I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 799 - 350: The Silly Squad’s Limited Edition Drink—Butter Beer! [Extra for Cute Eats Ho!]
"Hey, it’s broad daylight! Can you two tone down the lovey-dovey stuff?"
Chen Yan pouted, clearly dissatisfied with her cousin and cousin-in-law’s public displays of affection.
I paid for my meal; I’m not mooching off anyone. And this is hardly the way to treat your paying customers with the reverence they deserve!
However, no one cared about her opinion. A certain darling was currently basking in the bliss of being pampered, while Lin Xu was on his phone, seriously searching for alcoholic-tasting, non-alcoholic beverages suitable for minors.
There were many options for this kind of drink, and Shen Baobao was relatively easy to please.
He could probably just wing it to complete the task and get the reward. But this task was essentially about pampering his wife. If he did it just for the sake of the task, how boring would that be? Besides, the system required it to be homemade, not bought. It still required careful consideration. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Lin Xu had originally planned to make Rice Wine soup. But considering Shen Baobao intended to use the drink to toast with everyone, serving Rice Wine soup would lack the celebratory spirit of drinking alcohol and might even invite ridicule.
He’d better keep looking. After all, the task just needed to be completed before they moved, so there was no rush.
Lin Xu put down his phone, picked up a piece of layered pancake, and began to eat seriously, along with the Vinegar Peanuts and some pickles on the table.
Today’s pancake was made by Niu Chuan using leavened dough and was about half an inch thick. The inside was full of soft layers. Each layer contained chopped scallions, oil pastry, and ground Sichuan peppercorns. The outermost layer was a fragrant, crispy crust, toasted to perfection and generously sprinkled with white sesame seeds, making it both crisp and aromatic to eat.
In some places, this type of pancake was also called a giant flatbread, sesame pancake, yeast-leavened flatbread, and so on. The preparation was similar to regular layered pancakes, but this one required leavened dough.
The finished pancake was cut into wedges. Holding one and taking a bite, you’d taste a delightful mix of crispiness and fluffiness, with the combined aromas of scallion, ground Sichuan peppercorns, and the dough itself.
This is absolutely delicious!
"Xubao, this pancake seems like a perfect match for that Watermelon Soybean Paste we had in Yinzhou. Why don’t you make some another day? I’m craving it a bit."
She giggled. The pickles Xubao grew up eating... I want to eat those often too!
Lin Xu picked up a pickled wild chili, took a small bite—the sour and spicy taste shot straight to his head—then took a large bite of the layered pancake and said, "No need for ’another day.’ I’ll go stir-fry some now; it’s really simple."
He put down his chopsticks and pancake and strode toward the kitchen.
Chen Yan, curious, asked, "It’s been so long since you two came back from Yinzhou, and you still miss the food there?"
Shen Baobao said seriously, "Food from my in-laws and food from my own family are different. Oh, you wouldn’t get it even if I explained. Wait until things work out with your policeman brother-in-law-to-be, and you’ll see just how grandly in-laws will treat you if they truly value you."
Thinking back to that week in Yinzhou, breakfast always offered at least three types of congee or other staples to choose from. As for lunch and dinner, they were even more lavish—always grand feasts of fish and meat. Various famous dishes, local specialties, and home-style cooking were served one after another. Relatives checked in on her warmly every day, treating her like a precious treasure. Who wouldn’t love in-laws like these?
Chen Yan listened with a pang of envy. I wonder what my romantic fortune will be. What if he likes me, but his parents hate me? What would I do then?
Once a woman starts dating, her worries multiply.
Maybe I should go pray to Dundun? My cousin keeps telling Geng Lele that praying to Dundun is really effective. In a pinch, one tries anything, so perhaps... No, no way! How could I, the fabulous Mei Jiaoyan, bow down to a cat? If word got out, wouldn’t people laugh their heads off?
「In the kitchen.」
Lin Xu sliced green and red peppers into rings, then chopped some scallion sections and dried chili segments. After preparing everything, he went to the storeroom, opened a jar of Watermelon Soybean Paste his parents had brought on their last drive over, and scooped out a small bowlful. Then he set up the wok and started cooking.
Soon, a tempting aroma of the sauce wafted from the kitchen.
Even Chen Yan, who had been lost in her thoughts, was drawn by the smell. "Yueyue, is this the Watermelon Soybean Paste you mentioned? It smells just like regular soybean paste or dry soybean paste."
"You’ll know if there’s a difference once you taste it. Anyway, I’m already drooling!" Shen Baobao replied.
"When has anything your brother-in-law makes *not* made you drool?" Chen Yan grumbled. Copying Shen Baobao, she stopped eating her flatbread and idly picked at the Vinegar Peanuts on her plate.
Soon, the Watermelon Soybean Paste was ready.
After Lin Xu brought it out, Shen Baobao eagerly scooped some onto her small plate, dipped the half-eaten flatbread into it, and hurriedly popped it into her mouth, her eyes squinting into crescents. "Wow, delicious, delicious! This is exactly the flavor."
The flatbread, dipped in the sauce glistening with Red Oil, was savory, fragrant, and utterly delicious. The Watermelon Soybean Paste paired with this kind of leavened flatbread was truly a perfect match.
Chen Yan tried some and was instantly captivated by the taste. "That’s right, it’s delicious! I think you could definitely sell this combination in the restaurant. Plenty of people would be willing to eat it, and this kind of flatbread and sauce are easy to package too."
A new product?
Lin Xu had initially wanted to dismiss the idea as a joke. But upon reflection, it seemed genuinely feasible.
Although almost every household knew how to make this type of layered pancake, knowing how didn’t mean they had the time. Besides, making it themselves didn’t guarantee it would be as delicious as what the restaurant offered. And paired with this Watermelon Soybean Paste, it could really work.
Thinking this, he picked a piece of watermelon from the sauce on his small plate, tucked it into a crevice of the flatbread, ate it with relish, and then said, "Alright, let’s try launching it as a new item then."
Shen Baobao said,
