Chapter 144 - 139: The Female Supporting Character of the Spiritual Spring Space
When Ye Qiu first arrived in this world, he exchanged for the Level 2 Chef God’s Light skill. Although it might not sound that high level, it essentially allowed him to outperform the vast majority of chefs.
It is now the peak of summer, and even though the average temperature in Qinghe Town is only in the twenties, most people’s appetites aren’t very good. Ye Qiu is preparing to make two cold dishes first.
The first one is smashed cucumber, which is perfect when you can’t eat much during the summer. Just a few bites can stimulate your appetite. This dish is very simple to make; the key is to bring out the cucumber’s crispness and make it flavorful. The freshness of the cucumber and the seasoning of the sauce are most important.
The cucumber is picked by Ye Qiu from the Spiritual Spring Space, absolutely crisp and refreshing. For the sauce, you need several cloves of garlic, a spoonful of sesame oil, two spoonfuls of light soy sauce, a suitable amount of salt, and lastly, half a spoonful of vinegar. For those who like it spicy, you can also add some chili peppers. Don’t peel the garlic; just smash it with the flat of a knife, loosen the garlic flesh, peel the skin off lightly, then chop it up. Mix the crushed garlic and various seasonings in a small bowl to make the sauce.
Clean the cucumber without peeling it, knock it hard on the chopping board with the side of a knife, and cut it into large pieces after loosening the flesh. Put the smashed cucumbers in a bowl, pour the prepared sauce over them, and shake the bowl gently so that the cucumber pieces are evenly coated. There you have it, a delicious and appetizing smashed cucumber dish.
The second dish is spicy marinated beef tendon, which is perfect for Ye Fu, who loves to drink alcohol.
Soak a piece of beef tendon in water for twenty minutes, changing the water a few times, then put the beef tendon into a pot with half a pot of cold water. Add two spoonfuls of cooking wine and a knot of green onion, bring it to a boil over high heat, and blanch for one minute. Skim off the foam, take out the beef and rinse it in warm water until clean and drain. Prepare another pot and fill it with water enough to cover the beef, adding slices of green onion, knot of green onion, plenty of salt, and after bringing to boil over high heat, simmer on low heat for an hour and a half until a chopstick can easily pierce the beef. Once it’s done, take the beef out to cool and then slice it thinly against the grain.
Then get a small bowl, put sesame seeds at the bottom, and cover them with chili powder and minced garlic. Pour a suitable amount of oil into a pot and heat it until it smokes. Pour the hot oil into the bowl in three stages, stirring as you pour. Lastly, chop some cilantro and put it in the beef bowl, add the hot pepper oil and three spoonfuls of light soy sauce, mix well, and the marinated beef is ready - fragrant, tender, and won’t stick in your teeth. With this, the two cold dishes are completed.
For the hot dishes, Ye Qiu plans to make garlic vermicelli shrimp, minced meat eggplant pot, sour cabbage fish, braised pork belly, homestyle tofu, spicy chicken, and sautéed baby bok choy with garlic. There’s meat and vegetables, spicy and sweet, and to finish, a mixed mushroom soup to make it all complete. These should be enough for the family of four, the unmarried couple Liu Wei and Ding Zijun, as well as the painter and the writer.