Gourmet: The Master Chef Just Wants to Leisurely Set Up a Stall - Chapter 33

“W-What’s wrong?” Zhao Xiaojing felt a bit nervous seeing both of them staring at her.

“Did you start working as a child laborer, or do you play with kitchen knives for fun at home?” Sun Dehai couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer.

Initially, he didn’t need the potato strips; he just wanted to challenge the new assistant chef, who looked too young and pretty to be serious about kitchen work. He thought he’d make things difficult for her so she’d quit early on.

But he hadn’t expected that this young, pretty girl would slice all the potatoes intended for stewing into perfect strips, moving so fast and skillfully that he didn’t get a chance to tell her to stop before she was done.

Moreover, her cuts were better and quicker than his own, leaving him nearly speechless in admiration.

“Uh… no, I just cooked at home since I was young…” Zhao Xiaojing awkwardly made up an explanation.

“Xiao Zhao, you’re amazing! If I had your skills, I wouldn’t have changed jobs so many times…” Chef He, in awe, kept looking at the bowl of potato strips.

Then she moved on to slicing green peppers, cucumber dices, ginger slices, shredded meat, meat chunks, diced chicken, and more…

Chef He initially thought of assisting during the transition period, but after seeing Zhao Xiaojing’s proficiency, he left her to it and went to help with washing vegetables instead.

By the time all the ingredients were prepared, it was past ten o’clock. Sun Dehai still seemed dazed, slapping his face to snap himself out of it before starting to cook.

Zhao Xiaojing glanced at the dishes he planned to make: Kung Pao Chicken, Braised Pork with Dried Bamboo Shoots, Spicy Chicken Hearts, Shredded Pork with Green Peppers, and Spicy Sour Potato Strips.

She noticed Chef He had already set the rice to steam.

Thinking about the construction site task, although she wasn’t sure what level of satisfaction above 85% required, she decided to give it her all on her first day.

For meat dishes, she would stick to her specialty of fried foods. For vegetable dishes, given the summer heat and the heavy flavors of Chef Sun’s dishes, she’d balance it with two refreshing cold salads.

Looking at the available ingredients in the fridge and surveying all the seasonings in the kitchen, Zhao Xiaojing took out some crab sticks and asked the vegetable washers to clean several trays of spinach and peel a basket of celtuce.

She sliced the celtuce into thin strips, sprinkled them with salt, mixed well to draw out moisture, and let them marinate for twenty minutes.

The washed spinach was blanched in boiling water with a little salt and oil, then quickly cooled.

Next, she unwrapped and thawed the crab sticks, beat some eggs into a stainless steel bowl, added starch, a pinch of salt, and black pepper, then stirred it all together.

She dipped each crab stick into the batter until evenly coated.

In a pan with heated oil, she fried the battered crab sticks until golden brown, then set them aside.

After squeezing excess water from the cooled spinach, she chopped it finely.

She mixed the chopped spinach with toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil, and salt, completing the cold spinach salad.

Then she drained the water from the marinated celtuce strips, added minced garlic, chopped chili peppers, sugar, chicken essence, and drizzled with sesame oil, finishing the cold celtuce salad.

Both cold vegetable dishes had a particularly refreshing taste; Zhao Xiaojing kept the seasoning minimal for a subtle sweet and tangy flavor.

Finally, she refried the once-fried crab sticks at a higher temperature, frying for another 30 seconds before removing them from the oil.

Afterward, she sprinkled them with her special blend of mixed seasoning powder.

The mixed seasoning powder was a concoction Zhao Xiaojing created using available canteen spices. Aside from two specific medicinal powders from the system, she found similar ingredients in the kitchen, ground them into powder, and mixed them in the right proportions.

The helpers served the completed dishes while on the other side, Sun Dehai finished scooping out the last batch of spicy sour potato strips from the pan.

Zhao Xiaojing watched Sun Dehai’s cooking with admiration. She initially thought construction site meals were cooked in large pots with shovel-like utensils. Seeing Chef Sun’s professional spirit—stir-frying each pot of spicy sour potato strips separately—impressed her.

And the flamboyant display of flames and stir-frying was simply cool! She wanted to learn it too!

However, Zhao Xiaojing didn’t realize that Sun Dehai was almost in tears from exhaustion. Throughout the process, he regretted his earlier comments—if he hadn’t challenged the assistant chef to slice potatoes into strips, he could have made braised potatoes with less effort…

But since they were cut into strips, he had no choice but to bravely make stir-fried spicy sour potato strips and switch to braised pork with dried bamboo shoots…

“Chef Sun, your stir-frying is amazing! You’re incredibly dedicated!” Zhao Xiaojing couldn’t help but praise him sincerely.

Close to tears from fatigue, Sun Dehai perked up immediately upon hearing the compliment. He straightened his back and beamed with pride: “That’s our dedication as head chefs. While tastes may vary infinitely, a chef’s spirit remains constant. Since we’ve chosen this profession, every meal must be made seriously. It’s something ingrained in us. Let me tell you, Xiao Zhao, don’t underestimate stir-frying—it has its intricacies…”

Chef He chuckled quietly from the corner; once praised, Chef Sun’s ego soared. Just moments ago, he doubted her abilities, and now he’s calling her ‘Xiao Zhao’ and chatting away.

This young lady is impressive—on her first day, she’s already won over the head chef.

Zhao Xiaojing listened attentively. Although she could handle stir-frying decently, her skills were limited to everyday home cooking. Her knowledge and perspective were far from those professionally trained chefs.

This was her first real opportunity to learn from a genuine chef—a chance she eagerly welcomed.

“Chef Sun, is the last dish ready? It’s 11:30; the front serving area is getting impatient!” A helper called out loudly.

“Just two more pans to go! Serve what’s ready first!” Sun Dehai snapped out of his fervent monologue. Oh no, he’d gotten carried away again!

Zhao Xiaojing was engrossed in his talk; Chef Sun had just started explaining stir-frying techniques and barely touched on wrist strength before being interrupted. She regretted not hearing more.

All she could do was closely observe Chef Sun’s every move as he stir-fried the spicy sour potato strips.

“Chef Sun, why soak these dried chili peppers in water?” Zhao Xiaojing asked curiously upon seeing them soaking nearby.

“Soaking prevents burning when stir-frying and enhances flavor!” Seeing Zhao Xiaojing’s eager interest beside him, Chef Sun cooked with even more enthusiasm.

In the canteen’s dining hall, workers trickled in for lunch after a morning’s work.

Secretary Fan followed Manager Li inside. After hearing about the kitchen situation from Secretary Fan earlier, Manager Li was intrigued enough to come early today for a look.

Usually eating late, around half-past twelve when the canteen was quieter, Manager Li’s curiosity today was piqued by Secretary Fan’s report.

Standing at the window, they immediately noticed three dishes that looked entirely different from the usual fare.