I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 617 - 290: Chen Yan: Have you heard of Lin Ji’s Food? I am the Executive Chef there! [Subscribe]_3

Chapter 617: Chapter 290: Chen Yan: Have you heard of Lin Ji’s Food? I am the Executive Chef there! [Subscribe]_3

Those six boxes of mooncakes, even at Lin Ji’s prices, would cost at least 2,000. If you bought them from scalpers, it would be more than 3,000. That’s so much money; how could we let someone else front it?

The group lifted the pancake cart onto the pickup truck, secured it with ropes, then started the vehicle and left the alleyway.

In the BMW, Shen Baobao asked while driving, "That police officer was quite tall and handsome. You’re not being so helpful just because you’re smitten, are you?"

"Not at all! I didn’t even add his WeChat... But now that you mention it, he really was handsome. No wonder I can never find anyone I like; all the good ones have been recruited by the state."

「Back at the villa.」

The two of them were soon bustling about.

Meanwhile, in the living room, the Snowflake Chicken Nao had been eaten, leaving only scraps on the plate. A group of relatives was trying to guess the name of the dish, but they couldn’t figure it out.

Shen Guofu wrote down one of the characters from the dish’s name on a piece of paper. "The name of this dish has four characters," he hinted, pointing to what he’d written. "This is one of them. Do you recognize it?"

Haha, the trap was set, just waiting for this group of senior doctors to jump in.

However, just as he showed the character, his brother-in-law, Han Shuyu, said, "I remember now! It’s Snowflake Chicken Nao. I had it a couple of years ago on a trip to Rong City at a high-end Sichuan private restaurant. Their presentation was fancier, but it wasn’t as delicious as Lin Xu’s."

Shen Guofu, who had been waiting all morning for this, was dumbfounded.

He actually said the name correctly? Does studying for a few extra years really make that much of a difference?

Han Shuyu continued, "I remember that character vividly because I mispronounced it back then, and the waiter specifically corrected me."

That made Shen Guofu feel a bit better.

I thought you, a specialist in cardiac surgery, had also mastered the Chinese language.

He picked up the plate, scraped the remaining bits from the slightly cooled bottom with a spoon, and popped it into his mouth. Even cold, the dish was still delicious, with a perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture. The only flaw was that being a bit cold caused the lard in it to congeal slightly.

But for Old Shen, he loved that rich, greasy taste of lard. Only that gave him the satisfying feeling of eating hearty meat.

Han Shuyu asked curiously, "Where’s Yueyue? With so many relatives around, why isn’t she out here greeting her cousins?"

Shen Guofu replied, "She’s busy cooking in the kitchen. Lately, that girl and my niece have gotten hooked on cooking. They’ve been pestering Lin Xu to learn how to cook every day. Today, they seem to be making orange steamed eggs. Remember to compliment them when you try it."

Old Shen was a typical doting father. Before even tasting his daughter’s cooking, he began reminding the relatives not to forget to give praise.

As for the taste... My daughter cooked it herself! How can you even care about the taste? What difference does it make if it’s a little better or worse? Just praise her, that’s all!

In the kitchen, Lin Xu was cutting the lactone tofu. "Why are you back so late?" he asked. "If you were any later, these orange steamed eggs couldn’t have been served with everything else."

Shen Baobao started to explain, "Yan Bao had a romantic encounter and even got six boxes of mooncakes out of it— Hey! My clothes are wet! You sneaky Yan Bao, are you embarrassed or something?"

As Shen Baobao was speaking, Chen Yan splashed her with water from the sink.

Their sisterly bond proved to be made of plastic once again.

Lin Xu finished dicing the lactone tofu and placed the small pieces on a plate. Next, he took out a box of Crab Yellow Sauce he’d gotten from Fishing Platform, crushed two steamed salted egg yolks, and began to prepare Crab Yellow Tofu.

Making this dish with only crab yellow would leave the flavor a bit bland. So, adding two salted egg yolks enhances the complex aroma and creates a richer, smoother texture.

Regular southern tofu would typically be fine for this dish, but Old Mrs. Shen preferred her tofu cooked exceptionally soft and tender. So, Lin Xu switched to lactone tofu, which is soft enough to be eaten with a spoon.

Once all the ingredients were ready, he brought a pot of water to a boil, adding a small spoonful of salt. Then, he blanched the lactone tofu to remove any beany taste, which also made its texture more tender and its flavor more intense. Once the water returned to a boil, he immediately removed the tofu.

He heated the wok, swirled it to coat the surface with oil, then added a mixture of vegetable oil and lard. Once the oil mixture was hot, he stir-fried minced scallion and ginger until fragrant. Next, he added the crushed egg yolks, stir-frying until they foamed. Then, he added the crab yellow. Once fragrant, he gently mixed in the blanched tofu and added a splash of water to simmer. This step required low heat to allow the flavors of the crab yellow and egg yolks to slowly permeate the tofu.

When the liquid had mostly reduced, he thickened the sauce with a cornstarch slurry, adding it in three separate batches, similar to making Mapo Tofu. This technique makes the tofu incredibly smooth, soft, and delicious.

Finally, just before serving, he drizzled a little Crab Oil (made from crab shells) over the dish, releasing an immediate burst of fresh crab aroma and flavor.

When Shen Baobao carried the Crab Yellow Tofu into the dining room, the aroma captivated all the relatives who were chatting in the living room while waiting for lunch.

"Wow, what makes this dish smell so incredibly fresh?"

"It smells so tempting! Lin Xu’s cooking skills are truly unmatched."

"We get to enjoy Lin Xu’s delicious food again for lunch!"

"..."

In the dining room, just as Shen Baobao set down the large bowl of tofu, Chen Yan snapped a photo with her phone and immediately posted it to her social media feed:

"Yours truly, Chen Yan, humble Executive Chef of Lin Ji’s Food, presents a delicious Crab Yellow Tofu on this Mid-Autumn Festival. Wishing everyone a happy family reunion!"

Right after posting, she noticed Shen Baobao had already posted about a dish on her own social media feed, also claiming to be the executive chef—it was the Snowflake Chicken Nao they had made earlier when they went to buy oranges.

Zeng Xiaoqi, always one to stir the pot, commented on both of their posts, "This is a classic case of the real versus fake Monkey King!"

Dou Wenjing retorted, "Not really, because neither of them is the real one."

Chen Yan sneered.

Little Dou, are you trying to make the boss cut our bonus?

She was about to tell Dou Wenjing to mind her own business when she suddenly remembered being called ’Chef Chen’ by the policeman.

I didn’t accept the money. That young fellow isn’t going to go directly to Lin Ji to pay it back, is he? 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

At this thought, Chen Yan immediately tapped on Shu Yun’s profile picture and typed out a message: "Urgent SOS, Boss Shu! Could I ask you for a huge favor..."