My Restaurant's Guests are All Abnormal

Chapter 502: 362 Attempts at Hot Pot Base Ingredients

Chen Ze always felt that Fuling pickled mustard tuber was the best match for chicken oil rice, sour and crunchy. Paired with the somewhat greasy chicken oil rice, the flavor was quite nice—it wouldn’t be too greasy, especially since Chen Ze had already tried adding a bit of lemon juice to dilute the richness of the chicken oil rice.

Chen Ze peeked out and saw that Betty had already served all the dishes, and Ronna was holding the pizza. Chen Ze would always provide her with a box and a bag for the pizza, hoping that future scholars wouldn’t wonder why there was plastic in Ronna’s time.

"But a few hundred years from now, there probably won’t be much plastic left, right?" Chen Ze felt quite secure about that.

"This Kung Pao chicken looks good... but it seems there’s a slight difference in the way it’s made," Mephisto sniffed, finding the color, aroma, and taste all very satisfying. At least to Mephisto himself, they were very satisfying.

"The chicken oil rice is also good, and it tastes even better with the pickled mustard tuber." Mephisto closed his eyes in enjoyment. Although these dishes were not quite as delightful as fresh and delicious souls to a devil, from the standpoint of the dishes themselves, whether it was soy sauce chicken, chicken oil rice, or Kung Pao chicken, the taste was quite remarkable.

Mephisto had already thought of what to give as the meal fee this time. After all, Chen Ze was a chef, so Mephisto had a solution. He just didn’t know if Chen Ze would be satisfied with the meal fee, but if not, he had other things to offer.

Mephisto ate quickly and relished his meal, unconcerned about his manners. But it was precisely this that made Mephisto’s eating stir one’s appetite, so much so that Ronna unconsciously swallowed several times. freewёbnoνel.com

"Ronna, remember to review when you get back, and you need to learn to keep these things hidden in your heart. Many times, you need to understand the art of subtlety," Moriarty noticed Ronna’s distraction. It was quite normal for a child of her age to be distracted, and considering she had learned quite well today, Moriarty decided to let Ronna go ahead and leave.

After all, Moriarty had some ideas he wanted to try out and needed to do some research.

"Thank you, Mr. Manager. I’m going now," Ronna bowed in the direction of the kitchen, though Chen Ze did not come out from inside.

"See you next time," Chen Ze stuck his head out to say to Ronna, then ducked back in. He was researching the recipe for hot pot base and trying whether Sun Mushrooms could be added to Sichuan hot pot to kick up the spiciness, which might satisfy those who can’t get enough spice.

"Goodbye, sister Betty," Ronna waved to Betty and then walked out with her pizza.

Moriarty also tipped his hat to Betty and followed Ronna out.

"These guests sure left quickly," Mephisto wiped his lips, having finished his meal.

"Mr. Mephisto, this is a complimentary dessert from our restaurant. Please enjoy," Betty placed a portion of mango mousse on Mephisto’s table, then stepped aside.

"Mango mousse, huh..." Mephisto picked up the dessert and, after a taste, he finished it off.

"The taste is quite nice," Mephisto patted his belly with satisfaction. He had tried many complimentary treats, but most seemed like an afterthought, unless they were for tasting a new product. However, the dessert from Chen Ze’s place had a truly delicious feel, definitely the work of a master.

"I’m glad you’re satisfied, Mr. Mephisto. If you’d like, I can provide another portion for you," Chen Ze came out, yawning. Now that Mephisto was the only customer left.

"No, I feel like if I eat any more, other desserts might seem to lack something in the future." Mephisto laughed and shook his head, then stood up and took out a piece of paper from his pocket. frёewebnoѵēl.com

"This is the payment for the meal, Manager." Mephisto handed the paper to Chen Ze, who looked at it and realized it was a recipe, and it looked very familiar to him.

"This is an item traded by one of my counterparts from another world, a personal recipe of a chef from a Chinese restaurant in the United States. Are you satisfied with it?" Mephisto asked Chen Ze with a smile.

"Very satisfied, extremely satisfied." Chen Ze beamed with joy, having just been wondering whether to find a chef to apprentice under, and now he had a recipe in his hands.

Besides, apprenticing outside was not an easy feat. People’s culinary skills weren’t something to be taught lightly, and if he had to buy them, Chen Ze did have some savings, but still, they were not that plentiful.

"Then next time, I’ll know what to use to trade with you." Mephisto snapped his fingers, and all the grease on his lips and hands was magically cleaned away.

"Welcome to come again, Mr. Mephisto."

After seeing off Mephisto, Chen Ze glanced at Betty, who was busy collecting the dishes and chopsticks, and then went back to the kitchen to continue studying his hot pot base.

Chen Ze did a search on Baidu, which did have methods for making hot pot bases, but once he clicked on them, he realized they all simply told you to buy ready-made hot pot bases and boil them.

In Chen Ze’s opinion, this was as good as useless, so in the end, he decided to check the ingredient list on the back of the hot pot base package and do some experimenting on his own.

The ingredient list naturally included everything, but specific quantities were generally not provided, so Chen Ze still had to do his own experimentation and take notes on the amounts used each time.

Chen Ze quickly mixed his first batch of hot pot base, then he dipped a chopstick into it to taste. It was a spicy Sichuan hot pot, and even though Chen Ze had mixed it himself, he wasn’t masochistic enough to take a big gulp of it.

"No, something’s missing." Chen Ze shook his head and added some other ingredients.

After washing the dishes, Betty quickly scampered away, worried that if she continued to watch, Chen Ze might use her to taste-test, especially since Chen Ze’s demeanor just now would have made him fit right in with mad scientists with just a lab coat on.

Despite two failed attempts at mixing the hot pot base, with some experience accumulated, Chen Ze eventually found the right method.

[You have created an exquisite spicy base, increasing your home-cooking experience by 7.5 points]

Chen Ze curled his lip, disappointed not to have unlocked a new experience category; he had thought he might get some experience in hot pot making.

"But that’s fine, the next step is to add a bit of Sun Mushroom." Chen Ze rubbed his hands together excitedly.