Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 96: Tofu Dishes That Made the Sakura People Drool

They've been setting up here for two years, and the two of them have long figured out approximately how much sushi sells in a day.

Starting at ten in the morning, they bring out two large wooden barrels filled with prepared sushi rice, along with a refrigerator full of sashimi and other ingredients, and can clock out whenever they sell out.

If business isn't good that day, they're allowed to offer discounts; in any case, after 9 PM they can leave whenever, it's up to them whether to continue selling.

Nakamura Arita has a simple idea: speed up the production, make ten extra rolls of the best-selling sushi, and then take charge of ordering himself, letting Ai queue up next door.

Based on past patterns during dinner rush hours, they can hold up for about half an hour.

Originally, he wasn't interested in the food from the neighboring Great Xia Food Truck. He knew from his time in Great Xia that their cuisine is known for being greasy and heavy, not appealing to someone like him who prefers light flavors.

The fruit ice powder Ai bought a couple of days ago was quite good, cold and smooth with a strong mint flavor, perfect for enjoying after a busy summer evening's work, providing a healing experience.

But after trying the fatty, soft, stringy grilled beef brisket skewer yesterday, he didn't sleep well all night, even using the takeout meal he brought back to fill his stomach didn't help.

He used to consider the restaurant-made boxed meals as the world's most delicious and perfect with balanced nutrition, perfectly paired meat and vegetables, and frequently updated flavors that never made one tired of eating them.

But the emphasis was on being too balanced!

The grilled skewers sold by the Great Xia Food Truck, although not as healthy as the high-quality boxed meals from the restaurant, perfectly crushed them in flavor, offering a refreshing thrill.

He considered the grilled chicken from Sakura Country as the ultimate in barbecue, perfect in controlling ingredients, selecting cuts, and mastering the heat.

But then.

A simple Great Xia grilled beef brisket skewer overturned his understanding.

The seasoning was incredibly simple: just a bit of salt, chili powder, and cumin.

Not even soy sauce was brushed on.

Yet when you tasted it, the tidal wave of beef oil fragrance...

"Gulp."

He snapped back to reality, instinctively swallowing down a mouthful of saliva that he didn't know when it was secreted, speeding up his hand movements.

"Mr. Nakamura, I just heard they're making vegetarian food today, it seems to be tofu cuisine? I love tofu, can we buy two more portions later? Oh, also need one to take back to the Chief."

After trying the grilled skewers last night, the Chief instructed them to bring back a portion whenever this place sells something interesting.

Not for its taste, but for inspiration.

"Tofu cuisine?"

His eyebrows raised slightly, interest piqued immediately.

Tofu, as a staple ingredient for the Sakura People, its mild taste and rich soybean aroma are also his favorites.

Good tofu only needs a simple drizzle of soy sauce to become a supreme delicacy.

Lin Chen was unaware that even before his dishes were out, someone was already looking forward to them.

At the moment, he was staring blankly at the frying pan in front of him.

One second... two seconds... three seconds...

The air above the pan gradually twisted, his eyes focused as he picked up the oil bottle beside him and drizzled it along the edges of the pan, rotating the pan with his left hand to coat every crevice inside.

The oil temperature was five-tenths hot, just slightly warming the hands, he scooped a few spoonfuls of salted egg yolk crumbs into the pan.

The golden-red salted egg yolk crumbs started to expand and bubble in the bit of soybean oil at the bottom, emitting a strong fresh aroma.

Using the back of the spatula, he gently pressed the egg yolk further, soaking it fully in the oil, occasionally stirring to avoid sticking.

About thirty seconds later, the salted egg yolks were fried into gravel-like bits, the unique salty aroma spreading outward along with the evaporating steam.

Today, Lin Chen set the range hood to the lowest level because he wasn't doing high-stir fry or barbecue dishes, mainly focusing on stew, so there wasn't much smoke to worry about.

With a lower range hood power, the aroma from cooking wafted out from the window.

"Hiss... Is this the aroma of duck egg yolk?"

"Simply unbelievable!"

Outside the window, three regular patrons were drooling, frantically inhaling the aroma.

They came almost daily, buying then leaving, rarely talking to Lin Chen, but coming often enough that they recognize his face.

Salted egg yolk shouldn't be fried for too long, otherwise, the aroma will dissipate, and the taste will turn bitter.

Once fried into gravel-like bits, simmer for another ten seconds on low heat, then quickly pour in the pre-boiled broth.

It must be hot water to allow the salted egg yolk to completely dissolve into the soup, preventing it from forming small clumps.

Once the clear broth was added, it immediately turned into a pot of orange-red, slightly golden soup.

This pot of broth was prepared simply, he had spared some time to brew it, combining Western and Japanese vegetable broth methods.

First, using yellow onions and chunks of carrot to steep on high heat for fifteen minutes, then adding kombu to simmer for another fifteen minutes, creating a simple kelp broth.

While making the salted egg yolk tofu casserole, the vegetable broth continued simmering, further enhancing the vegetable's fresh flavor.

Before the water reached a boil, he added a bunch of clean crab-flavored mushrooms, dried wakame, and a bit of cordyceps flowers.

This cordyceps flower isn't the expensive cordyceps, it just has a similar name, appearing in many soup dishes, even commonly seen in hot pot bases, it's an orange-red mushroom-like ingredient similar to an enlarged enoki mushroom, and tastes like mushrooms.

The reason for adding it was mainly for its appealing color.

Under the high heat, the soup quickly boiled, bubbling with beads like fish eyes.

Lin Chen swiftly scooped a spoonful of tofu from the warmer, rinsed it under clean water in the sink, gently shook off excess water, and directly poured it into the pot.

This step absolutely couldn't be skipped because the water used for soaking the tofu was saline, not only salty but having diluted the beany smell of tofu, adding it to the soup would affect the dish's taste, and the salt level would be harder to control.

The snowy white tofu blocks floated and rolled in the golden soup, paired with the brown crab-flavored mushrooms, deep green wakame, and orange-red cordyceps flowers, creating an immediate visual impact.

No need to cook for too long, five minutes would do, then add a bit of starch to thicken the soup, and finally, simply season with some salt, sugar, and pepper powder.

Sprinkle a handful of vibrant green scallions and dried goji berries, and it's ready!

There's no need for chicken essence or MSG, the kelp broth itself is sufficiently savory, not to mention MSG is derived from kelp and mushrooms.

As long as time permits and only natural ingredients are needed, he'll try to avoid using chicken essence or MSG, as it would limit his culinary growth.

A full pot of vibrant-colored, fragrant tofu stew was moved to the counter, still bubbling away with small bubbles.

Lin Chen didn't reach for the packing box, instead, he retrieved another pot, drizzled in some soybean oil, and started preparing the second pot of salted egg yolk tofu casserole.