Chen Ze took out the bitter lon that had been in the refrigerator for several days, an item that could be considered a shadow over his childhood.
He rembered that as a child in his ho, Chen Ze was a happy foodie, spending his days eating and studying.
Then one day, Chen Ze saw green vegetables sliced into pieces on the dinner table, and his parents urged him to eat more.
So, Chen Ze honestly picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and imdiately felt so bitter that he questioned life. He wanted to spit it out, but with his mother’s glare watching him, he had no choice but to swallow it with difficulty.
Since then, Chen Ze had developed a profound dislike for this thing called bitter lon, until he grew up a little and understood that despite its bitterness, eating it was beneficial for health.
"Now the question is, how should I cook this bitter lon?" Chen Ze was a bit indecisive.
Bitter lon was a versatile vegetable, suitable for stir-frying, cold mixing, or steaming, and the taste of the cold mixed bitter lon was the most intense, with a deeper bitterness.
As for stead bitter lon... Chen Ze couldn’t help shuddering at the thought; that was sothing he’d rather not consider, preferring stir-fried bitter lon instead.
Stead bitter lon carried a very unique taste, both bitter and soft, and when bitten into, lacked the crispness of bitter lon. It felt more like the texture of a pumpkin.
"Let’s just stir-fry it..." Chen Ze nodded, thinking the idea was feasible. He then sliced the bitter lon, removed the seeds from the middle, and started heating the pan.
"Boss... I’m here," Betty’s voice was listless, and Chen Ze couldn’t help but look over to see the dark circles under Betty’s eyes.
"Did you stay up late again?" Chen Ze frowned, looking at the weary face of Betty.
"Ah... Boss, last night, I caught up on the ’Detective Conan’ movies," Betty rubbed her eyes and yawned again.
"And then?" Chen Ze put the bitter lon into the pan, suddenly thinking that making a bitter lon stead at dish might also be a nice option.
It just so happened that he could use this dish to perk up Betty, to save her from drifting off lately and staying up late watching shows. And of all things, catching up on ’Detective Conan’?
Are you going to tell next ti that you caught up on the TV series of ’Detective Conan’?
Chen Ze did so quick math: the ’Detective Conan’ TV series has 1031 episodes on the small broken station. Skipping the opening and ending, each episode would take about twenty minutes, so it would take roughly 14 days to finish.
And that was on the premise of watching continuously without sleep; otherwise, it would take even longer.
"Mostly for Lindsay’s sake, she asked to be a motion capture model. Her ga is almost done," Betty yawned again, and Chen Ze’s expression softened considerably.
Lindsay’s ga, of course, Chen Ze knew about it. It had already achieved a very high download count on the gaming platform, and the reviews were also exceptionally positive.
Many players were pressing for the full version to be released as soon as possible, and so were even demanding DLC, which had amassed quite a fortune in Chen Ze’s bank account.
But Chen Ze hadn’t spent any of it, as it was Lindsay’s personal earnings, so he only followed her requests to buy things like a computer and motion capture equipnt.
"Go upstairs, take a shower, and change your clothes. Co down later for sothing to eat." Although understanding, this didn’t prevent Chen Ze from having the intention to feed Betty so bitter lon.
"Long live the boss!" Betty imdiately scurried up the stairs, and Chen Ze smiled.
[You have made a decent stir-fried bitter lon, which increased your ho cooking experience by 5 points]
A moderate evaluation, Chen Ze didn’t mind and just tasted it—the flavor was about right.
As it was bitter lon, the dish couldn’t be said to be delicious, but the bitterness was rather strong.
"Next up, I’ll make a bitter lon stead at dish for Betty," Chen Ze smiled triumphantly.
"Speaking of which, it seems the correct na should be ’stuffed bitter lon,’ right?" Chen Ze stroked his chin, recalling that it was a Hakka dish from Guangdong.
However, Chen Ze didn’t plan to follow the recipe because he had just checked that the proper stuffed bitter lon was sweet without bitterness, suitable for both the young and old.
But Chen Ze wasn’t about to let Betty enjoy a delicious al. He intended to prepare this unique stuffed bitter lon in his own way.
Chen Ze took out so at, chopped it into minced at, and then cut the bitter lon into sections, hollowed out the center, stuffed the at inside, added so salt, and started steaming it in a stear.
Before long, a faint aty fragrance began to perate the air.
"Manager~" Betty ca over with eager eyes, full of anticipation.
Chen Ze first opened the braising pot to take a look, added so spices and water, and then pulled out the deceptively nad ’stuffed bitter lon.’
"Wow, is this at?" Betty excitedly picked up her chopsticks.
"Yes, but there’s a special way to eat this dish," Chen Ze said earnestly.
"What’s the thod?" Betty was very intrigued.
"That is, you need to pick up several pieces at once and eat them together to truly appreciate the flavors," Chen Ze replied, still with complete seriousness.
"Okay, thank you, Manager." Betty, unsuspecting, happily grabbed three pieces of bitter lon and put them in her mouth, biting down hard.
Chen Ze watched with interest as Betty’s face turned from normal to white, then to green, just like a changing face.
Her expression also changed from joy to disgust, and upon catching Chen Ze’s gaze, it ultimately turned to questioning life itself.
Betty struggled to swallow the bitter lon, then laid down her chopsticks, suddenly feeling that the hamburgers at ho were much more appetizing.
"Not eating anymore?" Chen Ze asked with a smile.
Betty shook her head hurriedly. What a joke, she didn’t want to eat this thing ever again.
"You clearly don’t know how to enjoy food. This is called bitter lon, also known as ’half-ripe lon.’ Without certain life experience, indeed you can’t appreciate it," Chen Ze said leisurely, picking up a piece and chewing a few bites before swallowing it.
Indeed, it retained the usual bitterness, accompanied by a mushy texture, with only the at filling tasting sowhat decent.
Betty looked at Chen Ze with a skeptical expression. Chen Ze didn’t react but instead ate another piece.
"Really?" Betty was sowhat hesitant as she picked up her chopsticks again.
"Why would I lie to you? Bitter lon is actually good for your health," Chen Ze said, rolling his eyes, and in this, he truly hadn’t lied to Betty.
In Li Shizhen’s Compendium of Materia dica, the uses of the bitter lon are noted.
It eliminates heat and fatigue, clears the mind, and improves vision.
Betty hesitated for a while, then still picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of bitter lon, and painfully swallowed it.
Chen Ze watched silently on the side. Although it certainly had benefits, how could I tell you that I’ve eaten a tastier version of sautéed bitter lon?
Hehe.
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