Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

The three flavors of mala tang completely won over the hearts of the ladies. After they finished all the food in their meal boxes, they even drank the remaining soup until it was all gone.

The dry mix was even more addictive. As they ate, the remaining small scallions and pickled vegetable bits at the bottom of the bowl became increasingly noticeable, especially when wrapped in vegetable leaves and eaten with the juicy sauce-coated bits. The texture was simply amazing.

Crisp, tender, and juicy, with salty, savory, spicy, and sweet flavors bursting on the tongue, providing them with an ultimate taste experience.

"You Great Xia people sure know how to eat. How did you come up with this?"

"Just from the mala crayfish seasoning, it seems like so many different foods have evolved, each with a completely different taste."

"This mala tang is truly amazing, even with the same seasoning, it can produce different flavors with different foods. I dare to bet, there’s absolutely no one who wouldn’t like this food!"

"Chef, wouldn’t this kind of food be suitable for a buffet? It’s convenient to manage, requires little manpower, and the flavors are diverse."

"Indeed."

Lin Chen nodded, "The reason why I’m choosing to start with this is also with this consideration, it’s like doing market research."

"If guests respond well, it can be made a permanent part of the buffet menu in the future."

"Plus, there are many similar foods like skewers, hot pot, and Bangbang chicken, which can be gradually added in the future."

"So many delicious self-service foods, and there are so many different cooking modes??"

"Yeah, exactly."

Lucas said with an expression that suggested it was obvious, "Just eat, once you eat it, you won’t make a sound."

"I’m not boasting, but no cuisine combined from all the countries in the world has as many varieties as Great Xia Cuisine. Out of so many countries, only a few have truly delicious food, and the types are generally similar."

"For example, when you mention Hops Country, you probably think of beer, crispy pork knuckle, and sauerkraut, right?"

"When you think of Italy, it’s likely pizza and pasta, right?"

"Our Romantic Country is a bit better, with a variety of French cuisines and flavors, and oysters are relatively famous."

"Mexico is known for tacos, barbecues, and chili peppers, Indu for all kinds of curries."

"And Australia Island for Angus beef and lamb, the United States for smoked meats, fried chicken, and fries, Canada for maple syrup and ice wine, etc."

"But if I asked you to list more dishes, there probably wouldn’t be many, would there?"

Not only the four ladies but even Jonathan, who was busy prepping dishes, started subconsciously brainstorming.

Upon reflection, it seemed to be true.

These countries have two or three well-known dishes, five or six at most, but not much more that is distinct.

"Great Xia is different. Each region has its unique cooking methods, flavor preferences, and different ingredient choices."

"For example, the garlic roasted oysters and scallops we sold before are dishes the coastal areas excel at."

"Before coming here, we sold roujiamo, which is also called meat sandwich bun, and oil-splash noodles, which are foods from the northwest region."

"Mala crayfish are relatively famous in the central region of Great Xia, but they’re available everywhere in the country."

"The dumplings, wontons, and zhajiang noodles we’ve been making lately are more commonly eaten in the southern part of Great Xia, but if you bring them to the north, the flavors and forms of these three foods would change."

"Including this mala tang and the hot pot mentioned earlier, there are different methods and flavors in different regions."

"Even sticky rice balls vary significantly between the north and south, as do dough sticks and soy milk."

"If you see, I’ve already mentioned so many different foods, and each one is delicious, right? But these are just the tip of the iceberg!"

"Even if we made a few different foods every day, we’d probably never repeat any in our lifetime. This is the incredible and ancient food culture of Great Xia!"

Speaking of this, Lucas spoke confidently and longingly, as if he were introducing his great motherland to foreigners.

The four ladies were completely drawn into the scenes he described. Though they had just eaten to their fill, they uncontrollably began to lick their lips.

Even if they weren’t sure what foods he was talking about, it was surely delicious.

Can’t wait!

Since it was a trial run, Lin Chen hadn’t announced it, and the official website’s voting was set to close at noon today.

Besides the guests already residing at the hotel, no one would have guessed that he would start making mala tang as soon as the voting closed.

Even Jonathan, who tried a few bites of mala tang during a busy moment, was captivated by this wonderful flavor and began considering whether he could incorporate similar methods or these sauces into Western cuisine.

Since the restaurant sells Great Xia Cuisine, it’s only logical to fuse characteristics of Great Xia’s cooking into Western food, right?

Perhaps he might even win over diners’ praises because of it.

After everyone finished breakfast and prepped ingredients in the kitchen for over ten minutes, they started loading various ingredients onto the food truck.

The expanded interior space of the food truck was now at least 50% larger, easily accommodating enough food for one meal’s sale.

