Gourmet: The God-Level Culinary Tycoon

Li Xiao set aside the last ball of noodle dough.

This batch of dough was large enough to make noodles for 100 bowls of wonton noodles.

"Alright, the noodles are ready. Now, let’s start on the broth!"

To save time, the pork spine bones had already been washed and blanched to remove the scum.

Li Xiao placed a full eleven pounds of pork spine bones, along with a dozen or so slices of ginger, into the stockpot.

"To make a good pot of broth, you need good ingredients."

"That’s why I’m using a full eleven pounds of pork spine bones as the main ingredient."

Hearing Li Xiao’s explanation, many viewers in the stream gasped.

"Holy cow, pork is so expensive right now. Using eleven pounds of spine bones just for some broth? Isn’t that a bit too extravagant?"

"I bought just a pound of spine bones yesterday, and it cost me 20 bucks! Doesn’t that mean this broth alone costs 200 bucks?"

"The guy above is too naive. Didn’t you hear the streamer say that’s just the main ingredient? That’s not even counting the other secondary ingredients!"

"I don’t know why, but I suddenly have a feeling the streamer might win this competition. Just the cost of these ingredients is way beyond normal, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, wouldn’t that be an unfair advantage?"

·········

Li Xiao immediately noticed the comments, a slight smile touching his lips.

When the stream had first started, most of the viewers didn’t believe that a minor streamer like him could make better wonton noodles than a time-honored brand like Yun Ji.

But now that he had finished making the bamboo-pressed noodles and started on the broth, some people’s opinions were already starting to shift without them even realizing it.

He wasn’t angry at their doubts. In fact, he was secretly delighted.

He immediately explained:

"Don’t worry, everyone. Although this pot of broth is expensive, it also makes a very large amount."

"By my calculations, this should make enough broth for about 100 bowls. On average, that comes out to about 2.5 yuan per bowl of noodles."

"As for the leftover ingredients, you don’t need to worry about that either."

"After my stream ends, I’ll be doing a giveaway for 80 people. Of course, this is also only for those in the Yangcheng region to enter the prize draw."

"The extra 80 portions of wonton noodles will be given directly to these 80 lucky viewers."

Hearing there were giveaway spots, many viewers instantly grew excited.

Then, he took out a small charcoal stove and a handheld fish-grilling rack from a cabinet.

He lit the bamboo charcoal in the stove with a blowtorch, and once the heat seemed right...

Li Xiao placed the dried flounder, which he had already torn into pieces, onto the grilling rack and began toasting it.

Seeing what Li Xiao was doing, many people in the stream were a bit confused.

"Wait, did I miss something? Isn’t this a stream for making wonton noodles? Why is he grilling fish?"

"What is the streamer doing?"

"This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone ’grill’ fish by grilling dried fish!"

·········

Seeing the questions in the stream, Li Xiao explained while flipping the grilling rack in his hands:

"You’re not seeing things. I am indeed grilling fish, but this is also a crucial step in making wonton noodles."

"The dried fish in my hand is dried flounder."

"This type of dried fish is very hard and can’t be eaten directly, but it’s an excellent ingredient for making broth!"

"You use low heat to completely toast out the aroma from the dried fish, then grind it into pieces, and then you can add it directly to the stockpot."

"If you don’t have a charcoal stove at home, or if you think charcoal grilling is too much trouble, you can put the dried fish directly into an oven or microwave."

"Of course, the aroma of the dried fish from an oven or microwave definitely won’t be as good as from a charcoal stove."

"However, I’d still recommend most people use an oven or microwave. After all, using a charcoal stove requires you to constantly flip the rack, and it really tests your control of the heat and your sharp eye."

As Li Xiao explained, he continued to flip the grilling rack.

Because his control of the heat was perfect, within just a few short minutes...

The originally dull dried fish began to ooze little beads of golden oil.

At the same time, the drab-colored fish skin slowly started turning a golden-yellow.

The aroma of the flounder, toasted by the charcoal fire, wafted in wisps throughout the kitchen.

Seeing that it was just about done, Li Xiao moved the grilling rack away from the charcoal stove.

He picked up a piece of the dried fish and held it to his nose. As Li Xiao gently fanned the air with his right hand...

The faint fishy smell that the flounder originally had was completely dispelled by the charcoal fire, replaced by a rich, intense, savory aroma.

"Alright, the dried fish is toasted. The aroma is fantastic!"

With that, he gathered all the dried fish and placed it in a nearby high-speed blender.

He set it to a coarse grind—setting number 5—to break the pieces down to about the size of a pinky fingernail.

This way, the fish fragments wouldn’t be so fine that they’d dissolve and make the broth cloudy, nor would they be so large that their savory flavor couldn’t be fully released.

As the high-speed blender worked, the savory aroma buried deep within the fish was further released.

Li Xiao took a deep breath and immediately felt a sense of comfort wash over him.

He poured the ground fish from the blender into a clean bowl, took out two-thirds of it, and poured it into the stockpot.

Next, he took out a frying pan.

There wasn’t a single drop of oil in the pan. A small bag of washed dried shrimp was poured directly into it.

"If you want a broth with enough savory flavor, dried shrimp is an essential ingredient."

"Dried shrimp is great stuff. It’s cheap, but it’s amazing at enhancing flavor."

"If you don’t want to use MSG or chicken bouillon, you can try grinding sun-dried shrimp into a powder."

"When you’re cooking, add a spoonful or two of the shrimp powder, and your dishes will come out incredibly savory!"

Li Xiao continued to explain as he stirred the dried shrimp in the pan with a wooden spoon.

Soon, the once-pinkish shrimp turned a toasty golden-brown and began to CRACKLE and POP.

He turned off the heat and poured all the dried shrimp from the frying pan directly into the stockpot.

"Alright, all the main ingredients for this broth are in."

"Now we just need to add the last few seasonings, and this broth will be complete."

The words were barely out of his mouth when he produced a small bag of white peppercorns.

Using the flat of his cleaver, he gently crushed the white peppercorns.

He then put the crushed pepper into the frying pan and began to slowly toast it over low heat.

Once the white pepper became fragrant, Li Xiao poured it all from the pan into the stockpot.

"I already added ginger earlier, but since the broth has flounder and dried shrimp, I’m adding some extra white pepper to cut any fishiness and boost the aroma."