Culinary Expert

Chapter 35: The Origin of the Chili Sauce

Wei Hai tutored high school physics at a tutoring center for 30 yuan an hour—more than enough to afford fast food elsewhere—but at Xiaobai Restaurant, he couldn’t even afford a 5ml serving of chili sauce. This… Wei Hai usually had a temper. If an ordinary restaurant had tried to rip him off like that—charging even for chili sauce—he would’ve stormed out with a scowl, no matter how flush he was with cash. But when it came to Bai Xiaobai, Wei Hai simply couldn’t muster any anger. After all, what could he do when Heaven had blessed him with a stomach that craved only the finest food? Wei Hai, who was extremely picky about food, had been completely won over ever since he tasted Bai Xiaobai’s “Supreme Tea-Egg.” If he skipped a single meal, he’d feel famished; if he went a day without it, he’d be consumed by longing. Before he knew it, he had sunk deep into the quagmire of fine cuisine, unable to extricate himself. Bai Xiaobai, of course, had no idea about the complex thoughts swirling in Wei Hai’s mind; he stood calmly to the side, waiting for Wei Hai’s decision. After all, the first bowl of “Supreme” beef noodle soup for the side quest was already a done deal—it didn’t matter to him whether Wei Hai added the “Supreme” chili sauce or not. “Mr. Bai, I’ll have a serving of chili sauce. But don’t rip off a loyal customer—this chili sauce is so expensive, it’d better be delicious.” Wei Hai firmly believed in the age-old principle that you get what you pay for. Bai Xiaobai didn’t give a direct answer; after all, he’d never even tasted the chili sauce himself, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to offer an opinion. “The Supreme Chili Sauce comes in mild, medium, and hot. Which one do you want?” “Are they all the same price, or do the different heat levels have different prices?” Wei Hai asked. Bai Xiaobai explained, “They’re all the same price. It just depends on how much heat you can handle.” Wei Hai hesitated for a moment and said, “I’ll go with medium, then.” “Okay, just a moment,” Bai Xiaobai said, then ran into the kitchen to scoop out some Supreme Chili Sauce. Wei Hai hadn’t eaten much at all for lunch and was already starving. He snapped open a pair of disposable chopsticks and, unable to wait to add the chili sauce, eagerly slurped up a mouthful of Supreme Beef Noodles. The golden-yellow noodles slid into his mouth. With just a slight chew, Wei Hai felt his whole body perk up. That texture… It had been quite a while since it was served, but the beef noodles hadn’t gotten mushy from the broth at all—they were still perfectly chewy. Every strand of noodle in his mouth was bursting with the aroma of wheat. Wei Hai closed his eyes. It was as if a golden wheat field had appeared before his eyes—endless waves of golden wheat swaying in the breeze, glistening like scattered gold. The sensation was truly subtle; it felt as though his entire being were wandering through those golden waves of wheat. His physical exhaustion faded bit by bit, and his energy and vitality gradually returned. After slurping up a mouthful of noodles, Wei Hai instantly felt much more energized. The texture of the noodles was unbeatable. Wei Hai scooped up some broth with his spoon and took a sip. The rich, mellow flavor, with a hint of sweetness, washed down his throat bit by bit. Wei Hai was something of a seasoned foodie; from just one sip, he knew this was top-tier beef bone broth. Moreover, the broth was exceptionally rich—a flavor that could only be achieved through over a dozen hours of continuous simmering. After finishing the broth, Wei Hai picked up a slice of grilled beef with his chopsticks. Grilled beef is a true test of a chef’s skill. That’s because it’s extremely difficult to control the texture of the meat during the grilling process. One slip-up—if the heat is even slightly too high—and the beef can instantly become tough and dry. Wei Hai has always had very high standards for beef. Once, while dining at a high-end steakhouse, he specifically ordered a medium-rare steak, but an inexperienced server made a mistake and mistakenly noted it as medium. When the steak was finally served, Wei Hai cut just a small slice and discovered it was medium—not to his liking at all—so he left without paying. The grilled beef in front of him looked slightly overcooked, and Wei Hai was skeptical, but he picked up a slice and put it in his mouth. When it came to food, Wei Hai had always been the type to nitpick, but this time he found he simply couldn’t find a single flaw. The beef in his mouth was grilled to perfection—not greasy or heavy, with a crispy exterior and a tender interior. With every bite, a hint of meat juice gently seeped out. As he chewed, the smoky and savory flavors slowly spread throughout his mouth. It truly left a lingering aroma on his palate. It was absolutely delicious. Not only was the cooking technique superb, but the quality of the beef itself was top-notch. What kind of beef is