Lin Xu drove a small box truck, rented with his master’s help, to buy groceries.
Upon returning, he first unloaded the truck. Then, he processed the critical ingredients. Once done, he took a freshly slaughtered tender rooster, ready to make steamed chicken.
Last night, he had specifically crammed some knowledge about steaming chicken. For instance, a metal dish that conducts heat better, preferably aluminum or copper, should be used for steaming. This helps the chicken cook faster and results in a more tender and flavorful dish. Also, the chicken’s surface moisture needed to be dried before marinating so the seasonings could better infuse their flavor. There were quite a few such tips available online, which gave Lin Xu some confidence.
He placed the chicken on a cutting board and used a Bone Chopper to split it along the spine into two halves. Like steaming Pork Ribs, the chicken pieces had to be laid flat in the dish. They couldn’t be stacked; otherwise, the parts touching each other could easily end up undercooked. Therefore, it was best to steam only half a chicken at a time; he knew not to be greedy.
He soaked the half chicken he planned to use in cold water. Then, he washed away the blood clots from the cavity and plucked out any remaining feather roots, cleaning the chicken thoroughly inside and out. Steamed chicken shouldn’t be blanched, so it had to be washed as cleanly as possible. That way, the cooked chicken would be tender, delicious, and without any gamey taste.
After washing it clean, he put the chicken back on the chopping block used for raw meat and chopped it into uniform pieces. Then, he placed the chopped chicken pieces back into clean water and rinsed them twice to wash away blood and excess fat. He then lifted them out to drain and used kitchen paper to dry the surface moisture.
Next, he placed the chicken pieces into a bowl to start marinating. First, he added crushed garlic, then drizzled a bit of ginger juice. This was followed by Cooking Wine and Light Soy Sauce, and finally, a touch of Dark Soy Sauce and a little salt. The Dark Soy Sauce was for coloring, so not much was needed. Since Light Soy Sauce and the black bean sauce already contained salt, the amount of added table salt should be minimal, though it couldn’t be omitted entirely. This was because salt not only enhances the salty flavor but also boosts the umami, so a little was essential during marination to increase the chicken’s savoriness.
After adding the various seasonings, he mixed them well. Then he added the soul of the dish—the black bean sauce. When adding the black bean sauce, both the fermented beans and the oil were necessary. The beans enhanced the characteristic fermented flavor, while the oil not only boosted the fragrance but also helped seal moisture in the chicken, making it tastier.
Once the chicken pieces were marinating, Lin Xu busied himself with other tasks. Judging by how long the Pork Ribs took to marinate, it would take at least twenty minutes for the chicken to be thoroughly marinated.
Lin Xu’s parents-in-law and his classmate Shen were not coming for breakfast this morning, so the meal didn’t need to be too elaborate. Lin Xu went to the street corner to buy some freshly made crispy pancakes. After returning, he made a Crispy Pork Soup with Crispy Meat, Pork Bone Broth, and baby bok choy. Morning preparations at the restaurant were quite elaborate and demanded significant physical strength. Therefore, it was essential to eat high-carbohydrate, high-calorie foods to meet the body’s energy needs.
After the Crispy Pork Soup was ready, Lin Xusheng served it into a bowl. He was just about to carry it to the outside dining table to eat when he accidentally spilled some because the bowl was a bit too full. The hot soup scalded him so badly he almost dropped the bowl.
Damn, this soup is too hot, he complained, carrying it outside using a cloth.
Then he returned to the kitchen and ran cold water over the scalded area, which was already red.
Someone with delicate skin like mine really isn’t cut out for the catering business, Lin Xu sighed.
But then he remembered that the special items section of the points mall had a Heartless Iron Hand waiting for his redemption. After so many days, my points must be enough, right?
Without a second thought, he called up the system interface in his mind, then opened the points mall. He went directly to the special items section and found the Heartless Iron Hand priced at 888,888 points.
Lin Xu checked his current points. He had already exceeded 500,000. These points, plus the half-price coupon, were enough to redeem the Heartless Iron Hand.
He pressed the redeem button.
A prompt from the system immediately sounded in his mind: "Would you like to use the half-price coupon?"
"Do you want to redeem it now?"
