Reborn in Japan as a Chef God

76: Chapter 76: Medicinal Diet Soup 76: Chapter 76: Medicinal Diet Soup “Let me do it—”

A steady, magnetic voice said this.

Xingping Chuangzhen instinctively stepped back and saw his father, Xingping Cheng Yilang, placing a steaming hot clay pot on the table, his eyes suddenly widened in shock, “Dad, when did you finish cooking?!”

Xingping Cheng Yilang glanced at him.

“When Miss Feng Zhixi mentioned that she had tasted Chinese cuisine that was on the level of a three or four-star restaurant’s signature dishes…”

Ugh.

With a forehead throbbing with veins, Xingping Chuangzhen complained discontentedly, “Hey, hey, hey, Dad, so you didn’t have confidence in me from the start!”

“You’ve only just started on the path of being a chef,” Xingping Cheng Yilang casually replied then pushed the hot clay pot in front of the curious Feng Zhixi and removed its lid.

Instantly, a fresh aroma wafted into the air.

Feng Zhixi’s eyes widened in surprise, and Xingping Chuangzhen’s gaze frozen, “This, this is soup?”

In the clay pot, along with the white mysterious ingredients, floated a few thoroughly cooked red goji berries.

The soup was very clear, completely transparent.

At the bottom of the pot, Xingping Chuangzhen spotted pork bones, as well as finely chopped corn kernels, cinnamon sticks, ginger slices…

An idea flashed through his mind, and pointing to the white ingredients that nearly filled the entire pot, he guessed, “Chinese yam?”

Xingping Cheng Yilang nodded, “Correct, it’s Chinese yam and pork bone soup, a very common Chinese dish.”

Chinese yam was also well-known in Neon.

For instance, in the show “Midnight Diner,” amongst the traditional Japanese dishes is a ‘Japanese Yam Rice’, where Chinese yam is one of the main ingredients.

Peel the yam thoroughly, grind it into a paste, mix it with egg whites, bonito flakes essence and a few drops of soy sauce for seasoning, then stir the yam paste evenly, and pour it over a bowl of rice.

At this point, you can add personal flavor preferences like seaweed, bonito flakes, slippery mushrooms, and toppings like chopped green onions and mustard according to taste, sprinkled on the very outer layer.

With that, the yam rice dish is complete.

While Neon people like eating yam paste, it’s rare to use Chinese yam to make soup; this practice usually belongs to Chinese cuisine.

“Why is the broth so clear?” Xingping Chuangzhen propped his chin, focusing intently on the clay pot.

“It’s simple, I’ve already boiled the pork bones once, almost completely removing the fat.”

Upon hearing that, Xingping Chuangzhen gasped.

“But wouldn’t that make the nutritional value of the pork bones lost?

The essence of this soup lies in the pork bones!” Xingping Chuangzhen was puzzled.

“Wrong!”

“The essence is in the Chinese yam!”

Xingping Cheng Yilang glanced at his son and casually said, “Miss Feng Zhixi had a heavily flavored Chinese meal last night, her stomach might be feeling a bit uncomfortable, so it’s not advisable to eat greasy, heavy-tasting food now.

This clear soup is just right.

The philosophy of ‘medicine and food having the same origin’ is a component of Chinese cuisine, ancient medical experts applied the ‘four natures’ and ‘five flavors’ of traditional medicine to food, hence dietary therapy.”

“Pork bones are sweet, salty, and neutral, they moisturize the stomach and gut and relieve heat toxins.”

“Chinese yam strengthens the spleen and stomach, aiding digestion.”

Xingping Chuangzhen, stunned, mother shocked, stared fixedly at his suddenly unrecognizable father.

“Dad, you know about the medicinal aspect of Chinese cuisine?” he exclaimed loudly.

The wandering chef, Xingping Cheng Yilang, slapped his son’s head with his hand and said laughingly, “What doesn’t your dad know?

Chuangzhen, you’ve only just entered the culinary world.

There’s still so much for you to learn.

Also, without an opponent, you’ll never improve if you just work in isolation.

