"Boss, would you like to try the taste?"
"Okay."
Jiang Yu picked up a clean pair of chopsticks, took a small piece of beef, and put it in his mouth. He chewed it lightly, showing a satisfied smile on his face. He nodded and said,
"Not bad! You should try what you’ve made too."
"Sure!"
Du Guangning beamed with a smile, looking like a student praised by a teacher. He also picked up a clean pair of chopsticks, grabbed a piece of beef, and stuffed it into his mouth.
Just after a couple of chews, his eyes suddenly widened, showing a face of disbelief.
Did he really make this spicy grilled pepper beef himself?
Since when could he make a cold dish this delicious? Am I dreaming?
Though shocked, Du Guangning knew he wasn’t dreaming, because the numbing spiciness mixed with the unique charred flavor of the grilled peppers continuously stimulated his nerves, and the tender yet chewy beef with tendons became more flavorful the more he chewed!
If it were a dream, how could the taste be so vivid?!
After a while, Du Guangning snapped back to reality. He quickly finished the beef in his mouth and, still feeling unsatisfied, devoured several more pieces before stopping contentedly.
When he realized Jiang Yu was still standing in front of him, Du Guangning noticed his own lack of manners. He raised a hand to scratch his head and said somewhat sheepishly,
"Sorry, boss, I couldn’t help myself and ate a little more. I really didn’t expect this spicy grilled pepper beef to be so delicious!"
After saying that, he realized he didn’t say it quite right, so he hurriedly "rectified,"
"If it weren’t for the boss’s marinade and pre-mixed spicy sauce, I definitely couldn’t have made it this tasty."
"Alright, if you can’t flatter, don’t force it. I don’t like listening to useless flattery either."
Jiang Yu interrupted him with some amusement and said,
"Although I prepared the marinade and mixed the sauce, you made this dish yourself, and it doesn’t have much to do with me. You need to have more confidence. In the future, you’ll have to make a lot of dishes on your own; I can’t supervise every single one."
Upon hearing this, Du Guangning suddenly felt the weight of responsibility. With a solemn nod, he said,
"Okay, boss, don’t worry. I’ll surely do well."
"Alright then, let’s move on to the next dish. This one won’t have any pre-mixed sauce, so pay close attention to the seasoning."
Jiang Yu turned his head to glance at Du Guangning, pointed to two unpeeled yams on the counter, and said,
"This next cold dish is called Aromatic Yam Tofu. First, steam the yams until cooked, then blend them into a thick paste. Mix it with eggs to steam into tofu, then deep-fry the yam tofu until golden brown, and simmer it in a broth made with old chicken, pork bones, and mushrooms. Finally, season it to taste.
Start preparing now, and make some extra yam tofu to keep on hand. This dish loses its flavor if kept too long, so we can prepare a fresh batch when the guests are about to arrive."
"Oh, oh."
Du Guangning replied and quickly got to work.
To be honest, he’s really a bit nervous now. For the previous dish, the key steps were controlled by the boss, so no matter how it was done, the taste wouldn’t be far off.
But for this Aromatic Yam Tofu, every single step has to be done by himself from start to finish. There’s really no saying whether it will turn out well or if the taste will meet the boss’s standards!
This is really a huge pressure!