Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 482: Praising People with Various Methods
Nuwa shook her head confusedly, "You only said it’s a new dish, but you haven’t told me what the dish actually is."
"Oh, that’s right." Chen Nuo said, laughing as he touched his forehead, "Look at me, I’ve been busy all day and it’s made me dizzy. It’s roasted meat."
"Roasted meat?" Roasted meat wasn’t a particularly unusual dish. Could it just be the same name?
Seeing that Nuwa did not speak, Chen Nuo explained further, "This isn’t ordinary roasted meat; it’s stone pot roasted meat."
"Stone pot, roasted meat?" Nuwa tilted her head, "The stone pot is made of stone? Can it also roast meat?"
"Of course, this stone pot isn’t made of ordinary stone. I searched around Mount Taihang and found it. It’s called Maifan Stone. Although it’s a stone, its benefits are numerous. Not only does the meat taste better, but this stone pot even has beautifying and nourishing effects," Chen Nuo explained.
Although Nuwa didn’t understand, she was greatly amazed, "So that’s it. This stone is truly incredible. I owe it to Shopkeeper Chen that I can enjoy this stone pot roasted meat."
In the main hall of Chaos Residence, Chen Nuo had already set up all the equipment needed for roasting meat.
Nuwa looked at the flat-bottomed stone pot in front of her, filled with curiosity, "This stone can actually be made into this. It’s truly curious. Now, I truly believe that Shopkeeper Chen, you finding inspiration by spending so much time in the mortal realm, was not in vain."
"I didn’t know you could give compliments like that," Chen Nuo said as he turned on the heat and poured oil, "You’re already exaggerating so much before even tasting it. By the time the meat is roasted, I don’t know how else you could praise it."
"What Shopkeeper Chen is saying is completely unfounded," Nuwa responded. "Although I haven’t eaten it yet, just looking at this setup, I know this dish will definitely be delicious, not to mention still having you, the living signboard, here." Nuwa watched as Chen Nuo used tongs to place the pork belly in the pot, "Is the pot already hot? Why are you putting the meat in now?"
"The bottom of the pot is slightly warm. The pork belly has a thick layer of fat and is juicy. If we wait for the pot to be fully hot, putting it in would cause the oil to splatter, so it’s fine to put it in as soon as the heat is on," Chen Nuo explained, turning the pork belly over with tongs.
"I see," Nuwa nodded, looking at Chen Nuo with an admiring face, "Truly, Shopkeeper Chen deserves praise for being so thoughtful."
Chen Nuo chuckled, "Lady Nuwa, what are you talking about? This is my job, after all. If I didn’t even know this much, how could I call myself a cook?"
Nuwa simply wanted to find a reason to praise Chen Nuo. Ever since she took a liking to him, she began reading widely circulated stories among the common folk.
The stories said that if a woman wanted a man to think she was virtuous and good, she must lavish him with praise. Moreover, since Chen Nuo was truly excellent, she had no shortage of things to compliment him on.
"You’re so formidable, and you won’t even let others praise you a bit? If this were some other young man, people probably wouldn’t even bother with him," Nuwa said, sitting primly, her phoenix eyes staring intently at Chen Nuo.
Fortunately, Chen Nuo had a thick skin and was not at all uncomfortable being stared at so directly. He even looked up and met Nuwa’s gaze during a lull in the roasting.
"It seems Lady Nuwa has really become much more familiar with me. If this were a regular occasion, you’d probably be looking down right now."
Chen Nuo wasn’t shy under Nuwa’s gaze, but Nuwa, the one doing the staring, became embarrassed. She quickly lowered her head, "I was just watching Shopkeeper Chen roast the meat so intently, I got mesmerized. Please don’t take it the wrong way."
Her gaze was on Chen Nuo, not the roasting meat, which sizzled in the pot, voicing its displeasure.
Chen Nuo picked up the tongs to turn another side, quieting the pork belly’s discontent. He chose not to puncture Nuwa’s little facade.
Chen Nuo still found it very comfortable to be in Nuwa’s company.
Nuwa was unlike other fairies. She was knowledgeable and elegant, dignified and stately, occasionally revealing a childishness that didn’t seem to fit her but was just right.
It was neither excessive nor affected; setting aside her fondness for him, Chen Nuo felt that being friends with Nuwa would undoubtedly be quite wonderful.
The meat had flipped several times, finally frying to a golden brown on both sides. Chen Nuo dipped it in seasoning, "Can you eat fatty meat?"
"It’s fine, as long as it’s not raw or plainly boiled, I can eat it," Nuwa said, and besides, this piece of pork belly had both sides crisped to a golden hue.
Even the surface bubbled with fine, dense oil as it had just been picked up, generating a crisp plop sound upon contact with the dipping sauce. By the sound alone, one could tell the meat was certainly delicious.
"You should try it plain first; later, I’ll let you try a special way of eating it," Chen Nuo placed the pork belly, dipped in chili and cumin powder, into Nuwa’s dish.
Nuwa picked up the pork belly and put it in her mouth.
The instant the meat’s crust met her teeth, a cracking sound emerged. Nuwa’s eyes widened in amazement; the pork was crispy. She had never eaten crisp pork belly before, and after chewing a few times, the richness of the meat perfectly merged with the chili and cumin powder.
The chili was large-grained, with intact seeds inside, and the cumin was the same; they even made a crunching sound when bitten.
Nuwa’s eyes sparkled. After finishing the slice of pork belly, she couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, "It’s just a piece of pork belly, yet it has so many textures. It’s truly magical."
At the right moment, Chen Nuo passed her the meat wrapped in lettuce, "Now try this; though it’s still meat, it has a different texture."
The meat wrapped in lettuce indeed tasted different from the meat alone; this time, the first flavor was the sweet crispness of the lettuce.
The crispness of the lettuce was different from that of the pork belly. It was a crispness that came with freshness, breaking at the slightest bite, and the unique fragrance of the lettuce completely masked any greasiness from the pork belly.
"The lettuce is crisp and sweet, covering up the slight gaminess of the pork belly. How did you think of this way of eating?" Nuwa was like an explorer discovering a new world, "With this method, even the worst tasting meat is no longer a problem."
"I discovered it by chance; as long as Lady Nuwa likes it, that’s wonderful," Chen Nuo replied.
After finishing the pork belly, Chen Nuo put the beef small intestine into the pan, which was even fattier, and it started to sizzle as soon as it touched the pan.
Chen Nuo didn’t rush to grill the beef small intestine; instead, while it was releasing fat, he also put in the black pepper beef tenderloin.
The bottom of the pot was already fully heated with a high temperature, and white smoke rose as soon as the beef was added.
Chen Nuo quickly flipped the beef in the center of the Maifan Stone pot. After a short while, he immediately took it out, still sprinkling it with chili and cumin powder before placing it into Nuwa’s dish.
"Try this; the texture is good. I believe you will be even more surprised than when you ate the pork belly."
"Shopkeeper Chen, what are you saying? Eating the food you make, every bite is a surprise," Nuwa said.
Nuwa gradually stopped being as shy as she was when she first met Chen Nuo, with words of praise effortlessly spilling out of her mouth.
But she was sincere, saying whatever was on her mind immediately, reasoning that even if she didn’t say it, Chen Nuo could guess; so she simply spoke whatever she thought.
"Lady Nuwa’s praise really leaves me at a loss for how to respond. With every bite, you compliment me; I’m afraid by the time we finish eating, all the words of praise in the world will have been heaped upon me," Chen Nuo said with a smile.
