Traveling through various miniature worlds with a small restaurant

Chapter 203 The Bizarre Post-Apocalyptic World 20

Mo Ying's calming spell worked wonders, completely soothing Lin Xiaoqian's panic. In addition, after eating the hot and spicy hot pot, she completely relaxed.

Since there weren't many customers coming to eat in town, she went back to her room to rest early after finishing her meal.

Because she went to bed early the day before, Lin Xiaoqian woke up very early the next day, feeling energetic and as if she had been fully recharged.

She quickly finished washing up, then went next door to check on Jiang Shuang, who was still unconscious, and fed her a nutritional supplement.

It was still dark outside, quite early, and everyone else was still asleep, so Lin Xiaoqian went downstairs first.

Once she reached the kitchen on the first floor, she first prepared the dough for making steamed buns and set it aside to ferment.

Then she started preparing the fillings for today's steamed buns. Lin Xiaoqian was going to steam three kinds of fillings for today's buns.

One type is a sweet red bean paste bun, another is a spicy tofu bun, and there's also a mushroom and meat bun—some are sweet, some are savory, and some are meat, while others are vegetarian.

Lin Xiaoqian first put the red beans that had been soaked overnight into a pressure cooker and cooked them until soft. The red beans were large red beans that she carefully selected, as the red bean paste made from these beans is smoother and more creamy.

Put the cooked red beans into a blender with a little water and blend into a smooth red bean paste. Then put it into a pot and heat it over medium-low heat while stirring.

During the stir-frying process, lard and sugar are added in two batches. As the lard and sugar are incorporated, a sweet and rich aroma gradually fills the kitchen.

Lin Xiaoqian kept her eyes fixed on the pot, her hands moving skillfully and steadily, each stir-frying just right to ensure the red bean paste was heated evenly and wouldn't burn.

After a period of patient stir-frying, the red bean paste was completely dried out, becoming thick and creamy, and its color became even more appealing.

Lin Xiaoqian picked up a small spoon, scooped out a small piece, blew on it gently, and put it in her mouth to taste. The sweet and soft flavor spread on her tongue. She squinted her eyes slightly. Sure enough, sweet things always make people feel happy.

Satisfied, scoop out the stir-fried red bean paste and set it aside to cool.

Next, she began preparing the filling for the spicy tofu buns.

Lin Xiaoqian cut the fresh tofu into small pieces and blanched them in boiling water with salt for two minutes. This not only removes the beany taste but also makes the tofu firmer. After blanching, the tofu is taken out, drained, and set aside.

Soak the sweet potato noodles in advance until soft, then chop them up and add a little dark soy sauce to color them. Then pour them directly into the tofu and mix well.

Heat a wok over medium-low heat and add the minced fatty and lean meat directly into the wok.

As the temperature rises, the fatty meat begins to sizzle and release oil, the clear fat slowly seeping out and pooling at the bottom of the pot. The lean meat also gradually changes color, from its original tender red to a light brown.

Lin Xiaoqian kept stirring the meat with a spatula, and the aroma of the meat began to fill the air. Once the minced meat was fully cooked, she poured chili powder, pepper powder, chopped green onions, minced ginger, and minced garlic into the pot all at once.

The pungent aroma of scallions, ginger, and garlic quickly mingled with the fragrance of meat, and in an instant, a rich aroma burst forth from the kitchen. If someone were passing by a restaurant at this moment, they would probably be drooling from the enticement.

Next, Lin Xiaoqian added a large spoonful of fermented soybean paste. As the paste hit the pan, the bright red oil instantly spread out. She quickly stirred it to coat the minced meat evenly with the paste.

Lin Xiaoqian seized the opportunity, added a bowl of water to the pot, and after it boiled, she poured the previously mixed tofu paste and sweet potato vermicelli pieces back into the pot.

Lin Xiaoqian skillfully wielded the spatula, mixing the ingredients with the red oil and minced meat. The vermicelli and tofu cubes absorbed the essence of the meat juice and seasonings, becoming glossy and bright in color, which looked very appetizing.

Finally, reduce the sauce until it thickens and forms a ball, sprinkle with chopped green onions, and it's ready to serve!

After Lin Xiaoqian's adjustments, the filling for the spicy tofu buns was ready. She put the prepared tofu filling in the refrigerator to let the broth solidify slightly, making it easier to wrap the buns and preventing the filling from falling apart.

Finally, there's the filling for the mushroom and pork buns.

Lin Xiaoqian selected a large piece of fresh pork foreleg meat from the warehouse, with a fat-to-lean ratio of 3:7.

Cut the meat into small pieces, and then comes the most time-consuming step—mincing the meat.

Lin Xiaoqian remembers that whether she was a child or now that she is grown up, her grandmother always chopped the meat filling herself with a knife, whether she was making dumplings or meat buns. She believed that hand-chopped meat filling tasted better and was more chewy than machine-ground meat filling.

"Thump thump thump thump..." The cleaver tapped rhythmically on the cutting board. As the blade continued to collide with the cutting board, the chunks of meat gradually turned into fine and even minced meat. The minced meat became a meat patty. At this point, the cleaver stopped and used the knife to turn over the minced meat around the edges and pile it in the middle, like a small mountain.

Then continue chopping the meat, turning it over as you chop to ensure that each piece of meat is chopped evenly.

However, it shouldn't be chopped too finely; it should remain in granular form for a better texture.

The minced meat was placed in a bowl for later use. Lin Xiaoqian took out fresh shiitake mushrooms, put them in a vegetable washing basket, cut off the roots, turned on the tap, and rinsed them clean.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and once boiling, add the washed shiitake mushrooms and blanch for one minute. Remove them and place them in cold water to cool.

Put lard in a pot and melt it over low heat until it becomes a clear liquid. Add a certain ratio of star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, fennel seeds and dried chili peppers. Fry over low heat. As the oil temperature rises, the aroma of the spices is released. When they change color slightly, use a strainer to remove the spices.

After cleaning, add minced ginger, minced garlic, and chopped green onions to the oil in that order, and fry until the ginger, garlic, and green onions turn slightly yellow before turning off the heat.

Lin Xiaoqian set the fried scallion, ginger, and garlic oil aside to cool naturally. In the meantime, she drained the water from the blanched shiitake mushrooms, chopped them into small pieces the size of corn kernels, added salt and scallion oil, mixed them well, and set them aside for later use.

Next, Lin Xiaoqian began to season the minced meat.

She first poured all the scallions, ginger and garlic that had been fried in lard into the minced meat, and then quickly broke up the meat filling in one direction with her hands, stirring and slapping it as she did so, making the meat filling become more and more chewy.

Following the recipe provided by the system, Lin Xiaoqian prepared the seasoning water and poured it into the minced meat. Using the same technique as before, she continued to stir and beat the meat. With each stir, the minced meat became firmer and more elastic.

Finally, add the shiitake mushrooms to the minced meat and stir well again to fully combine the mushrooms and meat. Then, pour in sesame oil to finish.

She checked the time and found that the spicy tofu filling she had put in the refrigerator was almost ready. All three fillings were prepared, and she could start making the buns.