Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Chapter 572: Chapter 484: A New Week, Tujia Savory Pancake

Raphael also chimed in, saying that whenever he has time, he makes lunch for his kids to take to school, and only lets them eat at the cafeteria when he’s really too busy.

Lin Chen had never eaten at the local school, so wasn’t quite sure about the situation.

But one thing was certain, as long as the retail food focuses on nutrition and health, it can’t go wrong.

"I think the sandwiches we made last time were perfect; they looked good, tasted good, and were nutritionally balanced. The kids will definitely love them."

"Sandwiches, huh?"

Lin Chen stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, "We can definitely do that, since they aren’t hard to make, and now we have enough staff to make it happen."

"How about fruit and vegetable juices? Those are popular around here, and we also have similar drinks in Great Xia, usually made with nuts and grains, blended into a smooth liquid, both nutritious and tasty. We could try making both."

"What about baked goods? Little desserts?"

They discussed for over two hours and finally came up with the initial version of the retail menu and the dishes they were going to make next week.

Apart from Lin Chen’s own dishes, he was also responsible for coming up with ideas for the dishes in the restaurant’s buffet.

After all, not all guests are willing to try Chinese food; they still needed to make Western dishes.

To save some brainpower, Lin Chen came up with a lazy trick with a wave of his hand.

He asked Jonathan to list the dishes made in the past few weeks, then sent this list to everyone’s inbox.

Including the waitstaff, everyone had to suggest three or more dishes, and they couldn’t be identical to the ones on the list.

They could be similar but not exactly the same.

The staff came from all over, and the restaurants they’d been in contact with before were very different. Asking for their input was sure to collect a lot of useful ideas.

Anyway, the Western buffet menu here changes weekly, so collecting feedback once could last several weeks, saving time and effort.

"I have a suggestion."

Just as the meeting was wrapping up, Dais suddenly raised her hand.

"Around here, Sunday is a rest day, which means the Sunday foot traffic is much higher than usual."

"As a local, finding nowhere to eat or drink on a Sunday is one of the most frustrating things since most restaurants are closed."

"What if we change our rest day to Monday and stay open on Sunday? Would that be more effective?"

"Great idea!" Helena’s eyes lit up, immediately raising her hand to agree.

Raphael nodded quietly, "That’s actually good. I had thought about adjusting the days off before, but the employees’ families only rest on Sundays, so shifting days off hasn’t meant much."

"It’s different over here; everyone came from out of town for work. Rushing back is tiring, so they mostly just hang around nearby or lie in the hotel for a day, so which day they rest doesn’t really matter."

"Alright then, let’s start implementing this after next week. We’ll rest as usual tomorrow, to give the newcomers some time to adapt. They’ve probably had enough of the constant busyness."

"Goodnight everyone."

"Goodnight, chef."

"Sweet dreams~"

Everyone left the restaurant; Helena and Lucinda got into Jonathan’s car. Every Saturday night, they went back to their home in Paris and returned on Sunday night, since it was just an hour’s drive, not too far.

Dais also got into her husband’s car, taking Elsa with her back to Amiens.

Raphael the chef also left; it was about time to go home and give his kids a big surprise, having not been home for a few days.

Watching the cars disappear into the night, Lin Chen sighed wistfully.

He also wanted to go home and visit his mother who was bedridden in the hospital, to see how she was recovering and if she could recuperate at home.

The hospital might be safe, but it lacks the warmth and peace of home.

Lying on a hospital bed filled with the smell of disinfectant every day must be stifling, right?

"For now, the money issue is settled, but as the newly appointed head chef, I can’t be absent for long with the team not fully adjusted."

"Sigh, maybe I’ll wait a bit longer and call my mom later to say I’m safe."

...

Sunday.

Although the restaurant wasn’t open, the updates on the website stirred up a lot of discussion among netizens.

Changes in restaurant policies, new dining modes, and the new retail section attracted lots of curiosity from food lovers.

Especially the news that starting Monday, the restaurant would be officially open to the public without needing a boarding pass for dining, which blew up like a bomb among diners’ minds.

Whether they’d been there before or hadn’t yet, they all started planning when they could come to eat.

While online opinions were fermenting, Lin Chen was not idle.

Though the restaurant wasn’t open for business, it didn’t mean there was nothing to do.

He still had to divide the chefs into different teams based on his observations over the past few days.

Led by Zhao Shun, the team dedicated to retail product making focused on various baked goods, including sandwiches and bread and pastries, as well as grinding grains for soy milk and making fresh vegetable and fruit juices.

