Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 468 - 467: "Golden Smile" (Part 2)

Chapter 468: Chapter 467: "Golden Smile" (Part 2)

Steaks, of course, needed to be cut; how else would they be stuffed into dim sum to become filling?

But Xia Yu’s cutting wasn’t a leisurely slice by slice affair.

The moment he gripped the knife, he brandished it through the air towards the plate of beef, carving from left to right, from top to bottom, a cross-shaped blade gleam.

At that moment, Zhu Qing’s pupils shrank.

"That is..."

She had a strong sense of familiarity, yet it was also quite strange.

"It’s definitely a culinary technique I’m familiar with, but he’s added his own twist! This little nephew of mine is not simple at all!" Zhu Qing gasped, then her face bloomed with a beautiful smile.

In the plate, the steak had become neatly diced meat.

Pan-frying steaks, of course, wouldn’t leave them well-done, especially since after a while these beef cubes would be fried again. Therefore, in frying, Xia Yu controlled the heat very well—the beef cubes had a golden crispy exterior while the inside remained tender and red, oozing some blood.

Time to heat the pan again.

The beef cubes were tossed in, sprinkled with salt, pepper for simple seasoning, and a suitable amount of soy sauce was added to enhance the flavor of the beef juice.

Then, it was the turn of the glass noodles.

Glass noodles were also called cellophane noodles, and in Neon, they had a peculiar name—"Spring Rain."

Xia Yu simply soaked the glass noodles in hot water until they softened, drained the water, and mixed them with the beef cubes in the pan. Initially semi-transparent, as the noodles absorbed the beef juice, they began to emit an enticing, rich aroma.

At this point, he lifted the lid off the container and took out the dough that had been resting for 15 minutes.

After the dough had proofed, it was time to fill it with stuffing.

"Golden Laughter" recipe didn’t require a particular shape, nor the pleats of a bun, but if one thought this golden recipe was easy at this stage, they would be greatly mistaken.

If the final dim sum was to make a sound, its internal structure had to be meticulously considered—a smidgen more or less filling could directly impact the quality.

Since it was his first attempt, Xia Yu was very relaxed as he chopped off small pieces of dough with a knife.

"Hmm, the first one, stuff about 50% filling, leaving half the space."

"The second one, 60%."

"The third one, a bit less increase, 65%."

And so on, up to 80%, until the tabletop quickly accumulated eight or nine round dough balls.

After enveloping the filling inside, Xia Yu casually rolled the dough, forming the round dim sum.

"What’s this? Buns with beef filling?"

Aunty Zhu Qing finally couldn’t help but speak up.

The fragrant breeze was enticing, and she leaned in, sniffing curiously as her eyes clearly expressed her curiosity.

"A very interesting type of dim sum."

Xia Yu said casually, picking up a small knife. To his aunt’s astonished and confused gaze, he made a small cut on the smooth white dough ball. This slit went all the way through, letting the beef’s aroma burst forth immediately.

Zhu Qing blinked as Xia Yu propped his chin with his hand, eyeing the several types of oil bottles on the kitchen counter, lost in thought.

"Sesame oil, cottonseed oil, rapeseed oil, safflower seed oil, all are quite popular frying oils in Japanese Tempura eateries..." Xia Yu’s gaze swept over, "There are those who use tea seed oil, corn oil, and soybean oil as well."

The importance of oil for frying needs no explanation.

Of course, some places would blend oils together rather than using just one type, taking advantage of their respective strengths, as every oil has its pros and cons.

"Sesame oil is fragrant and gives fried goods a lively color."

"Safflower seed oil brings a fresh taste..."

Xia Yu scratched his head, sighed, and wrestled with indecision before gritting his teeth and declaring, "Oh well, since this is an experimental practice, let’s try each type of oil, starting with sesame oil!"

So, he poured the oil into the pan and heated it up.

Then came another dilemma.

What temperature should he fry at?

The recipe was rather vague on these fine details, and practical cooking should not be taken lightly because of this. Xia Yu had fallen on such details many times before.

"The smoke point of sesame oil is 210 degrees Celsius; beyond this line, the fat can produce harmful substances... Normally, the oil temperature used for frying food is between 160-190 degrees..."

Xia Yu thought and used "Bursting Flame" to detect the rapidly rising temperature in the frying pan.

"Good!"

"We’ve reached 160 degrees, let’s test this temperature first!"

Spirit rekindled, Xia Yu picked up the round dough with a pair of shiny silver chopsticks and gently placed it into the boiling oil.

The white dough turned yellow at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After a dozen seconds, he tapped the dough with the chopsticks again, and it felt hard as a rock.

"The fat is in!"

Next to him, Zhu Qing’s eyes were fixed tightly on the aperture in the dough. The scalding oil was pouring into the inside through the hole; wouldn’t it destroy the filling?

Common sense would dictate that one should avoid contact between the filling and the frying oil as much as possible.

Probably about a minute and a half.

"The heat is right!"

With a clasp of the chopsticks, the fried, crispy pastry was lifted out of the oil and drained onto a plate.

A rich aroma seemed to form a large net, enveloping the entire kitchen.

But there was no sound, ah!

Where was the laughter?

Xia Yu felt a sense of defeat. The first attempt was indeed a failure!

"It’s fully cooked on the inside, one hundred percent thoroughly, but I don’t know about the taste." Xia Yu looked at the golden pastry on the plate with anticipation, "Let’s still give it a taste!"

A little while later, touching it with his hand, it indeed wasn’t hot anymore.

The focused Xia Yu didn’t notice Zhu Qing continuously wiping the corners of her mouth; he just picked up the pastry and took a bite, crunch, the crisp crust shattered upon contact with his teeth, and at the same time, the flavors of vermicelli and diced beef rushed into his mouth.

His entire jaw was engaged.

The diced beef, which had been seared and then deep-fried, became crunchy.

Crucially, the vermicelli inside had sealed in the juices of the beef after being fried, and when he chewed, these vermicelli strands like tiny conduits shattered together in his mouth. The moment all of those beef juices gushed forth in torrents, one could imagine the explosive taste sensation.

"It tastes good, but something is off."

With an expressionless face, Xia Yu finished the dish, smacked his lips, and went to fry another.

However, as soon as the golden pastry came out of the fryer, there was an expectant voice saying, "Let me try too!"

Zhu Qing’s delicate and beautiful eyes looked towards him, full of eagerness.

"Lin Chef eats these experimental failures too?"

Xia Yu asked, greatly surprised.

"Isn’t Lin Chef human?"

My aunt widened her eyes, even more puzzled, "You think Lin Chef really only eats delicacies from mountains and seas? When we have new ideas, we also have to repeatedly taste our own ’dark dishes’... "

She laughed out loud.

Talking about ’dark dishes’ made her look somewhat strange, but Xia Yu didn’t notice.

"Come on, give it to me!"

Saying this, she reached out and grabbed the fried dish directly from the plate. Zhu Qing frowned slightly, apparently because the food was still quite hot, but her appetite won over the mild pain. She smiled in anticipation, "You know, my good nephew, this is the first time I’m tasting your cooking!"

Her silver teeth bit down.

"Oh!"

A mouthful of crispy crust and stuffing, her rosy lips parting slightly, Zhu Qing was astounded, "...can a failed work have such a shocking taste? One bite and I’m satisfied. The hot, steaming beef juice floods the mouth. It’s really... really blissful!"

Hearing this, Xia Yu’s confusion deepened, and his face scrunched into a frown.

Damn it, why is there no special effect!

The sound, ah, the sound!