Chapter 169: Limit of the Beef
Translator: Xiong Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
After eating halfway, Chen Wei found he hadn’t eaten any bit of the white rice, therefore he brought up the bowl and stuffed some rice into his mouth.
Theoretically, such dishes which could be eaten without rice would definitely taste a little milder when eaten with the rice. However, this dish was different. The smooth and refreshing taste of the vermicelli and the moderately soft rice brought out the best texture of each other. So did the slightly spicy taste of the powdered pepper and the sweetness and fragrance of the rice.
Along with the white rice, Chen Wei ate up the remaining half of the dish Sautéed Vermicelli with Spicy Minced Pork.
"Boss Yuan’s skills are really convincing," Chen Wei complimented Yuan Zhou with a thumbs-up gesture.
"I still feel that only the beef dish can really reflect his genuine skills," Wu Hai suddenly chimed in at the side.
"Ah, I still have the beef," instantly, Chen Wei recalled of the beef dish he had ordered just now.
He turned the head and looked toward the brown stoneware plate which was approximately as big as volleyball. Inside the plate were big beef slices about the size of a girl’s palm, appearing rather comfortable to look at.
All males looked forward to the feeling of drinking liquor freely and gulping down big pieces of meat, believing that it was the most wonderful taste.
He could clearly see some pepper flakes on the big beef slices. Moreover, the sesame oil scattered on it made the beef appear even more extraordinarily appetizing. Even if he was already half full, Chen Wei unconsciously swallowed up a gulp of saliva with a sound of "Gu Dong".
He reached out the chopsticks and picked up one piece and then got to know why it had this name. After being picked up by the chopsticks, the beef slice was as thin as a piece of paper.
Normally speaking, such thin beef slices surely couldn’t be picked up. Even if it was picked up, the big beef slice would either break or fold. This one, however, was totally different. It was as if the beef tendon were still there and the beef slice only slightly bent; moreover, the overhead light passing through it could be clearly seen.
Chen Wei opened his mouth wide and gulped down the beef before starting to chew.
The spicy and hot taste suddenly exploded in his mouth first. Instantly, he had a feeling that all the hair pores were open. Then a stream of acrid flavor directly rushed down his throat, yet it didn’t make him choke. Meanwhile, the spiciness stimulated the surface of his tongue, followed by the delicacy of the beef with slightly chewy texture. After gulping it down with several bites, he didn’t have the feeling of beef being stuck between his teeth.
"Spicy, crisp and fragrant. It’s really a good dish with liquor," Chen Wei gulped down one beef slice and then immediately said.
"You are right. The beef and the Bamboo Liquor are definitely a perfect match," rarely did Wu Hai agree with Chen Wei.
"The taste of both spiciness and mellowness is indeed a nice match," after speaking, Chen Wei continued to eat the beef.
Every gulp of the beef was followed by a mouthful of white rice. Chen Wei did the same for the rest of the meal. This was one of the most cultured ways of eating by Chen Wei.
"They all look very delicious. What shall I order?" A man waiting for his turn at the front of the line asked all of sudden.
"Provided you have money, savor them all. If not, then savor them one by one," lining behind the man were the lovers who had just bickered. The girl kind-heartedly suggested.
"As a victim of choice phobia disorder, I have no idea what to select," the man was a little depressed.
"I recommend the beef. I was too far away just now and hence didn’t see clearly Boss Yuan’s marvelous technique using the knife. The beef slice is said to be so thin that light could pass through it," the girl was rather interested in that.
Everyone wanted a dish that they could both enjoy the appearance and savor the delicious taste.
"The beef that costs 688 RMB for one serving? Well, ok, that’s it," the man was a little hesitant at first, but the thirst for the beef overwhelmed the concerns about the wallet.
"What shall we order?" The man behind the girl approached her and asked.
"What about Jinling Grass and the beef?" the girl said generously.
"Since we seldom come here, it’s up to you," the man said in a flattering manner.
"What do you mean? So if we often come here, it will not be up to me. Do you mean this?" instantly, the girl turned the head and said discontentedly.
"No, definitely not. It’s always up to you," the man then became stupefied. However, he was knowledgeable in such situations and thus tried to coax her.
