Chapter 68 Presents (1/2)

Chapter 68: Presents

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

With a lot of people at the party, to make a feast that could feed all them Li Du would have to make a big vegetable pot. He had helped part-time in the school cafeteria during university, and was experienced in this field.

He was able to grasp the taste-buds of Americans; Chinese dishes had to be sour, sweet, spicy, and have a unique flavor. He first added a generous serving of sugar and vinegar mixture.

The important points for this dish were that the meat had to be well-marinated, and the sauce had to be seasoned properly. There was not enough time to marinate the meat, so all his efforts had to be poured into the sauce.

He cut up the meat into strips and battered them with flour, and then dipped them into the oil to fry. After it had turned crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, he started to prepare the sauce.

Chinese restaurants in America usually cut corners with this dish, using ketchup to prepare their sauce. Instead, Li Du properly used large, red tomatoes for the sauce, and added in honey, caramel and sugar-vinegar mixture. The final product was a clear, sweet and sour, delectable sauce.

He then began making Mapo Tofu. He made some adjustments to the dish, making it into a soupier version, so that everyone would be able to scoop the tofu up with their spoons. This fit better with the habits of Americans, as it would be difficult to use their forks with the tofu.

He sautéed the garlic and ginger together with the meat, added bean paste and chilli meat sauce for more seasoning, then added the cut tofu, and finally topped it off with the broth. With a last vigorous effort, he completed the large pot of Mapo Tofu.

Ah Meow sat in a chair and meowed; it even clapped its little paws together every now and then like a bright child.

Li Du would not treat his own child shabbily. He took out a slice of fish and fried it. Ah Meow’s eyes brightened, its pupils bright like a pair of pure emeralds.

Dreadlocks guy was leaning at the doorway and watching him cook; he gave a sigh of relief. ”Ten minutes and only two dishes—I’m going to win.”

Hearing his words, Li Du laughed. His actions accelerated, cutting the vegetables at the speed of a sewing machine stitching. Tick tick tack tack sounded across the kitchen—the clear, crisp sounds of his cutting, and another plate of fish was sliced and done in a few seconds.

While he was cooking, he used the bug’s ability to decelerate time. This would kill two birds with one stone; as a form of training and also to speed up his cooking.

The group of people watching at the door only saw the knife flashing and dancing, and the empty plate Li Du was working on would instantly become packed full of food. Stephen said in awe, ”He really knows magic!”

”Look at that fat cat, when did it get a piece of fish?”

Ah Meow was happily feasting on the large piece of fish, its eyes shut in content.

Someone patted Dreadlock Guy’s shoulder and said, ”Clyne, you’re screwed!”

Half an hour went by, and Hans setup the tables and benches in the backyard while Li Du started serving the dishes onto the tables.

Clyne and the others initially thought that he would just make a few simple dishes. They never expected Li Du to make so many extravagant plates.

A teenager beside Stephen exclaimed, ”Hey man, that is your rival? That guy’s too scary, is he a chef?”

”Flagstaff’s treasure hunter, the China Li—you don’t know him? He’s been gaining a lot of traction recently. He’s not a chef; he’s an amazing treasure hunter.”

Clyne said unhappily, ”Sh*t. Why didn’t you warn us about him?”

”I told you he always wins his bets,” Stephen said helplessly.