Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Chapter 580: Chapter 492: Great Xia People Are Experts at Silencing Tough Talkers—Bring Your Doctor Next Time

Foreigners are quite different from the Great Xia People; they emphasize hygiene issues because most people carry some allergens to varying degrees.

A moment of carelessness can easily lead to catching something from others, causing you to have an allergic reaction.

Food sharing only happens between very close friends.

Besides allergens, foreigners tend to be quite particular about other people’s saliva, hence they advocate separate dining.

Even though Chris has been working with Lin for a few days, and they are relatively more familiar with each other compared to others, they are essentially still strangers.

She wasn’t sure if Lin was willing to share food, so she had to choose her words carefully to avoid affecting their fragile working relationship.

After all, they were the only two female chefs in the entire place.

Just as she felt anxious, worried about what if Lin said no to her.

"Sure!"

Lin immediately nodded without thinking, "But do you have enough to eat? I can eat five of these, so you should be able to enjoy six or seven, right?"

"?"

Chris wanted to stuff a bun into her mouth. What does she mean by six or seven being enjoyable?

Does she look like someone who has such a big appetite?

"I’m almost full now, that’s why I want to share with you. I can’t just take one bite of each kind, can I? What happens to the rest then?"

Chris didn’t dwell further on the appetite issue with Lin and immediately grabbed the rather ordinary-looking cabbage roll, tore it apart, handed the larger half to Lin, and stuffed the smaller half into her own mouth.

As the bun entered her mouth, there was none of the scalding meat juice from a pork and scallion bun or the rich sauce aroma from a braised pork bun; rather, it was a light vegetable aroma, uniquely the taste of cabbage.

Compared to eating it raw, steamed cabbage had a sweeter flavor, its leaves turning translucent, changing from crisper to tenderer.

Apart from cabbage pieces, there was nothing else in the bun, though the surface of the shredded cabbage was visibly coated in a shiny layer of oil.

Chris tried chewing it a few times, her furrowed brows gradually relaxed, her eyes revealing a hint of surprise.

This cabbage bun was actually more flavorful than she imagined!

It not only lacked any of cabbage’s unique bitterness but amplified its inherent sweetness to the fullest.

That hint of oil fragrance couldn’t be identified for which oil it was, but it managed to elevate the overall aroma of the filling by several levels.

Also, the cabbage seemed to have been seasoned; besides basic saltiness, there was a faint umami, as if some meat was added.

But since this is a vegetarian bun, it absolutely couldn’t have contained any animal ingredients.

So what were this mysterious oil and seasoning exactly??

"Hmm~~~!"

"This cabbage bun is so delicious too!"

Lin looked as if she had discovered a new continent, staring wide-eyed in disbelief at the remaining bite-sized cabbage bun in front of her, unable to connect this seemingly ordinary item with the delicious taste in her mouth.

Clearly, it was the most ordinary cabbage, even its color was pale green, looking like there was no sauce at all, yet how could it be made to taste like this?

Breaking open the bun skin, there was a bit of pale green liquid on the inner wall, it should be the juice naturally seeping from the cabbage.

Not just her, all the chefs eating cabbage-stuffed buns wore puzzled expressions, some even ran off to look over the bottles and jars in the seasoning area.

They only handled chopping and preparing; the task of seasoning the filling was completed by the three Great Xia chefs, even if they had been watching the whole time, they wouldn’t really know what went into it.

Because the labels were in Chinese and the seasonings were unfamiliar to them, not recognizing them was quite normal.

"What are these green granules?"

A chef pointed to something like some sort of feed in the seasoning jar and asked.

There weren’t many of these green granules, only filling half a jar, whereas the yellow granules next to them were packed full, and the two seemed to smell quite the same.

"Could it be... the legendary MSG?"

Soon a chef remembered something, clapped in realization, pinched a few grains with his fingers to taste, and indeed found the umami unfolding on his tongue.

Lin Chen kept packing for Magna while watching everyone searching through cupboards and fiddling with the seasonings, saying nothing, letting them find the answers themselves.

Explaining directly would be easier, but it would miss the process of exploration and reflection, which wouldn’t aid in the extension of the chefs’ thinking.

Compared to the other chefs, Magna seemed much calmer.

He didn’t care what seasonings were used as long as it tasted good.

While Lin Chen packed, he couldn’t wait to grab an oily, translucent doughy bun, with a faintly visible emerald glow inside.

"Is this the vegetable shiitake one? I’ve been looking forward to this bite for ages!"

He couldn’t explain why, even though the meat-filled buns were delicious too, the one he kept longing for was this vegetarian filling.

As someone experienced, he knew there were no hidden snares inside, and ignoring its heat, he opened his mouth and bit down hard.

