Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 245 - 244: Ten Exquisite Dishes for VIPs (Part 2)

Chapter 245: Chapter 244: Ten Exquisite Dishes for VIPs (Part 2)

How complex can stir-frying Qingjiang vegetables be?

A simple stir-fried dish of greens, really straightforward. Just saw Xia Yu change his clothes upstairs, and on his way down, he took the Qingjiang vegetables out of the fridge.

It’s worth mentioning that in a couple of days, the ingredient storage will be moved next door. Last week, Xia Yu won a family inn and a public bathhouse through a Food Battle. He plans to keep the family inn, and with the courtyard and larger space, Xia Yu intends to transform the bathhouse into a future VIP dining area.

While stripping the vegetable leaves and rinsing them in the sink, he set up two pots on the stove, one for boiling water and the other for dry heating.

Picking and washing the vegetables took less than a minute.

But Xia Yu wasn’t in a hurry to take the leaves out of the sink; instead, he turned off the tap and headed to the water tank, scooping two full ladles of well water and soaking the Qingjiang vegetables briefly.

"Is this for preservation?"

Cao Chun, Eriina, Smith, and Lancelot were gathered around the bar.

The bar was just one window away from the kitchen, the flame on the stove reflecting clearly in Eriina’s pupils. She was seated face to face with Xia Yu, the closest to him. Seeing Xia Yu specifically scoop water from the tank to soak the vegetables, she couldn’t help but show a look of astonishment and thought to herself, "Could this step contain some kind of secret?"

Thinking this, Eriina stared unblinkingly at the Qingjiang leaves in the sink, curious to see what change would occur next.

A few minutes later, a roaring fire had heated the water in one of the pots.

"Click."

Xia Yu opened a cabinet door, took out an oil can, and scooped two spoonfuls of solidified grayish-white fat into the boiling water.

A layer of visible yellow fat immediately floated on the surface of the water.

It was then, and only then, that Xia Yu scooped out the vegetable leaves and threw them into the bubbling water, a step called "blanching," intended to keep the green color vibrant, preventing the destruction of chlorophyll during stir-frying.

Ambidextrous.

In another pot, he dug in a few spoonfuls of solidified chicken fat, heating both the pot and the fat.

"Sizzling..."

Shaking off excess water at the edge of the colander, Xia Yu then poured the Qingjiang vegetables into the hot pot, quickly stirring and tossing them.

Soon, Xia Yu plated the stir-fried Qingjiang vegetables, but the dish was not yet finished.

Thud, thud.

He tapped the glass and opened a window to ask those outside, "How do you like your greens? Lighter taste, or should I add some oyster sauce and other seasonings for extra flavor?"

"Just like this. No added flavor needed."

Smith said coldly.

"Alright."

Xia Yu covered the dish with a lid and handed the freshly cooked vegetables through the window, then turned to clean the kitchen counter, preparing for the next dish.

"Superfluous!"

Lancelot’s eyes carried a hint of scorn as he saw Xia Yu cover the greens with a lid.

Excluding the time to boil the water, it took no more than 5 minutes to prepare a dish of ’Stir-fried Qingjiang Vegetables’, using the most common greens without any additional ingredients. Lancelot’s face twitched with annoyance, thinking, "There’s no way such a common stir-fry of Chinese greens could ever be worth ten thousand yen!"

"Let’s see how a simple stir-fry of greens worth ten thousand yen actually tastes!"

Smith maintained his grim expression, having had no expectations for a plate of stir-fried greens from the outset.

He lifted the lid.

"Hiss—"

With the evening falling and the lights not yet on, the dim restaurant was instantly illuminated by a blinding light.

In an instant, the light receded.

Smith stood petrified, still holding the lid in his hand.

Lancelot, shocked, leapt to his feet, blurting out, "Glowing food!"

"How can a simple stir-fried greens have such a glow?!" Lancelot’s mind was in turmoil, incredulous, as he recalled the Food Battle stage from a week ago, when the ’Flame Dragon Roll Fish Fin Sausage’ also emerged with a blinding glow.

