Chapter 6
Chapter 6
"It seemed to be more uniform in size and shape" after cutting the 20th bamboo shoots, Michael picked up two pieces of bamboo shoots and compared them carefully . Then he nodded his head in satisfaction .
Looking at the pile of discarded bamboo shoots, he could not help but lament, "It is actually so hard to be a chef . Although I knew the best way to cut the bamboo shoots, it took me a lot of practice before I can achieve what I had visualized . If I were to start from scratch, I think I would need several years of practice before I can achieve this standard . "
For the first time in his life, he felt a bit uncomfortable when he thought about the criticisms that he had written in his previous life . Now that he was forced to cook a dish accordingly to the standards that he had set, he felt that karma is a bitch .
"[System], accordingly to my progress speed, just practicing the knife skills will require me to practice for several weeks . It is impossible for me to complete this task within 3 days . " Michael stopped working, and tried to communicate with the [System] .
"The ratio of 'time within the training grounds' to the 'time in the real world' is 365:1 . In other words, if [Master] trained in this place for 1 year, only 1 day had passed in the real world . "
"As well, while [Master] is within the training grounds, he need not eat or sleep . Neither will he experience fatigue . There are also unlimited ingredients available for [Master] to use . "
"We hope that [Master] will have the determination of the God of Cooking, and quickly complete the task, and exit the training grounds . " The system voice replied .
"There is such a feature?" Michael was surprised . The [System] is really powerful . It can even provide a place where time is wrapped . But this training ground is really like a prison . It is impossible to escape from this place . In addition, you will never be tired, and the only thing you can do is to continuously cook . If you do not have an iron will, it is likely that you may become crazy .
"No, I cannot be stuck in this place! I must get out of this place before Amy wakes up tomorrow, and make her a perfect plate of [Yang Zhou] fried rice for her breakfast . I had already promised her that I would do so . "
Thinking about Amy give Michael the mental strength he needed to overcome his growing unease and discomfort about being stranded in this prison . He began to pick up the knife and continued to practice his knife skills .
If he wants to get out in time to make breakfast for Amy, he needs to complete the task within a time period of 4 months in the training grounds . This translates to approximately 8 hours in the real world .
4 months in the training grounds is approximately 2880 hours . Assuming that a chef works 8 hours a day, with 2880 hours, he would have approximately 1 year of working experience as a chef to master the dish [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] .
He also had the assistance of an experience bag that imparted the knowledge of cooking [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] to him . This amount of time should be more than enough .
Michael focused on the bamboo shoots and forgot about the passage of time . The more he practiced, the better his skills with the knife . Under the repeated practice, the bamboos shoots became uniformed slices, then became uniformed stripes, and finally became finely chopped grains that are approximately the same size as rice .
Michael worked his way up in order of increasing difficulty . The bamboo shoots are selected as the first ingredients to prepare as these were deemed the easiest . The next items in order would be the mushroom, ham, and then prawns .
As he handled ingredients of increasing difficulty, his experience and skills with the blade increased . These, combined with the guidance from the knowledge in his brain, means that his skills improved very rapidly . Even the live prawns were easily stripped of their shell, and then diced into grain size bits .
As the clock on the training grounds showed 100 days, Michael used a turner to scoop up the fried rice on the wok, and placed it on a plate . He turned off the fire on the stove, and with a confident smile, he asked, "[System], this time it should be all right?"
The [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] that was fresh out of the wok is a truly a work of art . Each grain of rice seemed to be coated with a golden color robe made from the egg yolk . The green color green peas, white color prawns, grey color mushroom, red color ham, etc all combined to create a dish that was full of color and flavor . Despite the myriad of colors, it did not seem to be chaotic, but rather give off a bright and harmonious vibe .
Scallion was added on top of the rice as a garnish . The combination of all these ingredients created a mouth-watering smell that forced Michael to swallow his saliva .
The [System] was silent for a moment, then its voice rang out,
"Evaluating this dish according to the standards set by yourself:
The four criteria that were used to evaluate the dish [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] had been met . Congratulations for mastering the dish [Yang Zhou Fried Rice]! [Task completed . ] Rewards: Constitution increased by +0 . 5 . Unlocked – All ingredients need to create the dish [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] are now available for sale through the [System] . Unlocked – All needed kitchen tools and utensils that were used in the creation of [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] has been placed in the restaurant kitchen . |
Michael raised his fists in triumph . Looking at the plate of [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] in front of him, he almost felt like crying .
