Culinary Expert

Chapter 32: Supreme Chili Sauce (Part 2) After rinsing his head with cold water, Bai Xiaobai rubbed his face and carefully dried it with a towel

With the heat and post-nap fatigue subsiding, Bai Xiaobai glanced at his watch—it was almost 4:00 p. m. The Supreme Chili Sauce upgrade was complete. There was no time to waste; finishing the Supreme Chili Sauce would bring us right to dinnertime. Bai Xiaobai went downstairs and used facial recognition to enter the glass-walled kitchen. He turned on the kitchen lights. The cutting board was already neatly laid out with all the ingredients needed to make the Supreme Chili Sauce. The vegetable basket was brimming with chili peppers; each one was incredibly fresh, bright red all over, and glossy. On the cutting board next to the vegetable basket lay fresh, lean ground beef, already chopped. A large bowl by the stove was filled to the brim with peanuts; every single one had an intact shell and was nearly uniform in size. In addition, various seasonings—ginger, garlic, and star anise—had already been sorted into separate spice containers. After double-checking that all the ingredients were present, Bai Xiaobai set out to show off his skills. When Bai Xiaobai ran a Restaurant before, he used to make chili sauce himself to cut costs. Simply put, you chop the chili peppers, add minced ginger and garlic, season with salt and soy sauce, simmer the mixture in a pot to reduce excess moisture, and finally seal it in a glass jar. Bai Xiaobai’s method was simple and straightforward, but while the system’s “Supreme Chili Sauce” recipe was similar in principle, certain steps had their own unique twists. First of all, the oil used to make the “Supreme Chili Sauce” isn’t lard, soybean oil, or canola oil—it’s peanut oil, and it must be freshly pressed peanut oil. Bai Xiaobai poured an entire large bowl of peanuts into the high-tech press provided by the system. Almost the moment the peanuts were poured in, the high-tech press began producing oil. From a large jar of peanuts, only a small half-bowl of peanut oil was ultimately extracted. This peanut oil is clear and bright in color, and every drop carries the faint, distinctive aroma of peanuts. System text: “Supercritical cold-temperature 9-second physical pressing” prevents high temperatures from destroying the nutrients in the peanut oil and perfectly locks in beneficial substances such as sterols, oryzanol, phospholipids, vitamin E, and choline. With the nutrients perfectly preserved, it’s no wonder the aroma is so pleasant—it’s incomparably better than the peanut oil you buy at the supermarket. Nowadays, some cooking oil manufacturers, in order to maximize the oil yield from peanuts, use the solvent extraction method instead of direct pressing—that is, they extract peanut oil using chemicals and then add various additives to stabilize the oil. Although the resulting peanut oil has a strong aroma, it’s actually a pungent, overpowering scent that can’t hold a candle to the delicate fragrance of freshly pressed peanut oil. Once the freshly pressed peanut oil was ready. Bai Xiaobai moved with the grace and fluidity of a master chef. She removed the stems from the chili peppers, washed them, shook off the excess water, and placed them on the cutting board. Chop, chop, chop… chop, chop, chop… Bai Xiaobai wielded a kitchen knife in each hand and set to work simultaneously, chopping the chili peppers into fine pieces with all his might. Bai Xiaobai’s knife skills were exceptional; every chili pepper was thoroughly chopped. In an instant, the chili’s pungent heat became even more intense, stinging his face so much that his eyes were nearly closed. Set the chopped chili peppers aside. Finely mince the ginger and garlic separately and set them aside as well. After prepping the ingredients. Bai Xiaobai heated a wok until it was sizzling hot; once it began to emit a wisp of blue smoke, he poured in a large spoonful of freshly pressed peanut oil. Once the oil is hot, add the minced garlic, minced ginger, and star anise, and stir-fry over low heat until fragrant. Sizzle... Add the previously chopped chili peppers and stir-fry over low heat. The heat control at this point is crucial. If the heat is even slightly too low, the chili peppers’ rich aroma won’t be released; but if it’s even slightly too high, the peppers will burn and turn bitter, affecting the flavor. Bai Xiaobai controlled the heat with the precision of a professional chef. After stir-frying for ten seconds, add a small amount of lean ground beef and continue stir-frying. Bai Xiaobai tossed the wok with his left hand while using a spatula in his right to stir-fry the chili peppers and ground beef. It’s essential to ensure both the chopped chili peppers and the ground beef are thoroughly coated in oil; only then can the ingredients’ natural freshness and aroma be brought out, resulting in the most exquisite flavor. Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle… sizzle, sizzle, sizzle… As he stir-fried, the aroma of the chili peppers mingled with that of the beef, gradually filling the kitchen. The aroma is simply irresistible. Once the chili peppers and ground beef were thoroughly coated in oil, they took on a beautiful color. After adding the various seasonings one by one, Bai Xiaobai stirred-fried the mixture several more times. Finally, she thickened the sauce with a water-starch slurry and turned up the heat to reduce the liquid. Once the excess moisture was evaporated, a pot of bright, vibrant red “Supreme Chili Sauce” semi-finished product was complete. It’s no exaggeration to say that the “Supreme Chili Sauce” was so fragrant it made Bai Xiaobai’s mouth water. As the system had mentioned before, as a “Big White” level user, Bai Xiaobai could sample every new product for free upon its release. So without hesitation, he grabbed a spoon, scooped out a bit of the Supreme Chili Sauce, and was just about to take a taste. Just then, the System’s electronic voice popped up at the worst possible moment. 【Host: “Big White” Level. You are not allowed to sneak a taste of the semi-finished product; otherwise, 99 experience points will be deducted. 】 Oh my god This is still just a semi-finished product? System Text: The semi-finished Supreme Chili Sauce must undergo a “sauce-ification” process to be fully completed. The containers required for this process are in the third drawer at the bottom of the cabinet. Bai Xiaobai followed the System’s instructions and opened the bottom drawer of the cabinet, where he indeed found three special containers. A black earthenware jar, a white porcelain bottle, and a glass bottle. Each container was about the size of a “Nutrition Express” bottle. The system continued to display text: “Transfer the semi-finished Supreme Chili Sauce into the different special containers to transform it into chili sauces of varying heat levels. The black earthenware jar will produce a very hot chili sauce, the white porcelain bottle will produce a medium-hot chili sauce, and the glass bottle will produce a mild chili sauce.” Although it’s unclear exactly how the system’s advanced technology transforms the Supreme Chili Sauce into different levels of spiciness, the process of transforming the sauce is actually quite user-friendly. After all, everyone has a different tolerance for spiciness—some people can’t live without heat, while others prefer only mild spiciness. Therefore, dividing the Supreme Chili Sauce into different heat levels can satisfy customers with varying preferences. Following the instructions for the special containers, Bai Xiaobai divided the semi-finished Supreme Chili Sauce from the pot into the three special containers and screwed the lids on tightly. The lids of the three special containers functioned like switches, somewhat similar to a slider. Once rotated a full circle and the slider locked into place, the sauce-conversion process would begin. According to the system instructions, once the container lids have been turned counterclockwise all the way, the Supreme Chili Sauce is considered fully processed. The processing is expected to take ten minutes. Taking advantage of the downtime, Bai Xiaobai asked, “System, there’s a charge for the Supreme Chili Sauce, right?” According to KB System laws. As a special condiment, the Supreme Chili Sauce couldn’t possibly be free—it would definitely cost money. Sure enough. The System’s cold, electronic voice rang out. [Each 5 ml serving of Supreme Chili Sauce is priced at 66 RMB. Due to the Host’s low level, the price cannot be altered. ] Hearing this price, even though Bai Xiaobai had mentally prepared himself, he was still quite startled. Bai Xiaobai knew all too well what 5 ml meant. It’s about the same amount as the cap of a bottle of cola we usually drink. In most restaurants, chili sauce is provided as a condiment on the table, free for customers to add as they please. Even Lao Gan Ma, a well-known chili sauce brand, costs less than 10 RMB—and that’s for a full bottle. Charging 66 RMB for a 5-ml serving? You’d be hard-pressed to find a second restaurant in the whole country that offers chili sauce like this, even if you searched high and low. It truly lives up to its name as “Supreme Chili Sauce.” This is absolutely outrageous.