I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 550 - 269: How wild Shanghai people are about onions, try Grilled Pork Chops to find out! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]
Grilled Pork Chops? 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Shen Guofu had eaten them years ago while running business in Shanghai. The flavor was superb, especially the rich sauce and those scallions. Whether mixed with rice or Mixed Noodles, it was top-notch.
To be honest, when Yan Lin mentioned a business deal of five million, he didn’t feel a thing.
Old Shen wasn’t short of money; he wouldn’t even blink at fifty million, let alone five million, if his son-in-law needed it.
But when Grilled Pork Chops were mentioned, Shen Guofu’s cravings were immediately triggered; the days he spent running through the streets and alleys of Shanghai for business also flashed before his eyes.
"Let’s set aside business for now," Shen Guofu said. "Since President Yan has ordered Grilled Pork Chops, let my son-in-law Lin Xu give it a try to see if it meets President Yan’s standards."
Business or no business wasn’t the issue. But since you want to test my son-in-law’s culinary skills, sorry, I won’t allow anyone to say his skills aren’t up to par.
Seeing Shen Guofu’s confidence, Yan Lin grew even more eager for today’s lunch.
Everyone arrived in the private room and settled down. Shu Yun asked the waiter to pour tea for everyone, while she herself clicked her high heels briskly up to the second floor.
"Boss, Boss, come out quickly! There’s a big business deal!"
A business deal of five million might not matter to Shen Guofu, but Shu Yun, as the store manager, couldn’t ignore it.
Five million! Even if it was just a simple prepayment, it could hugely increase the store’s revenue. And from President Yan’s demeanor, it seemed to be more than just a simple prepayment. This VIP from Shanghai might even introduce a few high-end clients to the store.
Lin Xu had just finished making Stir-fried Mutton with Scallions when he heard Shu Yun calling him from the kitchen doorway. He wiped his hands on his apron and strode out.
"What’s up? Haven’t my father-in-law’s guests arrived?"
"They have! Not only have they arrived, but they also specifically asked for your Fried Pork Chop..."
Shu Yun excitedly relayed what Yan Lin had said after arriving, then added with fervor, "Five million, Boss! You must find a way to make the Grilled Pork Chops that President Yan wants. We can’t miss out on this deal!"
Since opening, the store had seen prepayments of over a million, but they were mostly from President Shen and his friends and relatives. For instance, President Shen himself had put down five million as hospitality expenses for the Shen Group, President Chen had put down one million for her personal "fattening fund," and others had contributed amounts typically in the one to two million range.
No ordinary customer had yet made a prepayment of over a million.
Now that a sudden five-million deal had dropped into their laps, even Shu Yun, a woman accustomed to grand occasions, couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement.
"Grilled Pork Chops..."
Lin Xu scrolled through the points store for a long time before finally locating the dish.
The price for Superior-level Grilled Pork Chops was the same as Fried Pork Chops: 500,000 points. It also came with a Skill Task; failure to complete it would result in a downgrade.
Since a five-million deal is on the line, I have to redeem it. Judging purely by the points, a tenfold return is a worthy investment. Even if the business deal doesn’t materialize, I should still make it. After all, she bought Dundun a gold chain; I should at least show some gratitude.
"Consuming 500,000 points to obtain the Superior-level Grilled Pork Chops Cooking Technique and trigger the Skill Task: ’Host must secure heartfelt praise for the dish Grilled Pork Chops from ten Shanghai locals within 24 hours, or the Superior-level Grilled Pork Chops Technique will downgrade to an Excellent Level Technique.’"
Winning the heartfelt praise of Shanghai locals? This task is definitely more challenging than the Fried Pork Chop task, which only needed to change the dining plans of six customers. This one immediately requires ten people, and they have to be from Shanghai... It feels like the system is deliberately making things difficult for me, its loyal user. But since the task has been triggered, I might as well get started.
He told Shu Yun, "I’ll start with the Fried Pork Chop. Once that’s done, I’ll prepare the Grilled Pork Chops. As for whether I can satisfy that boss... I can only do my best."
"You can definitely do it, Boss! Go ahead and start. I’ll go upstairs and ask President Shen how to adjust the menu," Shu Yun assured him.
Since each person was getting a Fried Pork Chop, the rest of the menu needed some adjustment; their initially planned meal was suddenly upended.
As Shu Yun went upstairs, Lin Xu returned to the kitchen.
He brought over all the marinated pork chops, switched to a larger frying pan, and replaced the bowls of flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs with larger basins.
With all preparations complete, he began frying the pork chops with Zhu Yong’s help.
"I really didn’t expect a big boss who deals in hundreds of millions to fancy a simple snack like Fried Pork Chop," Zhu Yong remarked. "Lucky you know how to make it; otherwise, we’d have to run to Deke or KFC to find a chef to save the day."
He muttered to himself as he expertly used tongs to flip the pork chops that had firmed up in the hot oil, simultaneously skimming the floating breadcrumbs into a fine-mesh strainer bowl to drain.
Seeing this, Lin Xu curiously asked, "Are you keeping those breadcrumbs for something?"
"Lu Lu likes eating fried stuff. I plan to spread them on a pancake for her dinner."
TSK, TSK, TSK. What a good man. But aren’t those breadcrumbs full of fat? Eating too much of that could lead to weight gain, right?
The perfectly fried pork chops were cut into strips about two to three centimeters wide and served on a plate with a small dish of spicy Soy Sauce. Now, the Fried Pork Chop was ready to be served to the guests.
Once all the pork chops for frying were done, there were still five or six marinated pieces left in the basin, ready to be made into Grilled Pork Chops.
Actually, the name ’Grilled Pork Chops’ is somewhat inaccurate; it should really be called ’Scallion-Braised Pork Chops,’ as the cooking method perfectly embodies the Chinese culinary technique known as ’kào’ (braising slowly in sauce).
