Gourmet: Midnight Vending

Chapter 148: Rich Yet Subtle Contradictory Umami


The process of making braised noodles is somewhat different from the previous handmade noodles.

Born and raised in Jingzhou, Chen Mo might not be an expert in making noodles, but he is definitely an expert in eating them!

After all, braised noodles can be stored in the refrigerator, so Chen Mo took ten pounds of flour from the mixer at once and poured it all into a large basin, then started to slowly knead the dough using warm water.

Getting up in the middle of the night to work, before long, his body began to heat up slightly.

The grade Flour was slightly yellow, and during the simple kneading process, a unique wheat aroma could already be smelled. Fortunately, while people in Yu Province aren't as meticulous about noodles as those in Jin Province, the dough needed for braised noodles is even simpler than handmade noodles.

It's not even comparable to knife-cut noodles.

Despite this, Chen Mo couldn't help but grumble, "Baking should definitely be the highest-paid job in a restaurant, this is pure hard labor!"

Once the dough was formed with warm water, he covered it with plastic wrap and placed it in the cupboard to awaken the dough at an optimal temperature.

At this point, the temperature in the black pot gradually rose. The soup in the pot was still that same dark red cloudiness, with foam starting to appear on the surface.

Chen Mo recalled the specially emphasized note from the recipe.

[The key point in making lamb soup is: no slacking. One must stay by the pot and constantly skim the scum.]

With the upgraded black spoon in hand, there was an immediate connection, as if blood was bounding, the black spoon gliding over the soup surface, collecting the murky scum without even scooping up extra soup.

If it weren't for the upgrade, this task would have to be done with a fine louver spoon.

After skimming off the surface foam, the temperature rose, and the foam began to appear again.

At this moment, you must quickly skim again, any delay would allow some foam to integrate into the broth, and that's where the so-called "gamy" flavor comes from.

Chen Mo's hand hardly stopped until the soup in the pot began to boil.

At this time, the black spoon reached into the bottom of the pot and slowly stirred the bones and meat, with just a slight stir, a large amount of foam quickly floated up from the bottom of the pot!

Even Chen Mo was a little startled to see it.

"How could so much foam settle at the bottom of the pot?"

"And this is from lamb bones that have been soaked for six hours, oh my..."

Not daring to delay, he quickly continued skimming the scum, as more and more scum was removed, the color of the broth magically began to change.

First becoming lighter, not so cloudy.

Then, a slight whiteness began to appear, still looking very clear.

"It's a bit magical, huh."

Chen Mo continued to keep watch at the black pot, until the soup in the pot boiled, then turned up the heat and left the lid off, letting the soup bubble vigorously, placing cold water beside the black pot, adding a little whenever the soup level drops.

But the added amount was very limited, never enough to diminish the rolling boil of the lamb soup.

He guarded it for over an hour until the foam reduced significantly, only appearing occasionally, but still requiring vigilant attention.

Chen Mo simply moved the pastry board from the mixer side to the stove side, placing the awakened dough in the cupboard onto the board.

The dough was divided into small portions, cut into oval shapes, and rolled into oval sheets with a rolling pin. Each sheet was oiled on both sides and placed neatly onto a plate.

Sheet by sheet, the braised noodles were arranged meticulously.

Yet it wasn't enough, after rolling, it needs to be refrigerated for two hours before use.

"No wonder modern people are less fond of cooking at home, properly preparing a braised noodle meal requires a day's advance planning."

"After laboring so hard for so long, the finished product might not even taste better than the fifteen-yuan braised noodles outside, it's truly frustrating."

Chen Mo stood in front of the food cart, quite contemplative.

Yet it's precisely because of this that the food industry has its significance, allowing customers to enjoy food much tastier than home-cooked meals at a reasonable price.

Saves time and effort, and food service entrepreneurs can make some money. Unfortunately, this win-win situation is too often marred by unscrupulous merchants causing health issues in food!

Chen Mo was rather proud of his insight, determined to become a health food expert in the future!

At 5:30 in the morning, the sky in the distance lightened, less foam appeared on the lamb soup, and the aroma became richer.

The lamb soup, which had no added seasonings or spices, emanated an indescribable umami.

It's purely umami, completely different from the enticing aroma of braised meat!

In comparison, the aroma of braised meat is like a heavily made-up movie star, stirring a raw, primal urge upon seeing them!

Unlike this plain, unadorned lamb soup, it was like the ethereal attire of Little Dragon Girl, one that could be admired from afar but not played with!

Of course, except for Chen Zhiping.

Chen Mo scooped up a ladleful of the slightly milky lamb soup close to his nose, taking a deep breath, indulging in the extreme contradiction of the aroma — fresh yet light, yet rich, very contradictory!

If you don't get close, it's hard to sense this aroma.

Chen Mo leaned against the stove, skimming off any tiny bit of foam that appeared on the surface, a task that didn't require much energy, freeing his mind to ponder on how to make another snack.

As the pot of lamb soup gradually turned milky, the rich yet subtle umami drifted with the wind.

LuLu was in a deep sleep.

She hadn't slept for long, struggling to turn on the chair, her mouth smacking unconsciously, a smile appearing on LuLu's face.

In her dreams, she finally found Boss Xiao Chen.

It was one of those early mornings, LuLu spotted Boss Xiao Chen cooking in a mist, she ran happily to the front of the yellow food cart, trying hard to see what delicious food Boss Xiao Chen was making in the pot, but couldn't make it out.

But it just smelled so good.

So fragrant that LuLu couldn't help but sniff with all her might.

"Gurgle..."

LuLu's stomach growled twice, she slowly opened her eyes, and the savory aroma still lingered in her nostrils.

"Wow, Boss Xiao Chen is amazing, making food in a dream so savory I can still smell it when I wake up." LuLu turned over drowsily, through the car window, she could see the yellow food cart beside her steaming hot.

"Wait... is he really cooking?"

LuLu immediately sat up, instinctively reached for the door, only to find the car door had somehow already been opened.

Not bothering with the details, she pushed open the door, jumped out of the car, and dashed to the food cart, only to see Boss Xiao Chen using a blackened spoon to scoop out some foam from the pot and tossing it into the garbage bin on the ground.

"Boss Xiao Chen!" LuLu happily greeted.

"What brings you to Kaifeng?" Chen Mo asked without looking up.

"Hehe." LuLu giggled foolishly, "I heard you were in Kaifeng, so Dunzi and I came over to eat the food you made."

Chen Mo shrugged, "I suspect you guys are up to something. Is it because following my live broadcast works better?"

Feeling a bit embarrassed as her intention was revealed, LuLu grinned sheepishly.

"As long as the effect is good, back then I persuaded you to change careers, but you should think about doing something else too, always following me isn't a thing either."

Seeing that the intelligence group matter wasn't exposed, LuLu was relieved.

"Boss Xiao Chen, what is this you're making? Is it ready to eat?"

"Famous dish of Yu Province, lamb soup braised noodles."

"How much does it cost?"

Come to think of it, Chen Mo realized he'd forgotten about that issue. Since it wasn't during business hours, he hadn't really thought about selling it, but there was a lot of lamb soup and definitely more than he could eat himself.

Chen Mo nodded towards the pen by the display window, "Help me write something, lamb soup braised noodles, 20 Yuan per bowl."

LuLu quickly wrote the menu, not forgetting to pay 20 Yuan via QR code.

At the same time, she opened the group, starting the text live streaming mode.

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