Chef Hua
Chapter 193: Episode 120 Beef Pinch Pie_2

Chapter 193: Episode 120 Beef Pinch Pie_2

Nearing noon, Jing Taihe indeed returned with Meng Yuhuai in tow. As soon as they stepped into the courtyard of the Jing Family, they were immediately greeted by the rich aroma of steamed beef from the kitchen, causing them to sniff vigorously.

"Wow, my little sister boasted that if I didn’t try her dish at lunch today, I would definitely regret it. Hah, I’m accustomed to her cooking, and this tongue of mine has become quite discerning because of her. Though I doubted her earlier, now it seems that for the sake of those chilies, she has really brought out her hidden treasure!"

Villagers did not usually have the habit of eating lunch, so today was an exception. Having eaten a meal in the morning, they were not very hungry, which is why Hua Erniang did not prepare staple food, but instead went with Luo Yuejiao to pick some vegetables from behind the house, washed them quickly and deftly, waiting only for Hua Xiaomai to stir-fry them briefly before serving.

Hua Xiaomai brought out the steamed beef from the pot, sprinkled some chopped chili dices on top, took down the flatbreads sticking on the side of the stove one by one into a dustpan, and tossed green beans and cabbage onto the cooktop to fry, placing them onto a plate and bringing them into the main room where she saw Meng Yuhuai and Jing Taihe chatting at the table.

She greeted Jing Taihe with a smile, then turned to look at Meng Yuhuai and squinted her eyes, "Big Brother Meng, you’re here?"

Meng Yuhuai nodded in response, glanced at the dish in her hand, and couldn’t help but smile, "Is this the dish you’ve made with chilies? What exactly is it?"

"You’ll know what it is once you taste it," Hua Xiaomai said with a pursed-lip smile, then called over Hua Erniang and Luo Yuejiao. Once everyone was seated in the main room, she took a flatbread, stuffed beef into it, and handed it to Meng Yuhuai.

"Big Brother Meng, you are our guest, and you helped me obtain these chili seeds from Old Master Zhao, so naturally you should have the first taste."

Meng Yuhuai wanted to decline, but Hua Erniang and Jing Taihe also joined in to persuade him. Unable to refuse, he took the small flatbread, and under everyone’s intense gaze, brought it to his lips and took a bite.

Why Hua Xiaomai went through the trouble of making this beef-stuffed flatbread took quite some thought.

The chili seeds from Old Master Zhao’s home should be similar to the "skyward chilies" from the time period she was accustomed to, delivering an extreme spiciness, incomparable to Cornelian. For someone who had never tried it before, it would indeed be a challenge. If one were reckless and stuffed a big bite into their mouth, they might end up with tears and snot flowing, in a very embarrassing state.

However, if the spicy steamed beef was wrapped in a layer of flatbread, it would mitigate the spiciness somewhat. Moreover, since chilies and beef were naturally a good match, and the taste of the flatbread relatively mild, it would not affect the flavor of the chili itself, allowing the eater to enjoy the deliciousness brought by the chili without being overwhelmed by its heat, ruining the mood, effectively achieving the best of both worlds.

Under the watchful eyes of the others, Meng Yuhuai smiled somewhat uncomfortably and took a small bite of the flatbread.

A sensation that was both spicy and fresh, carrying the rich aroma of the beef itself, almost instantly flooded into the mouth.

The meat was sliced extremely thin, slightly mixed with the fragrance of lotus leaves, and barely touched by the teeth before the juices spilled out, seeping into the pancake before the tongue could even taste it; as the chewy dough was masticated, a hundred flavors seemed to mingle—light and rich, spicy and sweet, dominating every part from the lips to the tongue, from the mouth to the throat, cramming every crevice full, leaving not a single empty corner. The fresh spiciness rushed up to the top of the head, sweat beaded at the temples, yet it could not suppress the urge to take another bite immediately.

He was silent for a long time, and Hua Erniang began to feel a little apprehensive, staring at his face and, unable to hold back, she whispered, "It can’t be bad, can it? I knew it, that Hua Xiaosan, that fool who only knows how to waste, those chilies looked quite pretty, why bother eating them?"

Hua Xiaomai paid her no attention, just watching Meng Yuhuai’s expression intently, her teeth subconsciously tapping her lower lip, she asked softly, "How is it, does it taste good?"

Meng Yuhuai woke up from his reverie, suddenly raised his head, turned to look at her and, after a long while, smiled broadly and nodded very seriously, "It’s really...great, I have never tasted a dish with such a rich array of flavors. You..."

Who exactly was this girl? How could a country lass turn an ordinary dish into something so extraordinary that it would make one thump the table in amazement? Where did all those bizarre and strange ideas of hers come from?

Hua Xiaomai probably knew what he was thinking; she felt a little guilty but didn’t stop. She made a pinched pancake for each of Hua Erniang, Jing Taihe, and Luo Yuejiao and handed them over.

As expected, after tasting, all three were full of nothing but praise. Jing Taihe was at a loss for words, greedily stuffing one pancake after another into his mouth, not waiting for Hua Xiaomai to help him before reaching for a second one himself; Hua Erniang kept exclaiming with cries that were mostly meaningless exclamations of amazement, "Oh my," "That’s incredible," and the like, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Hua Xiaomai, devoid of any of her usual fierce and fearsome demeanor.

The most excited was Luo Yuejiao, who, after two bites, eagerly grabbed Hua Xiaomai’s sleeve and implored repeatedly, "Xiaomai, is this called beef pinched pancake? It’s really delicious, teach me, teach me, I must learn how to make this!"

Upon hearing this, Hua Xiaomai was a bit taken aback but then sighed and patted her on the shoulder, "It’s not that I’m unwilling to teach you, but... there’s only so much of these chili seeds, even if you did learn, when you go to your husband’s house, I’m afraid you won’t find such ingredients, wouldn’t it be in vain?"

Luo Yuejiao was very unhappy but had no other ideas, so she pouted and said nothing more, just kept stuffing the pancake into her mouth non-stop.

But this gave Hua Xiaomai an idea that suddenly popped into her head; she turned sharply and grabbed Hua Erniang’s sleeve.

"Erjie, why don’t we buy a piece of land?"(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)