I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 610 - 288: Grandma’s Best Specialty - Nourishing Stomach Congee with Greens! A High-end Dish for the Mid-Autumn Festival Reunion! [Subscribe Please]_2

Chapter 610: Chapter 288: Grandma’s Best Specialty - Nourishing Stomach Congee with Greens! A High-end Dish for the Mid-Autumn Festival Reunion! [Subscribe Please]_2

After saying that, she picked up a relatively intact parasol leaf from the ground and placed it on Dundun’s head.

"Ha, Dundun with an umbrella." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Dundun raised its paw, pushed the leaf aside, and let out dissatisfied whimpers. Han Shuzhen’s heart ached as she hugged Dundun, saying, "You naughty girl, always bullying Dundun! How many times have I told you not to eat so much before bed? You just don’t listen. Later, I’ll show you some illustrations; then you’ll understand the dangers of eating recklessly before sleeping."

Seeing her daughter still in the mood to tease her grandcat, Director Han finally felt at ease. Still, she knew eating at night was something to be cautious about. One might not notice any issues when young, but as people age, their stomachs become more fragile, so it was best not to overburden them before bed.

Shen Baobao muttered, "I know, but the cucumber mixed with fried dough that Lin Xu made was really yummy! Mom, look at the photos; I bet you can’t help but crave it."

She showed the photos she took last night on her phone, and Han Shuzhen indeed found them quite tempting.

Shen Guofu, who was nearby, took a glance and said, "That looks delicious? I don’t buy it at all. Honey, don’t listen to Yueyue’s nonsense; she’s definitely bluffing you."

With Dundun perched on her shoulder, Han Shuzhen looked again, hesitated, and then said, "It looks okay... Lin Xu, is this really tasty?"

Shen Guofu replied, "You’re asking the cook; of course, he’ll say it’s tasty. How about this: I’ll go to the alley entrance and buy a few fried dough sticks. Whether it’s good or not, we’ll know once we taste it."

After saying this, he winked covertly at Lin Xu, signaling his good son-in-law that it was time to play his part.

Lin Xu, holding back his laughter, said to Han Shuzhen, "This is a way of eating from my hometown; Yueyue found it tasty, so maybe you should try it too, Mom."

Tempted, Han Shuzhen said to Shen Guofu, "You can’t eat greasy food. Just buy a couple for us to taste... We agreed to eat sandwiches at home, but you insisted on coming here for porridge. Now, instead of cutting fat, we’re adding more!"

"Don’t worry, I’ll just buy a couple to taste. I won’t get more."

Success! Shen Guofu thought. He stopped picking up leaves, dropped the plastic bag on the ground, and hurriedly walked outside.

This task should have fallen to Lin Xu, but he didn’t dare offer. Since he wasn’t sure how many fried dough sticks his father-in-law wanted to eat, he let Shen Guofu go buy them himself.

As Lin Xu approached the kitchen door, a tantalizing rice aroma wafted out. Stepping inside, he saw a clay pot of rice porridge simmering over a low flame. On the adjacent stove stood a large, three-layer steamer. It was presumably filled with steamed buns, as Lin Xu could smell them in the steam escaping from the cracks around the lid.

Just then, Grandma Shen was slicing pickled vegetables. When Lin Xu saw this, he immediately offered, "Grandma, let me do it. Are these for stir-fried mustard greens?"

"Yes, your dad has been craving them. As a child, he loved hot steamed buns filled with shredded pickled vegetables. Since we came across some today, I thought I’d stir-fry a little for him to taste."

Lin Xu washed his hands and took the kitchen knife from her, saying, "I can handle it, Grandma. You don’t need to worry."

It would be one thing if he didn’t know how to cook, but since he did, how could he let an elder do the work?

He skillfully sliced the mustard greens into fine shreds. After cutting them, he tasted a piece; it was extremely salty. So, he filled a basin with fresh water and put the shredded mustard greens in to soak. These kinds of pickled vegetables are very salty and need to be rinsed several times before cooking. Only then will the stir-fried pickled vegetables taste their best.

While they were soaking, Lin Xu sliced some dried chilies and scallion shreds to be stir-fried with the greens, and also cut half an onion, which would help neutralize the saltiness.

By this time, the steamed buns on the stove were ready. Lin Xu turned off the heat and let the buns continue to steam with the residual heat for another two minutes. Then, he lifted the lid and used tongs to transfer the buns from the steamer into a basket.

The first layer was entirely filled with plain steamed buns, while the second layer contained flower rolls made with regular dough and a chocolate-flavored dough. As for the bottom layer, it held scallion oil rolls.

However, Grandma Shen’s oil rolls were different from the usual kind. These savory rolls had been brushed with Soy Sauce, giving them a rich, savory aroma reminiscent of meat rolls.

"When your dad was a kid, he would crave meat rolls when he saw others having them, but we couldn’t afford meat," Grandma Shen explained with a smile, seeing her son-in-law’s curiosity. "So I’d use Dark Soy Sauce to pretend we had meat, just to fool the children."

If his father-in-law’s life story were written down, it would definitely be a phenomenal rags-to-riches tale... Lin Xu mused, then asked, "Grandma, would you like to eat some meat rolls? If you want, I’ll steam some for you later."

"You don’t need to worry about me. I can cook anything I want. And if I don’t feel like cooking, I can just go stay at the villa. I won’t let myself be uncomfortable."

After taking out all the steamed buns, flower rolls, and oil rolls, Lin Xu removed the large steamer and placed a wok on the stove. He rinsed the soaking mustard green shreds twice more with fresh water, then transferred them to a colander to drain.

Once everything was ready, he lit the fire under the wok to begin stir-frying. He added oil to the wok. Once it was hot, he tossed in the dried chilies and scallion shreds, stir-frying them to release their fragrance. The fragrance of the dried chilies would enhance the flavor of the mustard greens, so it was important to stir-fry them long enough to fully draw out their aroma.

Once the aromatics were fragrant, he poured the drained mustard green shreds into the wok and began to stir-fry vigorously. This kind of dish required patience. It was crucial to stir-fry until all the excess moisture from the greens evaporated and the fermented aroma from the pickling process was completely gone. Only then would the mustard green shreds be truly fragrant and delicious.

While Lin Xu was busy with this, Shen Guofu returned, walking into the yard carrying a bag of fried dough sticks and a few cucumbers. As he walked toward the kitchen, he was grumbling to himself,