Another team, led by Jonathan, was responsible for preparing the Western-style buffet dishes in the back kitchen. This team’s work was routine, as the members were originally trained in Western cuisine, so there wasn’t much to worry about.

The remaining people were grouped into Old Chen’s team, responsible for the preparation and making of large-pot dishes.

As the head chef, Lin Chen adapted on the spot. He would likely be outside cooking the large-pot dishes, though he might also be running around, which he would decide based on circumstances.

After arranging the teams, he still had to place orders with various suppliers; in short, there was a lot that needed to be done.

Monday morning, 3 a.m.

The chefs, dragging their half-asleep bodies, appeared in the back kitchen.

"Today’s Chinese breakfast consists of various-flavored buns and savory pancakes. I assume everyone has already watched the bun videos online, so we’ll skip the detailed introduction here."

"Everyone must help prepare the dough and ingredients, but breakfast sales will be handled by the outdoor team alone. The baking team stays in the back kitchen to prepare lunch and the retail products to be sold in the afternoon."

Upon hearing that today’s breakfast was buns, the chefs’ enthusiasm instantly heightened.

Just from the bun images in the videos, they looked enticing enough, and they hadn’t expected to learn how to make them so soon.

Buns are one of the quintessential breakfast foods of Great Xia, and a basic skill everyone must master.

In addition to several bun flavors, there was an extra dish of savory pancakes today.

This dish, which had once been popular as a street snack, had quietly disappeared from the public view in recent years.

During his school days, savory pancakes were one of Lin Chen’s favorite breakfasts, and he always bought five or seven at a time, eating them with delight.

If one had to describe it, savory pancakes could also be considered a Chinese pizza, which would likely appeal to foreign guests as well.

Compared to buns, the process of making savory pancakes was much simpler; you only needed to stir some ingredients and make a semi-hot dough, and it didn’t even require much kneading or resting.

While Zhao Shun led his team in starting the bun dough making, Lin Chen took Lin and Chris to prepare the savory pancake.

It’s not that he specifically wanted to work with the only two female chefs present, but mainly because Lin had no basic skills, which made joining others risky and prone to issues.

Plus, since she’s Daniel’s sister, taking proper care of her was also the right thing to do.

Chris and Lin formed a small team, and since they were both female, letting them continue working together might prove beneficial.

"Semi-hot dough means using half boiling water and half cold water to make the dough."

"First pour the hot water to mix the dough, then the cold water, and eventually just lightly knead it to form and coat it with a bit of oil and leave it to rest for twenty minutes."

"The principle behind hot dough is that it allows the dough to absorb more water, while the high temperature gelatinizes the starch, creating a softer texture."

"Dough mixed with cold water is referred to as dead dough, which is tougher and chewier, suitable for making noodles. Fermented dough, used for buns, results in a fluffy and soft texture."

"Semi-hot dough combines part of the soft texture of hot dough and part of the chewy texture of dead dough, making it ideal for pancake-type foods."

As Lin Chen explained, he quickly made a large piece of dough.

Since this was for business use, the required quantity was large, and it wouldn’t be feasible to make it entirely by hand, so a mixer was used instead.

"Just keep making dough, using up these two bags of ’20kg’ flour first. If it’s not enough later, we can always make more temporarily."

Lin and Chris looked at the two ’20kg’ flour bags lying silently on the table and, with their mouths twitching slightly, nodded in agreement.

Fortunately, they were using a mixer; otherwise, they’d likely exhaust themselves here.

While they focused on making dough, Lin Chen grabbed two large iron woks and placed them on the stove, using a blender to mince garlic and ginger, preparing to start the sauce.

The secret to delicious savory pancakes lay in two points: the crispy yet soft and chewy pancake base, and the sauce spread on top.

The key to a savory pancake is definitely the tastiness of the sauce.

Seeing him turn on the stove, with flames roaring out, many busy chefs curiously glanced over to see what delicious creation the chef was working on.

He added cold oil to a hot wok, sautéing ginger and garlic until fragrant, then added a bit of five-spice powder and tomato sauce, stirring well.

Once the aroma developed, he added Pixian Douban Sauce, pressing it with a spatula to crush all the large beans.

When the wok showed noticeable red oil and the air was filled with the fragrance of Douban Sauce, he then added finely chopped onions and carrots, tossing them evenly, and poured in a bowl of water to break it up.

While waiting for the water to boil, he mixed Xiangqi sauce, minced garlic chili sauce, and Douban Sauce at a 1:0.8:2 ratio, added chicken essence, salt, and sugar, mixed well, and poured in when the water boiled.

The entire pot of sauce needed over fifteen minutes of simmering to extract all the flavors, finishing by thickening it with cornstarch water.