The Gourmet Customizer

Many dignitaries and wealthy individuals in Lu Province would send invitations to Zhang the Second for their banquets, hoping to have him prepare this very dish. Some famous restaurants would even take photos of him to hang on their walls.

They would boast, "The Nine-Turned Pork Intestines at our restaurant were prepared under the guidance of Master Zhang. They’re absolutely authentic!"

"This Nine-Turned Pork Intestines made by Boss Su is completely different from the one I know. First off, the choice of ingredients is not quite the same."

This was a point Zhang Heping had initially criticized, but after tasting three or four pieces at Su Chen’s urging, he finally discovered the secret behind it!

The meat from the end of the intestine is relatively thick, rich, and firm, which also makes it quite heavy and greasy. Therefore, in the recipe Zhang Heping had learned, various seasonings had to be added when boiling the intestines, especially salt!

Otherwise, whether it was simmered on low heat or reduced on high heat later, the intestines wouldn’t absorb the flavor of the sauce, and there would be a sense of disconnection when eating it.

But the main section of the intestine is different. That part has softer meat and a more delicate texture. Moreover, he didn’t know what method Su Chen had used, but he had somehow given this part a sense of firmness as well!

Paired with its inherent delicacy, the first few bites didn’t seem like much, but the more he ate, the more delicious it became. It felt addictive!

After hearing what Zhang Heping had to say about the ingredients, Cui Yufen nodded expressionlessly. After a long moment, she finally squeezed out a single phrase, "Neither one thing nor the other."

Zhang Heping clapped his hands and said anxiously, "Teacher, that’s not all! I tasted the pork intestines, and of the five flavors, one is missing. It’s missing the bitter taste!"

"Can you even call that Nine-Turned Pork Intestines then? Isn’t this just messing around?"

"Exactly! The point of Nine-Turned Pork Intestines is to taste all the vicissitudes of life—the sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. How can it be good if one flavor is missing? Let me have a taste. I’ll critique Boss Su!"

"I love bitter things, let me do it!"

It was chaos. Complete chaos!

Zhang Heping’s description had already made many of his fellow disciples’ mouths water in secret. Now, hearing that the bitter flavor was missing, everyone grew even more curious, unable to stop themselves from wanting a taste to see what was going on.

Fortunately, Cui Yufen still held some authority over the group. She cleared her throat a few times. "Old Er, you continue."

Zhang Heping swallowed and nodded. "At first, I thought the dish tasted strange with one flavor missing, but after a few more bites, I realized something was up!"

Flavor comes from two sources: the ingredients and the seasonings.

In Nine-Turned Pork Intestines, the sourness comes from the vinegar added right at the end, giving it a vinegary aroma that’s subtly sour.

The sweetness comes from the white sugar used for caramelization. The spiciness comes from pepper powder, and in Zhang Heping’s method, pepper is also added before cooking. As for the saltiness, that naturally comes from soy sauce and fine salt.

So, the bitterness... where did it come from?

It comes from the bitterness created when stir-frying the sugar for caramel!

But Su Chen stir-fried the sugar only to a light caramel stage, starting the cooking process before it could turn bitter. As a result, the dish had no bitterness at all!

At first, Zhang Heping just felt the dish tasted a little strange after losing one of its flavors, but as he took several more bites...

Holy cow!

The layers of flavor were distinct. Zhang Heping had always said that the key to Nine-Turned Pork Intestines was distinct layers of flavor, but after those few bites, he finally understood what "distinct layers of flavor" really fucking meant!

The four flavors—sour, sweet, spicy, and salty—existed in his mouth simultaneously, yet they didn’t interfere with one another. It was as if each one was independent, each flavor profile clear and vibrant.

"And that’s not even the main point!"

Cui Yufen was so angry her eyebrows were about to blast off. ’You’ve been talking for ages, and you still haven’t gotten to the fucking point?’

’Do you even know how to talk?!’

Zhang Heping pointed at the untouched plate of food. "The most important thing is that Boss Su abandoned the traditional method of stuffing the intestines and chose to cut the intestine body into segments and cook them directly. And I don’t know what method he used, but... basically, with every bite, I knew I was eating a piece of pork intestine!"

His fellow disciples, who had all been listening intently with ears pricked, felt an urge to beat him up after hearing this "important point."

’Isn’t that fucking obvious?’

’If I eat a piece of pork intestine, am I not going to know what I’m eating?’

Zhang Heping had cornered himself. He really didn’t know how to describe it, so he looked to Su Chen for help.

"Haha." Su Chen had no intention of hiding the specific method for this dish. "What Mr. Zhang is saying is actually very simple. In my opinion, if you use the stuffing method without removing any fat, the pork intestines become too rich. Every bite is very dense, and it can become a bit cloying if you eat too much."

"So I abandoned the stuffing method. At the same time, I removed about thirty percent of the fat while cleaning the intestines, which reduced their richness."

"Yes!" Zhang Heping slapped his forehead. "That’s exactly what I meant. It’s not as rich when you eat it, and precisely because the richness is toned down, the intestine’s own flavor comes out. And this flavor isn’t an offal taste—it’s the intrinsic flavor of the pork intestine itself!"

After talking for so long, Zhang Heping still felt his words were too feeble. The subtle wonders of this Nine-Turned Pork Intestines could only be known by those who had tasted it.

And not just one bite. You had to take big mouthfuls and really dig in to feel truly satisfied!

The best way was to finish one plate and immediately ask for another!

"Is it really that incredible?"

Cui Yufen picked up her chopsticks and walked over to the second plate of pork intestines. She was a bit of a skeptic.

The main issue was that Boss Su had taken one of the most traditional dishes in Lu Cuisine—and also one of its most famous online—and turned it into this nondescript creation. It was honestly a bit hard to accept.

Cui Yufen picked up a piece of pork intestine. Before tasting it, she turned her head. "Boss Su, may I ask why you decided to abandon the bitter flavor?"

Su Chen was taken aback for a moment.

’How should I answer this?’

The reason for abandoning the bitter flavor was simple: only by doing so could the dish reach the SS Level. Otherwise, it would only be S Level.

Besides, in Master Chef Zhang Jixing’s method, he also chose to stir-fry a light caramel, similarly abandoning the bitter flavor.

But if he said that, wouldn’t he be negating the methods of their original culinary lineage?

Su Chen pondered for a moment, then slowly raised his head.

"Life is already bitter enough. We’re just eating a dish, so let’s have a little more sweetness."

Cui Yufen: ???

’Is this guy trying to get all poetic with me?’

Hiding behind the crowd, Ling Shuyu suddenly felt a jolt, as if struck by lightning.

’Damn it!’

’Boss Su managed to show off again!’

Ling Shuyu even started to wonder, ’When will I ever be able to show off like Boss Su—so effortlessly, so naturally, so brilliantly?’

’I want to show off so badly, too! Aaaah!’