A flash of golden light immediately passed through his mind.
"Host has consumed one half-price coupon and 444,444 points, successfully obtaining the special item—Heartless Iron Hand. Congratulations to the host."
As soon as the prompt ended, Lin Xu felt that the scalded area didn’t hurt much anymore. Yet his hands didn’t seem to have changed at all.
That was all it took?
He touched the stove he had just used. Before, that would definitely have made him flinch from a burn, but now it just felt warm, lacking the scorching pain of a burn.
Did it sever my pain nerves or something?
Lin Xu pinched his own hand. He felt it; the pain was still there. He couldn’t figure out the mechanics of it, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
He reopened the points mall. To his surprise, a new item had appeared in the special items section.
[Eye of Discrimination: A special tool that can accurately judge the quality of ingredients and the level of dishes, exchange price: 1,888,888]
Wow! One million eight hundred eighty-eight thousand? It’s even more valuable than two Dunduns; how awesome must this tool be? I need to make money, make money! I must save up enough points to exchange for this tool.
「After browsing again.」
He went outside, drizzled some Chili Oil into the Crispy Pork Soup, and started eating it with the crispy pancakes. He had to admit, it actually tasted pretty good. Lin Xu even felt like he was eating Lamb Soup Noodle.
After delightfully eating two crispy pancakes and a large bowl of Crispy Pork Soup, the chicken in the basin was marinated enough. He grabbed a handful of cornstarch, added it to the basin, and mixed it thoroughly to fully coat the chicken pieces. This would not only lock in moisture but also make the chicken tender and smooth to eat.
After mixing evenly, he poured the chicken pieces into an aluminum dish, spread them out evenly, and placed them into the preheated steaming cabinet to start steaming.
Niu Chuan and the others arrived for work.
"There are crispy pancakes in the basket and Crispy Pork Soup in the pot. Help yourselves," Lin Xu said, while fiddling with the poultry marinating in the basin.
Niu Chuan sniffed and asked, "Boss, is there meat steaming in the cabinet? It smells great."
"I steamed some chicken. You can try some later if you want, but I can’t guarantee it’ll be delicious."
After all, this was an experimental attempt made without any system guidance. Lin Xu really couldn’t guarantee the taste and had even prepared a backup plan: if it turned out bad, he would wash the chicken, deep-fry it, and then stir-fry it into crispy chicken pieces.
Niu Chuan and the others, however, were full of anticipation.
"How could it not be tasty? We’ve been here for so many days and haven’t had anything bad yet."
Everyone washed their hands or ladled soup as needed. They ate slowly, sipping their soup while waiting for the chicken in the steamer to be ready.
Lin Xu checked the time. Twelve minutes had passed since the chicken was put in the steamer. He put on heat-resistant gloves, opened the steaming cabinet door, and took out the steamed chicken.
With the Heartless Iron Hand, Lin Xu felt he could do without the heat-resistant gloves. However, he was wary of scalding his arm. After all, he had acquired the Heartless Iron Hand, not a ’Heartless Iron Arm.’ If his hand remained unharmed while his arm got scalded, it would be difficult to explain.
The moment the steaming cabinet door opened, a rich aroma, mixing the fragrance of fermented beans with the unique savory scent of chicken, gushed out with the steam.
"Wow! What a delicious aroma!"
"Indeed, it’s so savory! This chicken smells delicious."
"The boss made it; how could it be anything but delicious?"
Niu Chuan and the others chimed in like a chorus of hype men, praising the chicken’s aroma, which was indeed very appealing.
The chicken on the plate had a slightly reddish, bright color and a shiny surface, looking quite appetizing.
Lin Xu placed it on the dining table. He casually sprinkled some decorative minced Scallion on top.
The system’s notification sounded immediately:
"Host has successfully made an Excellent Level dish [Steamed Chicken with Fermented Bean Sauce] based on their understanding of cooking. Rewarded with one Dish Upgrade Card. Congratulations to the host."
What? This delightful aroma is only Excellent Level? How delicious must Superior be?
Lin Xu immediately used the Dish Upgrade Card on this Steamed Chicken with Fermented Bean Sauce. He wanted to see just what the difference was compared to the Excellent Level...