The wooden bucket sticky rice can’t be left for too long; once it cools, the texture is affected, so it’s best to steam another bucket as it’s sold.

Because of the large size of the wooden buckets, the small stove inside the food truck couldn’t fit them, so they had to be steamed in the restaurant kitchen.

Taking advantage of having more energy in the morning, Lin Chen and Lucas loaded the full wooden bucket of rice and three large tubs of soup onto the truck in one go, to avoid being too tired to lift at noon after the morning rush.

There are ten minutes until seven o’clock.

A long line had already formed in front of the food truck.

The diners watched wide-eyed as the two men loaded bucket after bucket of unknown heavy ingredients onto the truck, while two women pushed carts full of ingredients toward them.

"What delicious food are they making today? It looks really sumptuous!"

"What’s in those pans? Can we take a look?"

The few diners at the front of the line couldn’t wait, standing on tiptoe to peek over. They were feeling impatient for the first time because a certain food truck’s hygiene measures were done so thoroughly.

We all know you’re really skilled, and the hygiene surely isn’t a problem. Isn’t it unnecessary to cover it up so tightly?

"Do you want to see?"

Dais and Elsa, who were loading ingredients onto the truck, paused when they heard the diners’ curious urging, exchanged glances, and then lifted the plastic covers.

Inside were densely sliced potatoes, soaking in clear water.

Another pan held carrot shreds, and there was a pan of diced green beans.

Sliced green peppers were in another container, visible at a glance.

"That’s it??"

Expecting something delicious in the pans, the diners momentarily showed disappointment upon seeing these three ordinary ingredients.

But they quickly adjusted their mindset, reigniting the look of anticipation.

What’s wrong with ordinary ingredients, as long as they taste good?

If you can’t imagine what the head chef will make, that’s your problem, not the chef’s. You can’t blame them!

Besides, at the front, there were clearly several heavy soup pots and wooden barrels. What’s inside them was still unknown, so it’s too soon to jump to conclusions.

"What’s this yellow thing, potato? Or parsnip?"

"It’s potato shreds," Dais answered with a smile.

"Potatoes can be shredded so finely?"

"Hey, that’s interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever had shredded potatoes before."

"Whoosh~"

Suddenly, a burst of flames interrupted the conversation of the few diners at the front.

Seeing Lin Chen with the familiar semi-circular wok in front of him, they knew another performance was about to start.

Sure enough.

When the drained potato shreds hit the sizzling hot oil, it instantly made a ’sizzle’ sound, accompanied by the rising dense steam.

Lin Chen flipped his wrist, tossing the potato shreds into the air, as a fierce flame suddenly ignited at that moment.

"That’s it! I saw this in a video before!"

"Wow, the wok is on fire! That’s amazing!"

"Will potatoes fried like this be more fragrant? Has anyone tried it?"

Wilson was once again among the top three in line today.

For a recently retired professional special forces soldier, waking up early was routine, especially since he was recovering through exercise lately.

He had been jogging outside while Lin Chen came downstairs, watching as he entered the restaurant, silently calculating the time.

After his morning exercise, he even took a quick shower before lining up, not wanting to let the smell of sweat affect his image, yet he didn’t expect two people to have gotten ahead of him in line.

Looks like they are kindred spirits!

Seeing the potato shreds flipping through the flames in the wok, his eyes were full of amazement, feeling like he had missed out on millions before, quickly asking around if anyone had tried it.

Because he had watched all the videos under Lucas’s account last night, he knew that these potato shreds weren’t appearing for the first time.

Not just the potato shreds, even this fiery cooking method had Michelin Chef Mr. Marchello come over to learn, proving that dishes cooked this way have a unique flavor.

"I’ve tried it!"

He didn’t expect anyone to respond, quickly turning to look in the direction the voice came from.

Hold on, what’s this uniform... Security guard???

Meng Qi was just two spots behind him, wearing a hotel security uniform, obviously a staff member.

Apart from Wilson, others were looking at him with strange eyes as well.

"Don’t misunderstand, I’m not working now. I’m just waiting for my shift, which starts at eight,"

Meng Qi quickly explained with a wave of hand, "I thought I’d come early for breakfast, and decided to change into my uniform first, just in case I’m pressed for time later."

"When Chef Lin was setting up his stall in Amiens, I was already a loyal customer. I only followed him here last week, and didn’t expect to get an even better job, hehe, he’s practically my lucky star!"

"Let me tell you, dishes stir-fried with flames have a special taste, kind of like a charcoal-grilled flavor, but not quite the same. Just super delicious, and you’ll know when you try, definitely not an exaggeration!"