"Humph, now that’s the way," the girl wasn’t really angry as she was just joking with his boyfriend. Seeing her boyfriend admit his mistake, she then turned her sight to Yuan Zhou.
"Boss, two servings of the beef, one serving of Jinling Grass and three servings of white rice," having taken note of the three customers’ order, Mu Xiaoyun turned the head and said to Yuan Zhou, who was busy cooking.
"Humm," Yuan Zhou nodded, indicating that he had heard her.
The beef had already been well prepared and pickled in the morning. He only needed to cut it into slices and pour some sesame oil over them.
The beef provided by the system was quite normal.
The system displayed, "Optimized Nanyang yellow cow of grass-white color breed was reared with the improved feeding method of Bai Lixi, the renowned prime minister in Qin Dynasty. It was fed with the pennisetum hydridum, green grass, perennial ryegrass and alfalfa in an alternate manner. It also received a professional massage every day to relax and to reduce the acidic materials contained in the beef.
As for the massage mentioned by the system, Yuan Zhou automatically disregarded it, after all every cow had received a massage to relax. Right?
"What the hell is right? It’s again a cow that lives better than me," Yuan Zhou couldn’t help making complaints.
Only when Yuan Zhou took up the beef did he find every piece of the beef was individually packed and was very beautiful. It was just that the size didn’t appear to be a one-piece shank.
"Is this the middle part of the beef shank?" Taking the beef in his hand, Yuan Zhou said with an affirmative tone.
The system, nevertheless, still had no reaction.
Having been unpacked, the beef proved Yuan Zhou’s speculation right. It was indeed the middle part of the beef shank.
After the several procedures of pickling, cooling, drying, steaming, deep frying and then stir-frying, the dish of Translucent Beef Slices eventually reached the last step, cutting. Every piece of the beef was about a girl’s forefinger thick and was just the right amount for one serving.
"Look, Boss Yuan is going to cut the beef," the girl took her boyfriend’s arm and said excited.
"Humm, I will try to learn," right, this was the only purpose of the girl to let her boyfriend watch.
The chopping board used by Yuan Zhou was provided by the system. Since it basically had no taste at all, there was no concern about the beef being contaminated by other flavors.
Having erected the piece of the beef, Yuan Zhou picked up a very sharp knife and started to cut it. Before the lovers could even see the process clearly, a thin slice of the beef had fallen to one side. With a consecutive 11 slices, the beef was cut into a total of 12 slices in the end.
Then he took up a small bottle. Having slightly shaken his wrist, the beef slices were then evenly covered with sesame oil.
"A lamp of beef is ready. Carry it away," Yuan Zhou’s voice was a little difficult to be clearly heard in the mask. Hearing his instruction, Mu Xiaoyun then went up and carried the dish to the lovers.
"Boss Yuan, what does "a lamp of" mean?" The big eyes of the girl were full of curiosity.
Other customers that were either having a meal or waiting in line likewise looked at Yuan Zhou curiously.
"The beef slice was so thin that it could be made as the lampshade and the light could penetrate it. A plate of the beef slices is just enough to make a lampshade," Yuan Zhou said concisely.
"That can’t be true. Although the light is said to be able to penetrate the beef slices, it would be too exaggerated to make it into the lampshade." The girl frowned. She didn’t actually doubt Yuan Zhou. But considering that only paper with great light permeability could be used as a lampshade, and this was obviously beef, she couldn’t quite understand. How could the beef be made into a lampshade?
Yuan Zhou cared little about the customers’ suspicion and just continued to do his own work.
"Why don’t we have a try?" The boyfriend always spoiled his girlfriend to the utmost extent.
"That’s right. You try," those waiting in line were more curious than those who had meals.
"You have a lighter, don’t you? Let’s have a try?" the girl rolled her eyes and said decisively.
"Pa", her boyfriend supported his girlfriend with the actions of striking the lighter.
The girl meticulously picked up a beef slice with the chopsticks and moved it to one side of the fire, making it block the light. In just a little while, she saw the clear veins of the beef started to shine with red light gradually. To her surprise, the light had truly passed through the beef slice despite the small flame of a lighter.
Those who waited in line and those that were having meals as well as the lovers who did the experiment, were all astonished. The technique of using the knife like that could be genuinely regarded as godlike.
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