The Gourmet Customizer

Chapter 98: Chapter 75: Tea Eggs? This is a Work of Art

Su Chen shook his head. "While everything you said is correct, it’s also all wrong."

Liu Ahbao: (O_o)??

Fortunately, Ling Shuyu and Zhang Li were used to Su Chen’s particular brand of paradoxical nonsense, so neither of them said a word.

Su Chen picked up a piece of what looked like tree bark and sniffed it gently. "Cinnamon is subtly sweet with a rich aroma. Using it in cooking deepens the fragrance of a dish."

"Star anise is aromatic and adds fragrance. Bay leaf offers a fresher scent, which lightens the dish’s flavor. Sichuan peppercorn is there to add more of a jolt, and clove, with its rich and slightly bitter aroma, contributes a complex, lingering aftertaste."

His movements, combined with his expression and his air of articulate authority...

Ling Shuyu: ’Damn it! He’s showing off again! I want to show off too...’

Zhang Li: ’Wow~ Boss Su knows so much.’ Her eyes gradually started to sparkle.

As for Liu Ahbao, he looked at Su Chen with immense admiration. "I only know how to use these spices, not why. Boss Su, you’re the real deal!"

Su Chen put down the cinnamon stick, a nonchalant look on his face. "One must know the ’why’ behind the ’what.’ I’ve only just scratched the surface. It’s nothing worth mentioning!"

In reality, this was all just a script he had memorized back when he was a streamer.

Otherwise, when he was visiting restaurants for reviews, he couldn’t just keep saying: "Salty and savory! Smells great! Not bad! Delicious! You guys have to try this place!"

Or just: "Now this is what I call authentic!"

His fans would have laughed him out of town for that.

Therefore, a professional food streamer, besides having a genuine love for food, also needs to have a solid grasp of a lot of theoretical knowledge.

With that knowledge, plus his current system, it was as if Su Chen had two great assets, one for theory and one for practice!

Showing off in front of people became effortless and incredibly satisfying!

This display only strengthened Liu Ahbao’s conviction that he absolutely had to study under Boss Su for a while!

’A person like Boss Su, who not only has top-tier skills but also an extremely rich theoretical knowledge... even if I offered to pay, he might not be willing to teach me, right?’

’I have to really prove myself!’

After portioning out the five-spice blend, Su Chen poured light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and a little salt into a bowl. His timing was perfect. Just as he finished all this, Bai Xiaobo returned, huffing and puffing as he carried a large case of Coca-Cola.

"The rest is in the storeroom outside."

Su Chen noticed Xiaobai seemed a bit distracted. "Just put that down and go rest for a bit."

Su Chen was then seen carefully placing the eggs from the cutting board into a small pot one by one. He grabbed two large bottles of Coca-Cola from the doorway, twisted off the caps, and slowly poured the soda down the side of the pot.

Liu Ahbao: "Are you going to cook the eggs in Coca-Cola?"

Zhang Li: "I love drinking hot Coca-Cola! It’s even better with a few slices of ginger!"

Different people really do see things differently.

Afterward, Su Chen poured the prepared sauce from the bowl into the pot. As for the five-spice blend, he wrapped it in a piece of steamer cloth, tied it securely, and then placed it in the pot.

He lit the stove!

Ling Shuyu held up the tea leaves and asked, "What about these?"

Su Chen didn’t say a word. Instead, he got out another small pot, pinched some of the Jasmine Tea and Pu’er Tea, added fresh water, and lit the stove to bring it to a boil.

’I’ve never seen tea eggs made this way before. Do Jasmine Tea and eggs even go together? And what the hell is with the Coca-Cola?’ Liu Ahbao had his own thoughts on the matter.

Su Chen remained silent. His mind was feeling a bit tired, and he couldn’t afford to get distracted at a time like this.

The tea was the easy part; he just needed to bring the water to a boil and let the tea’s flavor slowly infuse.

Simmering the Coca-Cola, however, required more concentration. He had to watch the heat carefully, ensuring the soda in the pot warmed up slowly.

As soon as he saw very small, dense bubbles begin to form at the bottom of the Coca-Cola, Su Chen immediately turned off the heat.

He waited a full ten minutes before turning the heat back on. This time was much easier; he used low heat until the Coca-Cola came to a boil, then poured the previously prepared tea concentrate into it.

"Alright, keep it at this temperature. Simmer for three minutes, then turn off the heat."

"This..." Liu Ahbao pointed at the pot of pitch-black liquid. "Boss Su, I trust your skills, but... can this stuff really taste good?"

Coca-Cola is a wondrous thing; its flavor is undeniably good.

But when you start mixing it with other things, you get into the realm of truly cursed cuisine!

For example: Cherry Coke.

That’s why even a company that massive doesn’t dare to casually change the flavor of Coca-Cola.

Su Chen beamed. "Just wait and see."

The Coca-Cola in the small pot bubbled gently over the low heat, and three minutes passed in a flash.

After Su Chen turned off the heat, he used a slotted spoon to lift all twenty eggs out of the pot.

"Aren’t you going to let them soak?" Liu Ahbao had so many questions, mainly because Su Chen’s method was completely subverting his understanding of tea eggs!

’For top-quality tea eggs, even the most amazing master chef would have to soak them for at least an hour or two to let the flavor sink in.’

’Besides, Su Chen hadn’t even done the step of cracking the eggshells. With the shells still intact, what kind of magic could he possibly work?’

"Stop mulling it over. It’s time to reduce the sauce for your stir-fried chicken," Su Chen reminded him.

That snapped Liu Ahbao back to attention, and he hurried to another stove. "You mean I should pour out half the sauce, reduce the rest over high heat and plate the chicken, and then pour the reserved half of the sauce back over it?"

Su Chen: "Exactly."

Liu Ahbao very skillfully completed the process of reducing the sauce over high heat, not even missing the steps of adding chicken stock and drizzling with hot oil.