Cooking System: Street Food Rules
Chapter 88: Fresh and Chewy Grilled Squid!

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Fresh and Chewy Grilled Squid!

"Boss, two skewers of teppanyaki squid, please."

"Coming right up!"

Jiang Feng picked up two skewers of squid and pressed them onto the hot iron plate.

There was oil on the iron plate, and the moment the squid touched it, it sizzled instantly.

Jiang Feng used a press to squeeze out the water from the squid first.

Then he made a few cuts on the squid’s body, added some chopped green onions underneath, and pressed the squid into the green onions as he grilled it to remove the fishy taste.

Next was brushing on the sauce, and sprinkling chili powder and sesame seeds.

The originally pale squid turned golden brown under the high heat. After the sauce was brushed on, it became a rich, deep brown, its deliciousness immediately apparent.

The red chili powder, white sesame seeds, and green chopped onions on the surface of the squid created a strong visual effect.

The squid was continuously grilled in a generous amount of sauce.

The aroma came bursting forth.

The other customers nearby, seeing how appetizing the grilled squid looked, began to get ideas.

A customer eating stinky tofu next to him exclaimed while eating, "Boss, your skills are amazing! How come you thought of setting up shop near the hospital? If you go to the snack street, business would definitely be booming!"

Jiang Feng, while grilling the squid, responded to the customer, "The snack street is all small stalls. Food trucks can only enter areas with formal management, and there are set times for setting up shop. I’ll pack up and leave after selling for a while."

Upon hearing Jiang Feng’s words, the customer understood.

Jiang Feng had only said it casually. After all, he couldn’t reveal that he was here to make some "system" money.

"Here’s your squid. Eat here or to-go?" Jiang Feng asked the customer after grilling the squid.

"I’ll eat it here."

Jiang Feng handed over the grilled squid, and the customer took it.

The squid, fresh off the grill, was completely coated in sauce, giving it an overall saucy hue, with a few bits of char around the edges.

The enticing aroma wafted over.

Since squid has a strong flavor, one could easily smell the difference between good and bad squid.

Good squid smells only of freshness.

This squid was a reward from The God of Cookery System, both fresh and tender.

The sauce Jiang Feng concocted was full of flavor.

His grilling technique was also exceptionally professional.

So, although it cost six yuan per skewer, it was completely worth the price.

The two customers each held a skewer of squid. Seeing how appealing it looked, both couldn’t help but swallow.

It looked so tempting.

Waiting for the squid to cool slightly, they immediately bit into a piece.

The first sensation was its tenderness.

The squid was satisfyingly chewy, breaking off easily with each bite, yet it was very elastic.

The flavor of the seasonings had permeated every part of the squid.

The bouncy, chewy squid had an indescribable mouthfeel; the more one chewed, the more it broke into smaller, even springier pieces.

The well-grilled sauce burst forth in the mouth, making one’s mouth water.

Just one bite, and the customers’ eyes lit up with surprise.

"Delicious! This squid is so fresh, how can it be this fresh! The taste is really good!"

He ate bite after bite. With plenty of sauce smeared around his mouth, he didn’t care; he just wanted to quickly devour the delicious squid.

The tender, bouncy sensation and the explosively tasty seasoning.

Perfectly fused together after being grilled on the iron plate.

This skewer of grilled squid was simply unbeatable!

"Incredible!"

After enjoying the grilled squid, both customers were thoroughly satisfied.

They threw the skewers into the trash can, wiped their mouths with the free napkins, and then left contentedly.

Their enjoyment was evident.

That sense of satisfaction was also what The God of Cookery System needed.

The business at Jiang Feng’s stall continued to improve. It was basically busy all the time, with people constantly in front of the food truck.

「Meanwhile, at the ENT department.」

A nurse, after eating in the cafeteria, went outside to Mixue Ice City and bought a lemonade. When she turned around, she saw Jiang Feng’s food truck.

Immediately, the nurse took a photo and sent it to Yang Juan with a message, "Is this the grilled cold noodle stall you were talking about? He’s here now."

Yang Juan was eating lunch when she saw the message from the nurse, and she instantly became excited.

"That’s the one! The taste of their grilled cold noodles is out of this world! I’m going over to buy some right now!"

Yang Juan never expected Jiang Feng to come by again and was overjoyed at his arrival.

「In the orthopedic ward, three patients lay on their beds in low spirits.」

The delicious stinky tofu was gone.

They had just eaten the food provided by the hospital cafeteria. It was okay, but bland, so it felt like something was missing in the taste.

They were longing for that bowl of stinky tofu from yesterday, especially the soup.

