I Am A Gourmet: Just Eight And You Want Me To Start A Roadside Stall?

Panda Novel

Xu Le fished out the Steamed White Chicken from the ice water, chopped it into even pieces, and placed them on the plate.

The surface of the chicken was suffused with a delicate golden color, and the meat was white and tender. The Steamed White Chicken had the original flavor of the chicken retained to the greatest extent, and its taste came completely from the sauce.

After the first dish was done, she started to make the fried tofu that Lu Yuxi wanted.

The tender tofu was cut into thin slices of equal thickness.

He beat three eggs and added salt and pepper. Then, he covered the tofu with an even layer of egg.

After the frying pan was heated up, he poured oil into it and started a small fire. The beaten egg was easily overcooked to become indistinguishable, so he needed to flip the egg in time during the entire process.

This was a test of the chef’s speed and patience. When ordinary people were cooking at home, there would always be two or three pieces of tofu that were burnt from one pan.

However, for a professional chef like Xu Le, it was not difficult at all. The therapeutic sound of the sizzle continued, and the tofu was fried until both sides were golden brown.

Xu Le poured half a bowl of clear water and added oyster sauce, light soya sauce, white sugar, and an appropriate amount of white starch. After mixing the sauce according to the ratio, he poured the sauce into the pan of pan-fried tofu and turned it to medium heat to produce gravy.

After stirring the pot, each piece of tofu was evenly covered with the gravy. Finally, after adding some chopped green onions and white sesame seeds, it would be ready to be served.

Lu Yuxi helped to bring the Steamed White Chicken to the table and scooped three bowls of rice at the same time. Then, she took out the pan-fried tofu she ordered. Just the sight of it made her drool.

She was eagerly picking up her chopsticks when she noticed Sun Zhi, who was engrossed in his phone. “Little kid, aren’t you coming over to eat?”

Sun Zhi retorted angrily, “Don’t call me little kid! I’m an adult now!”

Lu Yuxi immediately responded and said, “I’m calling Xu Le. He’s a little kid, alright?”

She turned around and looked at Xu Le with a cheeky expression. Xu Le dipped the chicken into the sauce and put it into his mouth, as he rolled his eyes at Lu Yuxi.

The skin was crispy and the meat was tender. The taste was exceptionally fresh and delicious. As the chicken was braised and cooked, the juice was shockingly tender and seeped out the moment it was bitten through.

The chicken was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was perfectly proportioned. When the two were eaten with the rice, the more fragrant it became as one ate.

Xu Le lowered his head and started eating. Lu Yuxi was about to pick up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks when she was stopped by him. “Who just swore to only eat tofu?”

“I didn’t say that!” Lu Yuxi went back on her words. “I said that I want to eat low-calorie food. Isn’t Steamed White Chicken one of them?”

“Then you still want to have crispy pork belly this afternoon?”

“Errr…” Lu Yuxi had no excuse to refute. She pretended to be deaf and changed the topic, “Auntie Liu, aren’t you getting your child to come over for lunch? ”

Auntie Liu shook her head, her tone full of helplessness. “I’ve been chasing after him to eat since he was young, and now he’s still not eating. I can’t do anything about it. If he’s hungry, then he will go and find something to eat.”

Lu Yuxi pursed her lips, feeling that Auntie Liu wasn’t very reliable. She said, “It’s very important for a child’s development. If he doesn’t eat well at this age and doesn’t grow tall, it’ll be difficult for him to grow to the size of a normal man even if he takes hormone injections.” Auntie Liu’s face was expressionless as she said, “I really don’t have a choice! I have done everything I can at home to cook anything delicious for him. But if he doesn’t want to eat, he really won’t eat. No one can persuade him.”

“Really?” Xu Le looked up and shouted at Sun Zhi, “You’ve only eaten a bag of potato chips since this morning. Aren’t you hungry?”

Sun Zhi wanted to retort, but his stomach reacted before him. It made two gurgling sounds and he said awkwardly, “It’s not that I’m not hungry, I just don’t want to eat.”

“How about this, you come over and eat two pieces of chicken. I’ll buy you hamburger and fried chicken later, along with cola and egg tarts.”

Under Xu Le’s coaxing, Sun Zhi walked over and looked at the chicken on the plate. He said, “You’re not allowed to lie.”

“I don’t coax children. You can have a taste.”

Sun Zhi’s eyes seemed very fearful of food. He carefully picked up a piece of chicken and placed it in his mouth. He gently bit it with his teeth. The soft and tender meat juices were moving crazily on his taste buds. The chicken skin was crispy, and it was wrapped in the savory taste of the sauce. It was indescribably refreshing!

He immediately widened his eyes and asked, “Can I have a bowl of rice?”

As he spoke, he pulled a stool and sat by the table.

He picked up another piece of tofu and asked, “What’s this?”

Lu Yuxi served him a bowl of rice. “Fried tofu.”

After the tofu was covered with the sauce, it tasted surprisingly good.

Sun Zhi dug into his food like crazy. During this time, because he ate too quickly, he choked on his rice twice. He single-handedly finished half a plate of sliced chicken.

He raised his head and said inaudibly, “This is too delicious!”

“I’ve never eaten anything so delicious in my life!”

“Wu wu wu, what is this made of?”

“So fragrant! So sweet and tender!”

“The white rice is delicious too.”

Xu Le was stunned. This was the first time he had received such a direct feedback. He only said, “Then eat more… Is this enough? I have more ready-made ingredients in the kitchen.”

Sun Zhi did not stand on ceremony. He looked up at the menu and said, “I want Mapo Tofu Rice, braised pork trotters, and rice. Is that okay?”

“Sure.”

Xu Le got up to prepare the food.

Auntie Liu was so shocked that her chopsticks fell onto the table. Looking at her son, who looked like he had been starving for 800 years, she said, “Is it really that good? No, why aren’t you eating at home?”

Sun Zhi ignored her and continued eating until his eyes were brimming with tears. He said with a tone filled with emotions, “It smells so good!”

While Xu Le was cooking, Lu Yuxi went to the kitchen and held her phone, saying, “I finally know why Sun Zhi doesn’t eat. Look, Auntie Liu posted on her WeChat Moments this morning with a caption: ‘A personally cooked meal for my son. Making sure that he is filled with nutrition and energy today.'”

She clicked on the image and leaned forward to show Xu Le.

Xu Le was heating up the oil. He turned his head and looked at the image for a long time. It was a plate with some green and black things that he could not identify.

He asked curiously, “What’s that?”

“I’ll read it to you. Apple cubes stir-fried with vegetables, baby cabbage stir-fried with green grapes, strawberry tomato soup, and one steamed orange.”

“Oh my god.” Lu Yuxi shook her head as she sighed. “I finally know why this child doesn’t eat. Who can eat this?”

Auntie Liu suddenly asked in an aggrieved tone, “Is there a problem with my cooking?”

Lu Yuxi turned around and shrank her neck in embarrassment. This was the first time she had badmouthed someone and was overheard. She did not know how to explain herself.

Xu Le came out to mediate the situation. “Don’t you feel that something is wrong as you were eating?”

“I feel fine eating it. The most important thing is to provide the child with nutrition. Vegetables and fruits has the most abundant vitamin and fibers. It will definitely be good for the child after eating it.”

Xu Le took a deep breath and thought for a long time before he said, “I suggest that you follow the traditional recipes to cook.. It’s not a good thing to be too creative.”