Unalterable Recipes

"Chef Luo, I'm back!"

Carrying a bag full of high-quality ingredients, Nan Xu returned to Baiweilou with great satisfaction.

After obtaining the monkey wine, he spent several more days collecting ingredients, visiting all the high-quality ingredient resource points he knew in the vicinity.

To be honest, it was more difficult than he had imagined. Without the boost from the monkey wine, he might have had to give up some of the points.

Nan Xu walked skillfully toward the kitchen, but strangely, Luo Qinzhu was not there.

"Oh, it's Xiao Nan back... You've come at a bad time, Chef Luo... ran into some trouble." Chef Li seemed a little worried.

Nan Xu immediately became alert: "What's going on? Are the Jiang family up to something again?"

"No, it has nothing to do with the Jiang family... at least not directly." Master Li shook his head. "It's Manager Huang from Qingxi Tea Shop. The top-grade Huangshan Maofeng tea he provided for us suddenly went moldy. Chef Luo asked him to exchange it, but he refused, saying he didn't have any."

"But there's a very important dish that requires this ingredient... It was ordered by a high-ranking guest, so we can't neglect it," he sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Nan Xu hesitated for a moment: "...Isn't there any other ingredient that can be used as a substitute?"

"That's a recipe left by Lao Luo. It involves a very advanced culinary technique and is very difficult to change... Even if you replace it with a slightly inferior Huangshan Maofeng tea, it won't taste the same," Chef Li said with difficulty.

"I'll go find Chef Luo," Nan Xu said decisively. "Where is she?"

"Upstairs, studying recipes," Chef Li pointed upstairs.

Before he finished speaking, Nan Xu's figure disappeared from the spot.

"This kid is too impatient..." Master Li shook his head helplessly.

But thinking of Nanxu's previous performance, a glimmer of hope welled up in Master Li's heart.

"Maybe... he really does have a way?"

……

Up in the attic, Luo Qinzhu was sitting amidst a pile of yellowed ancient scrolls, searching for something with a solemn expression.

Suddenly, she heard a noise and stopped what she was doing: "...Ah-Xu?"

"Sister Qinzhu, I'm back." Nanxu nodded gently.

He then walked over naturally and sat down next to Luo Qinzhu: "I've already heard about it from Master Li. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Luo Qin shook her head with a wry smile: "I'm already very happy that you have this intention, but... this matter is perhaps not something you can solve."

"You said it yourself, it was 'maybe'." Nanxu's expression didn't change much.

Seeing Nan Xu's resolute attitude, Luo Qinzhu thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you know how our Baiweilou got its name?"

Nan Xu was slightly taken aback. He really didn't know that, since in his previous life, Baiweilou had already changed hands before it even opened.

Luo Qinzhu explained, "That's because my father's signature skill is a culinary technique that can blend hundreds of flavors into one. It's called 'All Rivers Flow into the Sea'."

All rivers flow into the sea?

Nan Xu felt a chill run down his spine.

If it were this name, he would be very familiar with it.

This culinary skill was one of Luo Qinzhu's signature skills in her previous life.

At this moment, Luo Qinzhu continued to explain: "One of the effects of this cooking technique is that by blending various flavors together, taking the best of each flavor and compensating for the worst, a completely new flavor can be created."

"When my father was still the head chef, he made Baiweilou famous with this culinary skill."

"Back then, most of our Baiweilou's signature dishes had one or two unique flavors that could only be created through this culinary skill. The 'Lingquan Yizhongxian' that the customer ordered was just like that."

Then, Luo Qinzhu's eyes dimmed.

"Although my father left me the recipe for this dish when he left, to be honest... this cooking technique is too profound and mysterious, and my father's cooking skills are far superior to mine, so even now, I can only follow the recipe."

At this point, she sighed:

"Even for me, who has mastered the art of 'All Rivers Flow into the Sea,' it would be extremely difficult to modify or innovate my father's recipes, let alone for others who haven't mastered this culinary skill."

