The Young Chinese Working as On-Demand Private Chefs

Fried chicken coated with ground Sichuan peppercorn; chili peppers sautéed with hot oil in the wok; then finally everything tossed together and topped up with chili peppers and cilantro. Wang Xueli carefully transferred the food onto a plate and sprinkled some sesame on top — the famous Sichuan spicy popcorn chicken dish was ready. Wang, 22, who lives in Suzhou in eastern Jiangsu province, was making her hometown classic — not to cure her homesickness, but for her customers, whose kitchen she was using. She is not a professional chef. In China’s affluent cities, amateur private chefs who cook up a storm in their customers’ own kitchen have become increasingly popular. On lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, posts about such services have received nearly 35 million views.

tips

fried 油炸的（fry 油炸）

coat 外套；vt. 穿外套

peppercorn 花椒粉

pepper 胡椒；胡椒粉

toss 投掷

chili 干辣椒；辣椒粉

cilantro 香菜

sprinkle vt. 洒（调味料）

sesame 芝麻

spicy 辣味的

popcorn 爆米花

spicy popcorn chicken 辣子鸡

chef 厨师

affluent 丰富的；富裕的