I'm the Culinary God

Grabbed chopsticks and plates from the sterilizing cabinet and started eating with Chen Yan.

In the kitchen, Niu Chuan and Ji Minghui were rolling out noodles, and the pot for boiling noodles already had water boiling away.

Lin Xu picked up a bowl and started adding seasonings into it.

Chili oil was poured directly into a bowl, and scallion minced garlic sauce was added with a large cooking ladle.

With all the seasonings added and the noodles rolled out, they were boiled in a large pot, served into the pot, Lin Xu added a small bowl of crispy fried meat and a bowl of lard, and poured all the spicy sauce in.

He began mixing the noodles.

Once the noodles in the bowl were coated in vibrant red chili oil and sauce, he brought them out to start eating!

Quickly, praises started echoing one after another.

Some praised the delicious mixed noodles, others praised the fragrant crispy fried meat, and some complimented the noodle’s chewiness.

Everyone ate with great satisfaction, Chen Yan and Ren Jie each held a big bowl, enjoying themselves immensely.

Shen Jiayue sat by the window seat, leisurely peeling her air fryer-made sugar-roasted chestnuts, chatting in a fan group as she ate.

In the midst of chatting, she suddenly asked curiously:

"Xu Bao, what’s the difference between er si and rice noodles?"

Lin Xu thought for a moment and said:

"Both are made from rice paste, but rice noodles are formed during the process of making, while er si are cut into strands after being formed, relatively speaking, er si are more chewy, rice noodles are more smooth."

That’s how they’re differentiated in handmade methods, but now the lines between them are very blurred.

Because most are machine-processed, flat noodles and er si can even be made by the same machine.

He glanced at Shen Jiayue:

"Why ask this? Want to eat some?"

"No, Mrs. Huang wants to eat er si from Southern Yunnan, wanted to ask if you can make it, also said it’d be best in claypot style er si, so it can be dipped with sauce to eat... What kind of claypot is that, like the claypot cooked sliced noodles kind?"

Lin Xu nodded:

"Pretty much. Remember in ’Lost in Love’, Zhang Yi couldn’t get the beef rice noodles even after two attempts, it’s similar to that kind of claypot dish, and you prepare a sauce dip, the rice noodles are eaten with the dipping sauce."

In the Yun Gui region, almost every delicacy can be accompanied by dipping sauce.

Take the sour soup crispy fried meat noodles that Shen Baobao named for tomorrow morning, some places pair it with dipping sauce too.

You eat the rice noodles with soup, incredibly satisfying.

Lin Xu hadn’t expected Mrs. Huang to suddenly want er si, but agreed:

"I’ll make it after New Year’s Day, it’s not too hard, and we’ll get to taste er si flavor, pretending to be Southern Yunnan locals for a bit."

"Good, good, I’m planning to taste it... By the way, you know how to make crossing bridge rice noodles too, right?"

Crossing bridge rice noodles are rather simple; it’s just cooking rice noodles in chicken soup. It’s a kind of popular nationwide delicacy from years ago, Lin Xu naturally can make it.

The couple were chatting, when Chen Yan walked over with a bowl of noodles, and softly asked:

"Brother-in-law, I’m getting engaged tomorrow, is there any dish that can amaze everyone?"

A new dish?

Lin Xu thought for a moment and said:

"I’ll make vinegar fried catfish from Huaiyang cuisine for you tomorrow, compared to Squirrel Guaiyu, this dish is relatively less known, but the method is not ordinary, it’s a step higher in difficulty than Squirrel Guaiyu."

For Squirrel Guaiyu, as long as the knife-cutting is handled well, the rest follows the path of sweet and sour fish.

But vinegar fried catfish is different, with triple frying involved, requiring the sauce to be ready just as the third frying is completed, then immediately pouring the complex black-brown sweet and sour sauce over the fish body.

The final step of pouring sauce requires the chef to handle two stove tops and two pots, frying the fish while simmering the sauce.

Such difficulty is something not every chef can achieve.

Currently, even in high-end restaurants in Huaiyang areas, making this dish involves two chefs collaborating, reducing the complexity of cooking.

Yet even with such coordination, there’s still potential for mishaps.

Upon hearing a new dish was indeed available, Chen Yan was thrilled:

"Haha, thanks brother-in-law, when you get married, big sister will give you a super big red envelope!"

Haha, tomorrow’s the Ren family relatives will be in for a shock then!

Just then, Shu Yun also walked over with a bowl, saying:

"The banquet hall setup starts tomorrow, any alterations needed, feel free to tell us, Chen. The store will do its best to accommodate."

This is store business, can’t be careless.

Chen Yan waved her hand:

"No need for much alteration; as long as the food is good tomorrow, it’s fine. We chose to dine here not for the ambiance or anything empty like that, but we find it meaningful... Oh, brother-in-law, I recently visited grandma, she mentioned wanting to eat some light snacks... Is there any light snacks at the store?"

This really isn’t much, but if there’s none, just make it.

To increase Huaiyang cuisine points, Lin Xu said:

"Tomorrow I’ll steam some jade shumai, they should suit grandma’s taste, and the elders should like them very much."

Shen Jiayue, who had been quiet on the side, brightened up.

Vinegar fried catfish?

Jade shumai?

Xu Bao is planning to amaze everyone in Yan Bao’s engagement party?

Well, I’ll then indulge myself, conveniently they’re all my favorites, that’s quite a coincidence!

Once the engagement banquet arrangements were settled, Chen Yan was about done eating, she didn’t linger in the store, and drove off with Ren Jie to the International Trade center, planning to shop once more before engagement.

The next morning, Lin Xu, after getting up, first covered the quilt Shen Baobao had kicked off, and then after freshening up, left the bedroom to start making breakfast downstairs.

Today making sour soup crispy fried rice noodles, considered a common soup noodle dish from Guizhou.

Sour soup is generally made from tomatoes, paired with some acidic broth, giving it a tangy and appetizing flavor, perfect for warming up with a bowl in winter.

Besides sour soup, coarse rice noodles will be used; these round rice noodles have a smooth texture, cooked in stock till flavorful, offering a strong contrast with crispy fried meat.

Furthermore, making this noodle dish involves some meat ingredients too, the selection is quite free, without strict rules.

As long as there’s crispy fried meat, and sour soup, anything else can be improvisation.

Bring over the rice noodles soaked the night before, then prepare the other ingredients, Lin Xu rolled up his sleeves and began making sour soup crispy fried rice noodles!

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Want to devour noodles, slurp rice noodles... This Chapter is 5000 words; monthly ticket supporters, much appreciated!