Gan Lan grabbed the exposed bright red tail of the Golden Phoenix Tail Shrimp with her bare hands and ate the whole thing in one bite. A rich aroma filled her mouth instantly. With a CRUNCH, the tender, bouncy shrimp meat inside burst with juices, leaving a lingering fragrance in her mouth and an intense craving for more.
After swallowing, she picked up another one, and then another. It was simply too addictive.
Having eaten more than half of the fried shrimp, she finally remembered the round potato shrimp balls resting on the side. The shrimp balls were much larger than the fried shrimp and couldn’t be eaten in a single bite. Gan Lan bit off a large chunk, revealing the mashed potatoes and half of the pink shrimp meat inside, while the other half remained in her mouth.
As soon as it entered her mouth, the mixture of mashed potatoes and shrimp meat created a unique texture. The outer skin was delightfully crispy, while the filling was soft, tender, and savory, offering a delicate and sweet flavor.
Gan Lan finished one shrimp ball in a few quick bites and immediately picked up another. These deep-fried foods were incredibly fragrant. Her hands simply refused to listen; she just couldn’t control herself.
Gulu refused to be outdone. He ate just as much as Gan Lan, if not more, inhaling them one bite at a time. He even ate the massive shrimp balls whole, opening his mouth wide and stuffing an entire shrimp ball in at once.
Gan Lan watched as Gulu’s mouth looked like it was about to burst from the shrimp ball, but he didn’t seem to notice. He even shot her a smug look, mumbling indistinctly, "I can eat the whole shrimp ball in one bite, but you can’t. Are you jealous? Well, being jealous is useless~"
Gan Lan wasn’t jealous in the slightest. In fact, seeing Gulu’s bulging eyes and puffed-up cheeks making him look exactly like a toad—combined with his smug yet grotesque expression—made her want to burst out laughing. She nearly spat out the shrimp still in her mouth, her face turning red from holding it in.
After struggling to swallow, she finally let out a hearty laugh, pointing at Gulu as tears of mirth streamed down her face.
Toad Gulu rolled his eyes, using his bulging gaze to look at the hysterically laughing Gan Lan as if she were an idiot. He wondered if this woman had completely lost her mind.
Gan Lan wiped away her tears. It was just too funny. For her amusement, she earned countless eye rolls and looks of utter disdain from Gulu.
But she didn’t care. She had a good laugh, and suddenly felt her appetite surge again. She picked up another fried shrimp and popped it into her mouth.
Although her stomach was full, her eyes were definitely not. She just wanted to keep eating. Gan Lan felt that if she continued like this, she really might become as round as a ball.
[My Life is Too Hard]: [Although I don’t know what the streamer is laughing at, seeing her laugh so happily makes me laugh too. This is the first time I’ve seen the goddess laugh so cheerfully. I couldn’t help but pick up another fried shrimp and eat it in one bite~]
[Crispy Fried Chicken Legs]: [I thought fried chicken legs were the absolute best, but it turns out these fried shrimp and Golden Shrimp Balls are just as delicious. I want to declare my love for fried food! It’s simply too good, especially when paired with the streamer’s radiant smile. It makes everything taste even better!]
[Spicy Fried Crab is the Best]: [Nonsense, Spicy Fried Crab is obviously the best! But the fried shrimp balls and fried shrimp are really good too... Hmm, I guess fried chicken legs count as well~ Right now, I’m happily taking a bite of a shrimp ball and a bite of fried shrimp while watching the goddess laugh. But I want to gently remind the goddess that while the food is delicious, please don’t overeat~ I can help you finish it~]
...
Gan Lan eventually stopped eating. There were still other dishes to come, and if she stuffed herself now, she wouldn’t have any room left for the other shrimp dishes later.
She plated two portions each of the Golden Shrimp Balls and fried shrimp and had the robot assistants deliver them to the teachers. During this time, a few people came forward to offer their help. Gan Lan kept the first two Culinary Masters who arrived and politely declined the rest.
