I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 515 - 258: Home-style Soy Sauce Chicken Recipe! Shen Guofu: Who Really Has the Final Say in This House? [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_3
"Chef Xie, all is ready."
Xie Baomin lifted the lid of the pot, releasing a wonderfully savory aroma; the reddish chunks of meat looked tantalizing.
But it wasn’t time to eat just yet—they needed to keep simmering, as the meat would taste even better once it was tender enough to fall off the bone.
He poured the yams, cut into chunks, into the pot, stirring and mixing them with the chunks of meat, then covered the pot again to continue simmering.
「Forty minutes later.」
After work, Han Shuzhen was tasting the fruit vinegar Shu Yun had offered in the ground-floor lobby, just as the soft-shelled turtle and chicken dish upstairs was likely ready to come out of the pot.
Xie Baomin added some green and red peppers to the pot and stir-fried on high heat for ten seconds.
This was done not only to thicken the sauce in the pot but also to blanch the peppers used for garnishing.
During the frying process, the fresh and spicy flavor of the peppers would transfer to the meat, giving the dish a light and refreshing taste.
Soon, the peppers were blanched. The black fungus, added ten minutes earlier, was fully cooked. As for the yams, the iron stick yams had now absorbed the meat broth, their original white color turning into the reddish hue of the soft-shelled turtle and chicken pieces.
After drizzling some Sesame Oil, it was time to dish out.
Before turning off the heat, he used chopsticks to pick out the soft-shelled turtle’s shell, limbs, and head.
He plated the dish, arranging the head and limbs, and finally placed the quartered turtle shell on top. This braised version, dubbed "The Hegemon-King Bids Farewell to His Concubine," was now complete.
"Hmm, this fruit vinegar tastes really good."
A cup of sweet and sour fruit vinegar went down, and Han Shuzhen felt her fatigue from work dissipate substantially.
Shu Yun took her finished cup and said with a smile, "There’s still plenty of fruit vinegar left. Why don’t you take a big jar with you when you leave later? Mr. Lin said he’s going to stuff some more in a few days."
Stuff some more?
That would be wonderful, perfect for letting her old girlfriends try this beautifying and complexion-enhancing fruit vinegar, and incidentally bring in some high-end customers for the store.
While they were speaking, Lin Hongqi and his wife, along with Shen Guofu and his daughter, arrived at the restaurant.
"Shuzhen, your shift is over. You look even better than last time," Chen Meijuan greeted Han Shuzhen as soon as she entered.
Han Shuzhen replied with a smile, "I just had a cup of fruit vinegar, and it tasted so good. It really refreshed me; Xu’s cooking skills are truly all-encompassing."
Shen Baobao pouted, "Always praising your son-in-law and not your daughter. I was thinking of making a steamed egg dish, but now you’ve missed out on it, Director Han."
Han Shuzhen looked at her daughter and said, "I heard the dipping sauce for the aspic was too salty?"
Shen Jiayue: "..."
The steamed eggs for tomorrow were also out.
Shen Guofu glanced at the message on his phone and said, "Come on, let’s go upstairs to eat. The soft-shelled turtle with chicken is ready, and the turtle soup will be done in just over ten minutes. Shall we go wait in the private room?"
His most anticipated dishes were already prepared.
Now he was just waiting for all the dishes to be served so he could share a drink with his son-in-law’s father, Lin Hongqi.
On the way upstairs, Han Shuzhen quietly asked her daughter, "Are steamed eggs and aspic easy to learn?"
"They’re okay, I guess. Maybe because I graduated from Central Finance, I don’t find them hard, but some from Fudan may need the teacher to explain it a few more times... Why do you ask? Do you want to learn too?"
"Isn’t it your grandmother’s birthday in a couple of months? I haven’t cooked for her much over the years, so if it’s easy to learn..."
As she talked about these things, Director Han couldn’t help feeling a sense of guilt towards her parents.
However, just as her guilt began to surface, her daughter ruthlessly interrupted her, "It’s probably because Grandma thought it tasted bad, right? I heard that when you and Dad were about to get married, to avoid eating what you cooked, Grandma voluntarily gave up her vacation to work overtime at Xiehe, and she even got praised for it... Ouch, I was wrong, Mom. Shall I teach you tomorrow?"
