Chapter 190: Family Outdoor Barbecue
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xu Le was packing the prepared ingredients into a takeaway box. Xu Zhexian squatted down and rummaged through the cupboard at his feet.
“That’s impossible. The Maotai I’ve collected for more than ten years must be sitting in the kitchen.”
Xu Le’s hand trembled as he lifted the lotus leaves on the jar to take a look. He said, “You still have to drive later. It won’t be convenient to return later if you drink and we still have to find a designated driver. It will be quite troublesome…”
“It’s okay. Your mother always drives in our family.”
Xu Zhexian buried his head in the search and did not forget to mutter, “My goodness. How can I not find something that’s just placed in the kitchen? In the past, when a friend offered a high price, I didn’t even bear to sell it… Lele, have you seen it before?” The extremely expensive Maotai was taken by Xu Le to prepare pickled Sichuan vegetables. In the end, he even sold it outside the city. Previously, he had thought that the bidding price was high among similar products. Now, it seemed that the customers who bought it had made a killing.
Xu Le calculated in his heart. He was considering compensating Xu Zhexian at the original price, but on second thought, it would probably be difficult for him to receive such a pure and old wine. He hesitated for a moment.
Shen Hui walked into the kitchen in time. She leaned against the door and brushed her hair. “Stop looking. We have moved homes so many times. Who knows where it went? Pack the things and let’s go for the barbecue. Lele, when can you finish recording your video?”
Xu Le looked at Xu Zhexian. Although he looked dejected, he had just been scolded by Shen Hui, so at this moment, he did not dare to say anything and could only leave the kitchen quickly.
“An hour or two at most. I’m sure we can make it.”
“Alright.”
Once it was time, the Buddha Jumps Over The Wall was taken out. All kinds of ingredients were placed into the pot one after another. Finally, a spoonful of golden soup was poured over it. After half a week, the Buddha Jumps Over The Wall was done.
When Lu Yuxi smelled the fragrance, she couldn’t help but salivate. All the food was served. She could already lift the camera with one hand and pick up the abalone with the other.
Seeing that her challenging posture, Xu Le smiled and said, “Set it up first before tasting it. Don’t twist your arm.”
“I won’t.”
The abalone melted in her mouth. After chewing it twice, the rich taste of fresh soup slid down her throat. The sea cucumber was just right. It was elastic but not mushy and tasteless. It even had a hint of crispness. Most importantly, the aftertaste was indescribably delicious.
The taste of the pig’s stomach melted into the soup, while the fish lips was as chewy as jelly, the fish maw stuck to the teeth, and the soup taste with the pigeon eggs was delicious…
After Xu Zhexian finished tasting it, he commented, “There’s a saying that if there’s a taste, let it out. If there’s no taste, let it in. Buddha Jumps Over The Wall can perfectly explain this meaning.”
“Huh?” Lu Yuxi asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”
“This is a small note from Yuan Mei in the compendium. It’s very concise and can be understood as such. It’s like using onions, ginger, garlic, and chili to remove the fishy smell before cooking. These flavored things have to be integrated into the ingredient itself in the end, and the bland taste of the ingredient has to be absorbed into the essence of the condiment after it’s made.”
Xu Le continued to explain, “Take the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in front of me as an example. There’s nothing special about sea cucumbers, fish maw, and shark fins to begin with. The taste presented now is fresh and mellow after the pork trotters, chicken, duck, and other ingredients are stewed into a pot of soup.”
“Oh.”
Lu Yuxi nodded. After tasting everything in the bowl, she realized that the heat control of every item was just right. The taste was not abrupt and was exceptionally delicious.
“The essence of ‘Buddha jumps over the wall’ is in this mouthful of soup.”
Xu Le handed her a spoon and raised his chin proudly. “Try it. It will definitely change your understanding of taste.”
“Oh? Really?”
Lu Yuxi really did not believe this. After all, she had also eaten the Buddha Jumps Over The Wall made by the Master Chef at the finals. However, the ingredients were not cooked well, so the taste could only be considered “good” and not excellent.
The soup absorbed the essence of all kinds of ingredients. It was a delicious fusion. Lu Yuxi drank two mouthfuls and hurriedly reached for a tissue.
Shen Hui laughed and said, “Did it seal your mouth? The authentic Buddha Jumps Over The Wall is like this. The soup base is rich and thick. After drinking it, the taste will stay in your mouth for a long time. If you don’t wipe your mouth in time, it will be so sticky that it won’t open.”
Lu Yuxi was so surprised that she was speechless for a long time. She quietly drank the soup until the bowl was empty. Only then did she sigh from the bottom of her heart. Compared to what that robot made, this was simply too amazing!
She said, “It’s very fresh and sweet. It’s a taste I’ve never tasted before. If I haven’t eaten it before, it’s difficult to imagine. The collision of various ingredients on the tip of the tongue is especially wonderful! I want another bowl!”
“It’s not that I’m stingy,” Xu Le said. “It’s easy to get sick of it if you drink too much. There are more colloidal substances inside and it’s not appropriate to drink too much.”
“We still have to eat roasted sheep’s legs tonight. Don’t worry, I’ll save a few for you for supper.”
After Xu Le finished reminding, he waved at the camera and said, “Everyone, feel free to try it at home. Although the cooking process is cumbersome, the final delicacy is still worth looking forward to. If you feel that the ingredients are too expensive and difficult to gather, you can remove some of them. Just the pig trotters, pigeon eggs and fish maw can produce a simplified version…”
“Lele.” Shen Hui couldn’t help but interrupt him. “Does saying this make the audience feel that you’re a little irresponsible? Why are you encouraing them to make something that’s not authentic?”
Shen Hui was quite respected in her circle. Her target audience was different, so it was difficult for her to understand Xu Le’s intentions.
“The number of views of my videos can easily be in the tens of millions or hundreds of millions. The people watching aren’t just limited to chefs, seniors, and so on. There are also some people who have never even heard of these dishes. Delicious food is something that humans eat. If everyone can eat it at a low price and with delicious taste, what’s wrong with that?”
After Xu Le finished speaking patiently, Lu Yuxi nodded in agreement, her eyes filled with admiration.
After recording the tutorial, Shen Hui wrapped up the remaining Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and gave it to the surrounding neighbors. She did not forget to remind them to take care of Xu Le.
Xu Le took out four casseroles and gave them to Zhang Tong, Li Qing, Li Shengsheng and Alex, who had stayed in the country to travel. He reminded them to finish the soup that day.
When Lu Yuxi was almost done editing the video, the outdoor oven that Xu Zhexian had ordered had also arrived. Everything was prepared, and it was exactly four in the afternoon.
The few of them set off to roast the sheep’s leg in the suburbs and picked Xu Tian up from school. The atmosphere was peaceful and beautiful, but along the way, Xu Tian buried her head in her brother’s arms and sulked. She did not say anything no matter who talked to her.
Shen Hui couldn’t help but sigh. Xu Le patted his sister’s head and stroked her hair. He looked at the scenery outside the window and knew that this was probably the last family gathering in recent years.
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