After discussing tomorrow's itinerary with the little ones, Lu Mingming brought them to the restaurant.
The group quickly finished dinner in the restaurant. Lu Mingming sent the two little cubs back to the hotel to rest, and then headed to the restaurant's back kitchen to borrow cooking utensils.
Lu Mingming had already booked tickets for the Dreamy Sea of Stars for tomorrow.
They had played from lunch until evening, and there would be a fireworks display at night, giving her a chance to see the big stars.
With the experience of her first trip to the amusement park with the little white tiger, she no longer trusted restaurants outside. She specifically booked ingredients and a picnic mat to prepare her own meal for a picnic at the Dreamy Sea of Stars.
The only inconvenience was borrowing the organizer's restaurant kitchen.
Fortunately, it wasn't busy in the evening, and the chefs readily agreed.
The chefs' only condition was to stay and observe Lu Mingming's cooking methods. They were very curious about this popular streamer.
Lu Mingming didn't mind and readily agreed.
This led to the peculiar scene of Lu Mingming busying herself alone in the kitchen, with a crowd of anthropomorphic chefs in chef uniforms walking around and observing.
Considering the two little ones, Lu Mingming planned to make rice with steak and a soup today, with small homemade desserts to cleanse the palate.
The rice with steak would be a combination of black pepper chicken thigh and lettuce, providing energy and a balance of meat and vegetables for essential vitamins.
Lu Mingming skillfully tied her long hair into a bun, rolled up her knitted sweater, and put on a kitchen apron, revealing her fair and slender arms as she prepared to start.
She had bought three chicken thighs, choosing free-range black-boned chicken thighs from the countryside. Each was meaty and had thin skin, making them appetizing. Their nutritional value was much higher than synthetic meat, and one thigh was perfect for each person.
Lu Mingming specifically bought deboned chicken thighs that were already prepared, reducing the processing time. The soft, tender chicken was preserved perfectly in the food container, still carrying a hint of the raw meat's scent.
She opened another container, which held the seasonings she had bought.
The faint spiciness of the black pepper sauce filled her nostrils, causing her to sneeze repeatedly. The chefs behind her furrowed their brows.
What on earth was this stuff?
It wasn't that the chefs lacked knowledge; such seasonings were generally unpopular in the interstellar world and were too unfriendly to animal noses.
Lu Mingming, having lived on Earth for too long, didn't pay much attention. If she was going to make black pepper chicken thighs, of course, she had to marinate them with black pepper for flavor.
She added a few other ingredients and water to make the black pepper sauce into a sauce, then used a knife to make several slits in the chicken thigh meat, revealing the delicate texture within to ensure it would be fully flavored during marination.
Lu Mingming put on plastic gloves and grabbed the chicken, mixing it in the black pepper sauce.
The amber-colored, viscous black pepper sauce had a rich aroma. As the chicken thighs were continuously flipped and mixed, they were dyed a caramel-like color, and a mellow fragrance gradually wafted out.
The next step was to wait for more than ten minutes.
While the chicken thighs were marinating, Lu Mingming washed and peeled the prepared potatoes, carrots, and lettuce.
The emerald green asparagus, like tender spring grass, was held by one end by Lu Mingming and sliced into pieces as thin as cicada wings.
Under the bright light, her fingers could be seen through the thickness of the asparagus slices, casting a solid shadow.
Lu Mingming put the asparagus slices and crisp asparagus leaves into a pot, added some oil, and stir-fried them until cooked. The refreshing aroma of the crisp lettuce filled the air.
The children at home didn't like vegetables, but Lu Mingming wouldn't allow them to be picky eaters. They had to eat some to ensure balanced nutrition.
Of course, considering that the two cubs were carnivores, most of the lettuce was divided into Lu Mingming's lunchbox.
The rice cooked today was different from before.
Since they were going out to play, she tried to prepare good things.
Lu Mingming took out an empty bowl and poured in the mixed grains she had asked the staff for earlier. She had searched for a long time; the bag contained only the best cultivated varieties. The multicolored grains were plump, and the red beans were large and swollen.
They looked healthy and delicious.
Lu Mingming loved eating multi-grain rice on Earth. The steamed rice was soft, fragrant, and sweet, good for replenishing energy and strengthening the body, and it was also very filling.
The little ones were at a mischievous age, so there was no need to worry about them getting hungry shortly after eating.
Using high-tech kitchen utensils to quickly complete the soaking time, Lu Mingming took another steamer rack and placed the potatoes in the rice cooker to steam together.
This preliminarily completed the rice portion.
The surrounding chefs saw Lu Mingming working as if she had eight hands and sent a young intern to quietly ask if she needed any help.
"Thank you, could you please cut the tofu over there into pieces for me? Thank you."
Lu Mingming felt a little apologetic about needing help. The next dish, a milky white sturgeon soup, would take even longer.
The little girl nodded and happily came forward.
After all, being the current first-place competitor, being able to help and learn was beneficial.
While entrusting the task to the little girl, Lu Mingming busily brushed a layer of oil on the bottom of the pot.
When the pot was hot enough, Lu Mingming added some chopped mushrooms to the side of the pot to pan-fry them, then used tongs to place the marinated chicken thighs into the pot.
For the three chicken thighs, she only intended to pan-fry hers thoroughly; the two carnivore cubs would naturally have raw food.
The spatula flipped the chicken thighs back and forth in the hot pot. The fat inside the chicken thighs condensed into a glistening oil on the skin. The edges turned a slightly charred color in the hot oil, and the black pepper sauce inside the chicken gradually adhered to the surface, forming an amber glaze.
A large amount of black pepper sauce concentrated into a rich juice, which was greedily absorbed by the increasingly plump muscle surface.
The tender meat gradually turned into cooked meat with visible texture, as if a bite would unleash a burst of sauce.
The mushrooms, worthy of being a rare delicacy, released a natural wild fragrance in the sauce, making one's mouth water and the deliciousness irresistible.
An unprecedented unique aroma filled the air—fragrant, spicy, and pure, mixed with natural freshness.
The chefs in the back kitchen secretly turned their heads to see what Lu Mingming was making, as it smelled so good.
The intern couldn't help but swallow a little and asked, "Sister, what are you making?"
"Black pepper chicken thighs, smells good, doesn't it?"
Lu Mingming didn't hide anything, never intending to keep her recipes a secret.
The little girl hadn't heard of this dish's name and nodded with a half-understanding expression, praising, "Sister, if you opened a restaurant, it would definitely be a huge hit. I would come to eat every day."
Amused by her sincere tone, Lu Mingming pondered for two seconds and gave a vague answer, "Maybe there will be an opportunity in the future."
Having been asked about opening a restaurant by several people consecutively, Lu Mingming felt a slight waver in her heart, but the opportunity was too distant for now. She would consider it when she had money!
After speaking, Lu Mingming transferred the pan-fried chicken into three lunchboxes. The steaming black pepper chicken thighs and stir-fried lettuce were separated by dividers, each emitting its own aroma.
Lu Mingming then began to prepare the last dish, which also made her uneasy—milky white sturgeon soup.
The unease stemmed from the fact that no one in the Interstellar Alliance ate fish.
Lu Mingming making this fish soup was considered the first person in the alliance's history.