Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

"A word of caution, this is not low on spice," instantly triggered the competitive spirit of these foreigners.

This trick never fails, he has tried it many times already. In this regard, men around the world are pretty much the same, cross-border, stubborn as a dead duck.

"Who can’t handle spicy food? Definitely not me. I finished the spicy crayfish soup last weekend and didn’t feel it was spicy!"

"Those crayfish weren’t spicy at all, just a bit numbing. In the beginning, I wasn’t used to it, but the more I ate, the more addicted I got."

"If this spicy soup isn’t hotter than the crayfish, I won’t be satisfied. Can I add extra spice?"

"Is the dry mix spicier or the crayfish?"

Almost every customer who asked couldn’t stay away from the crayfish, after all, it’s the only spicy dish recently and the most popular one.

Aside from using it for comparison, they really couldn’t think of any other reference.

"You can add more spice. Once added, it will definitely be spicier than the crayfish."

Lin Chen’s lips curled slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"The spice level of last weekend’s crayfish, if placed in Great Xia, would merely be considered mildly spicy, meant for people who can’t handle spiciness."

"After all, Great Xia’s mild spice might send someone abroad to the hospital for gastrointestinal treatment; I wouldn’t dare to do that."

"?"

"I don’t believe it!"

"I don’t either; today, I must try your so-called mild spice!"

"I’ve decided, I’ll eat the dry mix for lunch. If it really is too spicy, adding a bit of soup to dilute it would be okay, right?"

"Uh... you can do that, but the taste will change, as the sauce added to the dry mix is different from the ingredients in the soup. I haven’t tried adding soup to dry mix myself."

Gotta say, these foreigners aren’t as foolish as imagined. They can actually think of the idea of adding soup if they can’t handle the spice.

"I recommend everyone to start with mild spice. If it’s not spicy enough, you can add more later. It’s better than starting off too strong."

While chatting, the broth on the stove began to boil.

Adjust the heat of the milk pot to the lowest to keep warm, then pick up a plastic basket, putting the vegetables inside it aside, tossing all the meatballs, meats, and potatoes into a mesh bag to cook.

This mesh bag can be directly hung onto the pot wall, very convenient; many foreigners’ eyes lit up seeing this.

"Hey! Isn’t that used for cooking ramen? I think I’ve seen it in ramen shops opened by Sakura People."

"Ah~ now that you mention it, I remember too. It does seem like the same tool, but it looks slightly bigger."

Boss Magna originally planned to wait by the window, but was unable as curious diners occupied the spot, and had to shamelessly climb up the food truck for a closer look at Lin Chen’s cooking process.

Once all the ingredients are in the pot, every one to two minutes the mesh bag needs to be gently shaken, and if there are more ingredients, it’s best to stir with long chopsticks a few times to avoid the outside being overcooked while the inside is still undercooked.

Besides controlling doneness, if there are many ingredients piled up, it leads to a braising effect inside, affecting the taste. Shaking and stirring helps the broth fully soak in, preventing this.

If there are fewer vegetables, you can skip this step, hanging on the pot edge until completely cooked.

Some vegetables should be added just before serving, cooked in for a few seconds; others taste better when cooked longer. Like cabbage, it’s best to boil for ten minutes over high heat for a sweeter flavor.

As the wait continued, more diners mistakenly thinking meal times started gathered from all directions, relieved upon learning it was just employee meals.

After all, breakfast was just eaten, and glutinous rice is hard to digest, taking at least three to four hours.

If lunch started really early, no one present could even stomach it.

"Chef, when does lunch start? Could it be a bit later? I ate too much and need to digest."

"Yeah, who would’ve thought two seemingly small rice balls would be so filling? I feel like my stomach’s about to burst."

Lin Chen checked the time; it wasn’t even ten o’clock.

But delaying is impossible, there are subsequent arrangements, with two big crabs waiting for him in the kitchen.

"Lunch starts around eleven as usual, unless there’s an exception, the dining time doesn’t change."

"If everyone feels full, go for a walk, get some exercise. Quit standing here; once this’s done, I need a break to avoid misunderstandings."

Just as the pot finished cooking, lifting the mesh bag to shake off excess water, everything was poured into a takeaway box.

Special seasoning was already laid on the table, dipping a brush resembling those for paint into the thick, brown sauce, applying it over the bland-looking ingredients, instantly dressed them in an appealing coat.

Sweet sauce, savory sauce, hot sauce, red oil brushed over, sprinkled with chopped pickles and scallions.

"Here you go, eat while hot; it’s not good cold."

Outside, diners’ gazes followed the plastic meal box, standing on tip-toe to see what this dry mixed spicy broth looks like.

