Capítulo 11: Chapter 11: The Old Man's Cooking Manual
Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
必杀菜品!
Xia Yu was stunned, then laughed, "Are you mocking me or praising me?"
He was already prepared for Tiqie Helinai's sharp tongue, so it didn't bother him much. Instead, he was quite interested in some of her words, like the term "killer dish."
This was a secret recipe only the Ten Masters or candidates at the Ten Masters' level might possess, usually showcased in major competitions or critical shokugeki battles.
Did "Magical Mapo Tofu" have the potential to become a killer dish?
Previously, Xia Yu would have doubted it. But after witnessing the Far Moon Commander's clothes split open and hearing the praise hidden within the Divine Tongue's haughty words, Xia Yu felt that the day he cooked glowing Magical Mapo Tofu would signify that he had mastered a killer dish.
He silently memorized the culinary points Tiqie Helinai had pointed out to him, itching to try them out.
As Tiqie Helinai said, he was a half-baked chef—or rather, not even a chef—a trainee apprentice who certainly had shortcomings in basic skills. This might be why his dishes didn't score well on the system.
Details and basic skills...
Xia Yu pondered, wondering what method he could use to catch up with those who had practiced for over a decade.
Chuckling,
"Praising you?"
Tiqie Helinai crossed her arms and looked at him sideways, "You should feel grateful. Do you know what it costs to have me taste test your dishes? My appearance fee starts at a million, and you need to book in advance..."
Xia Yu laughed, "Between you and me, money shouldn't come between us. At worst, next time, I'll treat you to my killer dish."
"Do I know you?" Tiqie Helinai looked at him with disdain.
"Then allow me a grand introduction," Xia Yu stood up, performing a very gentlemanly gesture, "I am Xia Yu from China. Ten years ago, my grandfather Xia Qing brought me to Neon. I spent my elementary, middle school, and post-spring break high school years here."
The corners of Tiqie Helinai's mouth twitched, "I don't need such a commoner's self-introduction. You should have seen me in food magazines or on cooking shows."
Despite her words, Tiqie Helinai unexpectedly added at the end,
"I am the top student in Yuan Yue Academy's middle school division, the tenth seat of the 'Ten Masters of Far Moon,' Tiqie Helinai. Remember my name well, commoner."
"Got it!"
Xia Yu stood up to collect the dishes. When he returned from the kitchen, he saw the old man escorting Tiqie Xianzuowen and Helinai out of the Chinese Restaurant. He followed them, and the group stood at the entrance.
"Mr. Xia Qing, I look forward to your early return."
Tiqie Xianzuowen looked at Xia Yu again, handing him the invitation letter from Yuan Yue once more with a smile, "Don't rush to refuse. Take it first. There is nearly a month until the start of Far Moon High School, giving you plenty of time to consider. With your culinary talent, you should shine at Far Moon, adding to the charm of the 'Era of Jade' there."
Xia Yu shook his head without any hesitation.
"The world outside Far Moon is vast, and I don't want to be confined by school. On the contrary, running a small restaurant seems more intriguing. I long for such a life. Sorry."
Being refused a second time, Tiqie Xianzuowen did not show any anger. He nodded lightly and headed toward the luxury car.
"You'll regret this, commoner,"
Tiqie Helinai bit her lip tightly, full of anger.
To her, the repeated refusal of Yuan Yue's invitation was an immense insult. After all, both Yuan Yue Academy and its related industries belonged to the Tiqie family.
Before getting in the car, Tiqie Helinai couldn't resist turning her head, "With your poor culinary skills, this Chinese restaurant will surely fail in your hands. Don't think running a restaurant is easy; at the very least, you're unqualified as the head chef!"
"Hope next time I see you, you're not homeless on the streets..."
Bang.
Closing the car door, the elongated black luxury car slowly drove away from this street.
Xia Yu withdrew his gaze, glancing at the expressionless old man beside him, and protested, "Hey, old man, that little brat Tiqie Helinai trashed your grandson like this, couldn't you say something?"
"If you want to run this shop, meet my requirements first."
The old man turned and walked back into the shop.
