National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 846 - 786: Doesn’t Seem Made Up

Chapter 846: Chapter 786: Doesn’t Seem Made Up

Gurgle, gurgle.

A large iron pot contained beef stacked in the shape of a pyramid, the pieces jutting out just a bit as the hot water bubbled around the sides of the beef, occasionally surging, while steaming more heat into the air.

The chunks of beef were each about the size of four fists, gently rolling in the simmering water.

Beef of this size cooked very slowly, but the meat inside would be extremely tender. If you extravagantly peeled away the outer layer of meat, leaving two fingers’ thickness behind, what remained inside essentially became like what’s called "low-temperature, slow-cooked" in modern cuisine.

Jiang Fuzhen would occasionally adjust the positions of the beef. He loved inviting people over for meals and enjoyed the process of preparing food on this large scale.

If it were just Jiang Fuzhen and Jiang Yuan eating together, they wouldn’t be able to finish even one of these chunks of beef, let alone a whole pot. Besides, who would they give the discarded two fingers’ thickness of outer layer to? Jiang Fuzhen, who had known hardship, would never indulge in such pure wastefulness.

Even when it came to dogs, Jiang Fuzhen only allowed Jiang Yuan to feed beef to the police dogs. Stray dogs were given only the scraps of the scraps, and that was only when he had enough produce of his own.

However, with enough people, food would be consumed very quickly. Jiang Fuzhen planned to cut two pieces of beef today, one he would not split but cut into large slices— after poaching, it would be served with dipping sauce. The other piece, he would take the core, simply sprinkle salt over it, not even adding pepper, savoring the pure taste of the beef.

The prepared beef could be considered a fully-cooked steak, and high-quality at that, slow-cooked at low temperatures. The only difference from a typical steak was the charred crust on the exterior, which usually appears from grilling or frying at high temperatures, and this Maillard reaction was key to the deliciousness of a steak.

As for this aspect, Jiang Fuzhen didn’t pay much attention. His creation was not meant to be a steak; it just happened to bear a great resemblance to one. Moreover, if someone wanted the experience of eating a steak, pan-searing on a hot cooktop was the easiest step of all.

Besides, the beef cut from the outer ring was also extraordinarily delicious. It absorbed the rich beef broth, and those businesses that injected their meat with hydrating agents and used high-tech processes sought to achieve this same effect.

The Shaanxi-style pork-stuffed buns enjoyed having minced meat stuffed into white flatbreads, drenched with some broth inside, aiming for the same tantalizing effect.

Therefore, the second delicacy Jiang Fuzhen had prepared was the meat-stuffed bun. He decided to use the Shaanxi-style flatbreads but not with sauce-coated meat; instead, he would season the boiled beef and then stuff it inside the bread.

The master chef had also learned his skills in Xi’an— from kneading the dough, allowing it to rise, to shaping and baking it, he did every step independently. It just required waking up a bit early in the morning.

By the time Huang Qiangmin and others arrived at Jiang Yuan’s place, they were already greeted by the rich aroma of beef.

"Wow, your boiled beef smells incredible; even the people next door are being tempted by it," exclaimed Huang Qiangmin, leading the way and offering his praise spontaneously.

Jiang Fuzhen giggled, bashfully replying, "The neighbors across the street did have some complaints, so I bought their place. I’m going to knock through it and renovate soon, turning it into a guest room or maybe a recreation room. You guys can come over to play cards if you want. I should mention, though, I don’t play cards. You can just enjoy yourselves."

Huang Qiangmin paused, "There’s no purchase limit?"

"It’s bought by the company. I’ve almost finished setting it up; it should be ready in a week or two," Jiang Fuzhen explained.

Cui Qishan, who occasionally liked to play cards, rubbed the back of his head, "Well, that’s very generous of you, but we might end up playing through the night and disturb your sleep."

"I can simply sleep upstairs. There are plenty of empty houses in this neighborhood. If you’re tired, just go sleep in the guest room. There’s a housekeeper who comes in the morning to clean up, just like a hotel," Jiang Fuzhen said while inviting everyone to sit down.

Soon, Cui Qishan found himself holding half of a flatbread in his hands.

"Nibble on this to tide you over, eat less, it’s also good for the appetite," Jiang Fuzhen said expertly, smiling warmly, "When we start eating, you can have a few bites of carbs, it won’t take up much space in your stomach."

"Jiang, you’re too kind," Cui Qishan was nearly moved to tears.

"As long as you enjoy the food, that’s good. Take a seat for now, we’ll start the meal in a bit. There’s also fried rice and pasta made by Jiang Yuan. That silly guy focuses on carbs day in and out. It’s quite tasty, just fills you up quickly!" Jiang Fuzhen ushered everyone inside.

The guests from Zhengguang Bureau were not numerous that day, just over twenty people, but the officers from Ningtai were too many, crowding the room.

The guests of honor were the police dog squad, led by Dazhuang.

The Ningtai County police dog squad now had three police dogs with the leading Rottweiler as the oldest resident. The two newest recruits had just started serving: one was a German Shepherd named Er Zhuang, and the other, a Beagle named San Zhuang.

This naming convention was decided upon the squad’s establishment. Back then, the Ningtai County Criminal Police Detachment was too poor to do much more than secure a training ground and build a kennel. When it finally came to keeping dogs, Huang Qiangmin winced at the cost. For several years, there was only Dazhuang in the squad.

Things were different now. The newly arrived Er Zhuang was a top graduate from the police academy, outshining 99% of policemen just by schooling, acquired with strong support from the Shannan Provincial Department.

San Zhuang, the Beagle, had a lower rank, not serving as a dual-purpose combat dog like the Rottweiler or German Shepherd. But as a drug sniffer, its efficiency was outstanding, and its intelligence high, fitting the demands of police departments everywhere, making it an extremely popular choice.