I'm the Culinary God

Among the three elderly people, Grandma Lin was the oldest. Having been a principal all her life and having once visited Beijing as a representative, she naturally carried the demeanor of an elder sister.

"Ever since I heard Yueyue say she grew up with her grandma, I’ve really wanted to meet you, little sister, and thank you for raising such a wonderful daughter. Our Lin family is truly blessed."

"Dear sister-in-law, that’s not right. It’s our family that’s blessed to have Yueyue meet Lin Xu."

Grandma Shen was very happy. Her granddaughter and great-granddaughter had both found their perfect match. Every time they went home for dinner, the whole street would come to see.

One was a high-profile chef, and the other a high-profile detective.

Who would have thought that the poorest family on the street would not only be prosperous, but their next generation would be so perfect and outstanding, truly enviable.

"Let’s not talk outside, let’s go in. Lunch is already arranged upstairs."

Han Shuzhen and Chen Yan came out from the shop to greet everyone inside.

Chen Yan, upon seeing Chen Meijuan, eagerly called her Aunt Chen, which delighted Chen Meijuan, as she suddenly gained a beautiful niece.

Once inside the shop, they first toured the ground floor, then went upstairs to a reserved large private room where the family gathered around.

By the time Chen Yuanyuan returned from her shift change, several cold dishes serving as appetizers were already on the table.

"Sis, your cousin’s shop is here, why insist on selling buns?"

Chen Shaokang looked puzzled.

In his eyes, since they were family, they should surely find the most leisurely job.

Chen Yuanyuan knocked him on the head:

"Never think like that again; the closer the relations, the more you should pull your weight. Otherwise, you’ll become a parasite. Eat well. This afternoon, I’ll take you to Tsinghua to experience the study atmosphere there."

"I’m not going to Tsinghua, I want to apply to Central Finance University!"

Chen Yuanyuan laughed out of exasperation:

"You really want to be a chef, huh?"

"Of course, I want to be like Cousin, study hard, earn money, and someday I’ll buy you a sports car if you do well."

Chen Yuanyuan stuffed a chicken wing into her mouth:

"I was thinking of taking you to buy a laptop, but since my brother is so generous, I’ll skip it and save some money."

"Sis, my bad, when I have money, I’ll buy you two sports cars!"

"With battery-operated ones? Hurry and eat, little brother, remember: a man’s ambitions aren’t spoken but shown. Repeatedly saying it makes you seem shallow."

"Oh, got it."

In the kitchen, Lin Xu was using small tweezers to pick feathers out of the cubilose that had been soaked for three hours.

Cubilose has always been a renowned tonic, rich in gelatin; the most common preparation is crystal sugar bird’s nest.

During preparation, it’s soaked in pure water for three to four hours, changing the water midway to soften the originally dry and hard cubilose.

Then, with small tweezers, all mixed feathers and impurities are removed.

This not only makes the cubilose appear purer and white but also effectively removes the odor, making it taste better and more delicious.

The strands of cubilose resemble fish fins once softened.

After removing the impurities, Lin Xu pulled the cubilose into strips according to the texture, washed them again, placed them in stewing pots, added two pitted red dates, and added pure water.

Then the stewing pots were placed in the steam cabinet for water-separated simmering.

Cubilose can’t be cooked directly, as it easily sticks to the pot. Slow steaming makes its gelatin dissolve into the water.

This tonic soup is quite friendly to women, having beautifying effects when consumed.

During the simmering, Lin Xu took a large piece of crystal sugar, smashing it with the back of a knife. Crystal sugar bird’s nest requires adding some crystal sugar.

Yellow crystal sugar is best, with moderate sweetness and a fresh sugarcane flavor.

Crystal sugar can’t be added too early; otherwise, it becomes too sweet. It’s usually added five minutes before being taken out of the pot, preserving the fresh sweetness just melted into the broth.

After half an hour of water-separated simmering, Lin Xu lifted the pot cover, placed the smashed crystal sugar into each small stewing pot.

At this moment, Wei Qian came over to ask:

"Lin Xu, the roasted lamb is ready. Shall I serve it to your family now?"

"Go ahead, and also serve two extra portions of roasted goose. There are many people today, so let’s not run short."

"Got it, I’ll arrange it now."

Wei Qian hurried off, Lin Xu, after placing the crystal sugar, covered the pot and glanced at the electronic clock on the wall, silently noting the time.

Five minutes passed quickly.

He lifted the pot cover, took out the stewing pots one by one, while the helpers quickly served the dishes.

At the private room door, Shu Yun seeing the stewing pots, curiously asked:

"What are these?"

"It’s the boss’s red dates crystal sugar bird’s nest... specially reserved a portion for you, go to the second floor to enjoy it later."

Cubilose is a good thing, Shu Yun thanked the waiter and personally took the tray inside.

"Come, try the red dates crystal sugar bird’s nest prepared by the boss himself. The bird’s nests were prepared this morning specially to surprise the elders."

The men present weren’t interested in bird’s nest.

But it was different for the women, whether it was the younger generation like Shen Jiayue and Chen Yan or the middle-aged generation like Han Shuzhen and Chen Meijuan, or the elderly like Grandma Shen, they all showed expressions of delight.

"Quick, pass it over, I’ll taste test the seasoning for everyone."

"Come on, it’s crystal sugar bird’s nest, what seasoning are you talking about?"

Shen Jiayue habitually bickered with Chen Yan and then asked Shu Yun:

"Did you get yours? If not, take a portion, you try it too."

"I left a portion downstairs, you guys eat first. Just say the word if you want to add any dishes, and I’ll arrange for it."

Downstairs, Lin Xu began making the Flame Drunken Goose that Shen Guofu had been longing for, remembering how his grandma used to love eating Three Non-stick, plus this delicacy was indeed a specialty of Yinzhou.

He fetched some eggs, preparing to make this legendary sweet dish for the family to taste.

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The year 2022 is over. Originally, I had planned to write four hundred thousand words this month, but due to illness and other reasons, I couldn’t write much. Still, I completed 316,000 words, maintaining at least one Chapter of ten thousand words daily, keeping my standing around 30th in the power rankings.

In the new year, I wish everyone the best of luck! This Chapter has 5,100 words, seeking support from all my brothers with monthly tickets!