I'm the Culinary God

Shen Jiayue looked moved:

"Wow, I told you, my son wouldn’t leave. Don’t worry, Dundun, we’ll never abandon you no matter what. If you ever get sick, Dad and Mommy will sell everything to pay for your treatment and won’t give up on you."

When the light turned green, Lin Xu shifted gears and started driving, talking to himself:

"Whoever said they would sell everything must not know how to live... A complete pot is worth a lot, but if smashed and sold as scrap metal, the price drops to less than ten times."

Shen Jiayue: ??????

Why do you always know how to pour cold water on my enthusiasm?

Considering our son is in the car, I won’t argue with you now. But when we get to the bedroom tonight, I’ll show you!

At the store, Old Huang was unloading supplies from the van.

The engagement banquet had ten tables in total, and Old Huang was responsible for all the ingredients.

Recently, thanks to Chen Yan signing contracts with those big restaurant head chefs, Old Huang has expanded his business quite a bit. So, for this engagement banquet, he provided all the ingredients for free.

"Boss Huang looks slimmer."

Lin Xu got out holding Dundun and noticed Old Huang looked more spirited than before. His once protruding belly was now much smaller, and his plump face had become more defined.

Losing weight indeed has a cosmetic effect.

"Lost about ten pounds. A friend recommended a ketogenic diet to quickly reduce weight. I tried it, and it works, but you can’t do it for too long, or it harms your body. Doing it for two weeks every three months should be fine."

After placing all the supplies on the cart brought over, the group went upstairs.

In the third-floor banquet hall, various ribbons and red draped decorations were already up, with the big screen showing a small animation created by Geng Lele about Chen Yan and Ren Jie’s journey of knowing each other.

This was Geng Lele’s gift.

Originally, Cui Qingyuan felt a little sorry for his goddaughter, reconsidering if he was putting too much pressure on Little Mushroom Head.

But after watching that little animation, he realized that the girl’s potential was far from being fully tapped.

Since you can learn animating, why not also pick up Spanish to avoid feeling helpless in non-English speaking countries?

Lin Xu changed into his chef’s attire and went to the kitchen, asking Wei Qian:

"Have the dishes for the engagement party started preparation?"

"Yes, some large items are being steamed and braised. The lamb chops have been marinated, and they’ll be roasted right before serving since they don’t take long."

After Wei Qian finished, he pointed to a not-so-distant sink:

"Old Huang just sent ten gu fish for Vinegar Fried Catfish... Are you doing it, Lin Xu?"

Lin Xu nodded:

"Yes, I’ll do it. For Sister Yan’s engagement, I’ll make a less common dish."

"What about those little cabbages?"

"I’m using them for Jade Shumai later. Remember to cook some Jinhua Ham; I need to mix it into the filling."

The steaming time for Jade Shumai is only around five minutes. Such a short time won’t fully release the ham’s aroma. So, the best approach is to cook the ham early, using the steam to bring out its fragrance while also reducing some of the saltiness.

If using Xuanwei Ham, simply steaming is enough.

But the traditional method for Jade Shumai requires a saltier Jinhua Ham, thus requiring cooking beforehand.

To earn points, the authentic approach must be followed.

At ten in the morning, relatives attending the engagement banquet showed up one after another.

Some brought gifts, while others simply sealed red envelopes.

Coming out of the kitchen, Shu Yun quickly approached, holding a rather large red envelope:

"This was instructed by Aunt Chen to be given to Chief Chen when she left, totaling twenty thousand yuan. She said it’s called ’good things come in pairs’ and specially wrote a note... Should I give it now or later?"

"I’ll head upstairs and give it to her now while greeting the elders."

Lin Xu took the red envelope from his mom for his older sister upstairs, where he saw Chen Yan in a red dress chatting with Grandma Shen.

"Sister Yan, this is a red envelope from my parents wishing you a happy engagement!"

Remembering his own engagement, his older sister had come over early to give him a red envelope. Who would have thought the then reluctant-to-marry Chief Chen would soon be engaged herself?

Handing over the envelope, Lin Xu reminded:

"My mom also left you a note. Open it and see..."

After greeting Grandma Shen and other relatives along with Ren Family’s relatives, Lin Xu went downstairs to start the cooking.

He began by making Jade Shumai.

Taking high-gluten flour, he mixed it into a semi-scalded dough like Crab Bun, then covered it with a damp cloth to let it relax.

When using high-gluten flour, it’s essential to eliminate its tightness as much as possible; otherwise, it remains sticky and challenging to use.

After kneading, he took the prepared vegetables.

Cut the stems away, saving only the tender leaf parts.

Preparing to boil a large pot of water, he added a small spoonful of salt and some peanut oil when the water boiled, then brought it to a boil again, putting the leaves in for blanching.

Once the leaves softened and wilted, he quickly took them out, placing them in cold water.

This step was to cool them down, maintaining their tender yet crisp texture.

The leaves must be fully cooled, or the residual heat will make them mushy, significantly reducing the Shumai’s texture.

After the leaves cooled thoroughly, Lin Xu took them out, placing them on a strainer and using the back of a spoon to press down, squeezing out as much moisture as possible.

With reduced water, he layered the leaves on a board, chopping them up.

Ma Zhiqiang, who hadn’t eaten Jade Shumai before, watched Lin Xu’s process, curiously asking:

"Boss, without Glutinous Rice and large chunks of meat, just using leaves, will the Shumai be delicious?"

Though Shumai exists in various regions, being both sweet and savory, meat-based or vegetarian, only Huaiyang cuisine’s Jade Shumai utilizes just leaves for filling.

Lin Xu laughed and said:

"If it were from other cuisines, it might be uncertain, but Huaiyang Shumai surely isn’t as simple as it appears... It’s because they have a secret weapon."

Ma Zhiqiang paused:

"A secret weapon? What is it?"

"Lard!"

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