I Am A Gourmet: Just Eight And You Want Me To Start A Roadside Stall Novel! - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Thankfully, There Were Two Kitchenware Sets Left
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Produce a dish and gain the approval of the customers?”
“Which means…”
“I have to make a bowl of oil doused noodles and gain Xu Tian’s approval?”
At this thought, Xu Le felt a headache coming on.
Don’t ever think that Xu Tian was easy to fool just because she was three years old.
In reality, Xu Tian was very picky.
Ever since they were young, every time they ate, their mother had to carry her to feed her. Furthermore, she would only eat a few mouthfuls before she wanted to escape from the dining table to watch her cartoon.
More than that, what made Xu Le feel suffocated was…
Xu Tian didn’t like noodles!
It was almost impossible to make a bowl of Oil Doused Noodles to gain Xu Tian’s approval.
“There’s no choice…”
Xu Le sighed and slowly walked into the kitchen.
He’d never cooked at home. He’d barely even been in the kitchen.
In fact… he didn’t even know what kitchenware he had at home.
Xu Le rummaged through the kitchen and finally found a pot and a knife in the cupboard.
“I’m glad you left me two kitchenware sets…”
In Xu Le’s opinion, this was a blessing in disguise.
If there was no pot at home, Xu Le wouldn’t know what to do.
With the kitchenware, the next step was to look for ingredients.
“Chili noodles, handmade noodles, edible oil…”
Xu Le took out a bunch of bottles from the kitchen cabinet and fridge.
The good thing was that the ingredients for the oil doused noodles were very common and could be found at home.
“Everything has been going smoothly so far!”
Xu Le’s dark eyes lit up and he smiled innocently.
From his point of view, the most difficult step in making the noodles was the ingredients!
If he couldn’t cook, he could learn in the system space.
But if there were no ingredients…
He was not a magician. He could not conjure them directly.
Xu Le ran from the kitchen to the bedroom excitedly, ready to show off his culinary skills.
However, when he passed by the living room, Xu Le glanced at his sister and realized that Xu Tian was focused on watching cartoons.
“Watching ‘Peppa Pig’ again…”
When he saw the two familiar pink pigs on the television screen, Xu Le quickened his steps.
He knew that it was time for Xu Tian to eat after watching the cartoon.
Although Xu Tian was not obedient when she ate, if she did not eat after watching the cartoon, she would be even less well-behaved!
When that happened… Xu Tian would directly transform into a little demoness. Xu Le would definitely not be able to tolerate it if she were to cry at home.
Xu Le returned to his room and lay on his bed. He immersed himself in the system space.
…
It was a dark and chaotic space.
A long table.
There were all kinds of kitchen utensils.
There were all kinds of knives, including deboning knives, slicing knives, serrated knives, adjustment knives, scale removal knives… There were more than 20 of them scattered around.
There were also various cooking utensils such as wok, frying pan, boiling pot, cutting board, kitchenware, blender, and so on.
Xu Le, who had never cooked before, had never seen so many kitchen utensils.
Xu Le stood rooted to the ground in shock.
“Luckily, I’m only making a bowl of oil doused noodles.”
Xu Le rejoiced.
The [Oil Doused Noodles] in the novice’s gift bag was really prepared for beginners.
If the novice’s gift bag rewarded dishes like Buddha jumps over the wall], Peking Duck, and Water Cabbage.
Xu Le would not be able to complete the mission in at least half a year.
“The first step is to prepare the spices.”
Xu Le strictly followed the recipe given to him by the system. After all, according to the system, this was the most perfect and authentic recipe for the Oil Doused Noodles.
“3 grams of cinnamon, 3 grams of aniseed, 10 grams of fennel, 10 grams of pepper, 2 grams of vanilla, 2 grams of cloves, 2 grams of white sesame, all mixed…”
Xu Le took out a small weighing scale and began to weigh the ingredients carefully.
Every step required precision.
Many old chefs relied entirely on their hand sensitivity to season when they cooked. They knew exactly how much or how little they put in.
However, Xu Le was a newbie in the kitchen, so it was better for him to weigh using a precise method.
He took out all the condiments and placed them in a grinding machine.
After grinding them into fine powder, Xu Le poured them all into an empty bowl and placed them aside.
Next step was to cook noodles.
Normally speaking, the noodles used to make the oil doused noodles should be the wide noodles from freshly kneaded dough.
Only in this way could the chewy texture be ensured, allowing the customers to feel the wonderful feeling of the noodles gently bouncing between their teeth.
However, Xu Le’s house did not even have a chopping board for kneading dough.
Besides, it would take at least 40 minutes to mix the dough and knead it… He did not have enough time at all.
“Just replace it with handmade noodles from the supermarket then.” Xu Le could only choose the second best option.
With a shake of the handmade noodles, the noodles completely scattered and then fell into the boiling pot.
According to the cooking method described in the recipe.
When the noodles floated up, he had to add a small amount of cold water and cover the pot lid. When it boiled again, he had to add some vegetables and cook them together until everything was cooked.
With Xu Le’s eight-year-old height, he could barely reach the stove.
Fortunately, this was his system space. As he willed it, the stove immediately lowered to a suitable height for him to operate.
After Xu Le completed all the steps seriously, he picked up a strand of noodles and ate it.
“Ugh—It’s not cooked!”
The noodles were completely raw. When he bit it off, he could feel the stiffness at the center.
Xu Le’s face became wrinkled and he quickly spat out the noodles in his mouth.
“Again!”
Xu Le was not discouraged.
Before he transmigrated, he was a university student from a prestigious university. How could he not be able to handle a bowl of oil doused noodles?
He repeated all the steps again. This time, Xu Le deliberately cooked the noodles for another two to three minutes.
In the end, the noodles were cooked.
However, because it had been cooked for too long, the noodles became somewhat soft and mushy, completely losing its chewiness.
It could be eaten, but with Xu Tian’s picky taste buds… she would definitely not be satisfied.
“Again!”
Since this was the system space, there was no need to worry about wasting food.
Xu Le tried five times in a row and finally found the trick.
Boiling the noodles to the state of 90 percent cooked was the most perfect because he still had to douse them in oil afterwards. After being covered by boiling hot oil, the noodles would then reach a state of being completely cooked. Moreover, it would be the kind of perfect ripeness that was extremely chewy and tender!
The steps that followed were relatively simple.
He had to scoop the noodles into a big bowl and add salt, chicken essence, MSG, vinegar, soy sauce, and some onions and garlic.
The coarse chili powder and fine chili powder were added in a ratio of seven to three.
The spices that had been ground into powder were also added onto the top.
He scooped up a large spoonful of hot vegetable seed oil from the pot and poured it evenly over the noodles.
Whoosh—
When the chili powder, spice powder, and hot oil came into contact with each other, they produced a series of crackling sounds. It was as if some kind of marvelous chemical reaction had occurred, and dense bubbles and white smoke were emitting.
At the same time, a spicy and savory smell rushed out of the bowl.
It hit Xu Le’s nose directly, teasing the glutton in his mind.
For a moment, he felt a strong appetite.
He immediately picked up the large bowl in front of him. He couldn’t help but want to taste it!