I've been possessed by a culinary genius, and I've turned Shaxian snacks into a rip-off!

Li Zhibai wandered around the supermarket for almost two hours before finally buying all the ingredients on the system's list.

Iberian black pork shoulder, 398 yuan per jin, I bought 2 jin.

Two jin (4 kg) of Hetao snowflake powder cost 98 yuan; I bought four bags.

A whole chicken leg from Qingyuan costs 78 yuan, and I bought six.

Matsutake mushrooms from Changbai Mountain, dried, cost 398 yuan per 50 grams.

.........

I spent several hundred yuan on Minxian Angelica sinensis, Wenshan Panax notoginseng, and Ningxia wolfberry.

After buying the regular ingredients, I also bought some extra ingredients for the luxury version.

When we finally pushed the cart to the checkout counter, the cashier scanned all the items, and the total price was 8,824.5 yuan.

These ingredients are estimated to make only about 40 servings of the standard version and about 20 servings of the deluxe version. If we sell about 15 servings a day, it should last for about 3-4 days.

Of course, the ideal situation is definitely not to sell only fifteen servings a day.

Even with 15 servings a day and a high unit price, you still can't earn 100,000 yuan a month to cover rent.

He needs to sell at least thirty servings a day so he won't have to worry about not being able to pay the rent in the future and can still make a steady income.

Li Zhibai's heart was bleeding as he took out his phone to scan the QR code.

Eight thousand eight hundred!

He only had 20,000 yuan left of his entire fortune, and this one trip to the supermarket cost him nearly half of it.

By the time he carried the three large shopping bags out of the supermarket, it was already getting dark.

I couldn't carry so much stuff on a shared bike, so I had to grit my teeth and take a taxi.

Before long, the taxi arrived at Jiangdong South Road and stopped in front of a Shaxian snack shop that seemed out of place with its surroundings.

The driver glanced at the sign above the car window, his expression somewhat strange.

"Young man, are you running a Shaxian snack shop here?"

Li Zhibai silently moved the things and hummed in agreement.

"That's a great idea!" The driver gave him a thumbs up and sped off.

Li Zhibai: "......."

...........

Li Zhibai carried three large bags of ingredients into the kitchen, tied on his newly bought apron, and took a deep breath.

God-level culinary skills, activated!

He first soaked the abalone, sea cucumber, matsutake mushrooms, and other ingredients needed for the luxury version in warm water.

If he had done this whole preparation work before, it would have taken him a long time just to find out how to process the various ingredients, but now he can do it with ease.

After preparing the extra ingredients needed for the deluxe version, he picked up the two pieces of Iberian black pork shoulder and subconsciously brought them to his nose to smell them.

The pork has a very faint hazelnut sweetness, and the fat layer shows a beautiful marble pattern, white with a hint of pink. Just by looking at the state of this raw meat, you can clearly see that it is much better than ordinary pork.

Li Zhibai picked up the kitchen knife, rubbed the blade against the sharpening rod a couple of times, and then swiftly brought it down.

Tap tap tap tap tap...

The knife moved swiftly across the cutting board, first slicing the pork into thin slices, then into fine shreds, and finally mincing it into rice-grain-sized pieces.

Even after being chopped, the minced meat remains distinct, each grain coated with a thin layer of fat, giving it a smooth and glossy appearance.

"Good meat is just different." Li Zhibai couldn't help but exclaim, then divided the minced meat into two portions. One portion was reserved for the regular topping, while the other portion was mixed with snow crab roe and reserved for the deluxe version.

Next comes making scallion oil, which is the soul of this fragrant noodle dish.

He first set up two pots on the stove, one iron pot and one small copper pot.

The regular version uses that iron pot, into which cold-pressed peanut oil and local pork fat are poured, in a ratio of about seven to three.

First, heat the oil to 120 degrees Celsius. Then, slide the chopped white parts of the scallions into the pot and fry them over low heat. The white parts of the scallions slowly soften and become transparent in the oil, eventually curling into golden-brown rings. As the rich aroma of scallions wafts out of the pot, you can take out the white parts of the scallions. Then, add the shredded shallots.

The aroma of shallots is stronger and more assertive; as soon as they hit the pan, the kitchen is instantly filled with a spicy and sweet fragrance.

Fry the shallots until they are slightly browned, then add the shallots last. The shallots have the strongest spiciness and are the finishing touch to the shallot oil.

After simmering the three types of scallions, he filtered out the oil and poured it into a white porcelain bowl.

The scallion oil has a clear amber color, and the aroma of the three types of scallions has been completely infused into the oil. Just smelling it is enough to whet your appetite.

The luxurious version of scallion oil is simmered in a small copper pot next to it.

He used scraps of Kobe beef to slowly render the oil over low heat. The rich aroma of the beef tallow gradually spread, and the oil temperature was also controlled at 120 degrees Celsius. However, this time, he used five different kinds of scallions and specially cut small yellow ginger shreds from the south to enhance the ginger aroma.