With just one bite, he instantly devoured half of the bun, revealing the filling packed with green vegetables and mushrooms.

The chopped greens displayed a noticeable vibrant green, as if they had just been blanched, dazzlingly fresh. The cooking was perfectly timed, as a few more minutes of heat would have turned them yellow.

The rich grassy aroma paired with the intense mushroom scent, sweet and salty intertwining, the umami lingering subtly, and the soft texture of the bun skin, all blended together when chewed, making it perfect.

"Yes, yes, this is the taste!"

"It’s so delicious, why is this vegetable so good? This unique aroma has appeared countless times in my dreams."

Magna chewed heartily while giving Lin an inquisitive look, "Lin, are there other ways to cook this vegetable? Why haven’t I seen you make them?"

"Of course, there are many ways."

Lin Chen smiled slightly and gave him a meaningful look. "This vegetable is one of the most commonly eaten by the people in the south of Great Xia, it’s one of the most common types."

"Especially in winter, the vegetable tastes best. After frosting, it becomes particularly sweet and fragrant."

"Stop!"

Magna quickly raised his hand, "Hold it, don’t say anymore. Before I taste it, any dish name you mention feels like torture to me, it’s cruel!"

He quickly stuffed the remaining half bun into his mouth and grabbed a three-flavor chicken bun he hadn’t tried before.

This bun was topped with a corn kernel, making it easy to recognize.

He’s often eaten chicken pies or puff pastries, but as a bun, the taste must be different from what he remembers, right?

The taste of chicken pies and puff pastries is usually dominated by curry, a food commonly eaten in the Middle East, with Western dining flavors often heavier on cream.

Recalling the pork and spring onion bun he’d eaten before, Magna shook his head quickly, dispelling all the flavors that floated into his mind.

The Great Xia people definitely do it differently!

Indeed.

Upon biting into it, the chicken was neither in the form of meatballs nor minced, but rather served like a stir-fried dish, presenting in small chunks.

The chicken pieces were coated with a crystalline, semi-transparent sauce, differing from the clear broth in soup dumplings, it was a thick soup made with starch, slightly colored with soy sauce.

The golden corn mixed with mushrooms and carrots added more visual appeal to the overall color.

Magna tilted his head, chewing curiously, and then leaned in to gently sip the thick sauce within the filling, his eyes lighting up.

"Chicken soup?!"

Indeed, the sauce inside was made using chicken stock, thickened with starch water and mixed into the meat filling.

Having freeloaded meals here for so long, he’d become very familiar with many of Lin Chen’s methods, almost instantly guessing most of it.

Moreover, this bun’s seasoning surprisingly included a lot of black pepper and onions, creating a sweet, spicy, and salty mix, combined with the thick chicken stock and tender chicken thigh meat, creating a unique flavor.

"Why does this taste a bit familiar?"

"Of course, it’s familiar," Lin Chen put the last two buns in a bag and handed them to him, "It’s like the black pepper sauce served with steak, does it ring a bell now?"

"Oh, right, right!! That’s the taste!"

"You mean to say Great Xia has black pepper sauce too?"

"Of course, but it was introduced from Western cuisine and then appropriately modified. The Western restaurants in our place use ready-made sauces, unlike here where restaurants use beef bones to make stock and then prepare sauce."

"Uh... can it taste good?"

"As long as customers like it, that’s enough, right? Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a market, correct? Truly authentic Western cuisine is accepted by not many, just like truly authentic Chinese cuisine is not accepted by many here."

"?"

Magna hefted the heavy bun in his hand, pointing with the other hand to the kitchen and then outside the door.

"You call that not many people accepting it? Then what’s up with the queue outside every day?"

"That’s the result of my hard work."

Lin Chen crossed his arms with a smug expression, "You surely don’t think all Great Xia Cuisine tastes like this, do you?"

"I deliberately selected dishes that suit Western tastes. If we cooked according to the standards of our domestic restaurants, out of ten dishes, six to seven might not be accepted by you guys."

"Really, like what? I can’t quite believe it."

"For example, we Great Xia people enjoy dishes made with animal intestines, like braised pork intestines, stir-fried kidney slices, grilled brains, grilled lamb kidneys, stir-fried chicken giblets with green peppers, hot pot with goose intestines..."

"Uh..." Magna’s face changed slightly, "Other than organs?"

"Right now, spicy and numbing flavors are very popular in Great Xia. The ones we make for you are reduced to half or even one-quarter of the original level of spiciness. If it were done normally, would you dare eat it?"

"Why wouldn’t I? Underestimating me?!"

"Alright, just wait and see. We Great Xia people have a way with bravado. Next time, I’ll make it authentic for you, make sure to bring your family doctor along with a stomach medicine."