Lin Fan didn’t interfere with whatever Bai Ke was doing. He just got Xiao Yan to help him take some ingredients.
There were prawns, pork, onions, ginger, tomato sauce, eggs and tofu…
He gently sliced the prawn’s head off and took out the shrimp intestines. There were a total of ten customers outside. He kept ten prawns and used the remaining six prawns to make prawn paste.
Bai Ke saw Lin Fan preparing food in his peripheral vision. He asked curiously, “What are you making?”
“Jiangsu Mirror Box Tofu. Have you heard of it?” Lin Fan chuckled.
Bai Ke shook his head. It was something he had never heard before. He didn’t know what dish it was but he didn’t want to bother too much about it. The customers outside were getting impatient. He wanted to quickly prepare the food to prevent any conflict.
Lin Fan mixed the pork with the prawns and added several condiments. Meanwhile, the ten prawns were marinated with eggs, starch, and salt.
He placed the tofu on his hand and felt the texture of it. It felt pretty good. He began to cut the tofu up and the pieces of tofu fell onto the chopping board. They were of uniform size and shape.
The key to cooking the dish well was controlling the fire. He would be deep frying it later so that the tofu would have a golden crust. It was easy to over-fry it and the hardness had to be just right. Therefore, it required constant monitoring too.
An average chef wouldn’t mind if it was over-fried. However, it was different for Lin Fan. He believed that cooking is a work of art and it had to be perfect.
*Sizzle*
The tofu was being fried in the wok and he took it out shortly after. He placed it aside and began to drain the oil from it.
Then, he started to prepare the sauce. It was a key step in preparing the Mirror Box Tofu. If the sauce was well prepared, the dish would’ve been 70% done. The remaining 30% depended on the tofu.
Bai Ke was drenched in perspiration. It was exhausting to cook especially when the customers outside were rushing him which made him even more anxious. Meanwhile, Lin Fan wasn’t anxious at all. He just took his time.
He gently sliced an opening on the surface of the tofu and took out about one-third of the tofu. Then, he stuffed the minced meat and prawn paste into it. After that, he took a shelled prawn and placed it on top of the minced meat. The curved prawn was shaped just like a gear on top of the tofu.
The sauce had been prepared and the pieces of tofu were placed into the sauce to let it simmer.
Gradually, an aroma arose in the kitchen. Bai Ke was stunned and he froze when he smelled the fragrance. “Where is the aroma coming from?”
“Here,” Lin Fan said as he pointed at the pot.
Bai Ke was in disbelief. “How could it be…”
Lin Fan chuckled, “You can have a sniff.”
Bai Ke placed the spatula down and leaned over to take a sniff. He was stunned. It was as if he didn’t recognize Lin Fan anymore. “This was made by you?”
“Why? You still don’t believe me? This is Mirror Box Tofu.” Lin Fan took a few sniffs and realized it was time to take the tofu out of the pot. When he opened the lid of the pot, the aroma filled the entire kitchen. It even went to the dining area.
The customers were stunned when they smelled the fragrance. “It smells so good. What is it?”
“I think it’s from the kitchen.”
“Waitress, what’s that? Why does it smell so good?”
Xiao Yan was stunned. She didn’t know what it was. When she walked into the kitchen, she saw two beautiful dishes that she had never seen before. She didn’t know what they were.
Lin Fan washed some vegetables and placed it on the side of the plate as garnish. Then, he smiled. “How is that? This is Mirror Box Tofu.”
He was extremely satisfied with his work. If it could be given marks, it would definitely score 101 points out of 100. He wasn’t even afraid of giving it one more point than full marks. It was that good.
Bai Ke looked at Lin Fan suspiciously. It was as if he had seen a ghost. The smell was unbearable and he immediately said, “Let me have a try.”
*slap*
Lin Fan smacked Bai Ke’s hand. “This isn’t for you. It’s for the customers outside. They are all grumbling. Quickly prepare the dishes.”
“Huh…” Bai Ke was extremely tempted. He hadn’t expected Lin Fan to know how to cook. Furthermore, the taste and appearance of the dish shocked him.
The cubes of tofu were spectacularly placed together. Especially when the sauce was poured over them, it was a beautiful sight. It caused him to crave for the tofu.
“Xiao Yan, help to take the dishes out.” Lin Fan carried a plate and asked Xiao Yan to take the other.
When Xiao Yan carried the plate, the aroma filled her nostrils. She forcefully swallowed her saliva as she looked at the dish.
Outside!
Lin Fan placed the dish for four onto the table for four. Then, he smiled. “Sorry, everyone, for making you wait. This Mirror Box Tofu is a gift from us. When I eat outside, I hate it when the food is served slowly too. Everyone just wants to have a good and hearty meal. It’s infuriating to only receive two dishes after twenty minutes. I hope you won’t mind us, the other dishes are coming soon.”
The customers were reasonable people. When they saw that the staff was so polite, they didn’t say anything else. Although the aroma of the Mirror Box Tofu was superb, they had not tried it yet.
“Please hurry up then, thanks for the dish too.”
The customers were stunned when they looked at the Mirror Box Tofu on the table.
The dish looked really beautiful and vibrant. It had the look of those dishes that appeared on the gourmet magazines.
Lin Fan thanked them and said, “Alright, everyone, you should start eating it soon. It won’t taste as nice when it’s cold.”
The customers at the two tables took a piece of tofu each. The sauce on the tofu slowly dripped down and it gave off an extremely mesmerizing fragrance. Then, they took a bite.
Suddenly, everyone became quiet.
The customers’ expressions suddenly changed. They were all in disbelief.
The sweet and sour flavor exploded in their mouth. The tenderness of the minced meat along with the taste of the shrimps, tofu, and condiments flooded their mouths in waves.
Then, the customers felt as if they were in a food paradise, especially when the tofu melted in their mouths like ice. Their rage had been appeased by the dish.
“Delicious…” A customer recovered from his indulgence. Then, he immediately ate the remaining piece of the tofu and took a deep breath as he chewed on it.
Xiao Yan was stunned when she saw what was happening.
Bai Ke was speechless as he came out of the kitchen with another dish. The expressions of the customers said it all.
Lin Fan chuckled. Delicious food was the easiest way to appease people.
Then, he looked at Bai Ke and smiled. “Quickly prepare the other dishes. The customers are waiting.”
Bai Ke nodded. “Okay, okay…”
He was stunned. Since when had Young Fan known how to cook? That was too unreal. Furthermore, the customers finished every single drop of sauce on the plates too.