han still felt as if he were tasting meat.
These chestnuts weren't ordinary—they came from a hybrid of Earth chestnuts and plant-type Spirit Beasts from the Douluo Continent. After ten thousand years of cultivation, they had produced fruit with an unimaginably exquisite flavor.
After eating just one chestnut, the regret Qi Han had felt over finishing the meat was almost entirely gone.
A smile spread across his face as he quickly picked out and devoured all the chestnuts in the small cup.
Since these were just side ingredients, not many were added during the cooking process. Qi Han managed to find only six or seven chestnuts in total.
After finishing the chestnuts, Qi Han turned his attention to the red dates.
These dates, too, were the fruit of a ten-thousand-year-old plant-type Spirit Beast. The pits had been removed, and the dates naturally dried. During the steaming process, they absorbed a significant amount of moisture, regaining their plump, oval shape. At the same time, they absorbed the broth and flavor of the Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat pork.
With just one bite, the red dates' natural sweetness fused with the savory broth, creating a new taste that made Qi Han's eyes light up.
Sugar, after all, enhances flavor.
With the slight sweetness from the dates, the savory taste of the broth seemed to rise to another level, bringing about a completely different mouthfeel than the chestnuts.
The red date's flesh, having undergone drying and rehydration, had become loose and porous. This structure allowed it to fully absorb the broth of the Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat pork, so that the flavors of meat and dates merged completely, indistinguishable from one another.
With one bite, the mouth was filled with fragrance.
Qi Han soon finished the dates, eating them one by one, and finally set his sights on the last item—the lotus seeds.
If there was a second most precious ingredient in Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat pork, it was undoubtedly the lotus seeds.
Unlike the other ingredients, these lotus seeds did not come from a plant-type Spirit Beast, but were true heavenly treasures.
These were millennium-grade treasures: lotus seeds from the Nine Lives Pure World Lotus.
The fruits of heavenly treasures are different from those of plant-type Spirit Beasts.
For the Nine Lives Pure World Lotus, every lotus seed is the concentrated essence of the plant, making its value incomparable to the others.
Once in the mouth, the fragrance of the lotus spread, filling Qi Han's senses with an overwhelming freshness.
The lotus seeds were soft and tender.
Though they hadn't absorbed as much flavor as the chestnuts or red dates, their subtle taste was refreshing, like a clear spring washing through both body and soul.
Interestingly, these lotus seeds still had their bitter lotus hearts intact.
Yet, when Qi Han bit into them, there was no trace of bitterness left.
The lotus hearts had completely dissolved into the Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat pork during the steaming process, infusing the meat with the lotus' unique essence without adding even a hint of bitterness.
Only a heavenly treasure like the Nine Lives Pure World Lotus could achieve such an effect.
The Nine Lives Pure World Lotus, with its nine lotus seeds, was said to be able to save the world, to bring the dead back to life, and to heal bones and flesh.
At least half of Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat pork's miraculous ability to cure illness could be attributed to this.
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