When was the last time he needs to put in so much effort to accomplish a goal? This feeling of achievement and triumph is really comfortable and uplifting .
Of course, the thing that excites him the most is that he now had the ability to cook a plate of [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] for his dearest daughter, Amy . Just by thinking of the delight on the little girl's face is enough to fill his heart with anticipation .
"[System], may I taste this completed [Yang Zhou Fried Rice]?" Looking at the plate before him, Michael suddenly felt hungry . This is a strange feeling, because he had been locked in the training rooms for over 100 days and he had never experienced hunger even once .
"In 5 minutes, [Master] will be kicked out of this training grounds . " The [System] replied .
"5 minutes is more than enough!" Michael immediately grabbed a spoon, scoop up a spoonful and placed it in his mouth . Just a few chews and his eyes lit up .
The fragrant scent of the scallion mixed with the scent of fried egg filled the nostrils with a tantalizing smell . The rice-size shrimp and ham that were sliced in grain size were in harmony with the rice and yet retain their unique flavor . After chewing the egg covered rice, it left a sweet, refreshing aftertaste .
The variety of ingredients, constantly bombard the taste buds with their unique flavors . After swallowing the mouthful of fried rice, the taste still lingers in his mouth .
This taste is simply astounding!
For the first time in his life, he discovered that [Yang Zhou Fried Rice] can actually taste this good!
One mouthful of the fried rice and Michael was hooked . He immediately helped himself to the food and gobbled up the remaining portion of the fried rice as fast as he could . When he had polished off the last grain of rice, he licked his lips in satisfaction . He suddenly had a desire to eat one more plate of rice – the fried rice is really this good!
"Amy will definitely love this type of Yang Zhou Fried rice! As for the citizens of this world, I am sure that none of them will be able to resist the taste of this food . " Michael put down the spoon and reminisced about his experience in cooking the fried rice . He involuntarily shivered . One hundred days of non-stop cooking, without any rest in between! Now that he will be leaving this hell hole, he could not help but feel cheerful .
5 minutes quickly passed by . All Michael felt was a flash of white light – like the time when he first entered the training grounds . He closed his eyes to shut out the light . When he finally reopened his eyes, he found himself lying on the big bed . He immediately sat up, and when he saw that Amy was still soundly asleep on the smaller bed next to him, he finally calmed down .
Then he looked at his hands and clutched his fists, and smiled . The feeling he had is the same as when he was on the training grounds . The body of his that used to be so weak and frail has been vastly improved . He can now put some strength into his fists, and he should be able to do simple tasks and cook .
"The [System] is quite reliable after all . " Michael climbed out of the bed and tried sketching his arms and legs . He glanced at the clock placed on top of the bed and discovered that it is now 5 o'clock in the morning .
He looked down and saw that he was still wearing the dirty clothes from yesterday . He walked towards the dressing cabinet and opened it, and found that there were only two sets of clothes in the cabinet . One of them is a chef uniform, and the other one of them is a black color dress .
The chef uniform is clean and simple and comprised of 6 pieces of clothes .
A chef suit that is white in color and had two rows of delicate black buttons, a pair of black color pants, a black and white apron with vertical stripes, a piece of white underwear, a pair of black flat shoes, and a pair of white socks .Michael took the uniform into the bathroom . He took a shower and then used a pair of scissors to trim his long hair . He had also cut off his beard with a pair of scissors and a shaver, but left his mustache in place .
"Finally I look a bit human . " Michael felt his face and looked into the mirror, as grinned . Just a bit of self-grooming had transformed him from a scary homeless vagabond to a young and approachable uncle .
Right now, he reckoned that he is 80% similar to his former self . The only thing that is holding him back is this body's constitution . This body is very skinny and he looks as if he does not have any muscle or fat – just skin and bones only .
After the [System] had improved his constitution, he no longer looked as if he might collapse at any moment . Right now, he should eat, and move around more frequently to improve his health .
Having finished his self-evaluation, Michael put on the set of chef uniform . Looking in the mirror, he could have sworn that he looks like the master chefs that were often featured on T . V .
"Hello, Boss Mike!" Michael greeted his reflection in the mirror . Then he thought for a moment and laughed, "Maybe it should be Boss McGonagall?"
Yang Chow Fried Rice Recipe This article is about Yang Chow Fried Rice recipe . It provides a step by step guide to making the dish, “Yang Chow Fried Rice “ . It includes a video, some background information as well as the recipe . Note that this recipe is a simplified version that is easier to cook . . . February 23, 2018 /