Chapter 463 - 171: One-Size-Fits-All Spicy Rabbit Head

Chapter 463: Chapter 171: One-Size-Fits-All Spicy Rabbit Head

The few people near the kitchen stopped listening to Ling Shuyu altogether. They all turned and walked over to the kitchen to watch.

Su Chen was starting to regret installing this open-plan kitchen... but the renovation plan for the third floor had been provided by the government, so there really wasn’t a better option.

Once the three spices in the wok floated to the surface, Su Chen added the cilantro and scallions to the mix.

"This boss is the real deal. He hasn’t even started cooking for real yet and it already smells so enticing. I have to take notes, I might be able to use this at home."

A young man in the crowd actually pulled out his phone and started recording.

This made the few people standing beside him want to laugh.

"He’s got the right idea!" The rich heiress, Zhang Jiayi, had appeared at some point and chimed in. "I’ve only been working at the company for a few days, but I’ve already learned a few tricks, and now I’m the top chef in my family!"

Everyone turned to look at Zhang Jiayi. The smug satisfaction on her face was impossible to hide.

"Huh? Isn’t that the one-yuan-per-skewer..."

"Shut up!" Zhang Jiayi glared at the person who spoke. "Say that again and I’ll hit you, I swear!"

Pfft...

Although it wasn’t loud, the sound of stifled laughter was still audible.

Dejected, Zhang Jiayi walked away. She had wanted to play it cool and show off a bit, but instead, she’d been recognized.

’Maybe I shouldn’t go home for New Year’s this year.’

She pictured her relatives and elders at the New Year’s Eve dinner, asking her to perform the talent that had won her the "championship."

Zhang Jiayi: (＃￣～￣＃)

After the simple scallion-infused oil was prepared, the chili peppers on the other side were also finished boiling.

There are two methods for making chili oil with these types of dried peppers.

One is to grind them into a powder with various particle sizes, as Su Chen had done in the world championship. The other is to boil them until soft and then make what’s known as pounded chili paste.

Su Chen took a deep breath and glanced at the crowd of customers watching from outside.

"Whatever."

He scooped the boiled peppers out, placed them on a cutting board, and took up a cleaver in each hand.

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD!

"Holy shit! Those knife skills!"

"Did this boss learn from Tang Hao? Is that the Chaotic Cloak Saber Technique? Freaking awesome!"

"His moves look so grand and sweeping, but every single chop lands exactly where it’s supposed to. I have to get a video of this!"

Being watched by a crowd was not a pleasant feeling.

Su Chen’s knife work grew even faster than usual, and he quickly minced the softened peppers into a paste-like substance.

He scooped the scallions, ginger, garlic, and cilantro out of the nearby wok of oil, and simultaneously slid in the pounded chili paste.

"Zhang Li, pack these up. Aunt Fang likes to use them when she makes noodles."

"Okay!" The petite girl carefully packed the fried, slightly yellowed scallions, ginger, garlic, and cilantro into a container. "Is this really good for noodles?"

Su Chen nodded. "Haven’t you heard? Xiaobin gained ten pounds recently."

"Who’s Xiaobin?"

He Shuting, who was standing off to the side, explained, "The last summer temp. He’s Aunt Fang’s son."

As the pounded chili paste sank into the wok, the bubbling subsided and the oil’s surface grew calm. A complex, layered aroma began to rise from it.

It had the fragrance of the scallion-infused oil, but the star of the show was the scent of the chilies. The smell alone was enough to make one’s mouth water.

"Boss, if you added a little of this stuff to noodles, it’d be amazing, right?"

"I bet you could add it to cold-tossed salads, too. It would be amazing!"

"Damn, Boss, why don’t you make a batch of this chili oil to sell? I’d definitely buy it."

"With this stuff, I feel like you could add a bit to the cafeteria food, and BAM, the flavor would be on a whole new level."

He had dealt with nitpicky customers before, but Su Chen had never encountered customers who were such shameless flatterers.

"It’s four o’clock. You can order now," Su Chen said without looking up.

His words were surprisingly effective. The crowd of onlookers instinctively checked their phones, then scattered in an uproar, all of them rushing to surround Old Er and Shi Qi’s kitchen.

Only then did Su Chen breathe a sigh of relief.

"Boss, is what they said true?" the petite girl asked in a hushed tone, her eyes fixed on the red oil in the wok.

"Yeah. If you want some, I’ll set aside some of the chili sediment for you later."

"Really?! That’s great!" Zhang Li quickly went to grab another food-safe container.

In the past, Su Chen would have just thrown this stuff away as kitchen waste. But Aunt Fang thought it was too much of a waste and would often pack these things up to take home and repurpose.

She discovered that although it was something Su Chen didn’t need, it was exceptionally fragrant when used for cooking. After others found out, the "kitchen scraps" from Su Chen’s station had practically become a company perk that employees fought over.

The pounded chili paste in the wok grew more and more fragrant the longer it simmered. As long as the chilies didn’t burn, it would be fine; otherwise, the oil would turn bitter.

Having reached this point, the most critical steps were over.

Meanwhile, Ah Bao had finished prepping all the rabbit heads. He had soaked them in cold water as he worked, drawing out a significant amount of blood.

After dealing with the rabbit heads, Ah Bao washed the pot Su Chen had used to boil the chilies, refilled it with cold water, added scallions, ginger, and white wine, and then submerged all the rabbit heads in the pot.

"But bunnies are so cu—"

Ah Bao cut off Zhang Li’s whining. "You don’t have to eat it, you know."

"I’m definitely not eating it!" Zhang Li said with great seriousness, puffing out her chest.

Leaning against the doorway, He Shuting sighed.

’Oh, little sis... when *this* big sister was puffing out her ample chest and saying the exact same thing, you were still on the other side of the room making coffee for President Ling.’

To stop Zhang Li from talking any more, Su Chen tossed her a pair of gloves.

"Help me strain this."

The finished chili oil had to be strained to remove all the chili solids from the wok. These leftover solids were what Su Chen had called the "sediment."

If she strained it for a slightly shorter time, these solids, still saturated with oil, could be sealed up and taken home as a top-grade chili condiment.