Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Another Order, Unexpected S-Level Qiangguo Noodles
"They want more?"
Su Chen listened to He Shuting’s report in disbelief.
The reason for his surprise was that the portions Su Chen had served were incredibly generous!
He had used the huge soup bowls from the old canteen, and the noodle-to-broth ratio was almost one-to-one. Anyone who ate a little too slowly would find all the broth gone by the end.
A single bowl like that contained a full 200 grams of noodles!
And despite that, this group wanted another bowl?
How could their appetites not be shocking, not be astonishing?!
"Maybe... it’s not that they’re still hungry, but that what you made was just too delicious..." He Shuting said, transforming into a gossiping village grandma, her face a mixture of disdain and mystery. "Every single one of them was like a refugee. The racket they made while eating noodles was practically an earthquake."
"Mm," Su Chen grunted in acknowledgment.
Now there was a problem.
He had started with almost ten pounds of noodles, and after making fifteen bowls, there were only a little over three pounds left. That definitely wasn’t enough for one bowl per person.
Reducing the portion size for everyone was not a viable option in Su Chen’s opinion.
Many restaurants lost their regulars for this very reason, and he couldn’t afford to be penny-wise and pound-foolish.
But this single order would bring in 330 yuan in gross revenue. The thought of turning it down just didn’t sit right.
Su Chen sucked in a breath through his teeth, leaning back in his chair.
’Is it possible that...’
Ignoring He Shuting, who was still in front of him, Su Chen’s consciousness entered the Gourmet Practice Room.
"Eyebrow scallions, strips of cabbage, hand-rolled noodles!"
He paused for a moment. "Eggs."
The previously stored ingredients appeared instantly.
The most important part of flash-fried noodles was the flash-frying step itself. What other ingredients were added was, by contrast, less crucial.
Some regions preferred using shredded pork, others liked to add tomatoes, and some places in Jingzhou even used potato strips.
Taste is, by nature, a very personal thing. A true gourmet should never be confined to a single, fixed form. Not even a god could force someone who loves savory tofu pudding to add sugar to it.
’So, if I add eggs as a supplementary ingredient, that should solve the problem of the insufficient noodle portions, right?’
This time, Su Chen followed his previous method, adding the scallions just as the oil temperature began to rise, and waiting until the chopped scallions turned a slight golden-brown!
Previously, he had added the cabbage stalks at this point. Now, Su Chen chose to... crank the heat to high!
His maxed-out [Stir-fry] skill gave him precise control over the heat. As he turned up the flame, he simultaneously scooped the lightly yellowed scallions out with a strainer.
He poured in a bowl of evenly beaten egg mixture!
TSSSSS~~
The ultra-hot oil solidified the egg almost instantly. With a series of stirs and pushes from his other hand, the solidifying egg was rapidly scrambled into small curds, their surfaces beginning to turn a light golden-brown.
The cabbage stalks went into the wok as well, and he continued to stir-fry them over high heat!
The water from the vegetables collided violently with the oil in the wok, and the oily smoke instantly billowed up.
He switched to medium heat! After lightly stir-frying the cabbage leaves, the scallions from the strainer went back into the wok. The addition of soy sauce meant the smoke didn’t stop, even though the flame was lower.
Add warm water! Simmering over medium heat, the fat from the eggs emulsified again. While it wasn’t enough to turn the broth milky white, faint white layers became visible in the soup.
Once the water came to a boil, Su Chen added the prepared noodles to the pot and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
「Five minutes later.」
Su Chen ladled the flash-fried noodles, which already looked rich and aromatic, into a bowl.
’Too bad I can’t smell anything in the Practice Room...’
As he poured all of the broth into the bowl, that pleasant mechanical voice sounded again.
[Flash-fried Noodles Evaluation: S Level!]
Huh?
Even Su Chen himself was a little confused.
’Did I accidentally turn A Level flash-fried noodles into S Level?’
’Could my previous understanding of the recipe colors and gourmet ratings have been wrong?’
