Chapter 106 - 97: Slot Trade

Chapter 106: Chapter 97: Slot Trade

"Xiao Ning, what’s the special occasion for inviting us to dinner today?"

Quir, who worked lunch and dinner at the cafeteria, and Ning He went way back. Ning He had gotten to know Quir back when she helped her father run the dinner stall.

Ning He smiled. "No rush. We can talk after we eat. I’ve been working on a few new dishes, and I thought this would be the perfect chance for you all to try them for me."

Then, Connie picked up the walkie-talkie at her hip and spoke a few words into it. Soon after, Youzhen appeared with two other servers, carrying plates of food.

Exquisite place settings were already laid out before each guest. Youzhen and the other servers personally plated a small portion of the first dish for everyone and poured their drinks. The service was impeccable.

In addition to a few popular items from the buffet, there were also some dishes prepared especially for the occasion.

The first course was three small, square pieces of tofu.

"Tch. If you can’t afford a proper meal, then don’t invite people over. Forgetting the buffet is one thing, but serving just a plate of tofu? Who’d want to eat that?" Although Skinny Winnie’s voice was low, everyone heard him.

Connie shot him a vicious glare, and even Wendy looked embarrassed.

"Well, I think this tofu looks beautifully pan-fried, and it smells wonderful. I’m sure it’s delicious," Quir quickly chimed in, trying to smooth things over.

"It’s fine," Ning He said with a smile, though her words were anything but gentle. "It’s only natural for ordinary people with limited exposure to be unable to imagine the myriad flavors tofu can have. This Eight Treasure Tofu is made from soymilk ground from five types of beans and three types of nuts. It then undergoes a three-step process of steaming, pan-frying, and simmering. The sauce is a special blend I created using numerous spices and a rich stock. The flavor should be quite good. Please, dig in."

Skinny Winnie’s expression changed the moment Ning He finished her first sentence. By the time she finished explaining how the dish was made, everyone at the table was looking at it in a completely new light.

’Since when is a tofu dish so complex?’

Everyone eagerly picked up their chopsticks or forks to have a taste.

The tofu, originally as smooth and white as creamy jade, had been gilded with a faint golden hue from being slowly pan-fried over a gentle flame. The skin was delicately crisp, but the inside was exceptionally smooth and silky, gliding down the throat without the slightest resistance.

But the most wonderful part was the complex flavor: a savory umami that gave way to a sweet aftertaste. The fragrances of the beans and the nuts and seeds, like peanuts and melon seeds, were perfectly fused. Paired with the chicken stock in the base and the aromatic oil infused with scallion, ginger, and garlic, a single bite left an endlessly pleasant aftertaste.

The three small pieces of tofu were gone in the blink of an eye.

’It wasn’t enough...’

"The student has truly surpassed the master. A dish like this... you’re even better than your father now. If he were still around to see how skilled you’ve become, he would be so happy," Quir said with a sigh of admiration.

Ning He scratched her head. ’I didn’t expect Quir to care so much about me. After all, this body’s previous owner was a real piece of work. Even back when she was running the stall, she had to be first in everything. She demanded the ingredients with the best appearance, or she’d throw a fit and demand a replacement. The cleaning staff had to clean her stall first every single time. At closing, she always had to be the first to settle her accounts. Basically, the other stall owners would go out of their way to avoid her.’

"Thank you for the praise, Uncle Quer." She smiled and motioned for Youzhen to bring out the next course.

This was a dish centered around eggs.

As eggs were the only ingredient on the entire buffet menu that even came close to being a meat dish, Ning He had been painstakingly studying all sorts of egg recipes lately.

This dish had a base of several fried eggs, which were then topped with crispy potato chips, pieces of roasted pepper, and sautéed chopped mushrooms. For today’s meal, she’d even added a few slices of bacon. Sprinkled with salt and pepper, the dish was so fragrant upon serving it could make you swoon.

The last time she’d made this dish, just a week ago, they had to keep refilling it until they completely ran out of eggs. After that, Ning He hadn’t dared to make it again.

A dish like this could be considered a signature item at a Level 3 Restaurant, and it would not be cheap. Everyone ate with deliberate care, savoring each bite.

Skinny Winnie was silent. Wendy, while marveling at how delicious it was, felt a complex mix of emotions.

After they finished that course, Ning He served yet another egg dish.

It was similar to stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, with tomato and egg as the main components, but with the addition of onion, minced garlic, and sweet peppers. Here, the eggs were cooked whole in the sauce. It was finished with a sprinkle of mint, parsley, a bit of cumin powder, coriander seed powder, and a small amount of mild chili powder.

Building on the familiar flavor of stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, this dish had a more pronounced sweet and sour taste, and the flavor of the spices was much more prominent. It was so rich it could almost be used as a pasta sauce. Ning He had prepared a small piece of toasted bread for each person; spreading a layer of the dish on it made for another delicious treat.

No one spoke; they had even forgotten to offer praise.

’How did we never know eggs could be eaten like this?’

’The culinary academy never taught this, and we’ve never seen it in any restaurant in all of Beiluo City, yet here we are today, getting to taste it!’