Cooking System: Street Food Rules

The weather was clear that day. Outside Jiangyue Terrace Jiangsu Cuisine Restaurant, many people had already formed a long line. People kept approaching the register to inquire if Jiang Feng really was the head chef here. Only after the cashier's affirmative response did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. As long as it was true; they were here for his reputation.

「At this moment, in the kitchen.」

The young man in charge of filming was busy setting up the equipment. Then, the young man hesitated for a moment and said to Jiang Feng, "Boss Jiang, how about we make this cooking session a live stream? Live streams are much more popular than short videos. We could live stream first, and then make it into a video afterward."

Hearing the young man's suggestion, Jiang Feng actually considered it. Many people online clamored to see him daily. Perhaps if he hosted a live stream to show his real self to the audience, the regular customers wouldn't be so frantically obsessed. Previously, with his "Culinary God" reputation, everyone found it novel and eagerly sought a glimpse. If he held a few live stream interactions, the crowd would have their fill of excitement and, in turn, become less curious.

"Sure, no problem," Jiang Feng immediately agreed. "We'll use the Jiangyue Terrace account to start the stream. Remember to turn off gifts and tipping. This could also bring some buzz to Jiangyue Terrace."

Hearing Boss Jiang's words, the young man was extremely pleased and immediately started adjusting the equipment.

Jiang Feng stood before a special stove. He planned to stream for two hours, talking about Wensi Tofu. It would be good to promote the dish as well. The live stream camera focused solely on him, capturing only him.

Soon, the live stream went live.

The Jiangyue Terrace video account had about 3.5 million followers. When fans saw the Jiangyue Terrace icon flashing, indicating a live stream was in progress, many were curious and joined. Upon entering, they were surprised to see Jiang Feng busying himself in front of a stove.

[Oh my, is Boss Jiang actually live streaming?]

[It's really him! My God!]

[I've always wanted to see how he cooks in the kitchen, and now I can actually watch it live!]

[Front row for the show!]

[Wow, the Culinary God is streaming!]

Jiang Feng could make out some of the scrolling comments, but not many.

The title of the live stream was: Behind the Scenes Live Stream of Making Wensi Tofu at Jiangsu Cuisine Restaurant. Just that plain and simple.

"Today at Jiangyue Terrace Jiangsu Cuisine Restaurant, we're preparing to make Wensi Tofu," Jiang Feng announced. He wore a small black microphone on his chest, ensuring his voice was transmitted clearly to the live stream. "It's almost opening time, and customers will be arriving soon. I also need to begin preparations."

Seeing him like this, the netizens were very happy. The popularity of the live stream quickly climbed. After all, Jiang Feng's popularity was genuine, with snippets of his videos surfacing from time to time. This was also thanks to marketing accounts that constantly edited and shared his videos, making him increasingly popular online.

[Boss Jiang, you still remember you're the owner of Jiangyue Terrace, huh? We never see you!] a netizen commented.

To this, Jiang Feng could only smile and pretend he didn't see it. What kind of boss works every day? I go wherever I want.

Then, Jiang Feng casually explained, "Wensi Tofu is a dish that truly tests one's knife skills. The method isn't difficult; the challenge lies in the knife work. If a chef can make Wensi Tofu well, it shows that their knife skills are up to par."

A few head chefs in the kitchen nodded silently upon hearing Jiang Feng's words. They thought Boss Jiang was being modest. Being able to make Wensi Tofu well wasn't just a matter of having adequate knife skills; it meant one's knife skills were truly impressive.

Jiang Feng took out a block of silken tofu, and the cameraman quickly zoomed in. Jiang Feng placed the tofu gently on the chopping board, washed his cleaver, and spoke unhurriedly, "Next, I will cut this block of tofu into approximately fifteen thousand strands. Breakage must not exceed 10%, and each strand should be about 3 millimeters thick. This is what true Wensi Tofu is."

Hearing him say this, the netizens were dumbstruck. A look of astonishment appeared in their eyes. What did Boss Jiang just say? This block of tofu can be cut into over ten thousand strands? Is that even a dish?

Just then, orders started coming into the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, every seated customer had ordered Wensi Tofu.

Jiang Feng also started to get busy.

His left hand rested gently on the tofu, while his right hand, holding the cleaver, descended steadily.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.

His cleaver gently met the cutting board, moving at a surprisingly fast pace. If one looked closely, each cut seemed to land in the same spot, with no apparent variation. Because the cuts were so fine, they were imperceptible to the naked eye. The cleaver in Jiang Feng's hands moved faster and faster. From the live broadcast, viewers even thought they saw afterimages.

[Am I seeing things, or are those afterimages?]

[Holy shit, he really knows kung fu!]

