Chapter 389: Chaoshan Beef
Yue Lengxin bit lightly into the beef ball, only for surprise to flicker across her eyes.
She hadn't been able to break through it at the first bite.
The moment her teeth pressed against its surface, the ball simply indented slightly, deforming under the pressure. But when she eased up, it bounced right back to its original shape.
Granted, she hadn't bitten down very hard, but even so, that much was enough to prove how springy the beef ball really was.
Her expression turned curious. She applied a bit more force, and only then did a small piece finally tear free.
Almost instantly, rich juices burst from the opening, spilling into her mouth.
Mmm…
The pure, savory essence of beef fused together with the numbing spice of the broth, layered further by the fragrance of the dipping sauce. The blend transformed on her tongue into something utterly unique and delicious.
Momentarily stunned by the sudden gush of flavor, Yue Lengxin lingered in the taste before regaining her composure. Slowly, she began chewing the beef ball.
Even now, it wasn't easy to chew. Every bite carried that same remarkable springiness, proving that the bounce wasn't just from the surface but came from the entire ball itself.
This elasticity wasn't the unpleasant toughness of overcooked meat. Instead, it gave the beef ball an incredible texture. To Yue Lengxin, the sensation was so novel, so dazzling, that her lake-blue eyes lit up at once. Without hesitation, she leaned in for another bite of the ball marked with her first set of teeth marks.
Who would've thought something that looked so plain could taste this magical?
What Yue Lengxin didn't know was that the beef balls at Han Shi Hotpot weren't ordinary at all.
Their origin lay in a famous delicacy from Earth—the Chaoshan beef ball.
Chaoshan referred to the collective region of Chaozhou, Shantou, and Jieyang. As one of the region's culinary treasures, Chaoshan beef was renowned for its unique approach, whether as beef soup, beef hotpot, or the most famous of all—the beef ball.
Chaoshan beef cuisine was defined by two things. The first: absolute freshness, with cattle slaughtered the same day to ensure the best quality meat.
The second: knife skill. Every slice of beef was cut to uniform thinness, precise enough to cook perfectly after just ten seconds in the pot.
In ancient Huaxia, most imperial capitals were located in the north. The Chaoshan region, distant and somewhat isolated, often escaped strict enforcement of imperial laws, functioning nearly autonomously.
Thus, while eating beef was forbidden in much of the empire, the Chaoshan region—neighboring the natural pastures of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan—was free to explore beef cookery from early on. Over time, Chaoshan beef culture spread across the entire nation, no longer confined to the southern provinces.
Traditional Chaoshan beef balls were always hand-made, prized for their crisp, springy texture. They came in two main varieties: pure beef balls, tender and delicate, and tendon beef balls, with bits of sinew mixed in to enhance the chew.
The ones Qi Han had made belonged to the tendon variety—which explained the delightful, elastic bite Yue Lengxin had just discovered.
These days, as machines became more advanced, many foods once crafted only by hand could be mass-produced, and Chaoshan beef balls were no exception. But machine-made versions lacked soul. Their flavor and texture could never rival those created by hand. Which was why the traditional method had never vanished, still carried on to this day.
But crafting them by hand was no easy task—it was grueling work for any chef.
The classic recipe called for fresh beef from the thigh, with all sinew removed. The meat was cut into chunks and laid out on a massive chopping block. With a pair of special square hammers weighing about three catties each, the chef would pound the meat rhythmically until it became a smooth paste. Snow starch, fine salt, premium fish sauce, and a dash of MSG were added, and then the pounding continued for another fifteen minutes.
The square hammer-knives looked much like solid steel pipes with squared ends, their grips designed for easy handling. The blunt, square faces weren't sharp at all, but when used to pound beef, the force penetrated evenly through the meat, breaking it down more thoroughly and consistently.
Back and forth, the chef had to keep swinging those hammers—three catties each—for over half an hour without pause. It was an extreme test of stamina and arm strength.
So the next time you see Chaoshan beef balls being sold for several dozen coins for just a handful, don't call them overpriced. If they're truly hand-made, the price is well-earned.
Once the beef was hammered into a paste, it would be gathered into a large bowl. Dried sole fish powder, diced pork fat, and seasoning would be mixed in, kneaded until the paste stuck stubbornly to the hands. At that point, the seasoning was complete—the only step left was to shape the paste into balls.
With freshly washed hands, the chef would scoop up a fistful of paste, squeeze it through the gap of the tiger's mouth, and let a rounded mound extrude outward. A spoon would scoop the emerging ball, dropping it gently into a basin of warm water for its first shaping.
At this stage, the beef balls still glowed with a faint pink, attractive yet without much elasticity.
When all the paste was shaped, the balls would be simmered over a gentle flame for about eight minutes, finishing the final set. And then—the hand-beaten beef balls were complete.
True hand-beaten beef balls contained only a trace of snow starch as a binder, with almost no other starch inside. A whole catty of beef yielded barely twelve taels of finished balls. The ingredient ratio was utterly uncompromising.
And these pure beef balls possessed their most legendary trait: if you dropped one on the ground, it could bounce high into the air.
Their elasticity rivaled that of a basketball.
Yue Lengxin, of course, had no idea that the menu's simple phrase—"beef pounded into paste"—hid such a rich tradition. But that didn't stop her from savoring the one in her mouth with bright-eyed delight, before turning her gaze toward the other simmering broths on the table.
Her three companions also sampled theirs one after another, each with looks of genuine surprise. None of them had expected something that looked so dull and gray to hold such astonishing flavor.
"Next up—the sukiyaki pot!" Yan Xi volunteered cheerfully, scooping up the four beef balls that had been bubbling there and dividing them evenly.
Time to dig in!
…
"This beef ball certainly has chew. Very unusual." Qi Poxiao fished one out of the health-preserving broth, bit down, and let a smile creep over his face. "Though… it's not very kind to these old teeth of mine."
Tang Qianqiu couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Yes, age-wise, Qi Poxiao might qualify as an old man—but as an Ultimate Douluo, there was no way his teeth were bad. The guy just loved leaning on the 'old man' act.
Tang Qianqiu plucked one out of the sukiyaki pot, chewed twice, and immediately felt a wave of satisfaction spread across his features.
The beef's natural savor melded with the sukiyaki's signature sweet-and-savory broth, producing a flavor both light and exquisite.
Beef balls had long been one of his favorite dishes, especially paired with a clean broth where the beef's own essence could shine through. It was simply beyond words.
They said the balls paired best with the Chaoshan beef broth and that spicy-yet-fragrant satay sauce among the eighteen pot bases. He made a mental note to try that combination next time.
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