But now wasn’t the time to ponder this. Su Chen needed to conserve as much of his time in the Gourmet Practice Room as possible for emergencies.
"So, Boss, are we still taking this order?"
Hearing Su Chen just grunt "mm," He Shuting didn’t quite understand what he meant.
"We’re taking it. Why wouldn’t we? Follow me." Su Chen stood up, casually flipping the attendance sheet he had just arranged face down.
Yes!
He Shuting pumped her fist in secret. Even though this might mean she wouldn’t get to eat the flash-fried noodles, watching the boss cook was even more enjoyable than eating.
’After all... not even the protagonists in novels cook while wearing a suit, right?’
She followed Su Chen to the cafeteria. The moment Su Chen pushed the door open and walked in...
Wang Rui subconsciously stood up, wanting to be the first to shake the boss’s hand and get on his good side.
When he stood up, the others, without knowing why, also subconsciously rose to their feet.
Although none of them knew why, they just felt like it was the right thing to do.
Wang Rui was a bit embarrassed by everyone else suddenly standing up with him. He couldn’t extend his hand now, so he could only follow Su Chen with his eyes until the kitchen door closed.
Following close behind her boss, He Shuting’s excited eyes held a few traces of adoration.
’That scene just now felt like something straight out of a movie!’
’Is this the legendary aura that belongs only to the powerful?’
’I love it, I love it!’
Closing the kitchen door, Su Chen turned his head and glanced through the glass. "These people are definitely a bit strange."
After that wry comment, he began to assign tasks.
"Xiaobai, go out and tell them that the noodle portions won’t be a full 200 grams, but I’ll add other supplementary ingredients. If they’re okay with that, we’ll take the order."
"You got it!" Bai Xiaobo scurried out.
"Shengnan, you and Aunt Fang can knead some more dough. After I finish cooking for them, I’ll make some for us too."
"Huh? Right away!!!" Liu Shengnan was ecstatic, grabbing two mixing bowls.
"Aunt Fang, you... you’ve already rolled out the dough? Then you should go take a break. Don’t overwork yourself."
Su Chen didn’t quite understand. Every day, Aunt Fang insisted on being the last to leave, unplugging all the outlets and everything in the office, even though he had told her it was fine not to.
And before leaving, she would also take a stroll around the other floors.
Those floors were completely empty...
’I don’t get it. Are all middle-aged women this diligent?’
The ingredients were all prepared in advance, so Su Chen only needed to beat a few eggs to begin cooking.
"Boss, they all said it’s no problem! As long as they can get another bowl, they don’t care about anything else!" Bai Xiaobo ran back excitedly, accompanied by the notification sound of [WeChat Payment Received: 330 Yuan].
’That’s good...’
Su Chen skillfully rolled up his sleeves and tied on a pure white apron, unable to stop himself from complaining inwardly.
’Once I have some money to spare, I really need to buy some other clothes. Why is my closet filled with nothing but suits!’
Four eggs would be enough.
While beating the eggs, Su Chen added, "Xiaobin, you beat five eggs until they’re evenly mixed."
"Okay~"
Following the method from the Practice Room, Su Chen’s movements were extremely fluid. Even a kitchen veteran like Aunt Fang was a little surprised as she watched.
’The boss’s progress is way too fast, isn’t it?’
’This morning, he was still a bit clumsy when flash-frying the scallions, but now he can do that and scramble an egg at the same time?’
’Don’t tell me he has a kitchen in his office where he’s been secretly practicing just to amaze everyone in the end?’
And the moment Su Chen returned the cabbage leaves and golden-brown scallions to the wok and added the soy sauce...
The other five people in the kitchen, each busy with their own tasks, all turned their heads at the same time to look at Su Chen... or rather, at the wok in front of him.
Everyone’s expression was very complicated.
It was as if they were saying, ’What in the hell is that divine smell?’
But it was also as if they were saying...
’Can someone’s cooking skills really improve this fast?’
