Chapter 1246 Everyone Has a Bowl of s.h.i.+sh Kebab
The dish that Bu Fang was going to cook today was s.h.i.+sh kebab.s.h.i.+sh kebab was a gra.s.sroots delicacy in Bu Fang’s previous life. It originated in Sichuan and was popular among the common people. It was said that wherever there were people, there were s.h.i.+sh kebabs. Of course, this might be an exaggeration. The dish was somewhat similar to a hotpot, so it was sometimes called a little hotpot. s.h.i.+sh kebab was a popular cuisine. After all, it was very convenient to eat. The fact that it could be eaten while walking made many people like it very much.
The cooking of s.h.i.+sh kebab was not complicated, but it took a lot of time to prepare. The ingredients needed to be cut into pieces, then held together with thin wooden sticks. Moreover, its ingredients were different from those of teppanyaki. It was not all meat, and there were plenty of spirit herbs and spirit plants to suit everyone’s tastes.
Teppanyaki required ingredients with high fat content so that the cooking process would be able to release the flavor of the food to the greatest extent. When cooked at high temperatures, the aroma of fat from ingredients such as octopus tentacles and demon frog was very enticing.
Many people were curious about s.h.i.+sh kebab.
At Bu Fang’s will, the inside of the Black Turtle Constellation Wok was divided into nine compartments, each containing a different soup, including Qilin bone soup, Abyssal Chili Sauce soup, carrot soup, the Spring of Life, and spirit herbal soup. The different soups provided diners more choices.
“Nethery, come and show everyone how to order and eat s.h.i.+sh kebab,” Bu Fang said to Nethery, who was standing quietly behind him.
Nethery paused, then her eyes curved into crescents as she quickly came to Bu Fang’s side.
“You can choose what you like to eat from all the ingredients here, but you can only choose ten skewers in total. You can have ten skewers of the same ingredient or ten skewers of different ingredients,” Bu Fang explained to her.
Nethery nodded seriously, then leaned over all the different ingredients. Her gray-green hair fell over her face, and she pushed them over her ear.
The people in line watched as she chose her ingredients.
She took a blue-and-white porcelain bowl handed to her by Bu Fang, picked out what she wanted to eat from different ingredients, and put them in the bowl. She chose octopus tentacles, demon frog, fire mushroom, demon beef, and peeled little lobster. In just a short time, the bowl was already filled with ten skewers of ingredients.
Bu Fang took the bowl, slightly twitched the corner of his mouth, and then asked, “Very good. What flavor of soup do you prefer? Do you want something spicy?”
After thinking for a brief moment, Nethery replied, “Yes, I want it spicy.”
Bu Fang nodded and didn’t ask her any more questions. He skillfully put the ten skewers of ingredients in the bowl into different compartments in the Black Turtle Constellation Wok. The peeled little lobster was put into spicy soup and the fire mushroom in the Spring of Life. Using different soups to cook different ingredients allowed the flavors to be fully extracted, making them more appealing.
Soon, all ten skewers of ingredients were put into the wok. The soups boiled, emitting plumes of steam that obscured the ingredients. They smelled very fragrant, and when the aroma of nine different soups spread and combined together, they became irresistible.
The people in the queue were very curious because it was the first time they had seen this cooking method. Even Xuanyuan Xiahui was watching with wide eyes. ‘It’s similar to the hotpot the Great Demon King had introduced before… However, this s.h.i.+sh kebab looks more convenient and less c.u.mbersome than hotpot…’ Of course, he knew both cooking methods had their own advantages and their own ways of eating and enjoying the dish.
After waiting for a while, the ingredients were cooked. A serious looked flashed in Bu Fang’s eyes. He raised his hand and slapped it on the stall, causing the skewers to jump out from the soup. Then, he sent out his mental force, using it to take all the ingredients off the wooden sticks and putting them into the bowl.
Holding the bowl in one hand, he pointed to the Black Turtle Constellation Wok with the other hand. At the gesture, the soup rushed out of the wok like a dragon and poured into the bowl.
Finally, he sprinkled the seasoning into the bowl and added some other toppings, and a simple bowl of boiled s.h.i.+sh kebab was ready.
He handed the bowl to Nethery.
Nethery held out her hands and took the bowl. The soup was boiling hot, and the ingredients were floating in it, its rich fragrance wafting out of it to greet her.
The spice-making methods Bu Fang learned in the Abyss were on full display at this moment. The spices he added to the bowl had intensified the flavor of the s.h.i.+sh kebabs.
“Give it a taste,” he said.
Nethery pursed her red lips slightly. There seemed to be saliva coming out from the corners of her mouth. She nodded, picked up a porcelain spoon, and gently stirred the soup. The ingredients she had chosen loomed in the roiling red soup, and a spicy smell spread instantly to pervade the air.
Everyone around the stall was watching her movements.
Nethery stirred the soup gently, then scooped up a round, pink little lobster meat and half a spoon of red soup. The meat half-submerged in the soup looked very delicious. Steam shrouded it, making it look like a delicate work of art.
She parted her red lips, revealing her beautiful teeth, then put the lobster meat into her mouth. Her tongue wrapped the meat, moving it between her teeth. After that, she gave it a gentle bite. The meat was very springy, which surprised her. The sweetness in the lobster meat brightened her eyes in an instant, and she could taste a different and unique flavor when this sweetness was mixed with the spiciness of the soup.
She brought the bowl up and took a sip of the soup.
As soon as the hot soup got into her stomach, Nethery felt as if she was on fire. Her fair skin turned a little ruddy, and there was even sweat rolling down her forehead.
