Chapter 55: Chef David's Signature?
She took a small bite, and with a "crack," the crispy chicken skin split open, revealing tender and juicy chicken meat inside. The juices instantly burst in her mouth.
"Delicious!" Cui Lan's eyes lit up. She quickly finished the chicken wing and couldn't help but praise, "The seasoning is delicious, and the frying is just right."
"I'm glad you like it, I'll buy it for you again next time." Fatty Miao smiled ingratiatingly.
"Hmph, which one? I don't know this store exists." Cui Lan looked at Fatty Miao suspiciously, still harboring some doubts.
"Ahem, it's newly opened. Newly opened. Wang Wei said the new ones are delicious, so we went to eat there together," Fatty Miao replied vaguely.
"Stop running around with me. Tell me clearly which restaurant it is, and I'll take my best friend to eat there. We should share good food with them; maybe they can make other delicious dishes too," Cui Lan persisted.
"Ahem." Fatty Miao looked around, his eyes darting around, and said, "It's just a small shop, nothing special. The environment isn't great either, so you shouldn't go, lest it spoil your afternoon tea mood."
"The environment isn't great, but the takeout box you brought back is quite exquisite." Cui Lan took the takeout box handed to her by Fatty Miao. Upon closer inspection, she saw a small label on the back of the transparent box, clearly printed with "Golden Brilliance," along with a phone number and address.
"Fatty Miao, are you trying to get yourself killed? You want to go to a KTV and buy me chicken wings?" Cui Lan's face turned red with anger. She threw the chicken wings aside, picked up a feather duster, and charged at Fatty Miao menacingly.
"Damn it, I didn't see it!" Fatty Miao turned pale with fright, turned and ran, shouting as he ran, "Wife, let me explain!"
...
Meanwhile, the night was deep, and the KTV was brightly lit. Su Yingxue was busy in the kitchen when she suddenly heard footsteps. Looking up, she saw that the chef for the evening had arrived.
David wasn't actually a foreigner; his name was Wei Guangsheng, a tall, stout middle-aged chef, easily over 1.8 meters tall. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he gave Su Yingxue a disdainful look and said sarcastically, "Female chef? The kitchen doesn't welcome female chefs?"
Su Yingxue looked up at Wei Guangsheng. He was tall and stout, holding an oil jug, and had an arrogant expression on his face. Wei Guangsheng sized Su Yingxue up and down, then said, "What have you been doing all afternoon? You've used up a whole bottle of oil?"
Just then, Meng Cong burst in like a gust of wind. Seeing Wei Guangsheng's suspicious look, he couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Haha, David, you're going to lose your job. This Xiao Su's cooking is way better than yours!"
"Her?" Wei Guangsheng glanced at Su Yingxue with disdain.
"Our fried chicken orders have been booming all afternoon, even better than the past few days. And she fries them better than you!" Meng Cong continued excitedly, "Sister Chen just praised her. What are you going to do?"
"Are you here to stab me in the back, or to take some snacks?" Su Yingxue calmly retorted, a hint of displeasure in her eyes.
Meng Cong chuckled awkwardly, scratched his head, and said, "Hehehe, Sister Chen said you two should get along well. I'm here to get the fried chicken."
As Wei Guangsheng was pondering this, suddenly, the back-end system spam out another order. "Braised pork rice?"
Wei Guangsheng looked at Su Yingxue, chuckled, and said, "Little girl, help me out. I'll show you my unique skill."
Wei Guangsheng was wearing an apron. He had already braised the meat. When he lifted the lid, an incredibly rich aroma of braised meat immediately wafted out—the pork belly trembled slightly in the dark brown broth, its skin glistening with oil, and the egg whites of the braised eggs were covered with fine cracks, like the ice patterns on old porcelain.
He gently scooped out the meat and eggs with a long spoon and placed them on a plate to let them continue to absorb the flavors while still warm. The broth in the pot was still simmering, so he turned the heat down to low and stirred it slowly with a spoon to thicken the broth and make it darker and brighter in color.
Steaming hot white rice was already prepared by the stove. He scooped up a large spoonful of braised pork and spread it, meat and sauce, on top of the rice, the aroma of meat and rice instantly blending together.
Next, he went to find the braised eggs, only to discover that Su Yingxue had already picked them up and cut them. Her knife skills were excellent. Neat and tidy. The golden yolks were slightly runny. He carefully placed half an egg next to the meat.
Finally, he grabbed a handful of diced pickled cucumbers from a small dish next to him and sprinkled them on the rice. The bright green color instantly brought the whole bowl of braised pork rice to life.
The pickled cucumber cubes were also prepared and diced by Su Yingxue.
Chef Wei stepped back and nodded in satisfaction: "This is what makes a bowl of braised pork rice with soul."
Su Yingxue looked at the bowl of braised pork rice. It looked pretty good. "How about I add a spoonful of broth?"
Chef Wei nodded. He then poured another small spoonful of braising sauce over the rice. The brown braised pork was paired with bright green cucumber cubes and a golden braised egg. At the bottom was pure white rice.
Looks pretty good. Su Yingxue nodded. She's got some skills.
Chef Wei chuckled as he looked at Su Yingxue's serious expression. "You little girl, you're about the same age as my daughter. Why did you become a chef? Being a chef is too tiring."
"I'll make whatever I want to eat," Su Yingxue replied simply, only to find that another order had arrived.
This time I'll order some fried chicken wings as a snack.
"Here, it's in the fridge. Go fry it." Wei Guangsheng usually oversees the open-flame stove. Fried snacks like this are usually handled by Su Yingxue.
Su Yingxue calmly went to fry the chicken wings. Picking them up, she realized there were only two packs left. Alright. Time to restock.
"Empty? I remember we just restocked several packs of this a couple of days ago. Why are fried chicken wings selling so well these days?" Wei Guangsheng looked at the chicken wings in the refrigerator with some suspicion.
"Including this one, we've sold 16 today," Su Yingxue said nonstop, continuing to fry chicken wings.
The kitchen light flickered, and from time to time, the music videos of old songs could be heard playing from the next private room. Su Yingxue rolled up her sleeves, plugged in the power cord, and poured in the oil, her movements swift and efficient.
She had marinated the chicken wings in advance, mixing them with soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, and a little chili powder, then putting them in a sealed bag and storing them in the refrigerator. Now, when she took them out, the chicken wings had a glossy surface and emitted a faint sweet aroma.
Once the oil was hot, she carefully used chopsticks to place the chicken wings one by one into the pot. The oil immediately sizzled and danced to the rhythm of the music. She occasionally turned the chicken wings with the tongs to prevent them from burning, and she also half-covered the pot lid, allowing the heat and aroma to slowly fill the entire kitchen.
Once the chicken wings turned golden brown and the skin was crispy, she turned off the heat, used a slotted spoon to scoop them out, placed them on a plate lined with absorbent paper, and sprinkled them with a little salt and pepper. She then drizzled on some honey sauce. The freshly cooked chicken wings were steaming hot and incredibly fragrant, prompting her friend next door, who was singing, to immediately stop, exclaiming, "What's that smell? It smells so good!"
Wei Guangsheng looked at the fried chicken wings in front of him and couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "You've got some skills, young lady!"
Su Yingxue made a witty remark: "So-so, third in the world. I still need to learn more from my master."
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