Five kinds of scallions and ginger shreds are fried in boiling butter, releasing an aroma that seems to be given away for free.

If the aroma of regular scallion oil is overwhelming, then the aroma of the luxurious version is like a forceful intrusion, giving you no time to react before crashing into your nasal cavity—it's incredibly domineering.

"Cough...cough cough..."

Li Zhibai was choked by the aroma, and his eyes stung and tears welled up.

Then he quickly turned the range hood up to the maximum to control the slightly overpowering smell.

Once the scallion oil is ready, the next step is to knead the dough.

As soon as he poured the premium high-gluten snowflake flour from Hetao into the stainless steel basin and poked his finger into it, he knew that this flour was completely different from ordinary flour.

The powder is as fine as silk. If you grab a handful and rub it gently in your hand, you can feel a slight coolness and an extremely fine granular texture, which is the unique texture of wheat grown in high-latitude regions with long days.

The regular version of dough only adds water, but the water temperature is important. Warm water at 30 degrees Celsius is neither too hot nor too cold, which is just right to activate the gluten without destroying the wheat aroma of the flour.

Then he started kneading the dough, repeatedly folding and slapping it in his hands until it became a smooth, mirror-like dough that would spring back when gently pressed.

The deluxe version of the dough is even more elaborate, requiring the addition of sea cucumber powder and abalone sauce during the kneading process, and using ice water instead of warm water for the liquid portion.

Using ice water to knead dough makes the gluten firmer, resulting in noodles with a more chewy texture after cooking.

Then he kneaded two duck egg yolks into the dough. As he continued kneading, the dough gradually took on a warm, light golden hue, which was very beautiful.

Cover the two dough balls with a damp cloth and set them aside to rest.

Li Zhibai didn't stop; he immediately began preparing the filling for the steamed dumplings.

After preparing the filling, he picked up the rolling pin, pinched off small pieces, rolled out the dough, and filled it with the filling. His fingers deftly pinched and folded the dough, his movements flowing smoothly.

Soon, dumplings were neatly arranged on the cutting board, so quickly that even he was a little surprised.

The dumplings are not shaped like the traditional crescent moon, but rather slightly bulging triangles, like delicate little ingots. Through the translucent dough, you can vaguely see the pink meat filling and the faintly visible seafood particles inside.

"When did I learn to make these kinds of dumplings?"

[This god-level culinary skill encompasses all techniques related to Chinese pastry making; the host need not be surprised.]

"Fine, you're awesome!"

Time passed slowly, and all the dishes were served one after another.

Li Zhibai cooked every dish in both the standard and deluxe versions.

From mixed noodles to steamed dumplings, and then to earthenware pot soup served in a purple clay pot, a whole table of dishes was prepared.

Looking at the table full of food, Li Zhibai was somewhat dazed.

Honestly, he finds it hard to believe that he can cook dishes at this level now.

But the sense of accomplishment was truly overwhelming.

Li Zhibai pulled up a chair and sat down, first picking up a bowl of regular fragrant mixed noodles.

Pick up a piece with your chopsticks and put it in your mouth.

The moment the noodles entered his mouth, his eyes widened instantly.

Chewy! Smooth!

It's neither too soft nor too hard when you bite into it, and the elasticity is just right, like noodles gently bouncing between your teeth. It's delicious.

The aroma of scallion oil explodes in your mouth, making the taste absolutely amazing.

"Damn it!" Li Zhibai mumbled an indistinct curse as he ate noodles.

It wasn't anger, it was shock.

It's so damn delicious!

A simple bowl of noodles was so delicious that it made you want to swear.

After trying the regular version, he also tried the deluxe version.

This time he was mentally prepared, but the moment the noodles entered his mouth, he still couldn't help but close his eyes.

Different.

They are definitely different.

If the standard version of "delicious" is expressed as, "Wow! That's delicious!", then...

The luxurious version of "delicious" is: "Holy crap! This is so delicious!"

As he drank the last drop of soup, all the bowls and plates on the table were spotless, as if a dog had licked them clean.

His belly was so round and swollen that he could barely stand up, leaning back in his chair.

"Hiccup~~"

"It's so fucking full! But it's also fucking awesome!"

"I've never eaten such delicious food before!"

After resting for a long time, Li Zhibai finally stood up, leaning on the table, and slowly tidied up the dishes and chopsticks and put them in the kitchen. Then, he returned to his small cubicle upstairs, satisfied.

As soon as I got upstairs, my phone vibrated; it was a WeChat message from my mother.

"Son, your little shop opens tomorrow! Mom wishes you a grand opening, may your business be booming and attract a large number of customers!"

After seeing the message from his mother, Li Zhibai suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

Then he replied with a message.

"Thank you, Mom!"

After replying to the message, he held his phone to his chest, lay down on the wooden bed, and closed his eyes. Now he needed to conserve his energy.

Tomorrow, Shaxian Assassin will officially open for business!

Oh no, it's Shaxian Snacks.