"Those who haven't mastered this culinary skill simply can't understand how it works... can't understand how it blends different flavors into one, and even less can they understand what kind of flavors it can create."

"I see." Nan Xu understood.

Just as someone without true qi cannot understand how it is used in cooking, someone who has not mastered this culinary skill cannot help Luo Qinzhu in this matter.

However, he did not give up.

"Sister Qinzhu, I'd like to borrow a recipe." Nanxu's expression remained calm.

"...Okay, the recipe is right there."

After hesitating for a moment, Luo Qinzhu nodded and pointed towards the recipe.

Nan Xu took the recipe and began to read it carefully.

This dish, "A Bowl of Fresh Spring Water," is somewhat like an improved version of the classic Anhui dish, "Stewed Pigeon of Huangshan."

In addition to pigeons and yams, the tea also includes gentle, sweet spring water from deep within Huangshan Mountain, brewed with the finest Huangshan Maofeng tea.

The soup is crystal clear, has a fresh and fragrant taste, and a sweet aftertaste. It also has nourishing and health-preserving effects.

The most distinctive feature of this dish is that it has a lingering aftertaste of the sweet and refreshing taste of spring water, as well as the fresh and fragrant aroma of Huangshan Maofeng tea.

These two flavors were blended into the soup by "All Rivers Flow into the Sea," which not only neutralized the rich and heavy flavor of the broth but also further highlighted its freshness and sweetness.

In addition, yam itself has a unique fragrance that can help cut through the greasiness. The combination of these three ingredients makes the dish incomparably refreshing.

This is why the "Lingquan Yizhongxian" dish stands out among the Huangshan stewed pigeons served in various Huizhou restaurants.

As he looked at it, Nan Xu's brows furrowed slightly.

Luo Qinzhu is right. The recipe... the proportions of each ingredient are the "perfect ratio" that have been repeatedly verified and found. It is almost impossible to find substitute ingredients in a short period of time.

Tomorrow is the time that distinguished guest booked. Even if he has now mastered the "All Rivers Flow into the Sea" technique, he will not be able to find a substitute for top-grade Huangshan Maofeng tea in such a short time.

Not to mention, "All Rivers Flow into the Sea" is Luo Qinzhu's family culinary skill, which would never be passed on to outsiders under normal circumstances.

At first glance, this does seem like a dead end.

But... he wasn't completely without a solution.

To be honest, if Luo Qinzhu had encountered a problem with knife skills or fire control, he really wouldn't have been able to find a solution in a short time.

Unfortunately, "All Rivers Flow into the Sea" is a culinary technique that specializes in seasoning.

Coincidentally, among the three basic culinary skills that Nanxu possessed in his previous life, the one he was most skilled at was "seasoning".

It was precisely because of this that he acquired a related trait, which did not disappear with the time travel but was completely preserved.

[Trait "Taste Deduction": When cooking, the "Seasoning" attribute is increased proportionally based on the user's understanding of the ingredients.]

The description is unremarkable, and its effect would be unremarkable for novice players as well.

But in his hands, this trait can unleash unimaginable power.

In his previous life, as a second-rank culinary immortal, he had tasted countless ingredients. Without exaggeration, when it comes to understanding the flavors of ingredients, even if Zhuang Beiyou and Xiao Louxing were combined, plus ten Dongfang Jinghongs, they still couldn't compare to him.

Relying on the vast treasure trove of taste accumulated in his previous life, he can easily deduce and select the specific taste he needs through mental calculation.

Nan Xu closed his eyes.

A few breaths later, he opened his eyes. In just that short time, he had thought of several possible solutions.

However, he did not understand the principle of "all rivers flow into the sea", so these solutions need further verification to determine whether they are feasible.

"Sister Qinzhu," Nan Xu said calmly, "I have an idea that I need your cooperation to try out."