Chapter 443 - 166: Of Course, Rice Noodle Rolls Must Be Made Fresh

Chapter 443: Chapter 166: Of Course, Rice Noodle Rolls Must Be Made Fresh

’Spent a hundred thousand yuan just to eat in this kind of environment?’

’I’m not saying it has to be fancy, but they could at least give us a private room!’

"It’s fine. They’re just snacks. The more people, the livelier it is, and the better the food tastes! Besides, I’m curious to see how these folks react when Boss Su makes the snacks himself. Let’s go!"

The two men strode over to the window of Su Chen’s kitchen, and Feng Yaoyang greeted the person inside with a cheerful smile.

"Boss Su? Hello there!"

Su Chen tossed the sunflower seed shells into the trash can. "Hello, President Feng. Would you like to eat now, or would you prefer to try some of our home-style dishes first?"

Feng Yaoyang glanced around. "I would love to try them. I was once almost scammed out of fifty yuan by someone who tried to get me into a group just to eat a meal you cooked. But since these are snacks made by Boss Su himself, I’ll have to try these first, of course."

Su Chen nodded. "Then please have a seat, you two. Our snacks are made to order, so it will be just a moment."

Feng Yaoyang nodded, but instead of finding a seat, he simply stood by the kitchen window and watched.

Ah Wu, however, asked curiously, "Boss Su, what three snacks have you prepared for today?"

Su Chen focused on his work. "Rice noodle rolls, pork ribs with rice cakes, and duck blood and vermicelli soup."

"Whoa!" Feng Yaoyang clapped his hands and exclaimed. "I have a favorite place for rice noodle rolls in Guangzhou. Whenever I’m in the area, no matter how busy I am, I absolutely have to stop by for a plate."

Su Chen just smiled and said nothing.

Feng Yaoyang seemed to sink into his memories. "I remember the first time I went to Shanghai in the nineties. After a business meeting, I had a lot to drink. Later, in a small restaurant downstairs from my hotel, I had pork ribs with rice cakes for the first time in my life. Haha!"

"Time flies! Thirty years have passed. I’m afraid my teeth aren’t strong enough for pork ribs with rice cakes anymore!"

Su Chen merely glanced up politely, offered a smile, and remained silent.

He felt there was a hidden meaning behind the Hong Kong businessman’s words.

Su Chen couldn’t quite figure out what he meant, but he was certain the man wasn’t just making small talk.

As for the middle-aged man standing beside him, Su Chen, with a sense of smell honed by his time at Peak of Flavor, could detect a faint aroma of egg and garlic on him.

More than likely, he was President Feng’s personal chef.

’Bringing a chef along to a meal... what could that mean?’

Su Chen turned around and stuck a bandage on his nose.

’In that case, don’t blame me for going all out!’

The early-season rice had been soaked for an hour, allowing it to absorb just the right amount of water. He then added more water to it in a high-speed blender and blended it into a fine, smooth slurry.

After pouring it out, he added a bit of vegetable oil and cool water to the rice slurry.

This was Su Chen’s rice slurry—simple to the extreme.

Seeing that Su Chen performed no other steps, Ah Wu’s brow furrowed slightly.

’Is Boss Su’s method for making rice noodle rolls always this slapdash?’

’Could it be that his reputation is all hype? Perhaps Boss Su isn’t proficient in making Cantonese-style dishes?’

Feng Yaoyang hadn’t been lying about one thing.

He really did have a favorite place in Guangzhou for rice noodle rolls, and he often took Ah Wu with him.

After a few visits, Ah Wu was able to perfectly replicate their rice noodle rolls. In fact, he even made some improvements, and his version tasted even better than the restaurant’s!

For example, in the step of preparing the rice slurry, Ah Wu would now add some tapioca starch.

Tapioca starch has a unique property: the paste it forms after steaming is clear and transparent, and it has no flavor of its own.

So, when added to the rice slurry, the steamed rice noodle rolls appear more beautiful. It gives them a visually springy texture and a translucent quality.

If one didn’t add tapioca starch... just as Ah Wu expected, when Su Chen scooped up the slurry with a ladle and poured it back into the bowl, it didn’t coat the ladle at all.

’A subpar product, just as I thought. Sigh.’

Ah Wu was already starting to feel disappointed.

But when Su Chen brought out the tool for making the rice noodle rolls, Ah Wu suddenly froze. He couldn’t even stop himself from speaking up!

"Boss, that steamer of yours..."

What he wanted to say was, ’Isn’t that steamer a bit too big?’

Generally, one would use a standard ladle, pour in a scoop along the edge of the steamer tray, and then with a quick pull and push, tilt it upright!

The rice slurry would then spread evenly across the steamer tray.

In the end, no matter what ingredients were added, you would use two scrapers to push inward from the middle, roll it up, chop it twice, trim the edges, and it would be perfect for plating.

But the drawer Boss Su had in front of him...

It was damn near twice the size of a normal one!

Even Su Chen, who was over six feet tall, could barely grasp both sides of the steamer with his arms fully outstretched!

’Isn’t this thing a little too damn big?’

Ah Wu was dumbfounded.

’How did I suddenly lose the plot?’