Du Xixi still had quite a few ingredients to cut. She took out the green and red peppers, removed the stems, and cut the membranes before slicing them into fine strips, similar in thickness to the potato julienne. She chopped the garlic into a paste and cut the scallion and ginger into segments and slices. Because she didn't have chopped chilies, Du Xixi had to use small, fiery-looking red peppers chopped into a paste to substitute for the chopped chilies.
After cutting the ingredients, Du Xixi set them aside. In Ke Lian's view, she poured a large basin of cold water into the electric cooker, adding some salt, and then put the potato julienne into the water, taking them out shortly after.
"What is this for?"
Du Xixi smiled and said, "This is to remove the starch from the potatoes, so they won't stick to the pan later and will taste crispier, providing a better texture."
"And what is starch?"
Taking a deep breath, Du Xixi answered the curious Ke Lian, "Starch is a powdery substance mainly used to thicken sauces. If there's too much liquid during cooking, a little water mixed with starch can thicken the sauce. Moreover, starch is nutritious and beneficial to the human body."
Perhaps feeling like he was bombarding Du Xixi with questions like a curious child, Ke Lian stopped speaking, deciding to ask more questions later when he had the opportunity.
Seeing Ke Lian quiet down, Du Xixi breathed a sigh of relief, heated oil to a ripe temperature, then added all the ingredients. Once aromatic, she threw in the green and red pepper strips. When they were almost cooked, she added the plentiful potato julienne.
Originally, the potato was quite large, and once sliced into strips, it looked even more abundant. To enhance the flavor, Du Xixi had added more ingredients, perfectly proportionate to the generous amount of potato julienne.
She poured in some aromatic vinegar and then somewhat struggled to stir-fry, as her slender wrist seemed unable to handle the burden. Seeing this, Ke Lian promptly took over the spatula, helping to stir-fry under Du Xixi's relieved guidance.
When they saw the full plate of potato julienne ready to come out of the pan, Ke Lian rarely felt a sense of pride, a feeling he had only experienced when as a minor he first went to battle, piloting a mecha to decapitate the leader of the Insect Clan.
However... the feeling wasn't bad!
2569 was still busily muttering while helping Du Xixi look for information, so Ke Lian and Du Xixi didn't call for it and simply carried the dishes out by themselves.
Once Ke Lian and Du Xixi sat around the table, looking at the two bowls of white rice and the three fragrant dishes, the atmosphere briefly quieted. Then, they exchanged a glance and warmly smiled at each other.
Du Xixi used the public chopsticks to give Ke Lian a piece of tiger skin green pepper, her face soft with a smile, her amber peach blossom eyes glinting delicately in the light: "Try it, I'm not sure if you'll like it."
Ke Lian tasted a bite, the slightly spicy and sweet flavor spreading across his tongue, and he squinted in enjoyment, then swallowed and said, "It's delicious, thanks for the hard work."
"I'm glad you like it." Du Xixi loved to cook, and now in the unfamiliar Star Era, cooking for the person in front of her was the quickest way for her to adapt. She certainly didn't feel it was hard work.
After saying this, Du Xixi began to eat heartily. As the soft, sticky white rice and the sour and spicy potato julienne were combined in her mouth, she finally felt like a living person.
The dark cuisine they had for lunch was simply inedible! She couldn't understand how people in the Star Era endured them...
Initially, Ke Lian savored these previously unexperienced dishes with care, marveling at how familiar ingredients transformed into completely new flavors under Du Xixi's hand. Ke Lian was genuinely intrigued by Du Xixi.
However, seeing Du Xixi eating so delightedly, Ke Lian felt his appetite grow as he occasionally glanced her way, enjoying bites of white rice, green vegetables, a piece of tiger skin pepper, and several potato strips. Ke Lian felt like he had wasted the past hundred years of meals.
When the dishes on the table and the rice in the cooker were polished off, 2569 had already sorted the information, and Ke Lian proactively put the dishes into the dishwasher, allowing Du Xixi to focus on reviewing the materials with 2569.
Du Xixi smiled warmly and followed 2569 to the sofa, observing 2569 slowly crouch down, its round body revealing text upon text on the light screen, prompting Du Xixi to browse through the screen as if she were looking at her phone.
Although Ke Lian was on vacation, he still had work to handle, so he went to the study, not wanting to disturb Du Xixi reviewing the information. By the time one finished reading, and the other completed military affairs, it was already late at night.
Du Xixi thanked 2569 and, feeling somewhat tired, headed upstairs with a rough understanding of the Star Era's food system, though now it was late, and she wanted to sleep.
She had just finished washing up and changed into pajamas when Ke Lian knocked and entered. He seemed somewhat weary too, telling Du Xixi to sleep first. By the time he finished bathing and came out, Du Xixi was already asleep.
Ke Lian did not disturb Du Xixi's slumber; he simply turned off the lights, lay down beside her, gently hugged her, and said, "Good night."
Sleep well through the night.