Chapter 395 - 158: I, Zhang Li! Won’t Be Stolen From Anymore

Chapter 395: Chapter 158: I, Zhang Li! Won’t Be Stolen From Anymore

After summoning a portion of overnight rice, Su Chen suddenly froze.

’I think I know why it has to be egg fried rice.’

’Isn’t it just to use up the leftover rice from the night before?’

But since he had already summoned the ingredients, Su Chen decided to give it a try. After all, egg fried rice is famously known as a "flame dish" and the very essence of Chinese cuisine...

’That’s ridiculous.’

At the same time, Su Chen also summoned two eggs, a bit of lard, and the clear stock he used daily.

In Su Chen’s opinion, actually.

Egg fried rice was, pure and simple, a lazy person’s meal.

Even the nationally famous Yangzhou fried rice—what was so special about it, really?

When Su Chen had once visited a restaurant in Yangzhou, he felt that the expensive fried rice he ordered was no different from just mixed rice.

They called it fried rice, but in reality, the taste of the rice was completely gone, totally overwhelmed by the flavors of all the various ingredients.

It tasted pretty good, sure, but it didn’t seem to have much to do with the word ’rice’ anymore.

Su Chen himself used to love eating fried rice, and he never limited his ingredients to just eggs or ham or things like that.

Anyway, its soul could be summed up in two words: leftover rice.

You had to use overnight rice, and if you fried it with the leftovers from the day before, it would still be ridiculously delicious!

’If it’s just eggs...’

After some thought, Su Chen decided to fry the rice first, then the eggs!

He added lard to the wok and heated it to medium-hot. Then, he poured in the overnight rice. Since it had cooled all night, there wasn’t much moisture left in the rice. After a few quick stirs, it already had a slightly dry-fried texture, and the grains were perfectly separate, just as expected!

’Since it’s called a lazy person’s meal, I might as well be lazy all the way...’

He quickly cleared a circle in the middle of the rice, exposing the bottom of the wok. While cranking the heat to high, he cracked both eggs directly into the center!

Under the intense heat, the eggs began to set into a layer the instant they hit the wok.

His Max Level Frying Skill allowed Su Chen to have perfect control over the state of the ingredients. He lifted the wok slightly with his left hand.

The main purpose of this was to concentrate the high heat!

The eggs were at the curved bottom of the wok, surrounded by rice. All he needed to do was heat the bottom with high flame.

Before the eggs could set any further, he began to push and stir the liquid egg with his spatula. Under the high heat, after just a few light pushes, the eggs reached a half-cooked state.

’Now’s the time.’

Su Chen used the spatula on the eggs, starting from the center and stirring outwards in an unhurried circle. By the time the spatula reached the outer edge, the liquid egg had vanished!

And the distinct grains of rice had all turned from pure white to a golden yellow!

Everything was going according to plan.

Su Chen turned the heat down to medium, added a pinch of fine salt, and continued to stir-fry. Once the surface of the rice grains regained their dry-fried texture, he quickly cranked the heat back to high and drizzled in half a ladle of clear stock.

TSSS~

Under the intense heat, the clear stock instantly vaporized, barely lasting a moment!

At that very moment.

Su Chen slapped the lid on the wok with a CLANG and turned off the heat!

"Let it steam for thirty seconds, and it’ll be perfect!"

To be honest, Su Chen had already thought this through before making the egg fried rice. It was just breakfast for the athletes, after all.

The difference in taste between egg fried rice made by an average chef and a top chef wasn’t all that significant.

That being the case, there was no need to be too serious about it. Simpler was better, and easier was better.

Things like mixing the egg yolks with the rice beforehand, or adding side ingredients like soy sauce, green onions, ham, or carrots—all of them were enemies of a lazy person’s meal!

The thirty seconds were timed perfectly.

Su Chen casually lifted the lid. The steam from the instantly vaporized clear stock had been absorbed by the moisture-deprived rice grains during those thirty seconds as the temperature dropped.

At that moment, a portion of golden-yellow fried rice lay quietly in the wok, faintly glistening under the light. He leaned in slightly, but even with his Peak of Flavor, Su Chen couldn’t smell anything particularly special.

’Did I mess it up?’

Without even plating the rice, he grabbed a spoon, dug a scoop straight from the wok, and put it in his mouth.

Hm?

Su Chen’s expression was one of surprise. ’It’s actually pretty good?’

He swallowed the mouthful of rice, then immediately dished out the rest onto a plate.

Seeing the words floating in the air, Su Chen grinned foolishly and scratched the back of his head.

’Has my luck been a little too good lately?’

After another taste, Su Chen slipped out of the practice room.

The second bite of egg fried rice brought an even more intense pleasure to his Peak of Flavor, making Su Chen wish he could devour a whole serving right then and there to satisfy the craving!

Because while he could taste things in the practice room, the sensation was very strange.

It was like he tasted the flavor but hadn’t actually eaten anything.

A bit like...

The feeling of chewing a piece of meat and then spitting it out. It was just weird!

After leaving the practice room, Su Chen rushed into the kitchen without stopping. He rummaged around for a good while before realizing there didn’t seem to be any leftover rice on the nineteenth floor.

He then went down to the third-floor kitchens. After checking eight of them, he found that the third floor didn’t have any damn leftover rice either!

Finally, he arrived on the second floor.

The employees were still gathered in a circle, excitedly discussing what they should do in Malaysia next month.

Seeing Su Chen arrive, everyone greeted him, but they were puzzled to see their boss rush into the kitchen and then rush right back out.