Chapter 20

After handling it, he marinated it with seasonings and set it aside to rest.

He then moved on to the centipede meat.

He fed it into the food processor as well, cutting the centipede meat along the grain into finger-length strips that were pointed at both ends and thick in the middle, then marinated them too. This was much simpler than the mantis meat from before, so he finished it in the blink of an eye and set it aside.

Next, he chopped the chili peppers into sections and minced the scallions, ginger, garlic, and other seasonings, arranging them neatly by category.

The fact that this alien planet even had plants similar to Earth's scallions, ginger, and garlic was something Jing Yi found incredible. As time passed, he became increasingly convinced that Earth and Mi Star must have some unknown connection. Otherwise, they could not possibly be this similar.

Once everything was prepared, Jing Yi lit the stove, heated the wok, and poured in half a wok of oil.

When the oil had heated slightly, the two kinds of meat had finished marinating. He coated the centipede meat with a thin layer of prepared frying flour and tipped it into the wok.

As the oil began to crackle and pop, an intense, rich fragrance burst forth! Jing Yi sniffed and regretfully realized that he still did not understand the seasonings here well enough. The proportions of the marinade and frying flour were slightly off. Once the dish was finished, the flavor would definitely suffer; it probably would not even reach eighty percent of the standard it would have had on Earth.

But the good news was that the ingredients could make up for shortcomings in technique. This insect meat was simply amazing! Not only did it lack any unpleasant odor after cooking, it also carried a distinctive fresh fragrance!

Back on Earth, there had always been insect-eating enthusiasts who tried to indoctrinate everyone else, claiming that insects were rich in protein, amino acids, and all sorts of nutrients. Eating them was healthy and promoted longevity, so people should stop eating beef and mutton—it was vulgar! Did they know how much an authentic insect feast cost? Those were so scarce that money alone could not buy them; if you wanted some, you had to line up and wait!

Jing Yi did not care about their flowery boasting. At first, he had eaten bugs because he was poor; they were the only meat he could get for free. Later, it was because they really were delicious. Especially when prepared with special recipes and cooking techniques—just the aroma alone was enough to make anyone drool!

Now that he had transmigrated to an alien planet, he gave it a small try. Once the centipede meat strips were scooped from the oil, fried to a Huang-golden color, he picked up a piece and tasted it... Mm, one fry really was not crispy enough. It needed to be fried twice. But the taste was indeed as wonderful as it smelled!

After waiting a moment, he poured the entire plate of meat strips back into the oil. This time, the frying time was shorter. Jing Yi's control over the heat was precise down to the second. When it was nearly done, he scooped everything out and turned off the heat. By then, he had already lit another burner beside him. He drizzled a tiny amount of oil into a dry wok, stir-fried the prepared chili sections and minced scallion, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, then poured in the fried meat strips and stir-fried them over high heat. In an instant, he poured them onto a plate. After plating it, he casually carved a red flower and green leaves from the vegetables beside him as decoration—on the white jade plate sat Huang-golden meat strips, bright red chili sections, and lifelike carvings. It had everything: color, aroma, and flavor, while also offering a visual feast!

With that, the centipede meat was finished.

In the living room, General Chen was already fidgeting with impatience. Madam Chen was directing the servants as they arranged dishes on the dining table. He stared eagerly as plate after plate arrived, but none of them were it! Unable to hold back, he asked, "What dish is being made? Why does it smell so good?"

Madam Chen shot him an irritated glare and jerked her chin toward the main kitchen.

No way?! General Chen swallowed hard and nearly choked on his saliva. Two thoughts were battling fiercely in his mind.

One was—I finally found one good thing about this brat. Who knew he was such an extraordinary cook!

The other was—Something that smells this good definitely cannot be that disgusting insect meat! I refuse to believe it!

He looked around but could not find Yang Chun.

As for the Qin Family members led by Zhang Qiu, he had sent them off to eat at the military cafeteria. They were not qualified to dine at a general's table.

General Chen held out for several minutes at first, but the longer he endured, the less he could bear it! Even the roast meat he usually loved instantly lost all appeal before his eyes... He slammed his hand on the table and rose. "I'm going to see what that brat Yang Chun is doing!"

Sure enough, he found Yang Chun sneaking around at the entrance to the main kitchen.

He walked up and slapped him on the back of the head. "What are you doing!"

Yang Chun was startled so badly that the large amount of saliva gathered in his mouth surged back at once. He broke into a violent coughing fit! He nearly choked to death!

General Chen awkwardly looked at his own "iron sand palm." Then, when he raised his head, he happened to meet Jing Yi's gaze. The old man could not save face, so he took his anger out on the unlucky Yang Chun. "How do you train? I was standing right behind you, and you didn't even notice! If I were the enemy, you would have died eight hundred times already! What are you coughing for? You still have the nerve to cough!"

Yang Chun felt deeply wronged. The general's residence was as secure as a fortress—where would an enemy even come from...

It was all Jing Yi's fault! His entire mind had been drawn in by the delicious food and beautiful sight; how could he have had any attention left for his surroundings? As a result, his own general caught him red-handed and even accused him first!

Well, the delicious food he meant was naturally the two dishes that had just come out of the kitchen.

Like the centipede meat strips, the mantis meat was first deep-fried. The difference was that the latter was not coated in frying flour. After being fried in bubbling oil, Huang-golden insect roe faintly appeared at the upper ends of the heart-shaped meat pieces. Once their shape had set, they looked simply gorgeous! This dish was also fried twice, but it was not stir-fried afterward. It was merely served with two small dipping dishes: one containing salt-and-pepper powder, and the other Jing Yi's own Dark red sauce. As usual, the plate of meat was decorated with carvings. He truly had such elegant leisure...