The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland novel Chapter 216

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Strange-Flavor Eggplant

After breakfast, the Bai Family’s delivery truck arrived again.

After unloading the ingredients and signing the invoice, Shen Lu sent Bai Wanwan a message.

Shen Lu: Just signed for today’s delivery. Your family’s eggplants look great. I’ll make you some stuffed eggplant when you get back.

Bai Wanwan: Yay! I can’t wait to come back! Just three more days, and I’ll be back in the Imperial City!

Shen Lu replied with a sticker and ended the conversation.

She adjusted the side dishes based on the ingredients that had been delivered.

She kept the shredded potatoes and baby bok choy, but replaced the other two with Strange-Flavor Eggplant and stir-fried cucumber.

She also added a soup of the day, which customers could buy for just 5 Star Coins a bowl.

This was one of Shen Lu’s minor countermeasures against the Commerce Association, though it wasn’t much.

Strange-Flavor Eggplant was a personal favorite of Shen Lu’s. The dish was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a sweet and sour flavor that whetted the appetite. Served with rice, she could wolf down two bowls of it.

"Strange-Flavor Eggplant? Is it any good? I don’t like eggplant. I think it’s tasteless," Xin Yu stated his preference bluntly.

"Well, I’ll make a batch in a bit for you all to try."

Shen Lu called Lin Zhou in. Just like with the Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chilies last time, she needed his help to film a video.

Lin Zhou was helpless to refuse, but he was still quite cooperative. After all, he was also curious what Strange-Flavor Eggplant tasted like.

She removed the stems, cut the eggplants in half, then halved them again, removed the core, and sliced them diagonally into thin pieces.

Under Lin Zhou’s control, the thin slices flew in an orderly line into a basin of salted water. After soaking for five minutes, they were removed, drained, coated in a moderate amount of starch, and then deep-fried in a wok until they firmed up and changed color.

For this part, Shen Lu zoomed the camera in, getting a bunch of shots of the wok.

When scooping out the fried eggplant, she even did a little flourish with the spider strainer, pulling out all the pieces in one go while everyone was distracted.

Next came stir-frying the sauce. She poured in the fried eggplant, stir-fried it quickly to coat each piece evenly, and sprinkled sesame seeds on top before taking it off the heat, adding aroma and color.

To finish, she struck that classic Kitchen King pose with her arms crossed.

After editing the Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chilies video last time, she was quite satisfied with the final shot and planned to use it as her signature ending from now on.

"Boss, is this the Strange-Flavor Eggplant? It looks delicious," Xin Yu said, playing the part of an appreciative audience.

Shen Lu pushed the dish forward. "You all try some. See if the flavor needs any adjustments."

The staff all picked up their chopsticks, grabbed a piece of eggplant, and popped it into their mouths.

The first sensation was crispiness, immediately followed by a sweet and sour flavor. As they bit through the crispy shell, their teeth met the soft, tender inside, and a faint spiciness spread through their mouths.

"This is incredible!" Xin Yu couldn’t help but grab another piece. "I just had breakfast not long ago, but after two bites of this Strange-Flavor Eggplant, I’m hungry again."

Deng Ying nodded in fervent agreement. "I’ve never had eggplant with this kind of flavor and texture before. I’m sure a lot of people will love this dish."

Shu Meng savored the taste, guessing most of the seasonings Shen Lu had used.

She sighed inwardly. ’Boss Shen is so imaginative. If it were me, I never would have thought of preparing eggplant this way.’

Song Zhigao took one bite and put down his chopsticks. He didn’t show it on his face, but he was deeply moved.

He had only seen eggplant prepared in common ways, like simply stir-fried or steamed and served cold with a dressing.

This was the first time he’d seen a method like Shen Lu’s, where it was fried first and then seasoned.

It was unexpectedly delicious.

’Could other vegetables be prepared this way too?’

After the taste test, seeing that no one had any suggestions, Shen Lu had everyone start their work.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify