Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 210 - 154: Business Opportunity for Wealth, Great Xia’s Eight Delicacies_2

Skimming off the surface oil film, he ladled three spoonfuls of rich soup into a milk pan, took some pumpkin puree from the fridge, and similarly added three spoonfuls while quickly stirring it.

The originally milky white soup visibly turned golden at an eye-catching speed, and became thick, with a faint sweet aroma.

He took a flower mushroom, scoring a cross pattern on it, and tossed it in to simmer.

In another milk pan, he poured in clear water and brought it to a boil on high heat.

During this time, he selected two plump little abalones and a thick piece of fish maw from the foam box.

The abalone surfaces were thoroughly cleaned, and the teeth removed, leaving only the meat and liver, ready for use.

The fish maw required additional cleaning; he didn't trust the processing methods of foreigners.

He turned out the fish maw, sprinkled it with a little baking soda and flour, and scrubbed it several times, visibly seeing the batter turning light pink, then rinsed it clean.

He sliced the fish maw into thin strips like bean sprouts, blanched it in boiling water for thirty seconds, then rinsed it in cold water, followed by the abalone, which he blanched for about two more minutes, before transferring them both into the soup base to continue simmering.

The purpose of blanching was to remove the remaining slight seafood smell, so as not to affect the soup's inherent deliciousness.

Five minutes later.

A pot of rich, golden yellow, and aromatic seafood nourishing soup was placed in front of Magna.

With limited ingredients at hand, Lin Chen also thoughtfully added a completely braised chicken leg to give it more substance.

The meat used in this stew wasn't meant for sale, originally intended for employee meals, handled internally, but now that a guest was here, having only three ingredients in the soup seemed too meager.

"This soup smells so good, truly worthy of the Head Chef's skill."

Although the whole process was extremely simple, Magna understood that the real core secret must be in this pot of rich soup.

He scooped up a full spoon of broth, lifting it and tilting it slightly, watching as the golden liquid dripped smoothly like silky milk.

The broth was clear and bright, without any visible impurities, only the soaked ingredients were visible, not even crushed black pepper.

"Phew—"

He cautiously blew on it a few times before daring to taste it, obviously not wanting to scald himself again.

There wasn't the expected floury texture of cream soup nor the fishy taste of seafood soup, only the purest umami sweetness.

The boiling temperature enhanced the meat soup's rich aroma, and though no oil was visible, it felt slightly sticky on the lips, this was his first time experiencing such a magical texture.

He wasn't particularly interested in the mushrooms, abalone, or chicken leg in the soup, instead, his curiosity was piqued by the fish maw.

The Romantic Country people eat offal, primarily of cattle and pigs, fish offal isn't something they commonly eat.

He had already decided that as long as it was edible, it didn't need to taste great; he could sell it.

Selling to others was sure to lack market, but he could sell to Lin Chen!

If nothing else, it could be given as a favor, since it would otherwise just be discarded rubbish.

The shredded fish maw looked white and tender, reminiscent of seafood mushrooms.

He didn't hesitate, purposefully scooping extra strands, draining excess broth to better taste the fish maw itself.

Fresh fish maw had a chewy, elastic texture, with a subtle hint of the sea flavor, not noticeable unless focused on.

As for taste, it had none; it was all about the texture.

He tilted his head in puzzlement, looking at Lin Chen, "What's the purpose of adding this? Just to enhance texture?"

"That's one reason, but it's also because fish maw is highly nutritious, rich in collagen protein, with dried fish maw containing more than eighty percent protein per hundred grams, yet only fractions of fat."

"Additionally, fish maw contains over twenty types of amino acids essential for the human body, and in our Great Xia, it's listed as one of the eight gourmet ingredients, particularly beneficial for pregnant women, the sick, and children for their health."

"Huh??? Is this rubbish really so nutritious?"

Magna was a bit stunned.

If I had known how highly Great Xia valued this stuff, exporting it would have been a great business!

Thinking about the countless amounts of gold squandered over the past decade in waste, his intestines twisted in regret as he took a few deep gulps of hot soup to calm down.

"Of course, the fish maw you've brought here is too small and of poor quality, lacking commercial value. If you could get the maw from large ocean fish, or from certain specific types, then it would have high value; you can search online for more specific information."

The words were clear; as a businessman, Magna understood Lin Chen was hinting at a lucrative path.

Once he knew which types of ocean fish maws were valuable, he could exploit the gap in information, buying cheaply what others discarded as garbage, then exporting to Great Xia at normal prices, with the price difference likely more than tenfold.

If not for encountering Lin Chen, this Great Xia chef, he'd have never known garbage could fetch such prices.

Fish offal, in the minds of people here, was merely fit to be sold for feed, only a fool would buy it to eat themselves.

"Alright, may God bless you, Lin!!"

Time is money; he couldn't sit still, quickly grabbing a takeaway box to pack the remaining seafood soup, ready to enjoy on his way back.

While packing, he also dug out his phone to call his subordinates.

"Hey! It's me, from now on, separate all fish maws by type, right, write down the names for me, anyone who dares throw them away, I'll toss them into the sea for the sharks!!"

Fish maw, also known as swim bladder, is actually the stomach; tripe is also stomach, as are gizzards—there are many names, but all are good stuff.

Lin Chen wasn't idle either, thoroughly cleaning the remaining box of fish maw, cutting it into fine strips and soaking it in scallion ginger water, drizzling it with high-proof rum to eliminate the fishiness.

"Ding"

Suddenly a notification sound came from the lobby, seemingly from the reception, echoing pleasantly in the empty space.

Walking over, he picked up the front desk pad for a glance, finding it was a backend message from the hotel's internal software.

[The three groups of guests booked for dinner today have finished their activities and are expected to arrive at the restaurant within half an hour to an hour, please prepare for reception.]

"There's even a notification? Not bad, this makes it much more comfortable."

It was past three o'clock, so by the time guests arrived around four, there was plenty of time for chefs to unleash their creativity and prepare the dishes.

A few seconds later, he also received the same notification on his phone.

"Looks like there's no need to notify Jonathan, so I'll just wait here."

Within half an hour, two groups of staff members returned to the restaurant and sat idly in the lobby, playing on their phones while patiently waiting for the guests.

At 4:05 p.m.,

two familiar figures finally appeared at the entrance of the restaurant.

Dreya and Anna.

Both were wearing form-fitting long dresses, one in white and the other in black, with the dress surfaces adorned with numerous rhinestones, sparkling with their movements as if attending a grand banquet.

"What?!"

Jonathan leaped from his chair upon seeing them.

"A superstar, it's actually Dreya. How could she appear here? The secrecy measures must be top-notch, right?"

He expected everyone to be as surprised as him, but when he turned to look, everyone wore expressions indicating they had expected this all along.

"You all knew? So only I didn't know??"

"That's because you stayed cooped up in the kitchen all day!"

Helena rolled her eyes in exasperation and, along with Dais, stepped forward to greet the guests.

"Welcome, both of you, feel free to sit anywhere you like, your ingredients…"

"Will be delivered shortly."

"Alright, would you like something to drink first?"

"Not for now, we'll decide after the dishes are set."

Though elegantly and splendidly dressed, Dreya and Anna eyed Lin Chen with playful smiles, their lips slightly upturned.

Anna even stepped forward, resting her forearm on his shoulder, "Ha ha, finally we have you. I refuse to believe you can make everything taste good!"