this, with such an amazing texture? Wei Hai has eaten countless cuts of beef, including the top-tier 5A Wagyu marbled beef. A palm-sized piece of beef of this grade costs at least ten thousand RMB. The texture is truly unparalleled—it melts in your mouth, and every bite is irresistible. Wei Hai had always believed that 5A Wagyu marbled beef was the “Rolls-Royce” of beef. But he never would have imagined that the texture of these few slices of grilled beef he was eating now was in no way inferior to 5A Wagyu marbled beef—on the contrary, it was even better. Whether in the broth or on the noodles, the meat was nothing short of perfect. It was truly beyond his expectations. Wei Hai had originally intended to just take a small taste, but after a few mouthfuls of beef noodle soup, he couldn’t stop—he was completely hooked. In the kitchen, Bai Xiaobai opened the special white porcelain container and was struggling to figure out how to measure out exactly 5 ml. Just then, the KB System’s cold, electronic voice rang out. [Host, there is a clean 5-milliliter measuring cylinder in the drawer on the second shelf of the cabinet. Please use it to accurately measure the Supreme Chili Sauce. ] Measure with a 5-milliliter cylinder. Does it really have to be this way? Bai Xiaobai was genuinely exasperated with the system—not even a tiny bit more was allowed. Should she say the system is meticulous and scrupulous, or that it’s just being a total pain in the neck? As always, Bai Xiaobai silently scorned the system in her heart, but her hands deftly used the clean measuring cylinder to measure out 5 ml of Supreme Chili Sauce and pour it onto a small white porcelain saucer. Once the Supreme Chili Sauce had melted, it remained a bright red color, but there was no trace of chili peppers or ground beef left—it was nothing but a smooth paste. Holding the small porcelain dish filled with medium-spicy Supreme Chili Sauce, Bai Xiaobai walked out of the kitchen and gently placed it in front of Wei Hai. “Here’s your medium-spicy Supreme Chili Sauce.” Wei Hai was enjoying his meal to the fullest when he saw the chili sauce on the white porcelain dish—about the size of a soda bottle cap—and was instantly taken aback. Is this really 66 yuan worth of chili sauce? It looks exactly the same as ordinary chili sauce poured from a bottle. “I’ve been ripped off,” was Wei Hai’s first thought. “It’d be a better deal to just eat a tea-leaf egg.” That was Wei Hai’s second thought. Actually, the Supreme Beef Noodles were already delicious even without the Supreme Chili Sauce. Wei Hai had originally wanted to return the order, but since he’d already ordered it, 66 yuan wasn’t a big deal to him. Deciding to give it a try, Wei Hai scooped the entire contents of the Supreme Chili Sauce directly onto his beef noodles and immediately slurped up the noodles. That flavor. If Wei Hai had looked surprised while eating the Supreme Beef Noodles earlier now he was completely stunned. The Supreme Chili Sauce mixed into the noodles was exploding on his taste buds bit by bit. He had no idea what kind of chili sauce this was—it looked no different from the ordinary kind, but the taste was truly incomparably delicious. The spicy and savory flavor wasn’t at all overpowering; it was very mild, carrying the delicate aroma of peanut oil, the savory fragrance of minced garlic, and a subtle sweetness—all combining to create an exquisite taste that melted in his mouth bit by bit. Wei Hai felt as if every single one of his taste buds had been awakened. His mind was now completely blank; only his hands moved mechanically, continuously picking up bites of the Supreme Beef Noodles and shoveling them into his mouth. In less than two minutes, Wei Hai had polished off the entire large bowl of Supreme Beef Noodles. Wei Hai wiped his mouth and, still wanting more, asked, “Mr. Bai, these beef noodles are so delicious, and I’ve never tasted a chili sauce like this before.” Almost the moment Wei Hai finished speaking, Bai Xiaobai’s mental system seemed to be influenced by Wei Hai’s praise and couldn’t help but start to get a big head. The system displayed the text The Supreme Chili Sauce is, of course, one of a kind. The chili peppers used to make this sauce are Tianjiu Hong “Upside-Down” Chili Peppers. This chili pepper was first introduced to Huaxia as a wild ornamental plant during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, in the year 1588 AD. Although a large number were transplanted at the time, the Tianjiu Red Upright Chili is native to the tropics. As a result, it failed to adapt to the local climate and soil after transplantation, leading to massive die-offs and eventual extinction. By a stroke of luck, the System obtained the sole surviving purebred female plant of the Tianjiu Red Upright Chili. Through the System’s tireless efforts and special, meticulous cultivation, this chili plant has survived for 429 years and continues to thrive today, currently producing over a hundred chili peppers each year.