The Gourmet Customizer

'Aren't you being a bit too hasty...'

'Even for a culinary challenge, you're supposed to taste a proper dish before starting, right?'

'Why start after just a bite of dessert?'

"I'm not a waitress..." He Shuting said timidly, though she desperately wanted to lash out. "The boss is busy inside. If he comes out now, it might disrupt everyone's meal."

'You think you can just summon our chef on a whim?'

'He's our respected Boss!'

"Ah, Shuting, you should go get Boss Su. The cooking can wait a bit, there's no rush," Lu Yongliang said.

His words left He Shuting confused. 'This group is obviously here to cause trouble. Wasn't Elder Lu on the boss's side before? Why is he suddenly speaking up for them?'

What He Shuting didn't know was that Lu Yongliang was actually helping her.

This whole affair would only conclude once Boss Su came out to personally watch them taste the dishes and give their critiques. If she didn't go get him, no one would touch the food, and the matter would remain unresolved.

Given Elder Lu's request, Shuting, though confused, gave a sound of agreement and headed to the kitchen.

She saw Su Chen meticulously arranging slices of pork elbow, skin-side down, on a flat plate.

"Boss, Master Cui wants to see you."

"Oh?" Su Chen didn't stop what he was doing. His White Jade Hand skill had less than half an hour left, and he wanted to use that time to finish this dish. "Did he say why?"

"He didn't say anything, just that you should go out. Elder Lu also spoke up, saying I should come get you." He Shuting's tone was clearly annoyed as she said this.

"Mm, got it."

Su Chen acknowledged her and continued to focus on the dish.

The pork elbow had first been boiled until sixty percent cooked, then sliced and steamed until tender. The necessary seasonings had already been added during the steaming process.

Now, he spread a layer of batter—made from wet starch, salt, soy sauce, and cooking wine—onto a flat plate. He then arranged the meat slices skin-side down on top and finally covered the meat with another layer of batter.

All that was left was the final step before going out to receive his 'lecture'. A little more time wouldn't make a difference.

Su Chen cranked the heat up high, heating the oil in the wok until it was about 70% hot, then turned it down to a low flame.

He picked up the plate of meat, held it almost parallel to the surface of the oil, and then gently pushed the batter-coated pork elbow into the wok with his hand.

'Damn, these Lu Cuisine chefs are all pretty hardcore...'

'If I didn't have the White Jade Hand Skill, I'd really be afraid of getting my hand burned by the oil at this step!'

The 70% hot oil quickly set the batter on the surface of the pork elbow, and it began to harden in just a moment.

'It's about to stick to the wok and burn...'

The information that suddenly appeared in his mind made Su Chen jolt. He quickly used his spatula to lift the bottom of the pork elbow out of the oil and cranked the heat back to high. With White Jade Hand combined with Max Level Blast, Su Chen's control over the oil temperature was practically instinctual.

When the oil temperature returned to 80% hot, he lowered the pork elbow on the spatula back into the oil for a second frying. This time, he waited until the batter on the bottom was fried to a semi-translucent state before using the spatula to flip the entire piece over.

He then used a small skewer to poke a few small holes in the surface, allowing the pork elbow to fry more thoroughly.

As the oil quieted down and fine, tiny bubbles began to rise from the edges of the pork, he once again raised the temperature to 90% hot!

This step was to prevent the batter from becoming greasy.

As soon as the oil temperature rose, the slab of pork elbow was ready to be taken out of the wok.

Su Chen placed it on a cutting board. Pressing down with one hand, he used a cleaver in the other to chop the strip of meat horizontally into three sections. He then took the two side sections and made diagonal cuts every half-centimeter, arranging them on the sides of the plate. For the middle section, he made straight cuts every half-centimeter and placed it in the center.

This made the strips of pork elbow form the shape of a saddle. He then evenly sprinkled a layer of Sichuan peppercorn powder over it.

He took a scallion that had already been split into four, casually cut it into one-and-a-half-inch segments, and placed them on one side of the dish. On the other side, he added a dollop of sweet bean paste.

"Ah Bao?" Su Chen looked up.

'Great. He went out to watch the show.' He had no choice but to look toward President Ling. "Shuyu, help me get the lotus leaf buns."

This was another ingredient prepared in advance, and Su Chen had chosen a certain brand from the supermarket.

The ready-made version was so good these days that it wasn't any worse than making them from scratch. There was no need to go through the trouble of preparing the dough himself.

On the large platter was a smaller plate, which held a stack of slightly warm lotus leaf buns.

Su Chen carried this Pot-Roasted Pork Elbow, also an SS Level dish, and walked out of the kitchen.

'Today's reputation rests on this main course and that soup dish!'

'I wonder why Cui Yufen wanted me to come out. Don't tell me he wants to pick a fight with me?'

Su Chen's mind raced as he walked.

If they really were going to argue, Su Chen had already decided that he absolutely would not talk back. It wasn't that he was afraid he'd lose the argument.

Cui Yufen was an old man, after all. If the argument caused something to happen to him, it would be difficult to explain. He'd seen that kind of thing happen before.

He walked into the dining hall and set a Pot-Roasted Pork Elbow down on each table. Only then did Su Chen clear his mind of those messy thoughts. "Sorry, I was in the middle of making this dish, so I'm a bit late."

He looked at Cui Yufen. "It's been a while since we last saw each other in the Capital City. I trust you've been well, Teacher Cui?"

Cui Yufen smiled and said, "Quite well."

Then he added, "Boss Su, it is because we trust you that we came all the way from the Capital City to Jingzhou to celebrate a birthday. My twenty-odd disciples and grand-disciples are spread all across the country, but they have all gathered here from far and wide just to taste your cooking."

Su Chen smiled at the group. "Shuting, pour the tea."

He Shuting looked at her boss, bewildered. 'Why is this part of the plan?' she wondered.

At the critical moment, it was Brother Fang Chang who came through.

Brother Fang Chang, who often handled receptions, quickly emerged from his private room with a cup of tea. He handed it to Boss Su and whispered deliberately, "Boss Su, no one has touched this cup."

Su Chen held the cup with both hands. "Thank you all for coming from so far to support me. I still have many dishes to prepare, so please allow me to toast you all with this tea in place of wine."

No matter the situation, one must always keep up appearances.

Su Chen tilted his head back and drained the tea in his cup, only to see that not a single person at the table had raised their own. He didn't feel awkward, though. Instead, a hint of contempt for these people began to grow in his heart.

"Boss Su, I don't think you should bother making the rest of the dishes. We don't want a refund, either. We really can't bring ourselves to eat your food." Liu Fu pointed to the plate of deep-fried watermelon on the table. "My seventh junior brother works at a time-honored restaurant in Jinan, and this is his specialty. Your version..." Liu Fu trailed off with a sigh.

Liu Fu looked decent enough, but the moment he opened his mouth, his words were laced with gunpowder.

"I think this dish is just flashy with no substance. There's no need to even taste it. Third junior brother, what do you say?"

This time, Liu Fu was pointing at the very dish Su Chen was most proud of—the Clear Milk Dual Delicacy!

A wicked, crooked smile spread across Su Chen's face.

'Damn it. So it's really on, then?'