Chapter 385 - 156: The Real Review of the Cthulhu Soup Dumplings

Chapter 385: Chapter 156: The Real Review of the Cthulhu Soup Dumplings

Shen Guofu chuckled. "Not very well."

As for why not, he found it hard to say.

After all, Shen Ning was a real piece of work. She clearly adored the food but still pretended like she wouldn’t touch it!

The old man didn’t have the heart to call her out on her little act.

That was why he hadn’t even told Shen Ning that he was coming early to wait in line for a meal today. He just came on his own.

Yep... all by himself.

With that conversation over, Zhang Li brought four crabs over to Sui Po. "Here are your crabs. You’ll need to separate the meat from the roe."

She also placed two small basins in front of him.

"Alright, I understand."

As a veteran chef who had studied Huaiyang cuisine for many years, shelling crabs was hardly a challenge for him.

Using a pair of tweezers and scissors, he had the four crabs completely shelled in less than five minutes. Zhang Li, who was sitting by the door, watched, dumbfounded.

’Thank goodness there’s no competition today!’

’Otherwise, I’d definitely lose to this guy!’

Handing the shelled crab meat to Zhang Li, Sui Po suddenly had an idea. "Miss, could you ask Boss Su if I could go inside and watch while he makes the buns?"

Seeing Zhang Li’s less-than-friendly expression and recalling what happened during his last livestream, Sui Po immediately added, "I’ll pay extra!"

Pay extra, huh... Since he was willing to pay more, Zhang Li nodded. "Alright, then! I’ll go ask for you."

「A short while later.」

Zhang Li emerged from the kitchen. "Teacher Sui, Boss Su said you can go in and watch. But he has one condition."

"Go on. As long as the price isn’t too outrageous, I’ll accept."

Zhang Li said, "It’s not about money. Boss Su said that if you watch, you have to promise him one thing. Sometime later, when things aren’t so busy, he’d like to invite you to Jingzhou for a meal, and you absolutely have to accept when the time comes."

"Huh?"

Sui Po suddenly couldn’t wrap his head around it.

’That counts as a condition?’

Even if Boss Su hadn’t made the offer, he was planning to come to Jingzhou sooner or later to check out that "customized cuisine" anyway.

After all, as an authentic heir to the Huaiyang culinary tradition, Sui Po was quite curious as to how Su Chen had been invited to become the honorary curator of the Huaiyang Cuisine Museum. Tasting Boss Su’s Huaiyang cuisine was definitely on his agenda.

But since Su Chen had made the offer, Sui Po immediately nodded. "No problem!"

Zhang Li pushed open the kitchen door. Sui Po took a deep breath, feeling as if this wasn’t just a simple kitchen, but a gateway to a mysterious, unknown land!

As he walked into the kitchen, Sui Po kept his hand over the camera lens.

Not until Su Chen spoke up. "Oh, you’re livestreaming? That’s fine. You can leave it on."

Only then did he move his hand away from the lens.

"I’ve always really enjoyed your videos."

Sui Po felt a little flustered, speaking with Su Chen for the first time.

After all, in his mind, Su Chen was on the same level as masters like Cui Yufen and Lu Yongliang. While his own culinary skills might just barely place him in that same echelon, in terms of status, he still felt he was a step below.

"You’re too kind. They’re just simple videos, nothing too technical."

Su Chen waved his hand dismissively. "Everyone has their own strengths. Your crab meat is here. Shall I get started?"

"Yes, yes!" Sui Po could hardly wait.

Su Chen placed a relatively lean cut of pork belly on the cutting board. "You should stand back a bit."

"Huh?"

Aunt Fang offered a friendly tip from the side. "Better stand back. You don’t want to get hurt."

’But...’

Sui Po took a few steps back, but he was still completely baffled.

’You’re just cooking a dish, how could you possibly hurt me?’

But what happened next...

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!

The moment Su Chen unleashed his Wild Blade Technique, Sui Po froze for a second, then immediately let out a shout.

"Holy shit!"

He had always projected a gentle and refined image, so his sudden outburst of profanity stunned everyone in the livestream chat. But when they got a clear look at what was happening on screen...

"Holy shit!"

"Holy shit!"

"What the hell!"

All those adages about how knife work should be delicate, how it should be slow—none of that applied to Su Chen!

He stood in a solid horse stance, one hand behind his back, while the cleaver in his other hand went to town on the pork belly, chopping away furiously!

It looked for all the world like he was just hacking away at it indiscriminately!

When Su Chen stopped and set his cleaver down...

Sui Po immediately rushed forward to take a look. "Holy shit!"

"These bits of meat are perfect cubes, and every single one is almost the exact same size! Boss Su, your knife work... it’s nothing short of godlike!"

Su Chen smiled slightly.

’Flex: successful.’

"It’s nothing. Just a matter of practice."

With that said, he immediately began preparing the filling.

The previous batch was already gone, so he quickly mixed the minced pork with soy sauce and other seasonings.

Next, he began to render the crab oil, starting with warm lard in the wok.

As he watched the crab meat bubble gently in the lard without falling apart in the slightest, Sui Po excitedly bent over to peer at the flame beneath the wok.

"Hiss! Boss Su, your heat control... A low, slow simmer, to render out all the oil from the crab meat? Your crab oil comes entirely from the meat itself! Godlike skill! This level of heat control is truly godlike!"

Su Chen was taken aback.

’Why is Sui Po laying on the flattery so thick, just like Liu Ahbao?’

’That guy’s always going on about "miraculous skill," and now here’s another one calling it "godlike skill."’

’If the practice room didn’t always give me such low scores, I might have actually started to believe you two!’

To be fair, someone who didn’t know better might not think much of it. But for a top-tier chef like Sui Po, whose dishes could command exorbitant prices, it was truly mind-blowing!

Even over a low flame, the temperature of the lard will continue to rise.

Therefore, the chef must constantly adjust the heat, making continuous small changes to maintain a perfectly consistent temperature.