Vegetable dishes often mix different vegetables.
In meat and vegetable dishes, various vegetables are often included, but it's rare to see pure meat dishes using two or more different types of meat.
For example:
Di San Xian.
This includes eggplant, potatoes, and green peppers.
In terms of meat and vegetable dishes, there are also dishes like Mapo Tofu and Big Plate Chicken, which combine vegetables and meat, often with a high proportion of vegetables!
However, when it comes to meat dishes, if you exclude seafood, fungi with a meat-like texture, and small amounts of flavor enhancers like fish sauce or ham, there are very few dishes that combine different types of meat.
Of course, it doesn't mean they don't exist.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
Fish Bites Sheep.
Dragon and Phoenix Soup.
Pork and Chicken Ribs.
Pork and Chicken Stew.
Li Hongzhang's Hodgepodge.
And, for example, Three Fresh Dumplings!
These dishes include two or more types of meat.
...
The world is vast, with a number of dishes as numerous as the stars in the sky, impossible to count.
Therefore, meat and meat dishes certainly exist, but as mentioned earlier, they are relatively "rare."
This rarity refers to the order rate, exposure, attention, and recognition...
Typically, such dishes do not appear in everyday meals.
There are many reasons for this phenomenon.
First, "multi-vegetable" dishes are easier to cook and handle than "multi-meat" dishes.
For instance, dishes like Mu Shu Pork and Di San Xian have become common in restaurants.
Vegetables in Mu Shu Pork, such as cucumbers, carrots, and wood ear mushrooms, can be cut to control cooking times. Even if not perfect, undercooked vegetables are still acceptable, as their texture is forgiving!
Meat, however, is different. Even within a single animal, different cuts require precise cooking. For example, sliced pork liver requires just a few seconds in the pan to remain tender. Overcook it, and it becomes dry and tough.
Pork belly, on the other hand, needs longer cooking to release its fat and aroma...
This is just two types of meat.
Adding more types complicates cooking times significantly!
Moreover, "multi-meat" dishes usually have very rich flavors.
Since meat itself has strong and distinctive flavors, combining multiple meats requires balancing intense flavors with heavy use of salt, oil, spice, and sauces.
Such rich and meat-heavy dishes are traditionally seen as "main dishes" at formal banquets, expensive and impressive.
So, in the end, it's also a matter of cost.
...
"A single dish."
"Mixing different types of meat is not unheard of."
"But usually, it's lean meats that are mixed, such as various seafood and some offal."
"Shrimp and scallops are technically meat, but because they are used sparingly as flavor enhancers, and abalone and sea cucumber have very mild flavors, they require other meats to enhance their taste, like in the Chinese dish Buddha Jumps Over the Wall."
"Pork liver and chicken gizzards have little flavor on their own and rely on sauces, such as in stir-fries."
"But common meats like pork, beef, lamb, chicken, and fish each have their own distinct flavors."
"A dish can only have one dominant flavor."
"More than that..."
Etsuya Eizan muttered in shock.
They say a professional shows their skill with just a move. Even if he wasn't deeply versed in cooking, Eizan knew enough to recognize the daring in using five different, strongly flavored meats to make a dish for diners.
Just for that courage alone, this tavern owner could surpass many Totsuki students.
At this moment, Eizan finally understood why this seemingly ordinary tavern could cause the revenue of his five restaurants to decline month after month.
...
Then, Zane added carrots, egg yolk, and tomatoes to the meat mixture.
Adding some vegetables aimed to elevate the flavor complexity.
Next, Zane took out a well-ventilated bamboo steamer.
Seeing this, Eizan was even more puzzled, not because he hadn't seen a bamboo steamer before, but because he didn't expect Zane to steam the dish!
Finally, Zane gently rolled the five meat mixtures combined with carrots, egg yolk, and tomatoes into tube shapes.
He placed them in the steamer to cook.
Time passed slowly.
When the time was right, Zane opened the steamer.
A moment later, a mist of steam billowed out, enveloping everything in sight. It was truly:
Flavors intertwined and ever-changing.
Like martial arts masters with endless techniques, beyond comprehension.
At this moment, the dish named "Whose Jade Flute Calls the Falling Plum Blossoms" was finally born!
...
"Five types of meat?"
"Why do they all look like beef?"
Adjusting his glasses, Eizan stared at the plate of food he had never seen before, feeling a mix of emotions.
He realized this dish was beyond his understanding.
After a pause, he picked up his chopsticks, took a small bite, and slowly put it in his mouth.
As soon as he bit down, his mouth was filled with an exquisite flavor, far from ordinary beef.
"Hmm?"
"This... this is..."
Eizan wrinkled his nose several times.
He quickly realized, moving swiftly, grabbing each bite as if it were a precious treasure.
His mouth opened wide enough to fit a chicken egg.
No, an apple.
His eating manners were now rather unrefined.
