Chapter 42: The Secret Recipe?

Soon, three portions of the pancake rolls were placed before the trio.

“Now comes the tasting segment,” Bai Renzong said, turning to the family who owned the shop. “Since you’re a fan of mine, you must know my style, right? I’m the type who speaks frankly.”

The young man nodded, confidence radiating from him. “No problem! My parents’ skills and our ingredients are second to none! It’s just… even the best wine fears a deep alley, you know.”

“If it’s good wine, I’ll make sure its fragrance spreads far,” Bai Renzong replied, nodding at Han Jiayi.

For the filming, Han Jiayi sat beside him, while Wang Bei was across from them, camera in hand.

The two picked up their pancake rolls and took a bite in front of the lens, chewing silently.

“Ladies first,” Bai Renzong said, turning to Han Jiayi.

“The ingredients are fresh, the pancake is perfectly cooked—crispy outside, chewy inside,” Han Jiayi smoothed her hair. “Overall, I think it’s pretty tasty. And such a big portion for only eighteen yuan, really good value. But… it’s a bit dry, and the flavor is too mild.”

Bai Renzong shook his head and sighed, looking at the camera. “See? That’s what you call a non-professional review.”

Han Jiayi puffed her cheeks, frowning at him, clearly unwilling to concede.

“Let’s talk about mine,” Bai Renzong said, lifting his deluxe roll and showing its layers. “Deluxe set, twenty-five yuan. Inside: beef, tofu skin, bacon, egg, pork tenderloin, chicken cutlet, lettuce, green onion, and homemade sweet chili sauce. First, its shortcomings.”

He broke open the roll and pointed inside, “Too dry. Braised beef, egg yolk, tofu skin, chicken—all together, it’s so dry I can barely swallow, almost choked. Of course, this might be because it’s the deluxe set, but I suspect the other versions are dry too, since egg and tofu skin are basic components.”

Han Jiayi, inspecting her own pork tenderloin, muttered, “I said it was dry too…”

“Dryness is the first issue,” Bai Renzong raised a finger. “Second, the flavor is too weak. Lettuce and green onion together dilute the overall taste, and they’ve given so much lettuce, a whole sheet, so when I bite down, it’s so bland it doesn’t even feel like a meat-filled pancake roll.”

“I said the same thing…” Han Jiayi grumbled under her breath.

By now, the owners’ faces were visibly troubled, but Bai Renzong wasn’t finished.

“And the third point,” Bai Renzong continued, “is this sweet chili sauce, the biggest flaw. It masks all the other ingredients, so the only flavor you get in a bite is the sauce, nothing else. It’s a real pity…”

Han Jiayi glanced at the owner’s expression and tugged at Bai Renzong’s sleeve, but he ignored her.

“Because…” Bai Renzong went on, pulling out the ingredients for everyone to see, “Look, the portions here are generous, and the flavors are authentic. Whether it’s the vegetables or the meat, the taste is robust. If I’m not mistaken, these vegetables are homegrown without chemical fertilizers, and the meat is free-range chicken, not fed with commercial feed.”

“Exactly!” The owner crossed his arms and snorted, venting his anger. “All our ingredients come from relatives—homegrown vegetables, chickens, and genuine free-range eggs, all natural and pollution-free! Not the same as those chemically grown vegetables or feed-raised chickens. We only sell a limited amount each day, and close when it’s gone.”

“But lately, for various reasons, even this small amount doesn’t sell out…” the owner’s wife sighed. “You see, they’re building a subway station outside, so regular customers can hardly find us. And Phantom Group keeps flooding our platform with bad reviews on delivery apps, so we barely have any business.”

She turned to Bai Renzong with a plea. “So please, help us, say something nice.”

Phantom Group again… Bai Renzong pondered for a moment, then replied calmly, “Don’t worry, leave it to me.” He turned to the camera. “Xiao Bei, shall we continue? Just cut out the previous segment when editing.”

Wang Bei nodded. Bai Renzong continued, “If it were up to me, first I’d reduce the amount of lettuce, especially removing the stems and keeping only the leaves. Increase the green onion a bit to counteract the meat’s greasiness. Then, I’d replace the sweet chili sauce with chili oil, using its aroma and spice to highlight the ingredients’ flavors and prevent dryness.”

“Wouldn’t that make the flavor even milder?” Han Jiayi asked, frowning.

“Finally!” Bai Renzong glared at her, warning her not to interrupt. “Add a little sweet bean sauce inside the pancake—just a thin layer—then sprinkle some salt and pepper over the meat. The sweetness of bean sauce is gentler, unlike sweet chili sauce, which overpowers the food’s flavor…”

“Oh!” Han Jiayi exclaimed, “Isn’t that just like how Peking duck is served? Sweet bean sauce and green onion to balance the duck’s greasiness, without masking its natural flavor!”

“Exactly,” Bai Renzong nodded. “I believe this would make it taste much better.”

“You brat, what do you know!?” The owner flared up. “You’re just spouting nonsense—how could your random ideas be better than my secret sauce perfected over ten years?” With that, he vented his anger on his son, smacking him on the head. “What kind of people did you invite? Just blabbering away!”

“Should we try it?” Bai Renzong smiled, then patted Han Jiayi’s head. “We’ve got a chef right here—let’s make it as I suggested and see which tastes better, yours or mine.”

“You can only judge after you’ve tasted my secret sauce!” the owner retorted, arms crossed.

Bai Renzong rolled his eyes, dipped his pinky in the sweet chili sauce, and tasted it. “Chopped chili, garlic, sugar, salt, white vinegar, ginger, broad bean paste…”

He paused, and the owner laughed smugly, “Anything else? If you can’t guess the last ingredient, don’t pretend you know—”

“Fennel,” Bai Renzong said calmly, making the owner’s face darken.

“And the sweetness comes from brown sugar, right?” Bai Renzong mused, gazing upward.

Wang Xiaobei clapped in delight. “Spot on! Not a single mistake! Amazing—I thought your videos were scripted, but it’s real!”

The owner promptly knocked him on the head. “Whose side are you on, you rascal?!”

“I—I was just…” Wang Xiaobei muttered, rubbing his head.

“The sauce is meticulously crafted, but it doesn’t suit this dish. Do you understand what I mean?” Bai Renzong patiently explained, “It’s like using Lao Gan Ma chili sauce in a cake—it doesn’t fit. You’ll see for yourself once you try.”

Turning to Han Jiayi, Bai Renzong said, “Jiayi, I’ll leave it to you now.”

Han Jiayi looked nervously at the enraged owner and asked, “Um, may I use the kitchen?”

The owner was too angry to reply, but his wife was gracious, smiling, “Please, by all means!”

Han Jiayi donned an apron and approached the stove, her expression growing serious.

(Thanks to Bookworm in Heaven for two monthly tickets, and to jmatgm for the reward.)