Chapter 175: Chapter 165: Customer: Someone’s Going to Die From This Smell

Tongtong stared at the pot, which was taller than her, her face filled with shock. She had never seen such a large pot before.

"This is for the beef stew? Isn’t it a bit too big?" Jun Qingmeng asked, confused.

Jiang Liu lifted the pressure cooker with one hand and explained, "We’re making a large batch all at once, not serving by serving."

"Oh, I see... In that case, should the two of us help you bottle the juice first?"

Jun Qingmeng didn’t want Jiang Liu to get too tired, so she tried to do what she could to help lighten his workload.

"Sure."

Jiang Liu first set the dough to proof before starting on the tuna sashimi.

He worked as quickly as he could.

In less than twenty minutes, he had finished slicing fifty portions of tuna.

Every slice was perfect.

Without a moment’s delay, Jiang Liu immediately started processing the yak beef.

Ten kilograms of beef wasn’t actually a huge amount. Before long, Jiang Liu had diced it into fifteen-gram cubes that filled an entire basin, where he left them to soak.

The cardinal rule of stewing yak beef is never to add salt too early. If you do, the meat will turn tough and dry.

The more tender and infused with flavor the beef, the more delicious it would be to eat.

Jun Qingmeng watched Jiang Liu’s practiced, precise knife work, and even though this wasn’t the first time she’d seen it, she was still inwardly amazed.

Her father had once hired a famous chef from Hua Country for his birthday, but compared to Jiang Liu’s knife skills, that chef’s work lacked a certain effortless, artistic flair.

Jiang Liu opened the lid of the pot.

He glanced at the water in the pressure cooker—it was already boiling.

He drained the pale red, bloody water from the beef, placed the meat inside, and poured a bottle of cooking wine into the pressure cooker. He then blanched it on high heat for five minutes to force out all the remaining blood and impurities from the meat.

Next, he drained the water, added oil to the pot, and tossed in the seasoning packet he’d purchased from the Divine Book.

He put in two packets at once. After the spices sizzled and released their fragrance, he poured in mountain spring water until it filled half the pot.

Now it was time to add the beef bone marrow and let it dissolve into the broth.

Stewing beef wasn’t actually that complicated. The finest ingredients often call for the simplest cooking methods.

And wild, high-plateau yak beef certainly qualified as "finest."

While the beef stewed, the dough was still proofing.

Jiang Liu crouched down to peel the small, black-skinned potatoes. He cut them in half and left them to soak in cold water. The potatoes couldn’t go into the pot yet—they were best added after fifty minutes. The mushrooms, meanwhile, should go in right before the stew was ready to be served, about an hour later.

In a pressure cooker, potatoes would be cooked through in ten minutes. As for the mushrooms, it was important to preserve their natural umami, and they would turn to mush if overcooked.

His timing was impeccable.

Once the potatoes and mushrooms were prepped,

the dough had just finished proofing.

While the beef continued to stew, Jiang Liu used the downtime to start making the steamed buns.

He planned to open for business at half-past seven.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, it was 6:40.

The beef stew was ready and was now resting in the pot.

Seeing how ravenous the two of them were, Jiang Liu chuckled and grabbed a plate.

As he lifted the lid, the rich aroma of beef assaulted their senses. A thick layer of white fat floated on the surface of the broth—the rendered beef bone marrow.

Jiang Liu ladled out ten pieces of beef that were as jiggly as gelatin, along with a generous scoop of soft, tender potatoes and mushrooms.

He arranged it on the plate and sprinkled on a few strands of a red vegetable he’d bought at the market for garnish.

Finally, he drizzled a large spoonful of the sweet, savory, and thick broth over the top. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Jiang Liu carried the plate of beef to the table.

"You two must be starving. Go ahead and eat."

The aroma alone was making their mouths water.

It smelled incredible!

Jun Qingmeng gazed at the beef cubes on the white plate before her; they looked like a work of art. She could feel her mouth watering.

"Jiang Liu, why does your beef smell so amazing?"

"Daddy, I’m hungry."

Jiang Liu didn’t answer, only urged them, "It’s almost seven o’clock. Hurry and eat."

"What about you?"

"Daddy, you eat too."

"I’m going to finish the buns first. I’ll eat when I’m done with the rush. Don’t worry about me."

"Alright."

The two of them looked a little disappointed.

They wanted to eat together with Jiang Liu.

Resisting the urge to dig in herself, Jun Qingmeng first picked up a piece of beef for Tongtong.

The beef was stewed so tender that her chopsticks sank into the meat with the slightest pressure.

"Go on, eat up. Eating a lot will help you grow big and strong."

"Mmm-hmm!"

Tongtong popped a piece of beef into her mouth, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with little stars.

"Wow! It’s hot, but it’s so yummy."

"Ooh! The potatoes are yummy too!"

’Daddy is just the best! I’m so lucky, aren’t I?’

Jun Qingmeng picked up a piece for herself. The rock sugar had given the beef a deep, crimson-colored glaze.

She carefully placed it in her mouth. It was still hot, but the moment it was on her tongue, a sweet and savory fragrance conquered her taste buds.

With the slightest bite, the beef fell apart like jelly, releasing a burst of scalding-hot juice that filled her mouth.

Tender and succulent.

So, so delicious!

Especially, there was a faint, creamy aroma from the marrow that had melted into the meat.

As she slowly savored the taste,

Jun Qingmeng found herself closing her eyes in pleasure, savoring every last bit of flavor.

The beef was far more delicious than she had ever imagined!!

She couldn’t help but look toward the kitchen.

A sense of genuine surprise and admiration for Jiang Liu filled her.

’He really is perfect!’

"Mommy, hurry and eat! If you don’t, I’m going to eat it all."

Tongtong couldn’t stop eating, her mouth smeared with beef juices.

She absolutely loved her daddy’s cooking.

’When I grow up, I’ll make yummy food for Daddy too!’

"Tongtong, you have some more."

Jun Qingmeng looked out for Tongtong,

placing more meat into her little bowl.

"Ah! No more! Mommy, you eat too."

Tongtong picked up a piece of meat for Jun Qingmeng.

The two of them fed each other bites.

"The potatoes are so sweet and soft, hurry and eat, Mommy!"

"Ooh, the mushrooms are so tender. Mommy, have a taste."

The customers waiting eagerly at the door stood on their tiptoes, craning their necks to see inside.

"Is that the Yak, Potato, and Mushroom Stew that Tongtong’s eating?"

"How can it smell that good? Hurry up and open! Any more of this waiting and the smell is literally going to kill me."