Chapter 8 Juicy Lobster Balls
[Ding! Daily task completed! Reward: 300 Merit Points. Current Merit Point Balance: 450. 'Exquisite Fruit Milkshake' recipe permanently unlocked.]
Hearing the sound of the task being completed, Su Xiaonuan pedaled her tricycle back to her apartment building. By then, the sun had completely sunk below the horizon, leaving only a brilliant afterglow of sunset on the horizon.
After parking her meritorious tricycle, the first thing she did was eagerly open the system interface in her mind.
Looking at the balance of 450 merit points, a feeling of being a "tycoon" arose spontaneously.
"System, upgrade [Body Enhancement]!" she silently chanted without hesitation.
Although she was confident she could easily defeat those domestic abusers, since the system had this function, upgrading it would be a safer and more reliable option.
[Ding! 100 merit points consumed, body enhancement upgraded to Tier 2! Current merit points: 350.]
[Enhancement Effects: Slightly increases strength, speed, endurance, reflexes, and recovery; significantly enhances resistance to blows; and increases pain tolerance.]
A warm current instantly flowed through my body, as if every cell had been activated and infused with new energy.
Su Xiaonuan clenched her fist gently, and could clearly feel the increase in strength and the lightness of her body. Her senses also seemed to have become more acute.
"Not bad, not bad, these merit points were well spent!" She nodded in satisfaction, feeling more confident.
Next up is the main event—creating the bait to lure that "snake" out of its hole: [Juicy Lobster Balls]!
She carried the top-quality ingredients she had bought yesterday into the small but tidy kitchen.
The first thing that catches the eye is those several lively, menacing Australian lobsters.
Each one was about the length of her forearm, with a dark blue shell as hard as armor, and long tentacles that were still trembling slightly, showing their extreme freshness.
"The system is really willing to invest heavily," Su Xiaonuan muttered, putting on thick cut-resistant gloves.
Preparing lobsters is a technical skill, but also a physically demanding task.
With one hand firmly holding the back of a lobster's cephalothorax, she held a heavy pair of kitchen shears in the other, precisely locating the membrane connecting the cephalothorax and abdomen. The sharp shears pierced through, and with a swift cut, the lobster's head was separated from its body with a crisp "snip".
The movements were clean and swift, without the slightest hesitation.
Even after being separated, the lobster's body was still writhing reflexively.
She then cut off all the walking legs and antennae—which could be used to make stock—before starting to process the shrimp bodies.
Use scissors to cut along the soft shell on the lobster's abdomen from head to tail, carefully peeling away the hard shell to reveal the translucent, plump, and firm lobster meat inside.
The shrimp meat has a light pinkish-white color, clear texture, and a plump consistency, making it very appetizing.
She removed the whole lobster meat and placed it on a plate lined with ice to keep it fresh.
Next comes processing the shrimp brains and shrimp roe.
The lobster head contains most of the essence.
She carefully used the tip of her knife to pry open the top of the shrimp's head, revealing plump, orange-red shrimp brains and roe inside, with an enticing color and rich aroma.
She gently scraped all the treasures out with a small spoon and placed them in a separate small bowl, which was the key to making the sauce rich and flavorful.
Next is removing the shrimp vein.
The lobster's intestinal tract is hidden in the muscle on its back and needs to be removed.
She used a toothpick to gently lift the middle section of the shrimp's back meat, precisely removing a thin, dark-colored vein, ensuring the shrimp meat retained its pure texture.
Finally, cut the lobster meat into evenly sized cubes, about two centimeters square. This makes it easier for the flavors to penetrate and also makes it easier to eat.
The chopped shrimp pieces have a slightly pearly sheen and are very elastic.
It took Su Xiaonuan almost half an hour just to prepare these few lobsters, and she even had a little sweat on her forehead.
But she did it with extreme focus, striving for perfection in every step, as if she were performing a solemn ceremony.
Next, prepare the auxiliary ingredients.
Use only the white part of the scallions and chop them finely; peel the ginger and chop it into very fine minced ginger; use two whole heads of garlic and mince them into fine garlic paste, then rinse them with water and drain them to remove the bitterness and leave the garlic aroma.
I took half a purple onion and diced it into small, even pieces.
Use less spicy but more fragrant red bell peppers, also diced, mainly for color and to add a touch of mixed fruit flavor.
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, their leaves carefully stripped off; and a small bunch of dill, chopped up and set aside.
She bought "Supreme Seafood Sauce", high-quality Shaoxing wine, thick oyster sauce, a little fish sauce to enhance the flavor, and a touch of sugar to balance the saltiness.
Starch water: Mix potato starch and water evenly, and use it for thickening at the end.
The broth is made by simmering lobster shells, shrimp heads, and chicken bones for several hours in advance. All impurities have been filtered out, resulting in a beautiful milky white color and a fragrant aroma.
The final touch is a small piece of chilled premium butter.
With all preparations complete, the kitchen countertop is filled with colorful, meticulously prepared ingredients, resembling an oil painting nearing completion, awaiting only the final, passionate creation.
Su Xiaonuan took a deep breath and turned on the stove.
The first choice is a thick-bottomed stainless steel pot. Pour in an appropriate amount of water, add a few slices of ginger and a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.
Once the water boils, quickly pour the chopped lobster meat into the pot and blanch for about 15-20 seconds. When the surface of the lobster meat just turns white and curls slightly into a ball, immediately scoop it out with a slotted spoon and quickly immerse it in the prepared ice water basin.
This step is called "locking in freshness." The instantaneous alternation of hot and cold temperatures allows the lobster meat to reach its ultimate texture—firm on the outside, yet incredibly tender and juicy on the inside, as if sealing in the freshness of the ocean.
Remove from the water and drain.
Next, wash the wok, heat it up, and pour in twice as much premium peanut oil as you would normally use for stir-frying.
When the oil is 60% hot, pour in the large bowl of drained minced garlic and fry over medium-low heat.
This is a process that requires patience.
She gently stirred the garlic with a heat-resistant silicone spatula, watching it slowly change from white to a light golden yellow in the oil, eventually becoming an enticing, intensely fragrant pale golden yellow.
Turn off the heat immediately and use a slotted spoon to remove the crispy fried garlic and drain the oil.
Pour out half of the garlic oil from the pan and set it aside, leaving only the bottom oil.
Using the remaining oil and garlic aroma in the pan, turn the heat back up to medium.
Add chopped scallion whites, minced ginger, diced onion, and diced bell pepper, and stir-fry quickly until the onion becomes translucent and releases an enticing sweet aroma.
Then, the main event arrived—pouring that small bowl of precious shrimp brains and roe into the pot.
Quickly crush and stir-fry with a spatula, watching the orange-red paste melt and boil in the hot oil, releasing an unparalleled, extremely domineering and rich umami aroma that instantly fills the entire kitchen and even wafts out through the window!
This aroma is enough to drive any seafood lover crazy!
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