She breathed a sigh of relief, stuck out her tongue, and licked her lips, which had turned red from the heat. Then, she narrowed her eyes and said, “It’s delicious…”
The way she ate completely aroused the appet.i.te of the people in the queue. They thought the s.h.i.+sh kebab would not be as delicious as teppanyaki, but when they saw her eating, they thought it should not be too bad. And when they saw her take a sip of the boiling soup, every one of them swallowed. They couldn’t wait to try it!
Bu Fang had put ten skewers of ingredients in each of the nine compartments, so he could sell to ten people at a time. The people in front of the line had already taken the blue-and-white porcelain bowls he had given them.
The monk, Fa Wu, was impatient. He came closer to the stall and fixed his eyes at the Black Turtle Constellation Work with bright eyes.
“Pick ten skewers of ingredients,” said Bu Fang as he rolled up his sleeves and exposed his fair arms.
“Amitabha! Owner, you have so many ingredients today that this poor monk doesn’t know what to choose,” Fa Wu put his palms together before his chest and said with a smile.
“Just pick randomly. They’re all delicious,” Bu Fang was very confident.
Fa Wu did as he was told, picking random ingredients which included demon frog meat, octopus tentacles, little lobster meat, demon beef, spirit port, and emerald gizzards. In the end, he picked ten skewers of meat.
Bu Fang froze a little when he saw that. ‘I thought monks are vegetarians? All the ten skewers he picked are meat…’
“Amitabha! Even though wine and meat go through my body, the Buddha stays evermore in my mind. My Master is not here, so I can eat whatever I want,” said the monk unabashedly. He had thrown all caution to the wind in order to eat.
Bu Fang didn’t say anything. He grabbed Fa Wu’s bowl, took the ingredients from the wok, removed the meat from the skewers, and put them in the bowl.
“What soup do you want?” he asked.
“Qilin bone soup,” Fa Wu said with a smile, putting his palms together before his chest.
‘A meat soup… Well, it seems that this monk really likes to eat meat.’
Bu Fang didn’t refuse him. He pointed a finger at the wok. Immediately, a stream of Qilin bone soup rushed out of it and poured into the bowl. After sprinkling the seasoning, he handed the bowl to the monk.
Fa Wu happily took the bowl, paid the Immortal Crystals, and went to the side to enjoy his food. As soon as he took the first bite, a powerful meaty aroma burst out of the food, causing his eyes to go wide. The taste was different from that of teppanyaki, but it was no less delicious. The freshness of the ingredients had perfectly combined with the fragrance of the soup, and the fact that he could eat them from a bowl while standing in a random place was an exotic experience. He felt as if he was flying in the sky.
“This is such an intoxicating feeling! This boiled s.h.i.+sh kebab is no less tasty than teppanyaki!”
Fa Wu’s praise and the way that he attacked the bowl of food like a madman had driven the people in line completely crazy. An uproar broke out instantly as everyone shouted to have a bowl of boiled s.h.i.+sh kebab.
…
Meanwhile, the individual compet.i.tion of the Netherworld’s Tournament of the Great Path had already started. The first preliminary round of the individual compet.i.tion was fought by contestants randomly matched from among thousands of partic.i.p.ants. Of course, because of the uneven strength, such matching was not very fair. But that was the rule of the compet.i.tion. If a person was strong, he could still enter the next round even when the rules were unfair. The so-called unfairness was only for the weak.
…
With a slash, a head was cut from its body by a knife and sent up into the air. The contestant from the Abyss was still so ruthless. The cold killing intent from his body sent chills through those who watched the match and filled their hearts with indignation. Even though they were angry, there was nothing they could do because the tournament didn’t ban the contestants from killing each other.
Mo Yan and the others were in charge of watching the matches and informed Bu Fang when it was his turn. Of course, when it was their turn, they would step into the arena and fight with all their might.
“It’s Zhu Yan’s turn!” Mo Yan cried out suddenly.
Fang Yu, who stood at her side, widened his eyes and turned to look at Zhu Yan’s direction. Zhu Yan had already stepped into the arena. He was taking deep breaths and relaxing his body.
The projection array was covering his match. Because of Bu Fang, all the matches that involved the Immortal Cooking Realm would become the center of attention. As soon as Zhu Yan stepped into the arena, he had attracted the attention of all. After all, he was a contestant from the Immortal Cooking Realm.
…
In the Immortal Cooking Realm, people had already gathered in the square outside the Immortal Kitchen Pavilion. Watching the tournament together had become a big thing in the realm.
When the head of the Zhu Family saw Zhu Yan, he was so nervous that he clenched his fists tightly.
After calming his excitement, Zhu Yan opened his eyes, waiting for his opponent to show up.
Suddenly, the audience broke out in an uproar. That gave Zhu Yan a pause. He turned around and immediately saw a man, who was naked to the waist and full of muscles, step into the arena. The familiar figure made his pupils shrink.
“An expert from the Vajra Realm?!”
Mo Yan and Fang Yu turned pale in an instant.
“Dammit! Er Zhu, break all the bones in this boy’s body for me!” Outside the arena, the Vajra Realm expert, who was beaten up by the crowd yesterday, growled and slammed his chests with both hands.
The burly man who stepped into the arena grinned hideously and clenched his fists. “I never thought I could meet someone from the Immortal Cooking Realm so quickly… Well, little lizard, come over here now and let me break all your bones!”
As soon as his voice rang out, a mighty aura exploded out of his body. The aura of a half-step Saint instantly turned Zhu Yan’s face bloodless.