Chapter 462 - 171: One-Size-Fits-All Mala Rabbit Head

Chapter 462: Chapter 171: One-Size-Fits-All Mala Rabbit Head

Furthermore, the section on Sichuan-style snacks in *Chinese Famous Snacks* was the longest, and it even provided multiple preparation methods for this very dish of spicy rabbit heads.

There was a commercial version, a home-style version, and a restaurant version.

Su Chen, however, had taken the best of all of them and, in his practice room, created an entirely new snack.

"It’s a bit much for one person."

Su Chen glanced outside. Ling Shuyu was still chatting with the customers, while in the two kitchens across the way, Zhang Heping and Shi Qi were busy preparing ingredients for the day’s service.

He turned his head and four legs came into view.

Zhang Li and He Shuting were sitting at a table, cracking sunflower seeds.

"Zhang Li, He Shuting," Su Chen called out. "Come help me."

Hearing his call, the two of them dropped their seeds and happily ran over.

Ever since Delicious had three master chefs, the two of them barely set foot in the kitchen anymore. As a direct result, their opportunities to taste new dishes had become much rarer.

So when they heard Su Chen ask for help, they were actually quite happy.

"Boss, what can I help with?" Zhang Li asked, rolling up her sleeves as she walked into the kitchen.

"You can help by going to call Liu Ahbao."

Zhang Li: ???

’I thought you wanted my help in the kitchen?’

With a little "oh," she went upstairs to find Liu Ahbao, looking slightly disappointed.

It wasn’t that Su Chen didn’t want to give them a chance. But when he had a master chef available, it would be needlessly difficult to use an amateur like Zhang Li.

Before long, Ah Bao arrived, dressed in his large, loose-fitting chef’s uniform and hat.

"Prep the rabbit heads. Soak them in water to clean out the trachea and lymph nodes, then blanch them with scallion, ginger, and white wine."

"Whoa! We’re having rabbit heads today?"

After all, Ah Bao’s secondary specialty was Sichuan cuisine, so he was quite proficient with this sort of thing. He filled a large basin with cold water and tipped in all the rabbit heads.

Su Chen grunted in affirmation. "These are for the customers first. We’ll eat the leftovers."

This was because braised dishes, especially Sichuan-style ones, had a particular characteristic.

They were actually easier to make in large quantities. Trying to cook just a dozen or so rabbit heads at once was surprisingly tricky.

Conversely, it was much easier to season them properly when making a hundred at a time.

While Ah Bao handled the ingredients, Su Chen began to take charge of the most crucial step: creating the seasoning.

"Boss, what chilies are we using today?" Ah Bao asked, his eyes glued to Su Chen the entire time he worked on the rabbit heads.

Working as Su Chen’s sous chef was the best opportunity to improve his own skills.

"Today, we’re using ghost peppers, bullet head chilies, and Erjingtiao peppers."

"Whoa!" Ah Bao’s hands faltered for a second. "Are you going for the most authentic *mala* flavor?"

Ah Bao knew this because they had made Sichuan dishes a few times before.

Su Chen was always very reserved with his seasoning and usually avoided ingredients like ghost peppers.

The ghost pepper was one of the hottest chilies out there. In this combination of three, the ghost pepper’s role was to add heat.

The bullet head chilies were just for aroma, while the Erjingtiao peppers were actually for color, meant to make the infused oil a deeper shade of red.

Before, Su Chen had always used Erjingtiao peppers to add spiciness... Now that he was using ghost peppers, Ah Bao doubted the customers in Jingzhou would be able to handle it.

"I wouldn’t call it authentic," Su Chen said, pouring the three types of chilies into the pot in a 1:1:1 ratio. "It’s just a standard *mala*."

In other words, both the numbing and the spicy elements were well within standard limits, not skewed to highlight one flavor over the other for the sake of personal taste.

It was a bit like the "one size fits all" of clothing.

He put the three types of chilies into a pot of hot water. The water came to a boil shortly after he turned on the heat. Su Chen then lowered the flame to a simmer and decisively added a large amount of red peppercorns and Qing peppercorns.

Liu Ahbao watched, dumbfounded.

’Holy crap,’ he thought. ’With all that stuff in there, I can eat one of these rabbit heads at most. Any more would be an insult to my own asshole!’

If he had only added red peppercorns, the flavor would be richer, and the numbing sensation would be fleeting.

But by adding the Qing peppercorns...

...that numbing sensation would linger on the tongue, leaving one wanting more.

While the chilies were simmering, Su Chen didn’t stand idle.

He fired up another burner and started heating oil in a wok. This time, Su Chen chose salad oil instead of rapeseed oil.

While the oil was heating up, Su Chen sliced ginger, onion, and scallions. He even took a moment to wash a large handful of cilantro.

’The boss is getting more and more efficient in the kitchen...’

Watching this sequence of actions, even Ah Bao couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of admiration.

The more years one had spent immersed in a kitchen, the better they could understand just how formidable Su Chen was.

Even when making a single dish, Su Chen never followed a linear sequence. Instead, he wove all the tasks together.

This seemingly unremarkable technique drastically reduced the cooking time, allowing the ingredients to remain at their peak freshness.

This was incredibly difficult for an ordinary person, who would easily forget a step if they tried to multitask.

Su Chen, however, was perfectly methodical, as if it all came to him effortlessly.

Only Su Chen himself knew the truth of the matter.

This was the result of practicing tens of thousands of times in his training room...

It was no exaggeration to say that when Su Chen cooked, he hardly had to think. It was all purely muscle memory.

When the oil was about half-heated, he tossed in the freshly chopped scallions, garlic, and onions. It had to be said—scallions, ginger, and garlic were simply magical!

The moment they were given a Blast in the hot oil, a fragrant aroma immediately wafted out, causing the few customers gathered around Ling Shuyu outside to sniff appreciatively.