Chapter 194: Mixed meat noodles

Lu Yuxi greedily rolled up a large mouthful of vermicelli with her chopsticks and said, “Do you know what the essence of sucking on noodles is?”

Xu Le turned the range hood to the maximum and said, “The spicy smell in the kitchen is too strong. Take it to the dining room and continue eating. Don’t let the smoke enter your eyes.”

“The essence of sucking noodles is—”

As Lu Yuxi spoke, she stuffed a mouthful of vermicelli into her mouth. She did not manage to adjust her breathing during the last sentence. The smell of the spicy sauce rushed into her windpipe, causing her to cough violently.

However, the vermicelli were too appetizing. The spicy and fragrant taste instantly warmed up her entire mouth. The vermicelli was smooth and danced beautifully on the tip of her tongue.

She closed her mouth and chewed twice before swallowing. Only then did she cough and find water to rinse her mouth.

After struggling for a long time, Lu Yuxi’s eyes were filled with tears.

“Look, the essence of sucking on noodles is to choke on the first bite.”

Xu Le didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He frowned and said, “There’s iced Coke in the fridge. Take a can and eat slowly. Don’t you feel uncomfortable choking while eating?”

“It’s delicious!”

Lu Yuxi praised him generously. She took the coke and carried the plate to the main area of the store to eat.

With a mouthful of hot and spicy vermicelli and a mouthful of ice-cold coke, Lu Yuxi was so excited that she stomped her feet.

“This is even better than what I bought outside! It’s spicy and fragrant, with a strong taste, but it’s not salty at all.”

“I saw that big jar of spicy sauce you filled. How many times can it be used?”

“10 to 15 times if it’s extremely spicy but about 20 times if it’s normal spice.”

Lu Yuxi saw that Xu Le was still busy in the kitchen, so she felt guilty. She took a tissue to wipe her mouth and stuck her head out. “Why don’t I cut the noodles?”

“It’s fine. Go eat your food.”

Lu Yuxi muttered, “If it’s added to your restaurant’s new menu, it will definitely sell well. The spicy fried vermicelli is really top-notch, the kind that you still want to eat after eating it.”

“Alright, I’ll teach Li Qing in a few days.”

Xu Le took out a piece of pork belly from the fridge and cut it open. There was a little lean meat on the fat, and then it was cut into a square dice shape.

The onions and ginger were diced.

Pouring the oil into the pot, he placed the sliced pork belly into the pot and stir-fried it until the water vapor was forced out. After the oil became clear, he put in the lean pork belly oil and poured in a little shrimp to freshen up the taste. After it had changed color slightly, he added the chopped green onion and ginger to remove the fishy smell.

Finally, he added the yellow sauce unique to Old Beijing. After stewing it, he added dark soya sauce to enhance the color.

During the stewing process, it would be turned on and fried over medium-high heat. After the oil was completely fried into the sauce and became thick, it would be turned to a low heat. The oil inside would seep out again amidst the bubbling and would not cause the sauce to dry out.

After 40 minutes, he added a large number of white onions and leaves. Then, it was ready to be placed aside.

The noodles that had just risen were first blanched and then cut into noodle strips that were five millimeters wide. After boiling them in hot water and adding cold water three times, they could be scooped out and rinsed under ice water.

The noodles were covered with round cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, garlic and celery which were blanched and allowed to cool. If it wasn’t for the wrong season, he would have added a small pinch of tender musk.

The sauce was hot. When it was poured on the chewy noodles and stirred, the temperature and texture were just right.

At that moment, Xu Tian pushed open the door and returned. She threw her bag on the sofa and pouted unhappily.

“Come to eat, Tiantian. What’s wrong?”

Xu Le held two servings of vermicelli and two servings of mixed meat noodles. After placing them on the dining table, he looked at the unhappy Xu Tian and thought that she was unhappy because of her parents. He was about to comfort her.

手抄報However, Xu Tian pouted and said, “We were making our own poster during art lessons. Why can’t mine be pasted?”

“My, Tiantian has developed a liking for studying.”

After Lu Yuxi teased her, she said, “Let me see what the contents are. I wonder if there’s anything I can help with.”

Xu Tian took out her painting. Xu Le glanced at it and turned his head to hold back his laughter. Lu Yuxi pursed her lips and said after a long time, “Your brother, your parents, and your family are all chefs. Why can you fail so badly at drawing food-related content? Has the word ‘influenced from a young age’ lost its effect on Tiantian?”

Xu Tian pouted and felt extremely aggrieved. Tears immediately flowed out from her eyes.

“Alright, alright, don’t cry. Sister Lu will help you. I still have some foundation in drawing.”

Lu Yuxi comforted her as she pulled Tiantian to the table. “Let’s eat first.”

“Boohoo, Sister Lu is bullying me.”

Xu Le gritted his teeth and almost laughed out loud. His cheeks puffed up as he controlled his voice and said, “This is nothing much. After dinner, we’ll guide you to make another set.”

Only then did Xu Tian stop crying. She put on an apron and started eating.

The mixed meat noodles were oily, and the meat inside was distinct. The handmade noodles were chewy, and the yellow sauce was fried with mushrooms, lean meat, and so on. The vegetables were also refreshing and delicious. When the three were combined, they were especially delicious.

Xu Tian ate the noodles in big mouthfuls and quickly forgot about the unhappiness at school. She suddenly saw the Coke can thrown in the trash can in the restaurant. She immediately frowned and grabbed Xu Le’s arm. “Brother, I want to drink that too!”

“Well, um…”

Xu Le glanced at Lu Yuxi, as if asking her why she didn’t put it away in time. Lu Yuxi lowered her head guiltily and continued to suck on her noodles.

“Drinking too much carbonated drinks affects your growth. Can I get you some sparkling water?”

“No! I only want coke. Why can Sister Lu drink it but I can’t? Brother is biased. I am no longer friends with you!”

Xu Tian started to criticize loudly.

“Tiantian, do you know what it means to have soup digesting food?”

Xu Tian shook her head blankly and stomped her feet. “I want to drink Coke too. Brother is biased! Brother doesn’t love me anymore! Hmph!”

Then she crossed her arms angrily.

Lu Yuxi said, “If you don’t want to eat the noodles, I’ll help you finish it. I’ve already eaten two servings of vermicelli today.”

Xu Tian reached out and hugged the bowl. Just as she was about to look up and get angry, she saw Lu Yuxi’s swollen lips and couldn’t help but giggle.

“Sister Lu has two roasted sausages hanging from her mouth! Hahahaha!”

Lu Yuxi finally reacted and reached out to pinch Xu Tian’s face. “You, you’re not allowed to laugh!”

Amidst the commotion, Xu Tian buried her head in two more mouthfuls of noodles and forgot about the coke. Hence, Xu Le and Lu Yuxi exchanged glances and tacitly went to scoop a few bowls of soup noodles.

“As the saying goes, the soup digests the food. Not only does the soup noodles help with digestion, but it also makes your stomach feel more comfortable.”

“Okay.”

Xu Tian picked up the bowl and took a big sip.

After the meal, Lu Yuxi guided Xu Tian in making the poster while Xu Le cleaned up the cutlery in the kitchen and placed the dishes into the dishwasher.

“How can braised pork be black!”

“Not three chopsticks, but a pair, two of them!”

“Tiantian, have you ever taken meals? You have to be good at observing your daily life!”