[Who would believe he doesn't have kung fu after seeing this?]

[Have you guys not seen him make knife-shaved noodles? I knew he was amazing from that moment!]

[Such fierce knife skills!]

[Why do I feel like the tofu hasn't changed at all? Am I seeing it wrong?]

The silken tofu was very soft; the slightest mishap could break the delicate strands. The deviation of each cut was at the millimeter level. If one only observed for a few seconds, it would seem as if the knife hadn't moved at all. Yet, before one realized it, the cleaver had already sliced across the entire block from one end to the other.

When Jiang Feng finished cutting the tofu, he finally said, "Alright, it's cut."

Viewers looked at the live broadcast screen, only to see the block of silken tofu looking exactly as it did before, with hardly any change. It appeared untouched. Not just the viewers, even the young man filming on-site couldn't discern any change in the tofu up close. It was as if the swift, shadow-like movements of the knife had left no trace on the tofu. Then came the moment to witness the miracle.

Jiang Feng slid his cleaver flat against the chopping board, scooped up the tofu with the blade, and then placed it into a clear bowl filled with water.

An incredible scene unfolded.

The viewers watched as the tofu, upon entering the water, quickly began to disperse, separating into strands as fine as hair. These strands rippled in the water, appearing to unravel. In a flash, the bowl was filled with strands of tofu.

Everyone was dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.

After a long moment, the barrage of comments exploded.

[Holy cow! What am I seeing? Is this culinary art? Are you sure it's not martial art?]

[Those knife skills are badass! I thought the tofu hadn't changed at all!]

[This is too incredible, to be able to do this!]

[Damn, he really cut it into tofu strands!]

Clearly, no one had expected such a scene. After all, many had never even heard of Wensi Tofu, let alone tasted it. Wensi Tofu is a classic dish in Huaiyang Cuisine, rarely seen in ordinary restaurants. It's typically a dish that only top chefs can prepare, often featured at state banquets, because the sheer difficulty of cutting the tofu daunts many.

At this point, Jiang Feng spoke, "Wensi Tofu should have a melt-in-your-mouth texture, which is why silken tofu is used. The remaining steps are simple: just cut winter bamboo shoots, chicken breast, ham, and shiitake mushrooms into shreds, then simmer them to make a soup. I have many orders now, so I need to focus on preparing them."

With that said, Jiang Feng sped up his cooking process.

The live stream chat became even more lively.

「At this moment, inside the Jiangsu Cuisine Restaurant.」

Someone exclaimed, "Everyone, quick, look at the live stream! Boss Jiang is streaming on Jiangyue Terrace's official account, making Wensi Tofu."

Hearing this, the customers took out their phones, searched for Jiangyue Terrace, and started watching the live broadcast. Soon, everyone saw the full process of Jiang Feng cutting the tofu.

The illusion-like knife skills.

The tofu separating into innumerable, hair-thin, soft strands.

All of this made the customers' jaws drop in amazement.

So this was the kind of dish they were going to eat today!

Initially, many weren't excited at the prospect of eating tofu. But now, they saw it as an incredible deal!

"Tofu can actually be prepared like this!"

"Boss Jiang's knife skills are incredible!"

"Truly steady, terrifyingly steady!"

"I'm at the first table, so this must be the Wensi Tofu he's making for me!"

The customers were delighted. Being able to witness such a cooking process made the experience worthwhile, regardless of how the dish tasted.

The Imperial Chef is cooking for me personally! Just that reputation alone made the experience priceless.

This video segment was quickly edited and published by marketing accounts. Netizens who now saw Jiang Feng's cooking process with their own eyes admired his culinary skills even more.

[It's outrageous that a block of tofu can be transformed to this extent!]

[Suddenly, this tofu looks too exquisite for me to afford!]

[So, top state banquet dishes aren't just about using premium ingredients; they can also involve transforming ordinary ingredients into culinary masterpieces.]

[I still don't get it. How did the tofu just fall apart into strands?]

[These knife skills are truly terrifyingly precise and steady!]

People eagerly left comments.

Experts recognized the skill involved, and many chefs also watched the video. Upon seeing Jiang Feng's exquisite knife work, they all acknowledged that his culinary skills had truly reached a pinnacle. Initially, many had dismissed the online moniker "Culinary God." After all, such a grand title easily incites jealousy among peers. But now, it seemed that what people were saying might actually be true.

Jiang Feng had demonstrated his ability to make a vast range of dishes, from top imperial court cuisine to common street snacks—he could do it all. Dishes like Wensi Tofu, which demand meticulous knife skills, and Oil-Blasted Crispy Goodies, which require precise heat control—he could make them both, and perfectly at that.

His culinary skills were truly unique.