Crispy Fried Chicken 1

After finishing her morning classes, Wen Jiu hurried to the cafeteria to begin preparations.

Today, not only did she have to cook for the teachers and students dining in, but she was also planning to launch her first tasting session, allowing the viewers who had been following her livestream for days to sample the dishes.

Shortly after she arrived in the kitchen, Qiao Shishi came by after her class.

“Jiu Jiu, I brought over the ingredients provided by the cafeteria today,” she said, placing a basket on the floor. Inside were the same items as yesterday—a large chunk of Gulu beast meat and a big bunch of carrots.

Wen Jiu glanced at them and decided to stick with yesterday’s recipe: fried meatballs and hot-and-sour shredded potatoes.

Since Wei Qingyu hadn’t finished class yet, Wen Jiu took the lead on preparing the Gulu beast meat, while Qiao Shishi continued peeling the potatoes.

“I guess Wei Qingyu will be late,” Qiao Shishi said, skillfully peeling the potatoes with a paring knife, swiftly removing the brown skins until the potatoes looked spotless.

“Hmm? Why’s that?” Wen Jiu asked, marinating the Gulu meat with ginger slices and yellow wine as per yesterday’s method, while quickly handling the carrots.

“I heard someone mishandled a potion during their class today and ended up blowing up the classroom,” Qiao Shishi explained.

Upon hearing this, Wen Jiu raised her eyebrows slightly.

Speaking of potion classes, she wondered when Teacher Yan would finally get her scholarship application approved—she was truly struggling financially at the moment.

“By the way, Jiu Jiu, aren’t you livestreaming today?”

Qiao Shishi recalled that over the past few days, the little bee microphone for Wen Jiu’s livestream would buzz around the kitchen air, but she hadn’t seen it today.

“I will start after I finish prepping these carrots,” Wen Jiu replied, swiftly peeling the carrots clean. Although washing carrots without peeling is fine, Wen Jiu was simply used to peeling them.

Once the two quietly finished preparing the ingredients, Wen Jiu finally started her livestream.

After several streams, Wen Jiu had cultivated a small group of loyal fans. As soon as the system sent out the notification for her to go live, viewers flocked in.

[“So Hungry”: Yay! Am I the first one here today?]

[“Chris Wants Five Bowls”: No, I am! As soon as Sister Fortune started streaming, I came in!]

[“Banana”: Looks like today’s going to be another day where I can only watch and smell but not eat~ My potatoes are almost ready; Mom will no longer worry about me starving while watching the stream.]

“Welcome everyone to Fortune’s livestream! I’m your host, Fortune!” Wen Jiu greeted her audience as usual. Seeing the barrage of messages from viewers, she smiled gently and announced, “I have some good news: Today, I’m opening up tasting slots!”

No sooner had she spoken than the chat exploded with excitement.

[“Dingdang20”: I just got here—is Sister Fortune serious about this?]

[“So Hungry”: Can we have fried meatballs? Meatballs! The meatballs in my dreams! I dreamed about eating meatballs last night and woke up with my pillow soaked in drool.]

[“Big Brother Monkey”: Has Sister Fortune finally got the funds to buy ingredients?]

“The meatballs might be tricky—I haven’t prepared the ingredients for that,” Wen Jiu said, unpacking fresh produce delivered from the gold-digging shop. “Today, I’ll be making fried chicken for you all to try.”

Truth be told, she was craving fried chicken herself. The last time she tasted the cafeteria’s fried chicken, it almost brought tears to her eyes—for all the wrong reasons.

So last night, she decisively ordered some discounted Colorfeather chickens.

A whole chicken cost only 25 star coins, with a buy ten, get one free deal.

At her current streamer level, she could only open ten tasting slots, so by the time the stream ended, there would be exactly one portion left.

“But as you all know, I work in the cafeteria, so I’ll finish my regular duties first before cooking fried chicken for you.”

Many viewers were understanding and said they were happy to wait patiently.

[“Lemon Tea”: Quick question, streamer—after whisking the egg mixture, should I only add warm water?]

Wen Jiu chopped carrots while answering, “Yes. Hot water will cook the egg mixture, while cold water makes the custard firmer, so it’s best to use warm water.”

[“Big Brother Monkey”: How finely should the meat for fried meatballs be minced? I tried making some last night, but the chunks were too big and fell apart when fried.]

“What degree? I’ll show you later,” she said, not expecting such questions. “When mixing the filling, you can add an egg and a bit of starch. This makes the meatballs softer and springier, and less likely to fall apart.”

Wen Jiu patiently answered these viewers who were trying out the recipes, all while finishing up the meat mixture.

Just then, Wei Qingyu entered quietly. Seeing Wen Jiu livestreaming, he didn’t interrupt but instead went over to Qiao Shishi to prepare the bowls and chopsticks for the day.

“Next, we’re frying the meatballs,” Wen Jiu announced, demonstrating her skilled technique in shaping the meatballs before lowering them one by one into the hot oil.

The bubbling oil hissed as plumes of bubbles rose, the bright red meatballs gradually turning golden.

Soon, the kitchen filled with the irresistible aroma of fried meatballs.

[“Big Wolf 33”: I’m here! I brought my bowl and chopsticks! Is it true you’re opening tasting slots today?]

[“Chris Wants Five Bowls”: No way! The smell of these meatballs is amazing—I hope I get to eat one in my lifetime!]

[“Sesame Smart”: I’m here too! When will the tasting start? Good thing I haven’t drunk my lunch nutrition fluid yet.]

Using a slotted spoon, Wen Jiu lifted the meatballs from the oil and drained them on the side.

“These meatballs are done frying. I’ll double-fry them later before eating.”

“Double-frying makes them less greasy, so if you can, it’s better to fry them twice.”

After frying all the meatballs, she began preparing the Colorfeather chicken for frying.

She placed the chickens on the counter and showed them to the viewers. “Next, I’ll teach you how to make fried chicken. This recipe is the simplest. After the stream, I’ll post it in my personal updates.”

The Colorfeather chickens were small, roughly the size of two palms, and had already been cleaned by the supplier as per Wen Jiu’s instructions. With a swift chop, she cut the chickens into small pieces.

Then, she rinsed the chicken pieces repeatedly in a large basin to wash away the blood.

“Now, we can prepare the marinade for the fried chicken.”