I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 534 - 264: Low EQ: Nearly Backstabbed by Father-in-Law; High EQ: Father-in-Law Helps Me Show Off! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]
"Wow, this Stuffed Winter Melon with meat is really delicious!"
In the TV studio, Zeng Xiaoqi, eating the Stuffed Winter Melon with meat prepared by Lin Xu, once again forgot her lines.
Not far away, Zhen Wensheng gave a wry smile. Indeed, food programs aren’t suitable for foodies to host. If she didn’t fix this habit of constantly forgetting her lines, the scriptwriter-director would definitely have an issue. Someone stays up half the night writing those lines, and she forgets them completely after just two bites of delicious food! Is that fair to the scriptwriter who’s practically tearing their hair out over it?
Zeng Xiaoqi had eaten Stuffed Winter Melon with meat made by Lin Xu before. However, last time it was made with low-fat Chicken Breast for its slimming effects, while this time it was replaced with tastier and more flavorful pork belly. The freshness of the Winter Melon and the rich aroma of the pork belly formed a striking contrast. Combined with the intensely savory and spicy sauce, the taste was truly unforgettable.
"It’s so delicious! I suggest our viewers try it at home too. It’s simple to make, tastes great, doesn’t take much time at all—faster than ordering takeout..."
After the recording, Zeng Xiaoqi picked up a whole piece of Stuffed Winter Melon with her chopsticks and quickly approached the young scriptwriter-director, Xiaowei, speaking in an ingratiating tone, "Sorry, Xiaowei, I forgot my lines again. Ultimately, it’s because Boss Lin’s food is too delicious; my brain just crashed. If you’re going to blame someone, blame Boss Lin."
Lin Xu: "..."
With this talent for buck-passing, if she were in Japan, she’d at least be hailed as a Buck-Passing Immortal, right?
Xiaowei, the scriptwriter-director, had initially been quite dissatisfied with Zeng Xiaoqi forgetting her lines. But after tasting the Stuffed Winter Melon made by Lin Xu, she immediately felt she really couldn’t blame Senior Xiaoqi. The flavor was just that good. The Winter Melon was tender, infused with the rich aroma of pork. No wonder Boss Lin had repeatedly emphasized buying white-skinned Winter Melon while shopping; it truly had a much better texture than the green-skinned variety. So what if she forgot? As long as the program’s quality was good, the lines weren’t that important. Besides, the beautiful Ms. Zeng was her senior from the Communication University and also the person in charge of this program, managing bonuses and many other things. In such a situation, of course, she would choose to forgive her!
"Alright, Senior Zeng, what’s the next dish?" Xiaowei waved her hand generously, no longer minding Zeng Xiaoqi’s forgotten lines.
Zeng Xiaoqi gently pinched Xiaowei’s chubby cheeks, "That’s my good junior. Wait for me after work; I’ll share some limited-edition snacks with you."
At the words "limited-edition," Xiaowei’s eyes immediately lit up. The last time she had limited-edition snacks, it was the Shakima and Horse Hoof Cake personally made by Boss Lin. So, this time, it would also be something Boss Lin made himself, right? Jackpot!
Zeng Xiaoqi, in a delighted mood, went to the next room to change her outfit. Indeed, to prevent the audience from realizing everything was filmed on the same day, she had prepared at least six outfits for today, all to enhance the program’s visual appeal.
"How does this outfit look?" Approaching Lin Xu, Zeng Xiaoqi deliberately did a twirl. She was wearing a dark green dress with a white shirt-style collar, adorned with a collegiate-style bow, making her look both youthful and fashionable.
Lin Xu pointed to the chive scapes he had just taken out of the foam box and said, "It matches well with the color of the chive scapes." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
Chive scapes? Zeng Xiaoqi thought it was another dish she had tried, but the sight of the chive scapes made them seem unfamiliar. It seems Boss Lin also creates new dishes when I’m not over at Lin Ji scrounging for meals.
"This is a dish my senior apprentice taught me," Lin Xu explained. "I managed to free up the entire day to record the show. The plan is to film as many quick, simple, and fast dishes as possible to build up a backlog of several episodes. That way, I’ll have more breathing room when we tackle more complex dishes later."
The chive scapes were fresh, but the accompanying mussels were different from last time. This time, Lin Xu used frozen mussels bought from the market. This was because the program targeted the general public. It couldn’t solely feature high-end ingredients; instead, the dishes had to be based on the everyday lives of ordinary people. That was the only way to get the audience interested in learning. If you made dishes with Fish Fin and sea cucumber every day, even if people learned how, how often would they actually have the chance to cook them?
Once everything was prepared, the recording began. After the opening remarks, Lin Xu introduced the ingredients required for Stir-fried Chive Scapes with Mussels, then took the frozen mussels, soaked them, and showed everyone how to prepare them. After these steps, he heated water in the pot to blanch the mussels. All frozen meat ingredients need to be blanched before cooking for safety reasons and also to remove any off-flavors from freezing.
After blanching, the mussels were scooped out and stir-fried quickly in lard. Then, the chive scapes were added and stir-fried together. Soon, the Stir-fried Chive Scapes with Mussels was ready.
After that, they continued cooking and recording.
By 3:30 in the afternoon, ten dishes had been completed.
Lin Xu, looking at Zeng Xiaoqi who was now dressed in white wide-leg pants and a black high-necked T-shirt, said, "Let’s wrap it up for today. I need to go to my father-in-law’s place to cook. I’m planning a full fish feast, so I have to see what kind of fish he’s bought."
"A full fish feast?" Zeng Xiaoqi swallowed subconsciously. It should be delicious, right? She vividly remembered the magnificent spread of dishes made from Giant Grouper served at his engagement party. The taste and texture had been so incredible, it made her feel like giving another congratulatory gift. If he was preparing a full fish feast today, it must taste even better, right? She really wanted to join in on the fun.
"Last time, for your engagement, you served Giant Grouper. What kind of fish are you planning for this feast?"
