Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 240 - 169: Cumin Beef Cubes, Braised Beef Short Ribs (2)

He threw the filet mignon onto the chopping board in front of the two, and just when they thought he would sprinkle black pepper and sea salt, he swiftly cut it in half.

"??????"

"??????"

The squid in their mouths hadn't even been swallowed before this outrageous act shocked them, leaving their jaws dropped on the ground.

"No, huh??"

"This is m9 Angus filet, specially requested for thick cuts, how could it be cut open?"

Not only was it cut in half, but he also divided it into cubes slightly larger than dice at an incredible speed.

With each cut, their expressions became a bit uglier.

The feeling was like breaking spaghetti in front of Italians, or adding pineapple to pizza, equally unbearable.

Previously, they couldn't understand, but now they finally empathized.

The sensation felt like countless tiny ants crawling on their hearts, wanting to scratch but unable to reach.

Luckily, Lin Chen was quick. After cutting the beef cubes, he coated them with starch and tossed them into the oil pan.

"Frying filet mignon??"

Seeing the cooking method, the two finally relaxed a bit.

Fried filet steak is quite popular now, sandwiched between crispy butter bread, with some foie gras sauce and black truffles, it is indeed delicious.

Their eyes swept across the table.

No bread.

No toast.

No truffles.

No foie gras sauce either.

"...?"

They exchanged a glance and gave up on trying to guess the Head Chef's intentions on the spot.

While the steak was bobbing up and down in the oil pan, Lin Chen turned on the stove next to him, heated it on high heat, scooped a little oil from the oil pan to coat the pan, and when it was hot, tossed in the crushed scallions, ginger, garlic, and onion strips to quickly stir-fry for aroma.

Then he poured in a large amount of cleaned dried red chili peppers, tipping his wrist to prevent overheating from burning the chili.

The dried red chili peppers were all cut open, and before long, they became fragrant and crispy, emitting waves of spicy aroma.

He quickly scooped out the filet beef cubes from the oil pan, shook off the excess oil, and flipped them into the stir-fry pan. He sprinkled a bunch of cilantro stems and fried peanuts, a large amount of cumin powder, cumin seeds, chili powder, a hint of sea salt, and chicken essence, and continued to stir-fry quickly.

It doesn't take long; once all the seasonings coat the beef cubes' surface, he could sprinkle a handful of white sesame seeds, turn off the heat, and plate it.

This dish was much more complex in procedure compared to the previous two cold dishes, especially the sight of him single-handedly tossing the huge stir-fry pan left the two astonished.

The image of stir-frying was something they'd certainly seen before, but usually, it was in fried rice restaurants or stalls, where they could witness firsthand a bowl cooked in one pan.

They truly witnessed for the first time such a full pan's stir-fry method.

When the cumin beef cubes that were as large as a basin were placed in front of them, Edward was a bit dumbfounded.

Looking at it, it was all peppers, with barely any beef visible; was this even edible?

"Don't worry, it just looks spicy, but actually there's not much spice. The chili primarily adds aroma," Lin Chen said.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, took out the giant beef rib from the pressure cooker on the side table, ladled half a spoonful of braising soup over it, and sprinkled scallions.

"Here, braised beef rib, your dishes are ready."

"So fast??"

The two hadn't expected that the adjacent pot contained a beef rib prepared ahead, and within just over ten minutes, this Chef had served five consecutive dishes!

The stir-fried beef cubes emanated waves of cumin aroma, accompanied by the distinctive fragrance of cilantro stems and garlic, a flavor neither of them had ever encountered before.

They didn't even know what braising was, but they were sure it was a taste they hadn't tried.

The abundant red chili looked intimidating indeed, so Edward didn't dare try it first, opting instead to fork the beef rib.

To his surprise, with just a gentle pull, the rib meat fell effortlessly off the bone, clearly having been braised to a tender state.

With slight pressure from the fork tip, he could easily separate the rib meat without any need for a knife.

Through the cross-section of the meat, it was apparent that the muscle fibers were infused with shimmering juices, appearing incredibly tender.

The last time he had such tender, juicy beef rib was at a restaurant specializing in smoked roast meat, requiring a two-week reservation to get a taste. That marvelous flavor remained unforgettable to him.

Seeing such tender, juicy beef rib again, though he hadn't tasted it yet, he had already mentally awarded it the highest score of the event.

Seeing his boss already digging into the beef rib, Lamia dutifully extended her fork towards the entire bowl of dried chili.

Being the poison-tester, she was always used to it.

She brushed aside the surface dried chili, revealing the hidden brown beef cubes inside.

The surface of the beef cubes was fried to a crispy state, appearing somewhat dry.

Yet she didn't judge the beef by appearance; the Chef's skills had completely surprised her.

Without hesitation, she forked a piece and put it into her mouth.

"Crunch"

The beef cube's edges had a little of the crispy parts, making it extremely crispy to chew, while the rest was quite alright, akin to beef jerky before it dries.

After breaking the crust, without any warning, a burst of hot juice shot out, causing her to instinctively lean forward.

The action startled Edward, almost making the beef he'd just forked fly out.

"Oh darling, what are you doi… mm?"

Before he finished speaking, Lamia quickly stuffed a beef cube into his mouth, and Edward didn't refuse, his teeth reflexively descending.

"?!"

Seeing their boss also get scalded, the little secretary Lamia giggled contentedly.

Though hot, the beef cubes weren't hot enough to numb the palate, just bearable, yet the suddenly erupting juice led to that instinctive leaning motion.

Recovering from the moment, Edward firmly slapped Lamia's round bottom to punish her prank.

The beef inside his mouth was clearly the medium-rare he liked most, but why did it appear to have the texture of jerky outside, yet still so tender and juicy inside?

Unconvinced, he laid down the fork, unabashedly reached into the chili pile, and grabbed a beef cube to bite.

"Phew"

The juice splattered in his mouth.

Through the bitten cross-section, he could clearly see the interior beef still revealing a charming pink color, surprisingly only the outer circle fried and crispy.

If it had been a whole steak, achieving this doneness was quite easy.

But these were cut beef chunks, simultaneously heated on all six sides in the sizzling hot oil, making doneness control extremely difficult; a few additional seconds could lead to overcooked beef, becoming tough and stringy.

Most astonishingly, despite the countless peppers in the bowl, the beef cubes tasted only mildly spicy, with aromatic flavor far more pronounced. Especially the surface cumin fragments bursting with fragrance upon chewing rendered him irresistibly captivated.

"Delicious, so delicious, I didn't expect filet mignon could be done this way, incredible, truly worthy of a Head Chef!"

Jonathan was also pan-frying steak at the time, and seeing their expressions, actions, and glancing at the sizzling filet in his pan, he couldn't help but feel as though he'd been defeated again.

Why could others think of cutting the filet into cubes for deep-frying and secondary processing, while he could only think of pan-frying?

With equally functioning brains, was there such a vast difference?

Having swiftly finished the beef cubes, Edward disappointedly licked his lips, still probing with his fork in the chili pile, holding onto hope in finding any missed fish.

After rummaging for ages, no beef was found, only many peanuts.

Chef Lin's intention was clear in incorporating these, and Edward, without further thought, scooped them up, prepared to taste the distinct flavor of these peanuts.

"Crunch"

Incomparable crispness, akin to eating potato chips, the concentrated nut fragrance of peanuts bursting in the mouth, subtly fused with traces of meat and cumin aroma.

With every bite, the nutty fragrance grew stronger, wave after wave crashing on his tongue.

Unexpectedly, he felt like the peanuts tasted even better than the beef cubes.