I Am A Gourmet: Just Eight And You Want Me To Start A Roadside Stall?

Lu Yuxi went to tell Xu Le about the customers’ requests. She put her hands on her hips and asked, “Someone else said that he took the high-speed rail here in the morning and wanted to try the Wensi tofu soup. Do you plan on serving that dish?”

Xu Le was preparing the ingredients for the Eight Treasure Fortune Bag. When he heard that, he said, “Then, change today’s limited dishes into Eight Treasure Fortune Bag and Steamed Pork Bun. These two dishes are not troublesome to make. If the feedback is good, just add them to the menu.”

“Alright!”

When Lu Yuxi saw that these were the two dishes that she had ordered last night, she was exceptionally happy. She went out to tell the customers about this news, and she even explained to them, “The main reason is because the beans used for the Wensi Tofu need to be soaked a day earlier. Moreover, just making tofu takes half a day. Everyone can’t go back empty-handed, right?”

Many customers agreed reluctantly on Xu Le’s account.

In the kitchen, Li Qing washed his hands and put on his chef’s hat and apron. He looked at the order and said, “Can I start cooking today?”

“Sure. I have something to do on Friday. I hope you can handle the whole store by then.”

“Huh?” Li Qing was a little surprised. His hand that was cutting the meat paused for a moment and he said, “Where are you going?”

“Thailand, Bangkok. I’m participating in a variety show. I hope I can promote some Chinese cuisine.”

Xu Le watched him slice the meat from the corner of his eye and said, “The knife must be fast. Don’t press it down like cutting a cake. Use force to press it down. It should be 90 degrees vertically down. Be nimble.”

“Oh, oh.” Li Qing corrected his actions. He knew Xu Le’s culinary skills very well and was willing to learn from him.

Hence, in front of Xu Le, he restrained his arrogant aura.

“What is today’s limited edition dish?”

“Eight Treasure Fortune Bag and Pork Bun.”

It was not difficult to make the Eight Treasure Fortune Bag, but there were many ingredients that had to be used. Xu Le decided to prepare dozens of portions at once.

He added salt and light soya sauce to season the freshly diced meat and added some wine to remove the meat stench. Finally, some starch was added and mixed evenly, ensuring that the meat was fresh enough for marination.

Xu Le cut the beancurd, bamboo shoots, carrots, celery, and garlic sprouts into tiny cubes. Then, he beat four eggs. After the egg was beaten, he poured the oil into the pan. When it reached 70 to 80 percent heat and steam was produced, he immediately poured the egg inside.

With a sound of “whoosh”, the egg began to expand. Before it completely took shape, he quickly stirred it with his chopsticks. This way, the egg that was stir-fried would be tender and small.

After it was served, he added oil into the pan again.

While Xu Le was heating the oil, he folded the leaves of the garlic sprouts and placed them in the boiling water to boil.

After boiling inside, the leaves of the garlic sprouts became even greener and tougher.

It would then be used for the opening of the fortune bag later.

“Why not use scallions?”

“The taste of scallion is very strong. If some people don’t like scallions, it would taste very bad to them,” Xu Le explained. He looked at him and said, “There’s too much dark soya sauce added. When it is ready, the color will be very dark.”

Li Qing was preparing to make Mapo Tofu Rice when he heard that. He pouted unhappily and said, “The amount that I added wasn’t too different. It’s just a little bit off. It won’t affect anything much.”

“It will have a huge impact on the final taste. The tofu will be slightly salty and the surface will turn black.”

Xu Le gave him a few more pointers, but Li Qing was still stubborn. “Trust me, I’ve also made Mapo Tofu before. It won’t be too bad. If this dish doesn’t work, I’ll eat it myself. I haven’t had breakfast anyway.”

He was the typical type who didn’t give in and wouldn’t learn. Xu Le didn’t get angry. He nodded and said, “Okay, then you can eat by yourself.”

After heating up the oil in the pan, he poured in the meat. As the meat was cut into cubes, it was very easy to cook.

Then, he poured the side ingredients into the pan and stir-fried them. This dish looked simple and homely, but in fact, it tested the chef’s hand sensitivity very much. He needed to cook every side ingredient such that it was not overcooked, yet was still crispy and sweet.

He had to keep an eye on the pot and turn off the fire in time.

He poured the cooked eggs into the pot. While the pan was still warm, he added some seasoning – chicken essence, salt, light soya sauce, dark soya sauce and vinegar…

After the stuffing was done, it was the most crucial step of making the Eight Treasure Fortune Bag. Although it was called a fortune bag, the most important thing was to make the egg skin into the shape of a pocket and then tie it up with garlic sprouts.

Oil started spatting from the frying pan, and he poured the egg in the center of the frying pan, and then shook the pan once. Due to gravity, the egg spread out to form a perfectly round omelet. It was a thin layer, and it was very easy to cook. He flipped the frying pan over a plate and served the stir-fried ingredients.

He pinched the round edges and tied them up with garlic sprouts. It was finally complete.

The fried Mapo Tofu that Li Qing cooked was also done. He covered the rice with it, only to see that it was bright in color. He sprinkled some onions. The fragrant steam was especially alluring.

“You can taste it yourself with a spoon and you’ll know if it’s salty or not,” Xu Le lectured. “You mustn’t mess around with things like seasoning. If you miss even a millimeter of it, you’ll miss by thousands of miles. It’s not a joke. If you want to improve your culinary skills, you have to be precise. It’s good to have a sense of touch, but if you’re overly reliant on it, you might end up putting the cart before the horse.”

Li Qing took a bite and continued to savor it. He frowned slightly and said, “Alright, I’ll eat this myself.”

“Do it again according to the steps just now. Remember, don’t add too much dark soya sauce. Just the right amount will do.”

After Xu Le gave his instructions, he handed over the Eight Treasure Fortune Bag and said, “How about you try one?”

“Okay.”

The thin egg skin was bright yellow. Li Qing opened his mouth wide and stuffed one into his mouth.

The various side ingredients were cooked just right. They were crispy and not too soft. If one chewed carefully, the flavor of bamboo shoots, carrots, beancurd, and celery rushed out and mixed together. It was surprisingly harmonious, and one could taste the freshness and crispness of the various ingredients. The more one chewed, the more fragrant the beancurd became…

“MMhmm.”

Li Qing nodded as he ate. “Delicious!”

“Finish the Mapo Tofu Rice and come over to help spread open the egg skin.” Xu Le glanced at him. “This isn’t difficult. You should be fine, right?”

Before Li Qing could nod, Lu Yuxi appeared out of nowhere and strode over. “I can do it, I can do it! I’ll prepare the egg skins.”

“Go out and collect the cash.”

Xu Le gave her a reproachful look and said, “The Eight Treasure Fortune Bag is ready. Try it first and add it to the menu. We’ll start receiving orders now.”

“Okay.”

Lu Yuxi eagerly picked up an Eight Treasure Fortune Bag and stuffed them into her mouth. The size of the pouches was just right for her to eat one at a time. The ends of the pouches were tied with garlic sprouts, making them look adorable.

The crispiness of the ingredients did not stand out when mixed together. There was also the fragrance of the meat. It was extremely delicious.

She nodded excitedly and said, “This tastes light, fragrant, and nutritious. It’s suitable for both young and old. I definitely have to recommend to those customers who had brought their children along.”

After Lu Yuxi finished eating, she turned around to go to the counter. After taking two steps, she turned back and stuffed two more into her mouth..