Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Two completely different wrapping techniques, one delicate and the other casual, left Daniel somewhat dazzled.

Before he could react, the whole basket of buns was already arranged neatly and placed over boiling water to steam.

Upon hearing that breakfast was being prepared for everyone, several beautiful women conscientiously came over to help.

Some were setting bowls, while others were grabbing condiments.

Especially Dais and Elsa, whose involvement might be needed when serving the wontons, so it was good for them to familiarize themselves with the process in advance.

"Add half a tablespoon of pork lard to each bowl."

While Lin Chen was wrapping buns, he verbally directed them on how to prepare the broth.

"Half a tablespoon sea salt, one tablespoon chicken powder, one tablespoon MSG, half a tablespoon soy sauce, tear a few pieces of seaweed at will, a spoonful of dried shrimp, shake the pepper powder three times, add more if you like, and add a bit of scallion."

The essence of wonton soup is its freshness, essentially relying on seaweed and MSG as the main seasonings, along with some broth from boiled wontons.

If possible, some thinly spread egg pancakes can be shredded and added to enhance texture and flavor, improving the appearance as well.

However, spreading egg pancakes very thinly is a skill that requires practice, and to avoid unnecessary work for everyone, he decided against it.

After glancing a few times, Jonathan returned to complete the final steps of the dish.

"Anyone want to try my newly developed mushroom cream cheese lasagna?"

"Hmm?"

The name immediately piqued everyone’s interest.

No wonder this guy wasn’t as busy as last time; he found a way to slack off.

"Sounds good. If you need taste testers, you can make a portion for everyone to try."

"Alright, it’s settled then."

Saying this, he threw the already made lasagna into the oven.

The classic flavor of Italian lasagna is usually tomato meat sauce.

Though rare, other flavors exist, with cream mushroom being among the more popular ones.

Essentially, lasagna sheets and pasta materials are the same, differing only in shape, so any pasta flavor can be made into lasagna.

But Jonathan spoke of innovation, signaling significant differences in taste.

They are colleagues working in a restaurant, and while everyone internally preferred Lin Chen’s food, they outwardly balanced both sides.

Within a few minutes, a rich fragrance of wheat began to waft through the kitchen air.

Lin Chen glanced at the watch and started putting small wontons into boiling water.

These thin-skinned bubble wontons cook quickly, changing color once touched by boiling water; after a dozen seconds, they float up naturally and can be served.

Before serving, pour wonton broth into the pre-prepared seasoning bowls, letting pork lard melt in the broth, enhancing the aroma and flavor of seaweed, shrimp skin, and scallion.

This half tablespoon of pork lard is crucial, transforming ordinary clear soup into rich, meaty, flavorful stock.

Once the wontons float up, scoop them out with a skimmer and directly portion them into bowls.

That’s not all.

According to local tradition, a spoonful of chopped preserved vegetables is added, also essential.

"It’s a pity there’s no time to fry some dough sticks; crushing old dough sticks to add would be tastier."

Lin Chen sighed quietly to himself; making dough sticks is a skillful task, especially for someone who’s never tried it before. One can’t just follow a recipe; firsthand practice is necessary.

"Everyone, take your bowls; the buns are almost ready. Have some hot soup to whet your appetite."

As the soup stimulated the lard aroma, its scent became richer over time.

Some touched their bowls, though plastic, heat was still permeating through after a while.

Thinking about it, they decided to eat right there, sparing themselves from moving back and forth.

Everyone had seen the small wontons in the past few days, so it wasn’t novel but more focused on the taste.

Only Daniel saw them for the first time, curiously picking up a spoon to stir the bowl, allowing all ingredients to blend thoroughly.

Since Chef Lin made it, there was no doubt about the taste.

Remembering the crawfish he ate on Sunday, he couldn’t help but salivate.

Without hesitation, he scooped up a spoonful of broth to taste first.

Not foolish, having witnessed it being made, he knew this seemingly calm wonton soup was just ladled from the boiling pot, sure to be quite hot.

He blew gently before testing its temperature with his lips and safely drank the whole spoonful.

Just one spoonful, and the subtle yet rich fresh flavor instantly widened his eyes.

The freshness of seaweed was a flavor he had never tasted before, seemingly carrying the breath of the ocean. Coupled with the fragrant lard floating on the surface and the fiery hot pepper powder, paired with the heat of the boiling soup, it created an urge to drink it endlessly.

He didn’t care what seasoning was added to the soup to make it so fresh; as long as it was delicious, it was enough.

After drinking several mouthfuls of wonton soup, fine beads of sweat quickly appeared on Daniel’s forehead.