With three robot assistants, Gulu, Rong Liqun, the two other Culinary Masters, and herself, they had more than enough hands on deck. Gan Lan told the others they could watch from the outside and that she would answer any questions they had, which finally dispelled the remaining Culinary Masters’ thoughts of joining in.
She was about to start making the ninth dish: raw marinated shrimp. Perhaps half the people wouldn’t like raw marinated shrimp—after all, it was raw, and people might worry about parasites.
While parasites were a valid concern in her original world, there was absolutely no need to worry about them in this one. This world’s advanced technology meant that any parasites on ingredients could be completely eradicated with a simple scan of their futuristic gadgets.
The futuristic tech of this era was incredibly convenient. Sterilizing and killing bugs was child’s play. Mom no longer had to worry about bugs growing in my stomach from eating raw marinated shrimp~
The preparation for raw marinated shrimp and hot and sour lemon shrimp was actually quite similar. The former used raw shrimp, while the latter used cooked shrimp. The main ingredients, seasonings, and garnishes were mostly the same, but the difference in taste between the raw and cooked versions was vast.
The sashimi-grade shrimp had already been deveined, sterilized of parasites, and thoroughly washed. Now, they only needed to be seasoned and marinated, making this ninth shrimp dish exceedingly simple.
She added the appropriate amounts of green and red chili peppers, onions, scallions, ginger, garlic, white liquor, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, white vinegar, and sugar to the sashimi-grade shrimp. She tossed in a pinch of salt and some lemon slices, stirring everything evenly. Then, she covered the bowl with plastic wrap and set it to chill and marinate for about an hour. Originally, it would have required around five hours of marinating, but Gan Lan adjusted the time settings on the futuristic refrigeration tech to speed up the process.
With the ninth dish—raw marinated prawns—completed, it was time for the tenth dish. This one also required raw, fresh shrimp. But that wasn’t an issue; the sashimi-grade shrimp that had been stored overnight in the temperature-controlled boxes were still perfectly fresh, although there weren’t many left.
It was a simple garlic butter shrimp—exceptionally fragrant and incredibly easy to make.
She removed the heads and shells from the sashimi-grade shrimp, then added the right amount of butter, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper. She mixed it all evenly and let it marinate for about ten minutes.
In the meantime, she moved on to the eleventh dish: a broccoli, shrimp, and tofu soup. It was another quick and simple recipe.
This time, she used cooked shrimp—specifically, cooked shrimp that had already been marinated. She peeled off their shells and removed their heads.
She heated oil in a pan, tossed in some scallions, ginger, garlic, and the shrimp heads, and stir-fried them until fragrant. Once the shrimp heads released their flavorful oil, she scooped them out. She then poured water into the pot along with small cubes of silken tofu. After bringing it to a boil, she added the cooked shrimp chunks and broccoli. Once the broccoli was cooked through, she seasoned it with salt, pepper, and sesame oil, making it ready to serve.
"You guys can try making this yourselves. It’s so easy you can understand it just by watching," Gan Lan said to the three Culinary Masters who were observing her make the soup as she plated the dish. "The ingredients are right there; grab what you need." After ladling out the broccoli, tofu, and shrimp soup, she pointed to one of the temperature-controlled boxes.
The other three were thrilled. Even though they hadn’t tasted the soup yet, just looking at its vibrant color combination—the milky white broth, the deep green broccoli, the tender pink shrimp, and the soft tofu—was enough to make anyone crave a bowl.
Gan Lan served herself a small bowl, while Gulu scooped out a massive bowl for himself.
Everything Gulu ate today had been in massive portions. Gan Lan felt the urge to make a snarky comment but held her tongue. After all, she could never win an argument against him, and it would only end in her own frustration.
The other three Culinary Masters also served themselves a small bowl each to taste the soup, giving them a flavor reference for when they made it themselves later.