Online menu images showed soup, surprisingly revealing a new flavor last minute; it certainly whets one’s appetite.

As Boss Magna took the box, he felt a sudden weight on his wrist, quickly supporting it with both hands.

Back when it was in the box, it seemed like a lot. I thought it would shrink after cooking, but I didn’t expect it to be this heavy!

This texture, it’s probably almost a kilogram, right?

But earlier, I saw that it was packed with a whole block of instant noodles, and lots of balls and strip-shaped foods, so I estimate most of the weight is in those.

Lin Chen made this for him, extra spicy, and the whole bowl was covered with red oil, which was visually intense.

Combined with the steam rising, the spicy aroma continuously wafted into his nose.

Being already starved, he couldn’t hold back anymore and quickly got out of the car, grabbed a plastic fork, and standing there, he was ready to start eating.

Just as he tore open the fork’s packaging with his teeth, suddenly seven or eight people gathered around him, each one staring at the food in his hand with sparkling eyes.

"So this is what dry mixed looks like, it does look quite flavorful."

"So much red oil, this must be extra spicy, right? Last time, the crawfish I had wasn’t this red."

"Why do I feel it looks more appetizing than the soup version? I’ve decided, I’m having the dry mix for lunch too!"

"Don’t just stand there bro, try it out and see how it tastes. If it’s not spicy, I’m definitely going extra spicy for lunch."

Being stared at by so many envious eyes, Boss Magna was extremely proud.

Since there was no rush to leave, might as well eat right here.

The bowl in his hand was the first dry-mix Malatang on site, a special treatment, so naturally, he had to show it off a bit!

He deliberately stirred the ingredients in the bowl with his fork until they were well-mixed, making sure the chopped pickles and green onions on top blended thoroughly with the sauce, coating everything evenly.

The sauce, which looked very rich initially, became quite smooth after mixing and diluting with the broth at the bottom of the bowl, achieving a half-sauce, half-soup texture, but not so much as to separate into water and oil.

There were so many novel-looking foods that he was spoiled for choice, and he didn’t know where to start.

After thinking it over, he decided to start with the instant noodles.

Noodles don’t taste good if they sit for too long, and they’re best eaten right after cooking—this was a trick he had just learned eating Lin Chen’s meals recently.

The wavy instant noodles were buried at the bottom, already soaked in the red-brown sauce. When he forked them out, each noodle was completely coated in red oil, sparkling in the morning sun, looking delicious.

"Slurp"

He took a large mouthful and sucked them up vigorously, another technique he had recently picked up.

While there is pasta abroad, foreigners don’t slurp pasta. They usually stick a fork in, twirl a few strands around a spoon, secure them, and then bring them to their mouth, focusing on elegance.

Only those who hang out with Asians a lot or visit Asian restaurants often can learn the art of slurping noodles.

With a drop of his head and a lift, accompanied by loud noises, several strands of noodles disappeared into his mouth at a visibly fast pace.

This time the instant noodles hadn’t been rinsed in cold water, but were lightly cooked, still slightly firm, and had only been boiled for about five minutes before being taken out right after they loosened.

The texture of these noodles was similar to pasta, somewhat firm, chewy, and paired perfectly with the rich sauce.

He hadn’t tasted this kind of complex sauce flavor before.

At first bite, a distinct salty and sweet taste hit, not overly sweet like sugar, subtly balancing out the saltiness in a gentle way.

Next came the familiar numbing sensation, with his tongue starting to tingle slightly, then spreading to his lips. The numbing intensified, about thirty percent stronger than what he experienced with the crawfish last time.

Not just the numbing, but the spiciness was also remarkably pronounced this time.

The moment he swallowed the first bite of noodles, a burning sensation was already distinctly left on his taste buds, and he could feel a flame sliding down his esophagus into his stomach.

Magna’s face changed slightly, and a few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Just adding an extra round of spicy oil had such a fierce effect??

Is this only Great Xia’s mild spice?

He found it hard to believe.

The spiciness alone already surpassed most restaurants, and even some South American hot sauce wasn’t as spicy as this.

He figured he could handle spicy pretty well, but he didn’t expect the impact from just one bite to be so strong.

But with spiciness, the intensity hits fast but you also adapt quickly; it’s more of a pain sensation rather than a flavor. Maybe after a few more bites, it would be fine.

That’s what he thought too.

"So, is it spicy?"

"Did you add extra spice to yours? It looks really red."

Facing several pairs of curious eyes, Magna stood up a bit straighter, waved dismissively.

"How could it possibly be spicy, haven’t you guys had this kind of red oil before? It just looks red, mainly fragrant, not really spicy!"