EBE Chapter 166: Sweet and Sour
Chapter 166: Sweet and Sour
From the first moment she saw Shen Linfeng, Cheng Yuntao felt an irrepressible disgust in her heart. She could keenly sense that this person had unfathomable thoughts. Once targeted, she would be skinned alive if not killed.
She subconsciously shrank into the shadows, thinking only of minimizing her presence, avoiding any trouble, and leaving this place of trouble as quickly as possible.
Ji Yanchuan sat aside, watching Cheng Yuntao's reaction clearly, frowned slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
He straightened his back, his posture upright, and his whole body exuded an aura of majesty without anger. He spoke in a low and powerful voice to explain, "Second Young Master Shen, you misunderstood. She is just the cook I called here to taste the dishes." As he spoke, he raised his chin slightly and raised his hand coldly. His movements were elegant but carried a hint of unquestionable meaning, indicating that Cheng Yuntao could leave.
Cheng Yuntao hurriedly bowed, exchanged greetings, and thanked him before quickly heading for the door. But before she could reach the door, Shen Linfeng held out his hand to stop her. Her heart tightened, and she stopped, forcing herself to remain calm. She turned to look at Shen Linfeng, a hint of confusion in her eyes, questioning, "Master Shen, what do you mean?"
The fake smile on Shen Linfeng's lips was still there. He put his hands behind his back and walked slowly to Cheng Yuntao. He walked around her, his eyes revealing a kind of scrutiny and amusement, as if he was examining a rare object.
"Miss, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Since you are a cook who has caught Yan Chuan's eye, your cooking skills must be extraordinary. I came here in a hurry today and haven't tasted the dishes you cooked yet. It's really a pity that you left like this."
Cheng Yuntao secretly groaned inwardly, but she maintained a respectful smile on her face. "Mr. Shen, you are too kind. A noble like you must have tasted all kinds of delicacies. Boss Ji is just used to eating delicacies from land and sea, and occasionally wants to change his taste. I was just lucky to be appreciated, and I'm afraid I won't meet your standards."
She lowered her head slightly, a hint of humility in her eyes, trying to dispel Shen Linfeng's interest by belittling herself.
The smile on Shen Linfeng's lips widened a little. He looked at the leftovers on the table with regret, shook his head slightly, and said, "Although there are only some leftovers, from these leftovers, you can still vaguely see that the previous dishes were very good. You can tell at a glance that they were made by a master."
"Miss, please don't underestimate yourself. Why don't you let me taste your cooking skills so that I can see what kind of delicacy can make Yan Chuan so fond of it."
When these words were spoken, not only Cheng Yuntao was surprised by Shen Linfeng's persistence, but Ji Yanchuan also couldn't figure out what Shen Linfeng was going to do.
In his impression, Shen Linfeng was just as picky about food, clothing, housing, and transportation as he was, and rarely dined in unfamiliar places. In the past, when the two of them met for meals, they usually dined at restaurants owned by Shen Linfeng. Today's unusual behavior was truly baffling to Ji Yanchuan.
Ji Yanchuan frowned slightly, his eyes scanning Shen Linfeng's face, trying to find a clue from his expression, but Shen Linfeng still had that half-smile on his face, making it difficult to peek into his inner thoughts. He didn't know the purpose of Shen Linfeng's visit, but he didn't want Cheng Yuntao to feel embarrassed about it, so he wanted to ask her to leave again.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Yuntao spoke first and agreed: "Since Mr. Shen is so kind to me, I will do my best to show my humility."
Cheng Yuntao thought to herself, since she couldn't avoid it, she might as well face the challenge head-on. After all, they were just asking her to cook a few dishes. She couldn't deliberately make things difficult for the chef just because the dishes weren't to her taste. She was just an ordinary civilian, there was no need for such behavior. She temporarily classified everything that happened today as the whim of the powerful.
Seeing that she was willing to stay and continue cooking a few dishes, Shen Linfeng raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then the corners of his mouth rose up, revealing a meaningful smile, and praised: "You are a girl who knows how to deal with things. If you can satisfy me, you will definitely be rewarded."
Cheng Yuntao bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Thank you, Master Shen. I'd like to trouble Mu Qingfeng to go out and pass on a message, as my family is still waiting for me near the Ji Mansion."
Upon hearing this, Ji Yanchuan immediately summoned Mu Qingfeng.
Mu Qingfeng walked quickly into the house, stood aside with his hands hanging down, waiting for instructions.
Cheng Yuntao walked up to him and whispered a few words to him, telling him in detail where Jiang Yu was. Then she asked him to go out and tell Jiang Yu not to worry, and that she would leave the house after finishing cooking. Mu Qingfeng listened carefully, nodded slightly, and turned around and walked out quickly.
After Mu Qingfeng left, Cheng Yuntao calmed down, looked up at Shen Linfeng, and asked, "Master Shen, do you have any dishes you would like to eat?"
Shen Linfeng crossed his arms and paced around the room aimlessly. After a moment's thought, he said, "Sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy flavors each have their own unique charms, making it difficult to choose and difficult to give up. I'm a greedy person and want to eat a dish that has all three flavors, and that is cleverly balanced."
As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the room seemed to freeze instantly.
Ji Yanchuan's expression turned much colder, his eyes revealing obvious displeasure. At this moment, he knew very well that Shen Linfeng was not here simply to taste the food, but to tease people.
Experienced gourmets who are well versed in the art of diet all know that cooking is by no means an easy task. The most important thing to avoid is not distinguishing between the main and the secondary, and not having a clear order in seasoning.
Every dish has its own unique main tone, which is the soul of the whole dish. Once the main tone is determined, the use of various seasonings must revolve around it, and the amount and timing must be taken into consideration.
Salt can enhance freshness and flavor, but its dosage must be precise. One more point will make the dish salty and bitter, and one less point will make the dish taste bland. Sugar can harmonize flavors and make the taste mellower. However, if it is abused, the sweetness will be too strong and will cover up other flavors. Vinegar can add sourness and fragrance, remove fishy smell and greasiness, but if it is added at the wrong time, it will also destroy the overall flavor. Chili can give dishes a hot and stimulating feeling, but its type and dosage must match the main tone. If the dosage is increased blindly and the spiciness is too strong, the dish will only be dry and spicy, losing its original layering.
If you cannot distinguish the main flavor and add seasonings at random when cooking, you will lose sight of the overall theme and the dish will lose harmony and balance.
Steamed fish, which should be characterized by its freshness and fragrance, will have its original freshness and tenderness masked by the addition of too many strong spices such as peppercorns and star anise, and the taste will be filled with the pungent smell of spices, completely devoid of the freshness that steamed fish should have. Sweet and sour spare ribs, which should be sweet and sour, will have a strong flavor if too much soy sauce is added by mistake, as the rich flavor of the sauce will destroy the wonderful fusion of sweet and sour, and the dish will become dark in color and taste strange.
In this way, the dish loses its flavor and becomes a messy food, which not only fails to live up to the original taste of the ingredients, but also makes it difficult for diners to swallow, leaving behind regrets.