Chapter 448 - 168: Deep-Fried Pork Ribs with Rice Cakes, Gone Silent

Chapter 448: Chapter 168: Deep-Fried Pork Ribs with Rice Cakes, Gone Silent

WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

Just as Ah Wu was feeling puzzled, the sound reaching his ears, combined with the scene before his eyes, made him freeze on the spot!

"What in the... Boss Su, what are you doing?"

Su Chen was wielding a cleaver, whacking away at the premium pork ribs on the cutting board.

Judging by his technique, anyone who didn’t know better would think he had a deep-seated grudge against those pork ribs.

"This is mainly to tenderize the meat on the ribs," Su Chen said casually. "Once the fibers are broken down, they absorb flavor more easily."

Ah Wu still didn’t get it. ’I understand the principle, but isn’t your technique a little too wild?’

’Who just smashes them with a cleaver like that?’

Not only that, but after pounding all the pork ribs flat, Su Chen also made short slits along the edges, making exactly three precise cuts for each one!

This severed the sinews within the ribs, ensuring they would keep their shape when deep-fried later instead of curling up.

Meanwhile, in a prepared bowl, a mixture of soy sauce, chopped scallions, cooking wine, and ginger slices was waiting. He added the pounded premium ribs and tossed them until every single one was evenly coated in the sauce.

Once that was done, Su Chen stretched lazily. "My friend, President Feng brought you out to eat. Aren’t you having any?"

For a moment, Ah Wu didn’t understand what Su Chen meant. His mouth hung open, and then he turned his head to look.

’Holy crap!’

A moment ago, there had been three servings of rice noodle rolls at each end of the table. Now, only six completely empty plates remained!

"Boss..." Ah Wu stared at Feng Yaoyang in disbelief. "You ate ten servings of rice noodle rolls?"

Only then did Feng Yaoyang pat his stomach, his face a mask of pure bliss. "Heh, I didn’t even notice while I was eating. Now I’m feeling a bit stuffed. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat the two snacks Boss Su is making today."

Ah Wu’s brain seemed to have crashed, running as slowly as a computer with a virus. After struggling to process everything, he finally managed to ask, "Boss, were those rice noodle rolls really that good?"

What he actually wanted to say was this:

’You brought me here to help taste the food and vet this whole operation, to see if Boss Su’s project is worth investing in.’

’But the first thing you do is wolf down ten servings of rice noodle rolls.’

’Aren’t you just making a fool of yourself?’

’It’s like we’re here to inspect a potential partner’s product. We’re supposed to play it cool, hold back a little, so we have some leverage when it’s time to negotiate the investment.’

’But you come in and you’re all, "This stuff is amazing, totally Level 1, I love it, love it!"’

’How are we supposed to negotiate now?’

Clearly, Feng Yaoyang had no thoughts of investment in his head right now. President Feng only felt that those rice noodle rolls were second to none.

He had traveled all over the Canton region, Hong Kong, and Macau, but he had never eaten such delicious rice noodle rolls!

Especially the texture of the noodle sheets—the smoothness in his mouth was an experience unlike any other.

Hearing Ah Wu’s question, Feng Yaoyang answered frankly, "Delicious. They were truly delicious. Ah Wu, you have to learn from Boss Su. I can’t imagine how I’ll sleep at night once I leave Jingzhou and can’t eat rice noodle rolls this good anymore!"

Ah Wu: "..."

’Learn my ass!’

’Since Boss Su can cook this well, he must have a secret. For one thing, I still can’t figure it out. When the rice slurry flowed into the steamer tray, there was clearly a thick layer of water on top of it.’

’So why the hell did all that water just disappear after a few minutes of steaming?’

’Is he performing a magic trick or something?’

While the two were talking, Su Chen, having finished his stretching, set an iron wok on the stove.

The flame he lit was somewhere between medium and low—not too high, not too low.

He placed a dollop of white lard in the wok. Before it had completely melted, he immediately added a handful of chopped scallions and some fine salt.

Ah Wu desperately tried to memorize the ingredients Su Chen added, silently mouthing the name of each one.

’Rock sugar, crushed into powder. A bit of dark soy sauce for color. A little minced ginger. A splash of cooking wine. MSG? A small amount.’

After watching, Ah Wu silently concluded, ’This is to infuse the lard with flavor and color.’

When the oil was about seventy percent hot, Su Chen added all the ribs. Tiny bubbles immediately formed around the flattened pieces of pork.

Feng Yaoyang frowned as he watched. "Is this how you make Pork Rib Rice Cakes?"

Ah Wu was also unsure. "Hard to say. He is Boss Su, after all."

Hearing their conversation, Su Chen looked up. "Didn’t I tell you? What I’m making today is called Deep-Fried Pork Rib Rice Cakes."

Feng Yaoyang nodded as if he understood perfectly. "I have high blood pressure, so I can’t eat anything this greasy. Besides, my teeth aren’t what they used to be. Pork Rib Rice Cakes are something I haven’t eaten since I was in Shanghai over thirty years ago. I’m full enough from the rice noodle rolls, so I’ll pass on this snack. Ah Wu, you can try it."

Hearing this, Ah Wu’s face lit up. The disappointment of missing out on the rice noodle rolls vanished instantly. "Actually, deep-frying can render more fat out of the ribs, making them less greasy. Of course, that all depends on the chef’s skill."

He said this partly to reassure his boss.

Feng Yaoyang didn’t say anything, just nodding as he and Ah Wu continued to watch the scene in the kitchen.

For some reason, Feng Yaoyang found watching Boss Su cook to be an incredibly pleasant experience.

It was as if Su Chen wasn’t just cooking, but creating a meticulously carved work of art.

The masterful skill he displayed was invigorating to watch, and that was before even considering Su Chen’s personal habits.