Chapter 114 (1/2)

Chapter 114: Diversified Ways of Cooking

“Enjoy your meal, please,” Yuan Zhou said lightly.

“Boss Yuan, you are so experienced and knowledgeable and even able to make this. Please provide us with two cups of Watermelon Juice as well.” Zhuang Xinmu was quite familiar with the food of Fried Rice Patties, which was better to be eaten with broth. If not, it would stick to the throat due to its excessive dryness.

“Ok, one moment, please,” Yuan Zhou answered with a nod.

Yuan Zhou took out two watermelons from the cabinet and prepared to extract the juice.

“Mu Mu, so this is the Fried Rice Patties, right? It looks like the glutinous rice cake,” while poking the golden yellow Fried Rice Patties on the plate, Wu Zhou asked in curiosity.

“They are different. This food is made of rice and has a different taste. Savor it yourself.” Knowing that Wu Zhou hadn’t eaten that before, Zhuang Xinmu explained carefully.

“Everything Mu Mu says is right. I’m gonna eat now.” Only after complimenting Zhuang Xinmu first did Wu Zhou turn his head and prepare to savor it.

The Fried Rice Patties cooked by Yuan Zhou were approximately the same size as to those sold outside but its appearance was much better.

Nevertheless, this dish cooked by Yuan Zhou didn’t have any fragrance.

Wu Zhou picked up one of the patties and stuffed it directly into his mouth before giving it a bite.

With a sound of “Ka Cha”, he bit off one piece and then found that only the outer layer may be yellowish and crisp but the inside of the patties was actually tender and white, soft and tasty, with also a bit of viscosity that came from the rice.

After careful observation, he further discovered the yellowish and the white both existed on one rice grain.

Half the rice grain was in golden yellow and the other half was in tender white. Plus the slightly salty taste inside blended together with the typical fragrance of rice, it brought about a special texture, crisp, soft and tender.

“Pia Pia”

A strange sound came from inside his mouth. Wu Zhou couldn’t help taking another bite with a bigger mouthful this time. One could taste a clearer texture and even the moisture that emitted from the rice, making the food free of any underlying dryness.

One bite after another, the Fried Rice Patties were soon eaten up by Wu Zhou.

“Mu Mu, you are so amazing. The rice is so delicious and tasty after being cooked this way,” Wu Zhou swallowed the last mouthful and said in admiration.

Zhuang Xinmu, nevertheless, had no time to answer him at that time. She only responded vaguely with a sound of “Oh” and was immersed in eating without caring about her ladylike appearance.

Actually, Wu Zhou just felt the patties were merely delicious. Since every dish in Yuan Zhou’s restaurant was pretty delicious, he felt it quite natural for the Fried Rice Patties to taste so good.

But it was different for Zhuang Xinmu. She often ate the homemade Fried Rice Patties at home, thus had a deeper understanding of it.

The Fried Rice Patties were essentially a kind of snack. Making it was of some difficulties, yet not too much. Originally, it required soybean milk to be eaten with as it was fairly greasy and too dry if eaten separately.

Those cooked by Yuan Zhou, nevertheless, didn’t have all these defects.

First, every rice grain had absorbed sufficient moisture which was released along with the intrinsic fragrance of rice when they were chewed, and thus gave it the perfect texture. As for grease, there was none on the chopsticks and the plate.

The swift movements when the Fried Rice Patties were scooped up ensured that there wasn’t any superfluous grease over them, only leaving the aroma and crispness after frying.

This aroma and crispness were all wrapped inside the golden yellow outer layer. As a result, the finished Fried Rice Patties didn’t emit any fragrance.

“Boss, have you ever been to the area south of the Yangtze River?” Zhuang Xinmu couldn’t help asking.

“No, never,” Yuan Zhou answered decisively.

Zhuang Xinmu was greatly astounded in her heart. How did he manage to cook this food that tasted even better than those cooked by the natives if he hadn’t been there before? That was really inconceivable.

“If I had known the taste of the patties, we should have ordered something else rather than watermelon juice.” Zhuang Xinmu regretted slightly. Two servings of patties and watermelon juice cost them on average 200 RMB per person and naturally, they were unlikely to continue ordering other dishes now.

“Never mind. Mu Mu, just order another serving if you like eating,” Wu Zhou knew his girlfriend best, hence immediately said to her considerately.

“No. We can wait until we come next time to order other dishes.” Zhuang Xinmu refused him flatly. Seeing Wu Zhou get a little wounded, she continued saying in a soft and low voice, “The next time we come will be a date.”