Cao Chun remained silent, his gaze fixed, firmly watching this unassuming dish of stir-fried greens.

"Have a taste—" Xia Yu’s voice came through the window.

Having seen a lot in his life, Smith soon recovered his composure, and he picked up a pair of chopsticks and took a bright green leaf of Qingjiang Vegetable to his mouth. His chopstick-holding hand suddenly shook.

He hadn’t deliberately sniffed for any particular aroma, but the flavor of the vegetable made its way up his nose and into his body, giving Smith the illusion of walking barefoot in a spring vegetable garden.

His pupils dilated.

"Just the taste alone can overwhelm one’s emotions?"

Smith’s face turned serious as he put aside any hint of disdain and began to taste the food earnestly.

As the vegetable touched his tongue, it was certainly refreshing. When his teeth crushed the leaf and its juices began to flow in his mouth, Smith’s usually impassive face softened, and the gloominess he typically carried seemed to melt away.

"Chicken fat!"

After swallowing, Cao Chun had a sudden realization.

"That congealed fat from earlier was chicken fat! No wonder I didn’t detect any hint of soil or fishiness in the Qingjiang Vegetable!" he exclaimed, as he eagerly picked up a second and then a third leaf.

"No, that’s not right! That’s not it!"

As he continued to taste, it was as if a brand new door opened in his mind. Cao Chun shook his head while eating and contradicted his previous statement, "Chicken fat alone couldn’t possibly enhance the flavor of Qingjiang Vegetable to such an extent. It’s just ordinary Qingjiang Vegetable, so why does eating just one leaf feel like drinking an entire bottle of vegetable extract juice? It’s incredibly flavorful!"

Lancelot also seemed utterly baffled.

"A single leaf is like a bottle of vegetable juice, the kind without any water added..." he murmured to himself.

Next to them, Tiqie Eriina saw the three of them mumbling and discreetly swallowed her saliva, clearly feeling her stomach rumbling.

She was hungry.

One chopstick after another, the small stir-fry dish of Qingjiang Vegetable was finished in just two or three minutes.

Standing in the kitchen, Xia Yu calmly asked through the glass, "So, what do you think, is my ’Stir-fried Qingjiang Vegetable’ worth spending a hundred thousand yen to taste?"

Lancelot glanced at the silent Smith and also wisely chose to remain silent.

"It’s worth it!"

But Cao Chun, on the other hand, gave a thumbs up and said, "After eating your dish of vegetables, I don’t think I want to eat another Qingjiang Vegetable stir-fry for the next few days."

He clearly had an interest in the ’Stir-fried Qingjiang Vegetable’ and planned to ask more questions, when Smith coldly said:

"Bring out the second dish!"

"What would you like to eat?" Xia Yu asked with a smile.

"Serve us your best dish..."

"I’ve said it before, I’m skilled at all ten dishes!"

Hearing this, a sharp look flashed in Smith’s eyes, and he said, "Then serve us the dish you used to defeat Lancelot at the Food Battle Stage, the one called ’Flame Dragon Roll Fish Fin Sausage,’ right?"

"Flame Dragon Roll Fish Fin Sausage? That’s one of my personal signature dishes."

Xia Yu gave a gentle smile towards Eriina outside the window and said, "Eriina, time to collect the money, 500,000 yen!"

"Okay!"

Tiqie Eriina stood behind the cash register.

With a dark expression on his face, Smith glanced at Lancelot and took out his wallet, passing over a black credit card.

"Charge it to my card, Professor!" Lancelot said, shaking his head.

He could actually afford this meal, and after eating the ’Stir-fried Qingjiang Vegetable,’ the reluctance he felt about paying the bill, as well as the anger he had previously felt about being extorted and swindled, strangely faded away.

"Flame Dragon Roll Fish Fin Sausage, huh?!"

He couldn’t help but savor the thought, as Lancelot also wanted to taste the dish that had defeated him once more.

Special Grade Cuisine for 500,000 yen, not expensive at all!