Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots
Chapter 1021 - 006 Let go of my ears! (One update)_3

Chapter 1021: 006 Let go of my ears! (One update)_3

While some were settling the luggage, Lin Yuan and Xiao He were chatting as they entered the kitchen. This was no ordinary kitchen—it was even larger than the one in the back of Fuman Building.

In the households of the capital city, it was common for meals to be prepared by kitchen ladies, and the General Mansion was no exception. Therefore, the chefs sent by Princess Anle were all women.

The kitchen ladies were busy cleaning the kitchen and were startled when they saw Lin Yuan arrive—they feared the meals they had made were not to their taste and that they had come to scold them.

However, when they saw Lin Yuan begin to cook herself, they were even more astonished to the point their jaws nearly dropped. They had not heard of Lin Yuan’s identity, but judging by Princess Anle’s attitude, they all guessed that she must be the Young Lady of the General Mansion.

That the Young Lady of the General Mansion possessed such exquisite culinary skills truly opened their eyes!

Now it was winter, and there were very few greens available. Even with silver, one could not buy many greens, and the General Mansion was no different. Therefore, what Lin Yuan saw in the kitchen were mostly potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter melons; naturally, there was an abundance of chicken, duck, fish, and various kinds of meat as well.

Xiao He smacked her lips, not expecting to see so many unfamiliar things.

As Lin Yuan washed her hands, she started teaching Xiao He on the spot, "This is abalone, this is bird’s nest, these ingredients are extremely rare. However, as a chef, no matter whether you hold the valuable abalone and ginseng or the inexpensive sweet potatoes in your hands, you should treat them equally when cooking, without any bias."

Xiao He nodded, seemingly understanding yet not fully grasping, and watched quietly on the side.

Cooking was an extensive subject, and could not be explained in a moment. Lin Yuan thought she would teach her bit by bit over time.

Today, there was an abundance of meat in the kitchen. Lin Yuan thought it was perfect for the season; everyone had been busy for a while and must be tired and hungry. If she could let them eat something they had tried back at the Lin family’s home in the mountains, it would definitely bring them a sense of warmth amidst the unfamiliar capital city.

Thus, Lin Yuan decided to prepare a hotpot. The pot and charcoal stove were readily available, which was much more convenient than in the Lin family’s home and Zhuma Town.

Seeing Xiao He eager to try, Lin Yuan smiled and, with a knife in hand, demonstrated how to slice the lamb and beef into fine, thin slices before passing the knife to her, "Here, give it a try."

Xiao He hesitated and bit her lip, "I... I can’t do it."

"No one is good the first time they hold a knife," Lin Yuan encouraged. "Don’t worry, remember what I just explained to you, grasp the key points, hold your left hand in a semi-grip, don’t be stiff with your right hand, and just slice it out bit by bit. Don’t be impatient, practice slowly, and you will get the hang of it."

Hearing Lin Yuan’s encouragement and instructions, Xiao He carefully began to slice the beef. Compared to lamb, the prepared beef was somewhat easier to slice.

"Not bad, you slice very well, much better than my first time with a knife," Lin Yuan said.

Hearing this, Xiao He burst out laughing, "Big sister, you’re just comforting me. Look, could this even count as good?"

As she spoke, Xiao He held up a chunk of beef that she had cut thicker than a chopstick, amusing them both and even prompting laughter from the kitchen ladies watching nearby.

Seeing the unevenly sliced beef by Xiao He, Lin Yuan suddenly remembered Bai Er, who always carried a ruler to measure thickness. If Bai Er saw Xiao He’s skills, he would certainly have laughed with a ruler in his hand, right?

Curving her lips, Lin Yuan thought to herself that she had now arrived in the capital city and wondered when she might encounter that fellow again.

Xiao He’s help with the meat slicing surely wasn’t enough, but fortunately, the kitchen ladies had not yet taken their break, and all of them pitched in to help slice.

Lin Yuan wasn’t idle either. Seeing the large bones from which meat had been trimmed in the kitchen, she decided to make a rich broth. Cooking hotpot with a broth was much more delicious than using ordinary water.

Actually, making a broth was quite simple. Lin Yuan put all the cleaned chicken carcasses into the pot. Looking around the kitchen, she saw there was a good amount of abalone and, since it was all given by Princess Anle anyway, threw one in to stew with the bones.

After boiling it over high heat and then simmering it gently on low heat until the soup turned a bit murky, it was ready.

This was when the oil and marrow from the chicken bones had been sufficiently boiled out.

Once the broth was ready, she removed the chicken bones and the overcooked remains of the abalone, then added some sliced ginger and green onions into it, and thus the soup base was completed.

After tidying everything up, the meat and slices of sweet potato along with other ingredients were all prepared. It was just a pity there was no tofu—it seemed she had to open another tofu shop in the capital city.

Lady Liu and the others had also nearly finished unpacking, and the family sat together and enjoyed a delicious hotpot meal. It indeed felt like they were back at the Lin family’s home in the mountains, as eating hotpot truly brought the essence of a home.