His once handsome face distorted with food, cheeks puffing, eyes bulging, like a grotesque "toad."
The sound of his chewing was like a wild, joyous melody, as if the world was just him and this dish, "Whose Jade Flute Calls the Falling Plum Blossoms."
Perhaps he was too engrossed in eating to notice his image.
His mouth was covered in grease, but Eizan didn't care, knowing the grease was a testament to his feast.
...
"Delicious, tender, the meat doesn't taste like beef."
"It feels more delicate, fresher, with tight fibers. Could it be... lamb rump?"
With eyes closed, Eizan savored the taste, discovering the dish's flavors constantly changing and elusive!
"No, it's changed again."
"Now it's tender and crispy, savory and delicious."
"This isn't lamb rump; it tastes like exquisite pig ear!"
Opening his eyes, Eizan found it incredible.
Then, realizing something, he quickly grabbed another meat roll with his chopsticks and took a bite: "Soft, tender, the taste is mild, not as intense as before."
"This... is this rabbit?"
"Why does the same dish taste so different?"
"Now, the flavor is milder, savory, and rich, not greasy... could it be mountain deer meat?"
Who would have thought that using five different meats could create such a strange sensory effect?
Constantly changing, never predictable, like a powerful wave of flavor that instantly overwhelmed the taste buds.
Amazing!
...
Gradually, Eizan entered a state of fantasy.
In a dim bamboo forest, he held a sharp battle sword, dressed in armor, riding a fine horse, like a determined samurai.
Opposite him stood a majestic warrior, Zane!
"Ha!"
Eizan charged with his horse.
Full of killing intent, he raised his sword, charging at the warrior Zane.
In the critical moment, Zane swiftly drew a sword like a snake, striking unpredictably.
His footwork and swordplay were agile, with sword and scabbard attacking in harmony, a deadly assault!
The moves were unpredictable, with hidden traps, impossible to decipher.
Ultimately, despite Eizan riding a horse and holding every advantage, he couldn't escape being knocked down.
"The first bite didn't surprise much."
"But the second, third, fourth, and fifth... each bite changed in flavor."
"Sometimes rich and tender, sometimes crispy, sometimes sweet and savory, sometimes mild and rich, impossible to predict."
At this moment, many diners glanced at Eizan.
His eating was unseemly and ravenous, but Eizan didn't care.
He only knew this dish, unnamed for now, completely overturned his previous knowledge!
...
"Chef, why is this dish so elusive?"
Satisfied, Eizan burped, looking at the empty plate, smiling unconsciously.
Usually irritable and impulsive, after eating this five-meat dish, he felt calm.
"As you saw."
"Five meats."
"But these five different meats can mix to form new flavors."
"Deer and beef together taste one way, pork and lamb another. It's a mathematical combination."
"How many flavor combinations with five meats?"
"Using C5-1 to C5-5, it's simple."
"If not using a formula, explain: each meat is one flavor, that's five: pork, beef, lamb, rabbit, deer."
"Two meats together make ten combinations, ten flavors: pork-beef, pork-lamb, pork-rabbit, pork-deer, beef-lamb, beef-rabbit, beef-deer, lamb-rabbit, lamb-deer, rabbit-deer."
"Three meats together also make ten flavors."
"Five meats have each combination paired with the remaining three, a one-to-one relationship."
"For example, pork-beef pairs with lamb-rabbit-deer, pork-lamb pairs with beef-rabbit-deer."
"The same for four meats and single meats, five combinations. Pork alone pairs with beef-lamb-rabbit-deer."
"Finally, all five meats and single meat don't count. Total: 10+10+5=25, 25 flavors."
Zane explained meticulously.
This explanation silenced the tavern.
Even the ninth seat Eizan, helpers Sonoka and Takumi, and most diners were shocked.
Wow!
Using five different meats to create 25 different flavors?
And all
25 flavors interchanging, no wonder it felt more thrilling than a stimulant.
...
"I see."
"Lamb rump is tender, pig ear is crispy."
"Veal kidney is soft, deer leg is firm, rabbit meat is lean, five meats vary in texture, the first three very tender."
"So you steam, not stir-fry, deep-fry, or stew."
"Five different meats, different flavors, frying or grilling would mix flavors chaotically."
"Steaming retains the original flavors."
"Interesting."
"No matter how skilled, few dare use five strong meats in one dish."
"But after eating, I see some chefs have extraordinary abilities."
"The dish's flavors change constantly, every part handled perfectly, always balanced."
Eizan, believing culinary skills alone weren't enough without business sense, realized Zane's talents amazed him.
Combining his business skills with Zane's culinary genius...
In three years, no, five years.
Their alliance could create a culinary empire!
...
"Chef, what's this dish called?"
Calming down, Eizan asked curiously.
"Good question."
Zane smiled, then wrote on paper:
"Whose Jade Flute Calls the Falling Plum Blossoms!"
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