Chapter 415: The Soul of the Jixi Yipin Pot
"Whoa! That's one huge pot!" Tai Lei's eyes widened as he watched, from not far away, his grandnephew and grandson devouring the massive hotpot in front of them. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
He glanced at the three other Tang Sect Hall Masters sitting at his table and suggested, "How about we order one too, just to try it out?"
"We could," Yu Hua replied with a raised eyebrow, "but could we even finish that much food?"
Tai Lei and Niu Yue both had large appetites—together, the two of them could easily eat the equivalent of six portions of fried rice—but he and Zhao Yunsheng could only manage about one portion each. That still left the total short of what the dish required.
"How about… we call one more disciple to join us?" Niu Yue said, unable to hide the longing in his tone as he stared at that steaming pot of food.
"That could work—" Zhao Yunsheng had just started to agree when a voice interrupted from a nearby table.
"No need for that. Add the two of us old geezers and it'll be just right."
Tang Qianqiu, sitting at the next table, smiled cheerfully. "I asked Miss Fu Ya just now—these tables can be joined together. Six people sharing one pot will be perfect."
Across from him, Qi Poxiao nodded with a calm, refined smile. The two of them had just been discussing the Jixi Yipin Pot as well.
Even two Limit Douluo couldn't resist wanting a taste. The problem was that the pot was so large, and their appetites weren't—so they had been quietly lamenting the fact they couldn't finish it on their own. Then they happened to overhear the Tang Sect Hall Masters' conversation about sharing one… and the problem solved itself.
Since their Sect Master himself had spoken, the four Hall Masters certainly had no objections. With Fu Ya's help, the two tables were quickly joined together, and they placed an order for a Jixi Yipin Pot.
As soon as Tai Lei realized he was finally going to taste it, he beamed from ear to ear. But that joy didn't last long.
"Ah, Tai Lei, my dear grandnephew," Qi Poxiao said with a kind smile, patting Tai Lei's shoulder. "You know, seeing you brings back memories. When you were a baby, I held you once—you peed all over my hand."
Tai Lei: "…"
What kind of karmic punishment is this…
…
Not far from the Tang Sect's seats, a few elderly men and women sat together—the elders of the Sea God Pavilion. Watching their Pavilion Lord and the Tang Sect Hall Masters gather around one pot, they exchanged amused, helpless looks.
Fortunately, they didn't have to worry about not being able to finish their food.
"Xuan Ye, how about we order a pot of Jixi Yipin Pot too?" one elder said with a chuckle. "With you here, we'll definitely finish it." Then his expression froze. "Hey—wait, where are you going?"
"I'm going to order my own pot," Xuan Ye replied calmly as he stood up and took a seat alone at a nearby table. "You all are too noisy—you'll ruin my mealtime mood."
The elders: "…"
…
"Ah-woo!" Tang Zi let out a satisfied noise as he shoved a large piece of pork belly into his mouth with his chopsticks.
The pork belly was perfectly balanced between lean and fat, cut from the prized lower section of a rare breed of pig. The fat and lean layers alternated beautifully, so that every bite was rich but never greasy.
During the slow simmering process, the pork had absorbed the essence of all the other ingredients in the pot, making its flavor even deeper and more complex—still rich and meaty, but now layered with subtle hints of everything else. It was irresistibly delicious.
Across from him, Mu Liufeng delicately picked up a golden, crescent-shaped egg dumpling and took a bite, his face softening in contentment.
The Jixi Yipin Pot featured a wide variety of ingredients, but there were three that could never be left out: fried tofu puffs, pork belly, and the egg dumplings Mu Liufeng was savoring at that very moment.
These three ingredients were, without question, the very soul of the Jixi Yipin Pot.
The egg dumplings in this dish were not quite the same as the ones most people were familiar with.
They were also known as "duck pockets"—made by using duck eggs to create a thin omelet wrapper, then filling it with minced meat before sealing it shut. Chicken eggs weren't used here.
Thus, the colorful Five-Colored Brocade Chicken was spared this time, and its poor cousin, the Jade Swan, became the unfortunate donor of eggs instead.
The thin duck-egg wrapper carried a rich and mellow fragrance, which, after simmering in the pot, fully absorbed the broth and the flavors of the other ingredients, becoming irresistibly savory. The filling inside was a mixture of minced pork and water chestnuts—tender, juicy, with a touch of refreshing sweetness. Rich yet not greasy, it was truly exquisite.
The difference between an egg dumpling and a regular dumpling went far beyond the simple matter of using egg instead of flour for the wrapper.
Because the cooked egg wrapper wasn't as dense or chewy as dough—it was porous and delicate—the meat filling inside could directly come into contact with the surrounding broth as it simmered. That made it far more flavorful than an ordinary dumpling. Combined with the egg's own umami, the taste grew even richer and more layered.
As the marvelous dumpling melted in his mouth, Mu Liufeng couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in delight, silently praising it in his heart.
Meanwhile, beside him, Zhou Long's chopsticks were busily targeting the fried tofu puffs.
These tofu puffs—often called oil tofu—were the product of a specific preparation method.
They were made from firm tofu rather than silken tofu.
Tofu generally came in three kinds: firm tofu, silken tofu, and glucono delta-lactone tofu (also called soft tofu).
Firm tofu was made using the traditional brine coagulation process; silken tofu used gypsum powder as the coagulant; and glucono delta-lactone tofu, a relatively modern type, used GDL as its coagulant, making it even softer than silken tofu.
Because of these different coagulants and coagulation methods, each type of tofu had its own texture and flavor.
Firm tofu had the least water content, making it ideal for frying—it puffed up easily and turned delightfully crisp, which was why it was the best choice for making oil tofu.
The process itself wasn't complicated: cut firm tofu into cubes, soak them in lightly salted water for about half an hour, drain the excess moisture (to prevent oil splatter), then fry them in hot oil until golden and puffed. Simple, but perfect.
Freshly fried tofu puffs could be eaten on their own, sprinkled with seasoning powder—many street vendors' so-called "fragrant tofu" was made this way—or they could be left to cool and later added into other dishes.
The resulting tofu puffs were much like fried dough sticks—crispy outside, airy inside. In the Jixi Yipin Pot, these tofu puffs were further transformed: a small hole was poked through the crisp shell, and a portion of minced meat was stuffed inside before being simmered in the broth.
Once the shell was pierced, the savory broth and the mingled flavors of all the other ingredients seeped inside, saturating both the tofu and the filling within. The longer it simmered, the more flavorful it became.
Each tofu puff was now swollen with the hotpot's rich, umami-laden broth. As Zhou Long bit into one, the fragrant juices burst in his mouth. The once-crispy tofu skin had turned soft and tender from the long simmering, yet retained a hint of chewiness from the frying process—an oddly satisfying texture.
Unlike the plain pork filling of the egg dumplings, the tofu puffs were filled with pork and Chinese chives. The strong, aromatic flavor of the chives blended perfectly with the savory pork during the simmering, producing a bouncy, juicy filling soaked with broth—heavenly in both scent and taste.
Zhou Long gave an appreciative shake of his head, then promptly picked up another puff and popped it into his mouth in one bite.
This Jixi Yipin Pot… is truly divine!
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