As the host of this gathering, Old Huang had arrived early and was waiting by the door.
Today, not only had he ordered a whole roasted lamb, but he had also brought many fresh ingredients, planning to have the kitchen help process them.
Xie Baomin, holding a thermos, had just entered Lin Ji’s gate. Seeing Old Huang, he walked over and quietly asked, "Did you bring the ingredients I asked for?"
"I did, I did! They’re all upstairs, all First Class. You can check them out later if you don’t believe ... Old Xie, when did you start taking supplents?"
"I don’t need that stuff; my Junior Brother asked for it."
What??? Old Huang thought. No way! Master Lin is only in his twenties, and he’s already starting to take health supplents? Next ti I co across ingredients for replenishing vitality, I’ll have to send so more to Lin Ji.
Xie Baomin took a sip of wolfberry water from his thermos, then, looking at a smiling Shu Yun, asked, "How is it, Director Shu? Are you settling in well here?"
"Quite well. Haven’t the head chefs been giving you any trouble?"
"They wouldn’t dare, not even if they had eight tis the nerve! I’m going to go upstairs and have a look; I haven’t been here since the renovation."
He went up the stairs, pretending to admire the restaurant’s interior. However, his steps quickened as he headed straight for the kitchen on the second floor.
At the kitchen door, he saw Chezai and couldn’t help but ask, "Where are the ingredients Old Huang brought?"
"In the storage room. I just checked them. It’s all Okra, leek flowers, Chinese yam, and stuff like that. Seems like things middle-aged people would love..."
Xie Baomin whispered, "You can tell by Old Huang’s age, right? He’s so frail that he gets winded just walking a few steps. That’s why he’s always thinking about strengthening his back and kidneys."
Chezai clicked his tongue in amazent. "No wonder he was so secretive when he delivered them. Turns out he was getting them for himself."
Upon reaching the storage room, Chezai opened a styrofoam box. It was filled with the ingredients Old Huang had brought.
"Chef Xie, shall I help you move these to the prep area?"
"Sure. I arrived a bit early anyway. I can handle these ingredients."
In the prep area, the two bumped into Lin Xu, who had just co from the pastry departnt. The Shakima and Seven-colored Water Chestnut Cake ant for the head chefs were all ready, even packed in gift boxes.
"Senior Brother, you’re here early!"
"I was free and ca to see if you needed help... I’ll take care of these ingredients. You go and attend to your other tasks."
Lin Xu understood as soon as Xie Baomin said that.
All these ingredients are for strengthening the kidneys and back. Could it be that Senior Brother ca over so early because he’s been overworking lately and needs to replenish his energy? They say young people don’t know restraint. Unexpectedly, these middle-aged n get much wilder than youngsters when they let loose!
Seeing his Junior Brother’s teasing smile, Xie Baomin cleared his throat and said, "Junior Brother, if you’re not busy right now, let teach you a dish for strengthening the back and kidneys. It’s claid to be a must-eat for n. Even if you don’t need it now, you might later."
Lin Xu was speechless. "..."
Oh, Senior Brother, just because you’re feeling weak doesn’t an everyone is, Lin Xu thought. However, even though I don’t need this kind of dish, I could cook it for my father-in-law and others. If I learn it now, perhaps my father-in-law might even benefit from it at dinner.
Thinking this, he then said, "Alright then, I’ll learn it. Senior Brother, what are you planning to make?"
Xie Baomin took the Okra out of the styrofoam box, opened the bag, and said, "This stuff is dubbed ’a man’s gas station’ and ’a woman’s beauty salon.’ It’s good for both genders, so you really need to learn this carefully."
This? Lin Xu thought. He didn’t like eating Okra; he always felt it was slimy, like it was stuffed with mucus. Unexpectedly, his Senior Brother seed to really like it. So, he asked, "Senior Brother, what’s the most authentic way to cook Okra?"
"Blanch it!" Xie Baomin declared. "I’ll teach you right now how to blanch Okra. Although it’s touted as a must-eat for n and all that, the thod is quite simple—you’ll pick it up in no ti."
After saying that, he filled a basin with so clean water to wash the Okra. Then, he poured the water out, sprinkled in a handful of flour, and started to rub each piece of Okra.
"Okra has a layer of fine fuzz on its surface, which can easily trap dirt, so it needs to be cleaned thoroughly," he explained. "When washing, you can use flour or salt to rub it. This helps to clean off the fuzz effortlessly."
After rubbing, he rinsed it twice more, then put a pot of water on to boil. For blanching, you always needed to scald it in water.
"The essence of Okra is the mucilaginous sli inside," Xie Baomin continued. "To ensure that the nutrients aren’t lost, you should blanch the entire piece without cutting it. That way, the nutrients inside are preserved."
Hearing this, Lin Xu curiously asked, "Can’t it be eaten raw then?"
"That won’t do. Okra contains oxalic acid, which isn’t absorbed well if eaten raw. So, you need to blanch it first; then it’s fine to eat. Besides blanching, you can also rub so oil on the surface of the Okra and steam it in a pot for two minutes. This achieves a similar effect to blanching."
Got it, got it! Lin Xu thought.
Once the water was boiling, Xie Baomin added a spoonful of salt and drizzled in so cooking oil.
Lin Xu knew this step well. Salt accelerates the cooking process, and cooking oil makes the Okra’s color bright green and appealing.
When the water in the pot was almost at a rolling boil, Xie Baomin added the Okra.
After adding them, he stirred them with a spoon to ensure they heated evenly.
A minute later, he scooped the Okra out and plunged them into cold water to prevent overcooking.
Then, he cut off their stems and arranged them neatly on a plate.
After arranging them, he began to prepare the sauce.
He finely minced garlic, small hot peppers, and ginger. Then, he mixed a sauce with two spoonfuls of Light Soy Sauce, one spoonful of oyster sauce, one spoonful of salt, half a spoonful of sugar, and an additional small spoonful of cornstarch.
He put all these into a bowl, added half a bowl of clear water, and stirred until well combined.
Next, he heated oil in a wok, added the Ginger and Garlic Mince and minced red chilies, and sautéed them until fragrant before pouring in the sauce mixture.
Once it had cooked down and thickened, he drizzled in a little Sesa Oil, stirred it evenly, and then spooned the sauce over the Okra. The dish was now ready.
Just as they finished, Shen Guofu, who was off work, arrived at the kitchen doorway.
Seeing the Okra, he imdiately exclaid, "Wow, this is great stuff! Thanks, Chef Xie. I’ve been overdoing my workout routines lately and was just thinking about asking Little Xu to cook so Okra for . If you don’t mind, I’ll take this and eat it."
With that said, he took the plate from Xie Baomin’s hands and strode out of the kitchen.
Lin Xu and Xie Baomin exchanged a look. Both saw a full asure of helplessness in each other’s eyes.
"Sorry, Senior Brother, my father-in-law, he..."
"It’s okay. We’re all n here; I understand. Besides, even without Okra, we have other ingredients. If one wants to ’nourish,’ there’s no shortage of options."
After saying this, Xie Baomin took out a bunch of leek flowers from the box...
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