Chapter 23
Mother-in-law Had Won This Round Without Doing Anything
“A broad bean? How can it be broad beans!”
“That’s right. I can’t tell that it’s a broad bean. This is clearly minced meat. Moreover, there’s usually minced meat in Mapo Tofu.” Wan Yu continued.
“Uncle Cheng, don’t lie to me. This is clearly the taste of minced meat.” Luo Xiaosong felt that this expert must be fooling him.
Cheng Zhongqing was not angry at all when the two young men questioned him. He only said, “As a veteran broad bean enthusiast, I can tell that the minced meat tastes like broad beans from the first bite. It’s normal that you can’t tell. If you don’t believe me, ask Miss Li if I’m right.”
As Cheng Zhongqing finished speaking, everyone looked at Li Xiwu, who was standing at the side.
Wan Yu asked in disbelief, “Miss Li, is the minced meat in this Mapo Tofu really replaced by broad beans?”
Under everyone’s expectant gazes, Li Xiwu nodded. “Yes.”
Wan Yu was shocked. “Damn! I’ve learned something new. This is the first time I know that broad beans can replace minced meat. Moreover, I can’t tell at all.”
Luo Xiaosong said, “The key is that the taste is absolute. I swear, I’ve never had such delicious mapo tofu before today.”
Wan Yu agreed. “Yes, yes, yes. Me too.”
They both sounded sincere in their praise. The cameraman on the side was almost drooling.
At this moment, Cheng Zhongqing asked, “Miss Li, may I ask how you thought of replacing minced meat with broad beans?”
Li Xiwu’s gaze was very honest. “To make good Mapo Tofu, the meat quality of the lean meat must be high. There was no time at noon to choose the meat before pounding the minced meat. Coincidentally, there were broad beans in the ingredients, so I decided to replace the minced meat with broad beans at the last minute. However, this method is not my precedent. I only saw it on television by chance.”
Cheng Zhongqing then asked, “Then let’s talk about the way to stir-fry vegetables. How did you deal with the earthy smell?”
Li Xiwu said in a neither servile nor overbearing tone, “Usually, you just need to wash the vegetables and put them in the pot. However, it’s very difficult to hide the earthy smell of the vegetables, so I blanch the vegetables.”
Cheng Zhongqing said, “It’s definitely not as simple as blanching.”
Li Xiwu was surprised by Cheng Zhongqing’s insight. Could it be that this Specialist Cheng had been on a food show before?
“Yes.” Her tone remained matter-of-fact. “Before the blanching, I added chicken oil to the water. The oil will wrap around the vegetables when they’re in the pot. That way, the stir-fried vegetables won’t smell earthy.”
When answering Cheng Zhongqing’s question, Li Xiwu’s neither arrogant nor rash attitude and calm tone were both surprising. She was certainly modest about her own skills that run deep.
Cheng Zhongqing gave Li Xiwu a thumbs up and praised, “Miss Li, you’re simply too outstanding. This must be the best Mapo Tofu and stir-fried vegetables I’ve ever eaten.”
Cheng Zhongqing had a high opinion of Li Xiwu. They were all surprised. Whether it was the cameraman next to him, the staff, the brand sponsor, or Gao Yueban sitting on the monitor, they couldn’t help but want to try Li Xiwu’s lunch dish today.
Gao Yueban gaped at the monitor screen. “Is it really that good?”
The junior assistant handed Gao Yueban a tissue. “Director Gao, your saliva is flowing out.”
Gao Yueban took the tissue and wiped his mouth. “This Miss Li is indeed hidden. She can directly become a trending topic.”
Min Hanrong was originally disdainful of Li Xiwu’s two dishes. The two vegetarian dishes were praised to the skies. It must have been the production team’s arrangement. It was not that exaggerated at all.
However, when Min Hanrong saw her daughter-in-law, Tao Jing, also start eating with relish, she swallowed a few times silently and walked forward. “I… will try it too.”
Seeing that everyone was eating, Li Xiwu slowly retreated to Han Qianye’s side and asked, “Do you want a bowl of rice?”
Han Qianye, who had never had the chance to speak, finally had the chance to speak when Li Xiwu took the initiative to ask her if she wanted to eat. She asked Li Xiwu, “Did you learn these two dishes at the last minute before you came to record the show?”
Li Xiwu answered truthfully. “I’ve known it before.”
Han Qianye immediately fell silent. She walked forward and saw that Min Hanrong had already picked up a few pieces of Mapo Tofu. She asked with a kind smile, “Our Xiwu made it. How does it taste?”
Min Hanrong could not stop eating at all. These two dishes were too appetizing. She, who only ate 60% of every meal, strictly controlled her figure. Today, she wished she could eat two bowls of rice.
Hearing Han Qianye’s voice, Min Hanrong immediately retracted her hand and replied, “It’s alright.”
The smile on Han Qianye’s lips almost flew to the back of her head. She said in a very show-off tone, “Aiyaya, although my culinary skills are not good, my daughter-in-law’s culinary skills are especially good.”
Min Hanrong didn’t have anything to refute, so she went along with Han Qianye’s words. “Yes, yes, yes. It’s especially awesome.”
When Han Qianye saw that Min Hanrong was convinced, she felt too awesome! She was usually full of pride wherever she went, but she did not feel anything. The grievances she had suffered this morning had been kept in her heart. She felt uncomfortable and could not regain her dignity.
But now, Li Xiwu has saved her dignity. Han Qianye was so happy that she really wanted to hug Li Xiwu and kiss her.
Wait! Calm down! What are you thinking, Han Qianye! You don’t like Li Xiwu. Don’t change your mind about her just because she did this.
Although she thought this in her heart and reminded herself, Han Qianye’s gaze on Li Xiwu would subconsciously soften.
“Hey, hey, save some for me. I haven’t eaten yet.”
After being happy, Han Qianye noticed that the two dishes were getting fewer and fewer. Seeing that the bottom of the plate was about to be exposed, Han Qianye quickly went to get chopsticks and a bowl.
When she turned around, she saw that Li Xiwu had already scooped rice for her. Han Qianye took it hypocritically. “I can do it myself.”
Li Xiwu’s lips curved as she reminded her, “We’re running out of food.”
Without another word, Han Qianye immediately held the rice Li Xiwu had scooped for her and squeezed her way over to sit down.
[Everyone’s fighting to eat it. Is it really that good?]
[When are you going to produce a phone that smells? I want to smell how good it smells.]
[Li Xiwu’s culinary skills have been recognized by everyone. Didn’t they say that she doesn’t know how to cook?]
[She can’t cook. That’s what her mother-in-law said. She never said it herself.]
[Han Qianye had already given up, but her daughter-in-law turned the tables for her. Beautiful!]
[No one eats Min Hanrong’s dishes. Hahaha, looks like Li Xiwu’s culinary skills are really good!]
[I look forward to seeing Li Xiwu cook again tonight. I’ll take a notebook and learn from her. I remember that the last person I wanted to learn cooking from was Mother Dragon.]
The highlights at noon today were all gathered in Li Xiwu’s group. The netizens were right. The popularity of the fourth group was all thanks to Li Xiwu. With just two dishes, she grabbed everyone’s appetite and won a round.
The two dishes were almost finished.
The greedy Gao Yueban could not resist the temptation on the screen. He rushed out with the bowl and shouted, “Please, leave some for me!”