Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 39: Roujiamo Returns, Limited-Time Upgrade
"...Huh?"
Prompted by Richard’s remark, Marian and George instinctively turned their heads and realized that indeed, there was no trace of mapo tofu on the tables of these Great Xia People.
But mapo tofu...was their unanimously acknowledged highlight of the entire menu, right?
Curiosity piqued, Richard immediately picked up his phone to search online.
"Mapo tofu, one of the top ten representative dishes of the Sichuan and Chongqing region in Great Xia, a dish that harmoniously blends the numbing of Sichuan peppercorns and the spiciness of chili peppers with ingredients, renowned internationally..."
After reading the introduction, the group exchanged puzzled looks.
"Numbing? What’s that?"
"No idea."
George shook his head, "But clearly, this dish isn’t spicy at all, completely contradicting the encyclopedia’s description, indicating it’s not authentic Chinese cuisine."
"No wonder, this must be one of those Westernized Chinese restaurants, right? No wonder we find whatever we casually order to be delicious."
"Dear Marian, next time, why don’t you ask that food cart owner if he can make mapo tofu? I want to try the authentic taste."
George’s usually reserved mother uncharacteristically spoke up, and Marian herself was equally curious, promising on the spot.
Monday.
Lin Chen had just arrived at the restaurant when Chef Raphael called him over.
The table was laid out with a variety of ingredients, clearly bought from the Great Xia Supermarket, some even selected by him.
"I’m planning to develop some new dishes. You’re familiar with these ingredients, do you have any suggestions for pairings or recipes?"
Though Lin Chen had given a brief introduction while shopping yesterday, there were too many fresh things in the supermarket for the chef to remember.
Lin Chen was more than happy to slack off and casually picked up a pack of Longkou vermicelli: "This can be deep-fried, soaked in water, or boiled. After deep-frying, it becomes crispy like crushed chips, providing a different texture."
"When boiled, it resembles the texture of the hot and sour vermicelli eaten for breakfast, relying purely on seasoning. Personally, I think it might not pair well with Western sauces; it’s often matched with seafood and garlic sauces."
"When soaked, it has a more resilient texture and can be used as a cold dish."
"You’ve also tried this yuba, chef. Soaked soft, it will absorb the juices thoroughly."
"This steamed bun, when sliced and toasted, becomes similar to toast and can be used as the base for tartare appetizers, or cut into small pieces and toasted for Caesar salads."
"And these enoki mushrooms..."
As Lin Chen introduced each item, the chef scribbled notes on a sheet of paper, occasionally nodding and inserting questions.
The development of new dishes wasn’t quick; at the very least, it required more than three revisions, and taking longer with dozens of adjustments was normal.
After finishing a day’s work, Lin Chen quickly went home to start making dough.
Armed with previous experience, he was more efficient this time, and coupled with the oven’s reduced baking time by 20%, even saving just one minute per batch became significant over dozens of batches.
To further save time, this time he even made several batches of dough, baking them while en route, with plenty of dough left to bake fresh at the stall. There was no need to bake everything before setting out.
At exactly ten o’clock, he arrived punctually at his usual spot.
The timing was the same as before, but he had prepared nearly twice as much as last time, roughly estimating around three hundred or more roujiamo.
Just after parking the food cart, someone approached with a question.
"Excuse me, is this the stand selling fruit ice powder?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, that’s me, but I didn’t make that today."
Lucas appeared out of nowhere and, seeing the insulated case full of tiger-patterned buns, nearly drooled. Quickly, he grabbed the disappointed customer about to leave.
"Don’t leave, buddy. You probably don’t know, but this Great Xia burger is way more famous than the fruit ice powder. There are even people driving two hours to take dozens back home!"
"What?? Is it really that exaggerated?"
The man immediately grew interested: "Alright, I’ll take one then. What flavors do you have?"
Today, Lin Chen brought two additional vegetables, green peppers and red onions.
The roujiamo, after all, is made with pork belly filling; one is fine, but eating a second can get greasy. Adding some sweet and crunchy vegetables not only enriches the texture but also cuts the grease.
"Original, green pepper, onion, or you can have all. Original is 5 euros, with extra ingredients it’s 0.5 euros, what would you like?"
"Which one’s delicious?"
"If you haven’t tried it, I’d recommend the original. But if you personally like onions or green peppers, that might be even tastier."
"Then I’ll have an onion one."
"I’ll take the ’family pack’!" Lucas also gave a thumbs-up.
While ordering, he didn’t forget to take out his phone to record Lin Chen’s cooking process.
Just as the bun was being split open, there came the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.
"Finally, the cart’s open!!" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
"Quick, boss, I’ll take sixty to go! And can I get a contact number while you’re at it?"
Sister Haofang!!
Upon hearing this familiar voice, Lin Chen’s heart, ready to lift with relief, comfortably settled back down.
Today’s KPI, it seems, would be secured.
When such a big spender actively wants to exchange contact information, Lin Chen certainly wouldn’t refuse.
She lived so far away, yet kept coming to support his business every few days. He would feel guilty if he didn’t show her some appreciation.
"How about this, beautiful lady, since you’re a regular, I’ll give you a 20% discount, and I’ve brought some onions and green peppers today, would you like some on the house?"
Getting a 20% discount on sixty means saving the cost of twelve roujiamos, which is sixty euros, enough for a lavish meal.
Marian beamed, nodding repeatedly: "Yes, please, make it however you see fit to be delicious; give me two first, I’m starving."
The man next to her looked at her in complete shock.
"Buying sixty to go? I mean, is it really that good?"
"You’ll understand once you try it."
At this moment, his ordered roujiamo was done, steaming hot and too hot to hold.
Lucas was about to start filming, incidentally introducing the culture and origins of roujiamo to him.
Upon learning that this dish had a history of over a thousand years, the man’s curiosity peaked, coupled with the aroma of freshly baked buns, stewed meat mingling with its juices, scented with the sweet hint of onions, he couldn’t help but salivate.
"Crunch"
The bun’s surface was baked to a perfect crisp, with a noticeable resilience inside, giving it a crunchy yet elastic chew, as the savory meat juices soaked both inside and out, every bite burst with flavor.
After a few chews, the aroma of fat became richer, the mild pungency of raw red onions masked by the stewed broth, leaving only a refreshing sweetness.
The blending of several flavors created a phenomenal chemical reaction.
"Oh my God, this burger is delicious!"
The man nodded enthusiastically, not even swallowing his first bite before hurriedly reaching for a second and third bite.
Lucas didn’t rush to start eating, as he noticed Lin Chen had also brought a barrel of red oil along.
