Chapter 254: Rich Broth and Clear Soup
The ocean has always been a forbidden zone for spirit masters, with the danger level of its spirit beasts far surpassing those in land-based spirit beast habitats.
As a result, while nearly all land spirit beast species have been documented, humanity knows less than a tenth of the spirit beasts inhabiting the vast oceans.
The Forbidden Giant Claw Crab is one such unknown type of marine spirit beast. It's a formidable presence in the sea, with a pair of massive, razor-sharp claws nearly as large as its body. Coupled with its innate skill, "Forbidden Claw," it reigns as one of the ocean's tyrants.
However, the Forbidden Giant Claw Crab's appearance under Qi Han's blade had little to do with its hefty claws—though he was certainly tempted by those juicy claws.
What Qi Han truly needed for his dish, "Jade Dragon Tendon," was the crab's golden roe and rich tomalley.
Two Forbidden Giant Claw Crabs, securely bound by Ru Yi threads, lay sprawled across the table, taking up considerable space.
After carefully moving the immobilized crabs—now reduced to only slight eye movement—off the table, Qi Han pulled out a ten-meter-long Hellfire Dragonfish from the ingredients cabinet.
The Hellfire Dragonfish was already unconscious but still reflexively twitched slightly.
Pressing the fish's head firmly onto the chopping board, Qi Han positioned his knife below the second bony plate beneath the head. With a swift, clean cut, he severed the connection between the Hellfire Dragonfish's head and spine.
With its central nervous system severed, the Hellfire Dragonfish's body went rigid, ceasing all movement.
Qi Han exhaled slightly in relief. He then made another precise cut near the tail, cleanly slicing through all surrounding flesh and tissue at the vertebral joint without damaging the dragon tendon.
The so-called "dragon tendon" was essentially the marrow inside the spine.
Applying gentle force, the soft yet resilient, pristine white dragon tendon slowly emerged, extending from the severed section into Qi Han's view.
Qi Han's expression grew even more serious.
The next step was the most challenging: extracting the dragon tendon.
The ten-meter-long tendon had to be meticulously pulled out from the vertebral column, starting from the tail section. This process demanded uniform and steady force; any deviation could cause the tendon to snap inside the spine.
If that happened, the entire extraction would fail.
Qi Han had practiced this single step over ten thousand times.
Taking a slow breath, he gripped the fish tail firmly, applying more force to widen the cut until he could fit one hand inside to grasp the tendon.
Inserting one hand, Qi Han carefully tugged at the fish's body with precise strength, slowly coaxing the entire dragon tendon out of the spine.
The initial movement was the most difficult—pulling one section disrupted the alignment of the entire tendon.
Even extracting a small length signaled that the tendon was beginning to separate from the spine.
Feeling the familiar feedback of tension along the tendon, Qi Han finally relaxed slightly.
It hadn't snapped!
With the initial segment intact, the rest became progressively easier.
Still, he remained cautious, periodically switching hands as he pulled, ensuring that his grip advanced along the tendon. Finally, with a soft "pop," the ten-meter-long tendon emerged in one piece.
A faint smile appeared on Qi Han's face as he gave the Hellfire Dragonfish a light pat and handed it over to Ru Yi for recycling.
Indeed, for this dish, the Hellfire Dragonfish's sole contribution was the dragon tendon.
The rest of the fish would be utilized by Ru Yi, ensuring nothing went to waste.
After a brief rinse, the extracted tendon revealed its pristine, jade-like appearance. It was soft, resilient, and somewhat reminiscent of gummy candy.
Qi Han carefully scored the tendon along its natural lines, then sliced it diagonally into small, finger-length segments that curled slightly. He soaked the segments in ice water to preserve their contraction and curl before turning his attention to the other ingredients nearby.
The preparation of the dragon tendon was now complete. Next, it was time to make the rich broth.
Rich broth and clear broth are not the same.
Rich broth refers to a stock made primarily with chicken, supplemented by other ingredients. It is used during the cooking process as a substitute for water to introduce the savory umami of chicken, enhancing the dish's flavor.
In modern cooking, chicken bouillon or monosodium glutamate (MSG) serves a similar purpose. However, in ancient times, without such seasonings, rich broth was the primary way to achieve this effect.
Nonetheless, from the perspectives of nutrition and overall quality, seasonings like chicken bouillon cannot fully replace the role of rich broth.
Clear broth, on the other hand, is derived from rich broth through additional techniques to produce a nearly transparent liquid.
While it doesn't have to be colorless, it must meet the strict requirement of being clear and free of cloudiness.
Clear broth is used in dishes like Wensi Tofu and Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth, but for the Jade Dragon Tendon, only rich broth is needed.
Thus, the preparation process was relatively straightforward.
The entire multicolored golden pheasant was quickly plucked, gutted, and cleaned. It was placed in a stockpot along with the leg bones of a Cinnamon Pig and ham made from its cured hind leg. Lastly, dried Sea Dream Clams were added. Water was poured in to cover all the ingredients, along with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine. The pot was simmered over low heat for two hours.
Afterward, Qi Han skimmed off the foam, removed the ingredients, and filtered the broth to ensure a clean consistency.
The resulting broth had a rich, brown color—clean but not yet transparent. The aroma wafting from it was a delightful medley of the chicken's umami, the smoky flavor of ham, the pork bone's deep richness, and the seafood fragrance from the clams.
The tantalizing scent tickled Qi Han's senses, causing his mouth to water slightly.
With the rich broth complete, Qi Han exhaled softly. He carefully lifted the Forbidden Giant Claw Crabs, which had just been set aside, back onto the table.
The next step involved the male and female crabs—and the creation of "Forbidden Yellow Oil."
The term "tēi" in Tēi Yellow Oil / Forbidden Yellow Oil / (秃黄油) is derived from the Wu dialect, specifically Suzhou, and means "unique" or "exclusive." It is unrelated to the word for "bald" (秃).
Behind this seemingly peculiar name lies an exceptionally flavorful delicacy.
The "yellow oil" here isn't the solid dairy fat we know as butter, but rather a highly concentrated mixture of crab roe and tomalley, with almost no crab meat.
After the crab season ends, food connoisseurs in Suzhou often turn to this easily preserved delicacy to savor the pure, rich flavor of crab.
Whether paired with rice or noodles, it is an exquisite treat.
For the Jade Dragon Tendon, Forbidden Yellow Oil was indispensable.
The two Forbidden Giant Claw Crabs were massive, but luckily the steaming pot provided by Ru Yi was equally large.
Qi Han carefully placed the crabs into the pot, added slices of ginger, and steamed them until fully cooked. He then cautiously removed the crabs one by one.
The dark green shells of the crabs had turned a fiery red, though their numerous jagged spines remained menacing.
Having dealt with countless crabs during training, Qi Han was now immune to their intimidating appearance.
It was time to begin preparing the Forbidden Yellow Oil.
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