Just then, one of the guys with a leg in a cast suddenly smelled a familiar aroma.

It seemed to be the smell of stinky tofu.

The scent was extremely faint, but he still smelled it.

He suddenly sat up in bed.

"Do you guys smell it? It’s the smell of stinky tofu."

Another person, upon hearing his words, replied, "Must be an illusion. The food stall owner didn’t come today. He probably went somewhere else."

At that moment, the sound of two people talking came from outside the ward.

"The stinky tofu from this stall is really delicious!"

"I heard from someone in the department that a lot of patients went out to buy it!"

The orthopedic inpatient department had many patients, numbering over twenty.

Among them was a guy who was a bit of a chatterbox, liked to run around to different wards chatting with people, and thus the news about the delicious stinky tofu got spread around. This was the guy with his arm in a bandage, who stayed in the ward opposite.

Upon hearing the conversation in the corridor, the three of them immediately perked up.

"They must be talking about that stall!"

"The owner’s back!"

"Let’s go buy some!"

"Okay, I want to stretch my legs too!"

Immediately, those with crutches grabbed them, and the others quickly put on their shoes.

After all, good food should not be missed.

Not just them; a few patients from the neighboring wards also headed outside.

Everyone wore their patient gowns, which were quite conspicuous.

With so many patients already in the inpatient department, seeing them milling about in the courtyard wasn’t considered unusual.

But once outside, passersby found it quite curious.

Why were all the patients heading out? Was something happening?

Jiang Feng served many customers.

There were doctors in white coats, nurses in uniforms, patients in hospital gowns, and various other passersby.

Although the surroundings were quiet, his business was thriving.

"That’s the one! He’s come back!"

"Why did he only come at noon today?"

"Quick, let’s line up and buy some!"

The customers were very happy.

Especially those patients with crutches, who swung their crutches at breakneck speeds.

A passerby was walking leisurely past the entrance of the inpatient department.

Suddenly, two people on crutches rushed past him hurriedly.

The passerby was utterly confused.

What the heck? Those two are patients? Moving that fast? Are they Iron Crutch Li and the blind hero Ke Zhen’e?

Before long, these people arrived at Jiang Feng’s food truck and placed their orders.

Jiang Feng acknowledged their requests and then started working on them one by one.

The iron plate stayed hot the entire time.

The squid sizzled as it cooked on the iron plate.

Occasionally, a few pieces of stinky tofu were dropped into the frying oil beside it. After a few minutes, they were flipped with chopsticks, taken out, and split open in the middle. Then, they were stuffed with a mixture of garlic and chili sauce and finally drenched with a spoonful of broth.

Some people ordered grilled cold noodles. These were prepared on an adjacent griddle: the noodles were spread out, an egg was cracked on top, then it was flipped, brushed with sauce, sprinkled with seasoning, and finally rolled up.

His operations were always methodical; he never cut corners, even when there were many customers.

Thus, this amount of customer flow was most comfortable for him.

It would be dreadful if groups of customers came all at once. Just looking at everyone’s eyes, I can feel the pressure bearing down on me.

The customers gathered around the food truck, all eyes fixed on Jiang Feng preparing the snacks.

Watching the food transform from its initial raw state—gradually becoming cooked under high heat before being mixed with various ingredients to become delicious—was a very relaxing sight.

People didn’t just enjoy watching grand performances in grand settings.

They also liked to see this kind of simple, homely vibe.

Jiang Feng’s technique was very professional, as if he had been running a stall for many years.

Occasionally, one or two people felt that Jiang Feng looked familiar.

However, many people didn’t care much about what happened on the internet. They used it only as a pastime and hence didn’t delve too deeply.

The orthopedic wards of the inpatient department quickly became filled with the smell of stinky tofu.

When the doctor doing his rounds reached the orthopedic inpatient department, he was a bit bewildered.

Why is there a faint smell of stinky tofu?

The odor wasn’t disgusting but had the fragrant scent of the broth.

A single bowl of stinky tofu wouldn’t smell too strong, but with several patients in the orthopedic wards eating it, the scent became a bit more pronounced.

"Lately, everyone likes the stinky tofu from outside the inpatient department. It is indeed delicious," the nurse explained. "The grilled cold noodles and grilled squid are also pretty good."

Only then did the doctor understand.

"I see. Eating stinky tofu is fine, but we still have to be mindful of hygiene," the doctor commented.

He remembered seeing a crowded stall on his way there; that must have been it.

After completing his ward rounds and on his way back, he hesitated for a moment, then went to line up at Jiang Feng’s stall as well.

With so many people eating it, I have to try it myself.