Soon, as night fell, Xia Yu was in the kitchen preparing to practice, full of determination. Little did he know the old man would just hand him a thick notebook, "Learn everything in it in seven days. I booked a flight for seven days from now. If you haven't mastered it by then, you'll start school at Far Moon."
Uh?
Just then, a system prompt popped up,
"New mission received [Inherit Chinese Restaurant]."
"Mission content: Meet the conditions for inheritance and gain grandfather Xia Qing's approval."
"Reward: [Fragmented Jade Knife] (Purple cookware)."
Another mission!
Xia Yu took a deep breath, eyes brimming with endless fighting spirit, "I'll show that little brat Tiqie Helinai whether I can run this Chinese restaurant well!"
Throwing down the spatula and picking up the notebook, Xia Yu's hands stroked the aged cover.
The notebook was clearly old, yet it was well-preserved, with the pencil-drawn content inside still legible and un-faded.
"Detected chef's book. Would you like to add it?"
The system suddenly inquired.
Xia Yu was puzzled, "Add?"
"Yes. Copy the book's content into the God of Cooking System, which will reorganize and summarize the essentials, discarding unnecessary parts to help improve the host's learning efficiency."
"Then quickly add it!"
"Added successfully. Please name the book."
"Name it?" Xia Yu pondered, stroking his chin, "Let's call it the Old Man's Cooking Manual, oh, not that, Old Man's Cooking Manual."
Beep.
The system provided the book's evaluation,
[Old Man's Cooking Manual]
Rating: Excellent (Blue)
Content: Basics, including knife skills, heat control, ingredient selection, and some common basic cooking techniques, including 11 green-level recipes like "Kung Pao Chicken," "Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork," and "Couple's Lung Slices."
Estimated learning time: 5 days.
"Can I learn it all in 5 days?" Xia Yu let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention to the cooking ingredients already prepared on the kitchen counter.
Turning on the gas stove, he lit it, heated the pot, then added Sichuan pepper and chili peppers to stir-fry.
Once the spicy oil was extracted, he filtered out the Sichuan pepper and chili peppers and added minced garlic and soybean ground meat to stir-fry.
This time, Xia Yu was full of confidence.
While frying the soybean ground meat, he specifically used a timer to precisely control the frying time to the millisecond.
The first shortcoming Tiqie Helinai had pointed out was naturally no longer an issue.
The second shortcoming was when adding black bean paste, doubanjiang, soy sauce, salt, and sugar, fried into red oil, with the addition of broth.
The third shortcoming involved the stirring of tofu after opening the pot.
Summarizing the second and third points, it boiled down to fire control!
For Xia Yu, with the help of a timer and full concentration, these points could be executed perfectly.
"System, help me check if the Old Man's Cooking Manual contains anything about thickening techniques..." Xia Yu inquired about the crucial point while busy stir-frying tofu.
Once he finished speaking, the notes transformed into vivid learning images in his mind. A middle-aged chef with a blurred face, dressed in a white chef's uniform, repeatedly demonstrated how to handle 'thickening' before Xia Yu.
'Thickening' involved adding already prepared starch paste into the pot, allowing the sauce to further adhere to the nearly cooked dishes, improving the taste and color of the food.
In truth, the appropriateness of 'thickening' greatly affected the quality of the dish.
This was also why Tiqie Helinai had determined Xia Yu was a novice chef.
After all, 'thickening' was among the most basic fundamentals of cooking. Anyone underwent systematic culinary training would not be as clumsy as Xia Yu in handling 'thickening.'
As the image played in his mind, Xia Yu suddenly realized that his Magical Mapo Tofu had such a frightening flaw.
But now, with this major flaw on the verge of being corrected, would the glowing dish finally appear?
Taking a gentle breath, he added fragrant sesame oil along the edge of the pot into the dish. Instead of rushing to plate, he turned on another gas stove to preheat the serving dish over high heat. Finally, he plated the dish and sprinkled vibrant green scallions on top.
The moment the dish was completed, the late-night kitchen shone like daylight.
A shimmering golden light flowed in the kitchen.
-- Regalo
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