He scooped up another wonton that looked like it was all thin dough skins.

"Slurp"

With a gentle effort, before he could react, the wonton slid into his mouth.

The wonton wrapper hardly had any texture to speak of, only a soft, tender, and smooth taste that would melt with a gentle push of the tongue.

The meat filling inside was hardly tasted, yet he could distinctly feel a slight pork texture. More than anything, the fresh soup flavor stood out.

After a few bites, he felt rejuvenated, as if the fatigue from working overnight was completely swept away by a simple bowl of wonton soup.

Especially when he inadvertently chewed on some crispy unknown vegetables at the bottom of the bowl, the light salty fresh taste and that extreme crispiness gave him a sensation of eating pickled cucumbers.

"This wonton soup is so delicious, it’s too good. It feels very suitable for breakfast. A few sips can wake a person up; it seems quite good for relieving hangovers too!"

As Daniel marveled at the tasty small wontons, a steam enveloped in rich flour fragrance arose in front of him.

Lin Chen had already lifted the lid of the steaming basket, placing the whole basket onto the table.

The steaming basket had two layers, each containing ten buns, slightly smaller than a fist size. With Jonathan’s lasagna in the oven, it was just about enough for everyone to have a snack.

The four girls didn’t eat much, mainly the four men had bigger appetites.

Those working here weren’t in a hurry as they could eat anytime, just needed a bite for now. Daniel’s satiety took priority.

The principle of Great Xia people doing business was rather to offend King Yama than the little ghost.

Though he was just a delivery guy, if the relationship wasn’t managed well, he could easily slow down on the road, claim a half-hour to an hour traffic jam delay. What could one do?

Ultimately, it affected them.

As a cautious chef, he’d rather make some food to build a good relationship and avoid any unnecessary surprises.

As the saying goes, people’s words are short when they’ve eaten yours.

As long as he could stir up Daniel’s appetite, perhaps he’d deliver more diligently.

The freshly steamed buns were fluffy, with the dough visibly swelling, continuously releasing steam with a rich wheat aroma.

This flour fragrance was distinctly different from the nearby buttery scent of western bakeries; it was pure wheat aroma, clean, without any butter or cream ingredients added, resembling the fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza smell.

"Gulp"

Lucas couldn’t help it and swallowed loudly.

He didn’t feel embarrassed as everyone’s expressions were quite similar, immediately reaching out to grab a big bun from the steamer, blowing on it.

While blowing, he kept switching hands, clearly finding it too hot to handle.

The four waitresses weren’t as impatient, knowing to use chopsticks to pick up and avoid burning their hands.

Daniel followed suit, picking up a bun with his chopsticks.

Clearly different from when it was just wrapped, at that time the dough layer was thin, now the dough had visibly fermented, appearing fluffy and soft like a sponge, even springing back when pressed.

Moreover, some thin-skinned areas had meat juice seeping through, dyeing the snow-white dough into an enticing light brown color, looking delicious.

Taking a big bite was easy, the fluffy dough tearing effortlessly, the interior wall soaked with the meat filling’s sauce, its fragrance spreading all around.

The sauce was brown-red, most likely soy sauce colored; even he could tell.

The bun’s meat filling was packed to the brim, with barely any gap between it and the dough, looking like a giant meatball.

Though it looked like it, the taste was entirely different.

The meat filling wasn’t of a firm texture; rather, it was very tender and juicy, melting with a few gentle swipes of the tongue.

Upon careful tasting, there was a noticeable fragrance from the oil, and you could see shiny juice where the dough and meat filling met, unsure whether it was oil or juice, combined with the outer dough coat while chewing, the taste was simply overwhelming.

Especially the little spring onions mixed inside the meat filling, balancing away the greasiness, leaving only an ultimate aroma.

He had never tasted such delicious dough products; for a moment, he was amazed, gobbling down the entire bun in a few bites.

Before swallowing what was in his mouth, his chopstick was already reaching for another bun in the steamer.

Not only him; even Jonathan and the four beautiful waitresses were stunned by the bun’s deliciousness, unable to imagine such a small thing holding such a wonderful taste.

Especially when it first entered the mouth, the bun dough offering a sweet aftertaste, combined with the rich soy sauce-infused meat juice and filling being chewed together, the taste buds experienced an ultimate satisfaction.

They had indeed never seen a bun shop, but they could find ready-made buns and frozen ones at any Asian market; the taste was just so-so, entirely different from freshly made ones in front of them, seemingly like two entirely different food types.

"Crack!"

Just as he immersed in the bun’s deliciousness, his chopstick suddenly hit something hard, making a clear sound.