So, I’ve decided, I’m going to send you to a mysterious place!”

“That is a sanctified presence in the Neon Food World!”

The father and son conversed.

Meanwhile, Feng Zhixi couldn’t help but pick up a spoon, scooped up some broth from the clay pot, blew on it gently to cool it, and brought it to her mouth.

Astonishing!

The moment the soup touched her lips, Feng Zhixi felt like screaming.

She clenched her hands and feet, desperately suppressing the groans that pressed against her chest.

“Swish, swish…”

White rain poured down onto the wilderness near the volcano, a land that had just been eroded by molten lava yesterday, leaving a thousand miles of red wasteland with crisscrossing fissures that still harbored scorching flowing lava.

Yet, the white downpour made from yams transformed the crimson landscape, as the rainwater flowed, the molten lava hissed, turning to steam and solidifying on the ground.

The fragrant aroma of yams permeated the wilderness, and the lava-scarred earth began to sprout tender shoots that broke through the soil; what started as palm-sized patches of grass quickly spread far and wide, trees also grew taller, flowers bloomed brilliantly, and the lush woods attracted birds that chattered in the branches.

“This, this is incredible!”

Feng Zhizi’s tongue, her mouth, finally tasted the flavor of food.

Tears welled up in her eyes, moved by the excitement.

The taste of the pork bone and yam soup, just as Xingping Cheng Yilang had said, was very faint, barely carrying the taste of pork bone—it was more about the medicinal fragrance of the yams.

Hmm?

Smacking her lips, she chased after the taste in her mouth, Feng Zhizi’s eyes shone, “Is that light sweetness from corn?”

Looking down into the clay pot, indeed there was corn in the clear soup.

Unable to help herself, she reached out for the ladle and took another sip; this time, the taste of the soup was even more distinct, a wave of warmth starting from her mouth, moving down her throat to her intestines, and finally reaching her stomach, making Feng Zhizi feel as if she was lying leisurely on a garden lounger, basking in the sunlight.

In this medicinal soup, she sensed the warmth and free-spirited heart of a chef.

“Delicious—”

Feng Zhizi declared after gulping down most of the pot in one go.

“What did you say?”

Xingping Chuangzhen turned his head, interrupting his conversation with Cheng Yilang.

“I said it’s delicious!”

Feng Zhizi stood up and bowed to Xingping Cheng Yilang in thanks, “Boss Xingping, I will go back and give the matter of the Garden Apartment project serious thought.

I hope to receive a precise response from you as well.”

“Don’t get your hopes up, Xingping Restaurant will always be on Violet Avenue,” Xingping Cheng Yilang said calmly.

“Million apologies…”

Feng Zhizi put on her sunglasses and left the small restaurant, followed closely by two men in black.

“Hey, that woman didn’t pay!”

Xingping Chuangzhen shouted, rushing out the door, but could only see the black car carrying Feng Zhizi fading into the distance.

He returned to the shop to clean up the used utensils.

Having failed twice in one day, it actually weighed quite heavily on Xingping Chuangzhen’s mind.

He placed the utensils in the sink, and while washing them, turned to ask his father, who was busy at the kitchen counter next to him, “Dad, do you think that chef my age is really that amazing?

To be on par with the dishes of three-, four-star restaurants, that’s simply unbelievable!”

“I told you to go out there because there are many fantastic chefs your age.”

Xingping Cheng Yilang answered unhurriedly, “So, Chuangzhen, keep it up.

I hope you won’t lose to anyone else before our next father-son challenge…”

“I’ll do my best!”

Xingping Chuangzhen clenched his fists.

…

Tokyo, Central District.

IGO Tokyo Headquarters.

Xia Yu and Hozoi Midori had been waiting in the building’s lounge for some time.

Xia Yu had already filled out various forms; the reception staff had brought them to a private lounge, where they had been sitting since almost evening.

Luckily, with a TV and the internet available, they weren’t too bored.

Knock knock!

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door; a female staff member opened it and glanced inside.

“The promotion examination for two-star chefs is about to begin, please come with me.”