After receiving a slap on the back, Shen Baobao immediately cozied up to her mother’s arm.
Han Shuzhen let out a light laugh, her heart filled with sentiment.
How time flew! She remembered being under twenty when she was secretly dating Shen, and now her daughter was already in her twenties.
Since there were many people today, they didn’t dine in the second-floor booth area but went to a private room with a table for ten on the third floor.
In the private room, some cold dishes were already laid out.
In the center of the table stood two bottles of aged Luzhou Liquor, Lin Hongqi’s favorite.
「In the kitchen.」
The Soy Sauce Chicken that had just been taken out of the pot had skin that was reddish and shiny all over, giving off a strong, rich fragrance of Soy Sauce.
Guo Xinghai, with a cleaver in hand, chopped the whole chicken swiftly and precisely. While cutting it into pieces, he also removed any excess fat and lymphatic tissue from beneath the skin to make the meat as clean and tidy as possible.
After placing the chicken on a plate, he handed it to the waiter to serve.
Not long after, the stew pots from the steam cabinet were also brought out.
Lifting the lid revealed that the previously clear spring water had now become a thick soup. It exuded a fragrance that combined the savoriness of meat with the aroma of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs.
Xie Baomin took a deep breath, "Mmm, that smells really good. I’ll have to have a couple more bowls later."
With all the dishes ready, everyone went upstairs to dine together.
Upon reaching the private room and sitting down, Lin Hongqi opened a bottle of Liquor, filled everyone’s glasses, and then raised his toast, saying, "Thank you all for looking after my son, Lin Xu. I’ll finish this glass, and you can drink at your leisure."
After speaking, he drained his glass in one gulp.
His son’s great achievements could not have come without the help of these people around him. As parents, the least they could do was express their gratitude as much as possible.
Everyone raised their glasses and emptied the Liquor, then began to eat.
Shen Baobao picked up one of the Chicken Feet and gave it to Han Shuzhen, "Mom, eat this. It’s rich in collagen, great for beauty and complexion, more effective than beauty injections."
Han Shuzhen had a smile on her face.
Although her daughter was a bit naughty, her filial piety was still there.
She had just taken a bite of the chicken foot when she saw her daughter placing a piece of the turtle’s calipash in Chen Meijuan’s bowl, "Mom, this piece of calipash is for you. Taste it, this is an Eight Treasures delicacy! So rare!"
Han Shuzhen: "..."
More caring to your mother-in-law than to your own mother, you really are my dear daughter, aren’t you!
As she was munching on the chicken foot, Lin Xu passed her a bowl of turtle soup, "Mom, try this. It’s turtle soup my senior brother made himself. It contains angelica, Cordyceps, and other beneficial Chinese herbs. It’s nourishing, good for the complexion, and beneficial to health."
My son-in-law is still the best.
After taking the soup, Han Shuzhen asked Lin Xu, "Shu Yun said just now that you’re planning to make more fruit vinegar?"
"Right, I saw everyone liked it, so I decided to make some more on the second basement level of the villa."
Hearing that it would be done in the villa made Han Shuzhen even happier.
The second basement floor, besides housing a garage, also had a cigar lounge that Shen Guofu exclusively used for smoking cigars. Without a second thought, Han Shuzhen addressed her husband, "Starting from tomorrow, the cigar lounge on the second basement floor needs to be cleared out for making fruit vinegar. You can just smoke cigars in the yard from now on."
Shen Guofu, who was drinking with his son-in-law’s father, was full of question marks.
What’s going on?
My grand cigar lounge was just taken over like that?
Is there no law anymore?
Is there no justice?
"Can’t we make fruit vinegar anywhere else? There’s plenty of space in the garage..."
As he was grumbling, he suddenly noticed his wife’s gaze turning icy, so he quickly said, "Dear, your idea is really good. The cigar lounge has constant temperature and humidity, indeed perfect for making fruit vinegar. This idea is truly brilliant; I’ll clear out the things in there as soon as I get back..."
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I spent half a day fussing with my Qi Dian account today, and finally, I can log into the Qi Dian APP with my author account. This Chapter is 5,400 words; brothers, I need your Monthly Tickets!
