Braised pork? My kitchen disaster scene

Honestly, I wanted to make this dish purely because my brain was pumping. Last week, I watched the video and saw the Sichuan chef cutting the pork belly squarely, stir-frying it in a pot, sizzling with oil, and the color was as red as a gem. I was like, I can do it too. I really think I can do it too. After all, isn't it just meat with sugar and soy sauce? How difficult can it be?

The pain point is coming. My kitchen now smells like the scene of a chemical experiment accident. Not the good smell of spices, but the kind of ...... The caramel is burnt and mixed with the taste of despair. I wanted to replicate the "melt-in-your-mouth" fairy taste, but I almost made the smoke alarm go off. Neighbors may think I'm burning houses. Actually, I just wanted to make dinner.

Here's the thing.

The reason is simple. I saw someone in a food group posting a photo of braised pork with the caption that it was "Sichuan home-cooked food". I am a Brazilian who has lived in Canada for 8 years. My understanding of Sichuan cuisine is still stuck in the word "spicy". But I miss that rich, gooey sauce wrapped in meat too much. Missing home? No, I'm just greedy. I want to challenge myself. Usually I just fry a steak or cook a pasta. This time, I'm going to make a big one.

The challenge? Oh, and don't mention it.

I made a super typical mistake. The kind of mistake that only novices make, making people want to travel back and slap themselves.

The recipe says "fried sugar color". I thought, isn't it just stir-frying sugar? Simple. I poured half a cup of sugar into the pot and turned on high heat. Then I'll go get a reply. About 30 seconds. Really, just reply "Okay, see you tomorrow".

Wait for me to turn back.

Black smoke. A pot full of black charcoal.

Not golden syrup, but a pot of black asphalt.

"It's over." That was the only thought in my head.

Wait, there seems to be a siren outside the window? Forget it. My meat is still waiting on the chopping board.

I panicked. Completely panicked. My hands were shaking. I wanted to wash the pot again, but I didn't have enough time and my stomach was gurgling with hunger. The bitter taste rushed to my head. I wanted to cry. Really.

At this time, my cat jumped on the cooking table. It smelled the pot of black charcoal, sneezed in disgust, and then knocked down the cooking wine next to it with one paw.

The bottle is not broken, but the cap is loose.

A flash of inspiration.

I remember watching an old video before, saying that if the sugar color is bitter, you can add some high wine or vinegar to neutralize it? I'm not sure. But I don't have a choice.

I grabbed the bottle of cooking wine, didn't measure it, and poured it straight into it. Sizzle. White smoke rose. I choked on tears.

"Ahem cough...... Damn! ”

I coughed and hurriedly threw the cut pork belly in. Forget it, the dead horse is a living horse doctor. Then pour soy sauce, pour water, throw ginger slices, and throw green onions. I also grabbed a handful of dried chili peppers, thinking that Sichuan cuisine can cover up all mistakes anyway.

The sound in the pot changed from "sizzling" to "gurgling".

I stared at the black pot, my heart going up and down.

Cooking is never a perfect chemical formula, but an impromptu jazz dance with chaos.

In order to sort out my operation just now, I roughly made a table to see what the hell I had added:

You see, it's a complete mess.

But I didn't give up. I found a spoon and took a sip of the soup.

Bitter.

Very bitter.

It's also a bit spicy, so spicy that my tongue is numb.

"It's over, I can only order takeout tonight." I thought.

But wait. Behind that bitterness, there seems to be a hint of ...... Back to that? Is it the mellow aroma of cooking wine? Or did the aroma of chili suppress the bitterness?

I tasted another piece of meat.

The skin is a little hard because the fire is too strong. But the fat inside ...... It actually melted. The fat mixed with caramel (although overburnt caramel) and soy sauce burst in your mouth.

It's a bit strange.

But delicious.

It's really delicious.

Not the authentic Sichuan braised pork. The authentic one should be salty, sweet and palatable, and bright red. This is my "dark system" braised pork. The color is black, the taste is slightly bitter and spicy, and there is a bit of wine.

But that's where it is.

I think of my grandmother in São Paulo. She never cooks according to recipes. She often said, "The taste is right." ”

This time, the taste was actually right.

I learned a few things along the way. Or rather, my body remembers these things:

• Never trust your memory, especially when dealing with sugar. Mobile phones are more important than meat? No, meat is 10,000 times more important than a mobile phone. Next time, throw your phone out of the kitchen.
• Mistakes are sometimes the source of flavor. If I hadn't stir-fried the pot of sugar and poured so much cooking wine in a panic, this pot of meat might have been ordinary. It is these accidents that give it a unique character.
• The essence of cooking is adventure. You can't succeed every time. But as long as you dare to taste and adjust, you can always find a way out.

In today's kitchens, a complex aroma fills the air. There is a meaty aroma, a burnt aroma, and a faint taste of wine.

My cat is back, it's wandering by the pot, meowing. It seems that it smelled it too.

This experience taught me that we don't need to be perfect chefs. We just need to be happy diners. Even if the process is messy, even if it almost triggers a fire, as long as the last bite can make you squint, it is worth it.

I want to say to you: Don't be afraid to mess up. Really. Go try that dish you have never dared to make. Even if it is made into a dark dish, it is still your dark dish. Who knows, it will become your signature dish?

Okay, I'm going to serve the meal.

Wait, did I forget to turn off the small fire?

The soup in the pot seems to be missing again.

Forget it, so be it.

A little charred is more fragrant.

I'm going to get the biggest pair of chopsticks.

also, Who has milk?

I felt like I needed to take a sip.

Or two.

The light of the range hood seemed to be flashing.

Forget it.

Let's eat.