Chapter 289 - 135: The True Meaning of Gourmet Food! A Chance Encounter with a Weight-Loss Training Camp

Chapter 289: Chapter 135: The True Meaning of Gourmet Food! A Chance Encounter with a Weight-Loss Training Camp

The sudden appearance of the Wild Blade Technique gave the people inside the food truck such a fright they barely had time to escape!

After jumping out of the truck, Zhang Li patted her chest. "Jeez, has Boss Su gone crazy? What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?"

"He was probably pissed off by Fang Chang," Zhang the Second said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

’Everything was fine just a moment ago. Why’d he suddenly throw out a piece of beef and just start chopping like a madman?’

Of course, while his movements looked like frantic chopping, each cut landed with pinpoint precision. A partially frozen piece of beef was sliced into pieces as thin as half a coin.

And Su Chen’s powerful, sweeping knife work immediately attracted the attention of several young women from the nearby stalls.

"Quick, look! Whoa!"

"Is that some internet celebrity live-streaming again? He’s got so many staff members, and who cooks in a suit? Other than Xie Tingfeng, I mean!"

"Gotta say, this boss is even hotter than Xie Tingfeng... He’d be even more handsome if he wasn’t butchering that meat so violently!"

"Look at you drooling, haha! It doesn’t really look like a live stream, though. I don’t see any phones. The Delicious food truck? He’s actually selling food on this street?"

At this time of day, the sun was setting, but a dry heat still lingered in the air. People hadn’t yet come out for their evening strolls.

In the north, the temperature plummets the instant the sun sets, the air turning from scorching to crisp and dry. That’s when people, cooped up all day, finally emerge to start their evening activities.

Su Chen divided the beef into two portions.

He was completely oblivious to the chatter from the surrounding stall owners. Since Fang Chang wanted mild beef, Su Chen had to prepare it separately.

However, the marination process was the same for both.

"Boss Su, why are you adding cornstarch?" Zhang the Second asked, watching Su Chen’s movements. "Won’t that make the beef too tender?"

’Tender is good for beef, but it also needs a bit of a chew. If it’s too tender, it can feel like eating chicken breast.’

’Adding cornstarch would make the beef even more tender!’

Su Chen mixed the beef in the bowl with his hands. "It’s because this is a small stove; the flame isn’t that powerful," he explained. "Otherwise, I wouldn’t need to add it."

’As for the reason why, I’ll let Zhang the Second figure that out for himself.’

While the beef marinated, he started prepping the washed vegetables.

This time, Su Chen opted to roll-cut the long peppers into strips. Seeing that Zhang the Second looked like he was about to ask another question, Su Chen paused.

’That’s it!’

’How did I not think of this myself?’

’Could this be one of the reasons for the low rating?’

"Roll-cut strips have a unique property. When you dry-fry them..."

’Dry-fry?’

Su Chen suddenly fell silent.

’It feels like new knowledge is sprouting in my brain again!’

There was a famous, well-known dish from Xiang Province with a preparation method almost identical to Stir-Fried Yellow Beef, but the way the peppers were cooked was slightly different.

Chili-Fried Pork!

For this dish, the peppers must first be dry-fried in the wok. This process draws out as much of their internal fragrance and heat as possible.

But the trade-off is that some of the spiciness is also lost in the process.

Therefore, Chili-Fried Pork is actually only considered moderately spicy.

’So, what if I dry-fry the long peppers beforehand?’

’When you roll-cut long peppers, the cutting style makes it easier to force out their inner heat and fragrance. But because of that very shape, they can’t retain it well.’

’If I do that, the spiciness will naturally be reduced!’

’It’s unlike cutting them into small rings, where the released heat and fragrance are trapped inside the pieces, making them even more aromatic and spicy to eat!’

"I’ll give it a try."

This mild stir-fried beef for Fang Chang was now purely an experiment.

’After all, Fang Chang really pissed me off. Eating an experimental dish is exactly what he deserves!’

He tossed the green and red long peppers directly into an unoiled wok and began to dry-fry them over medium heat, controlling the distance between the wok and the flame to achieve the perfect temperature.

He aimed to keep the peppers constantly heated without scorching their surface.

As he continued to dry-fry them, the peppers in the wok began to release a pungent, choking aroma.

"COUGH, COUGH! Second Brother Zhang, doesn’t this food truck have a range hood?" Liu Shengnan asked, covering her nose and mouth as she retreated a few steps. She only felt better once she found a spot downwind.

Zhang the Second gave Liu Shengnan an odd look. "If we installed a range hood, where exactly were you planning on venting the smoke?"

Liu Shengnan thought for a moment.

’From inside the truck... to outside the truck?’

’That... does sound kind of stupid, doesn’t it?’

’Damn it! I should’ve let Zhang Li ask that question!’

Once the choking aroma had subsided to almost nothing, Su Chen immediately removed the dry-fried peppers from the wok.

He immediately cranked the heat to the maximum!

The stove was small, but so was the wok. In an instant, it was heated to the point of smoking.

He added a ladle of cold oil, swirled it around to coat the surface, and then poured it into an empty oil container nearby.

Once again, he heated the wok until it smoked.

He repeated the process.

Only then did he add a small amount of cold oil before tossing the dry-fried peppers back into the wok.

SIZZLE!

A loud sizzle erupted from the wok. He simultaneously added the pre-chopped ginger and garlic. The peppers were already nearly cooked, so this step was brief; Su Chen quickly tossed in the celery as well.

Over the high heat, with just a few gentle flips of the spatula, the rising oil temperature allowed the ginger and garlic to completely unleash the combined fragrance of the peppers and celery.

He hadn’t even started on the meat yet, but the employees gathered around the food truck were already flaring their nostrils, frantically trying to take in the scent.