Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots
Chapter 1221 - 130 Dishes (Second Update)

Chapter 1221: 130 Dishes (Second Update)

Shui Xian led the way, bringing the chefs one by one into the hall, with the master chefs first followed by the younger helpers.

As soon as Shui Xian entered, she walked up to Lin Yuan and whispered a few words in her ear.

Lin Yuan raised her eyebrows, her gaze towards the master chefs also changed noticeably. As she had expected, these master chefs were taking advantage of their status to make things difficult for the helpers. They started by not allowing them to use the kitchen tools, and when it came to selecting ingredients, they took the good ones for themselves regardless of whether they could use them all, leaving only simple and shoddy materials for the young men. If Shui Xian hadn’t threatened to tell Lin Yuan, those master chefs would not have been willing to share even half of the supplies.

It was bad enough that they were hoarding ingredients, but some master chefs deliberately demanded these helpers assist them in cooking and even threatened that if they refused, they would no longer be allowed to stay at Yi Ran Residence.

Shui Xian pursed her lips and with a glance, signaled to Lin Yuan which one was the formidable master chef, whispering, "I hear they all call him Master Liang. This Master Liang is both domineering and arrogant. Miss, you already agreed to let the helpers participate, yet he still insists they do menial tasks like washing vegetables and tending the fire. Humph, it’s like he owns Yi Ran Residence!"

Following Shui Xian’s glance, Lin Yuan saw a willful-looking master chef ordering a young man to move tables for him. The tables and chairs in the hall had been cleared away, but the master chefs had brought their dishes and needed somewhere to place them, so Lin Yuan had told them to find tables themselves.

While other master chefs moved tables by themselves or shared with two or three others, the one Shui Xian pointed out, Master Liang, used a table all to himself and didn’t lift a finger. It was apparent how he usually threw his weight around at Yi Ran Residence.

What surprised Lin Yuan further was that this Master Liang was the same man who had been somewhat defiant during her earlier lecture.

Lin Yuan glanced at Master Liang and then at Shopkeeper Xiao, who was standing beside her with a slightly unwell expression. She hummed inwardly, thinking that since Master Liang was so arrogant, his culinary skills must be very good, right?

While Master Liang continued to imperiously direct others, everyone else had already placed their dishes on the tables. Some master chefs shared tables between two, some between three, and of course, some dishes, due to their elaborate presentation, required large plates and thus bigger tables. However, those who needed bigger tables took care of it themselves, unlike Master Liang who had others do it for him.

The helpers were furious yet dared not speak out. Sun Qian in particular had been so angry he had nearly lost control. If it weren’t for the two young men desperately holding him back, his tightly clenched fists might already have landed on Master Liang’s head.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please place your dishes in front of you; I will be tasting each one shortly."

Lin Yuan seemed to ignore Master Liang’s haughty demeanor and addressed the people before her with a calm demeanor.

Watching the large and small plates in front of them, Xia Zheng also sat up straight, intrigued. Although their cooking skills were not as good as Lin Yuan’s, he was very curious to see how they used Plum Blossom in their dishes.

Hearing Lin Yuan speak, the chefs perked up, like hens waiting to be graced by a rooster, their eyes fixed intently on Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan smiled slightly and nodded at Xia Zheng, and the two stood up and moved to the tables.

Stationed at the very front were the master chefs. Master Liang had purposely placed his table at the foremost position, waiting for Lin Yuan to check his dish first.

However, Lin Yuan did not start with him; instead, she walked to the other side and began tasting the dishes of two other master chefs.

"Boss, this is my ’Plum Blossom Blooms Twice," one chef said as he lifted the lid covering his dish, presenting it. The exquisite appearance genuinely surprised Lin Yuan.

No wonder it’s called "Plum Blossom Second Bloom," this dish was assembled using plum blossom petals to imitate little plum flowers, with the pistils made from cauliflower petals and the trunk from pumpkin strips coated in honey-colored syrup. The syrup’s color was intentionally burnt a bit, and though it tasted slightly bitter, the color closely resembled that of a tree trunk. Moreover, the chef was so thoughtful that he even used thin bamboo sticks to etch various textures on the pumpkin strips, exactly like the textures on a tree trunk, making it look even more like a plum blossom.

Lin Yuan nodded with a smile. The essence of this dish was not in its taste, but in the craftsmanship. Although he was unaware of how skilled this chef was, he at least knew that he was highly skilled in manipulating the appearance of ingredients. Whatever the material, once in his hands, he could assemble it into various beautiful forms.

Such a skillful and clever person, if born in modern times, would definitely be an outstanding culinary master.

Coming to the next chef, as he lifted the lid, Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng both smelled a fresh, sweet aroma.

In surprise, they then heard the chef’s somewhat hoarse voice say, "Boss, what I’ve made is called ’Plum Blossom Whisper.’"

"Plum Blossom Whisper?" Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow and upon inspecting the delicate soup in the dish, realized, the name spoken by the chef was a homophone but actually meant "Plum Blossom Clear Fish."

Shui Xian promptly served Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng each a bowl of fish soup.

Taking the soup, Lin Yuan first carefully smelled it. Besides the fresh, sweet aroma he initially noticed, when smelled up close, it had the added delicate fragrance of crucian carp.

He tasted a sip, finding the soup rich but not heavy. It contained ginger strips and garlic cloves to remove any fishy odor, with a faint hint of alcohol.

Lin Yuan nodded repeatedly, "There must be petals in this fish soup, right?"

The chef smiled and nodded, "The boss is correct, there indeed are petals. I used plum blossom petals to make a spice pouch and cooked it together with the fish soup."

Xia Zheng, on the other hand, picked a bit of the minced fish meat from the soup and put it into his mouth, savoring carefully, "It’s not just the soup that had plum blossoms; I guess you also put petals inside the fish belly for seasoning."

Hearing this, the chef widened his eyes in astonishment and nodded repeatedly, "The young master is incredible! You could taste that!"

Xia Zheng raised his eyebrows high, smug beyond words.

Lin Yuan chuckled but still said to the chef, "Putting plum blossoms into the fish belly is indeed a good idea; however, given enough time, I think you could come up with an even better method to process the fish meat."

The chef appeared even more amazed, nodding, "Does the boss mean soaking the fish meat with plum blossoms? Indeed, that was my initial plan, but there wasn’t enough time."

Indeed, the flavor of plum blossoms is too mild; if one really wanted to season it thoroughly, without a whole day and night, it truly wouldn’t suffice.

Lin Yuan silently praised him, nodded at the man, and then walked to the next chef.