Chapter 100 - Eight Treasure Fortune Bag (1/2)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
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.”