The temporary food trucks are all equipped with semi-automated kitchen equipment. Ingredients are fed into the machines and processed inside. Food that can be prepared for hundreds of people can be ready in less than ten minutes.
Xu Milu tried putting the dried corn kernels into a food processor, but the next second, she got a sticky, yellow paste-like thing that was unrecognizable.
The food processor's program is very simple and crude: it crushes hard foods, adds water, and then steams them. Putting aside the taste, the texture and color are indescribable.
Xu Milu took a bite and thought it tasted a bit like baby rice cereal, but the mutated corn kernels had a strong powdery texture, and it always felt sticky in her throat when she ate them.
"See? This stuff doesn't taste very good. Some people pick it up and use it as a nutrient, but eating it all the time can easily make you sick. So all these things in the base are sent to the breeding farm."
Xiao Ding glanced at the bowl of corn porridge with a sigh: "I'll just have boiled potatoes for lunch."
"The sprouts of these corn kernels feel a little soft to the touch, and there is still some moisture inside."
Xu Milu picked up one of the corn kernels with her fingers and studied it for a while, then turned to ask Xiao Ding for a mini blender.
The ingredients had already been processed and thrown into the food processor. Xiao Ding was happy to chat with Xu Milu to pass the time, so upon hearing her suggestion, he immediately took one out of the trunk.
"Pah, I didn't even remember if you hadn't mentioned it. This solar-powered blender is too weak. It can never grind powders finely, so it's been sitting in the food cart storage room for ages. It's covered in dust. Do you think it's still usable?"
Xu Milu took it, opened it, and tried it. Although the results were somewhat disappointing, it was still better than a food processor.
"This is perfect."
Xu Milu took out more than 50 kilograms of corn from the half basket and used the high-speed blender to grind the corn again and again, but she did not grind it too finely. Instead, she stopped when the corn kernels were reduced to the size of a finger.
Heat the pan until you can feel a slight warmth when you place your hand on it, then pour in the ground corn grits and stir-fry continuously.
The crisp sound of the spatula striking the iron pot attracted many pioneers who came to get their meals.
—After all, these days food is mostly made by food processors, and it's rare to see chefs preparing food on-site anymore.
As the temperature in the pot rises, the surface of the corn grits begins to crack, turning an enticing caramel-like yellow. The kernels, originally the size of a little finger, miraculously swell up, as if by magic, each kernel transforming into a cluster of snow-white popcorn.
Soon, a sweet, nutty aroma filled the flying food truck.
Xiao Ding was lying on the side, swallowing hard. When he saw the popped corn expand, his eyes widened in surprise.
"You! How did you do that?! Without oil, how did these ears of corn turn into popcorn?!"
"I added sea salt."
Xu Milu shook her head and used the spatula in her hand to scoop up a spoonful of brownish-red sea salt to show her:
"Dried corn has less internal moisture. As the temperature of the sea salt in the pot slowly rises, the corn kernels buried in the sea salt are heated evenly and will slowly burst open inside."
Actually, this isn't a rare technique; it's somewhat similar to the old-fashioned method of making popcorn using a hand-cranked bucket when she was a child.
Nowadays, most of the popcorn served in movie theaters is made by popcorn machines. Just add a certain proportion of butter, sugar, and corn, and you can get a big pot of sweet and crunchy popcorn.
Xu Milu still remembers that when she was a child, there would always be craftsmen carrying "little cannons" walking around the alleys. They would put corn, rice or millet into their homemade "popcorn buckets" and then put the containers on the fire and keep rotating them so that the corn inside would be heated evenly.
Finally, with a loud "bang," the fragrant old-fashioned popcorn was ready.
This type of popcorn has a firmer texture and isn't too sweet. When you chew it, you can taste a hint of saltiness, and if you chew it carefully, you can also taste the unique aroma of corn.
However, this kind of popcorn also has its drawbacks: eating too much can easily make you thirsty, and it's also difficult for people with sensitive stomachs to digest.
The steaming hot sea salt popcorn was ready. Xu Milu flicked her wrist and deftly separated the sea salt grains from the popcorn in the pot.
—Sea salt can be recycled, so nothing is wasted.
"Whoosh—it's so hot!"
After drooling over it for ages, Xiao Ding couldn't resist any longer. He reached out, pinched one off, and popped it into his mouth, his face beaming with delight.
"Wow! It really is popcorn! It smells so good, fluffy and crunchy! You're amazing, you can make popcorn just with salt and corn?!"
Freshly popped savory popcorn tastes amazing. The surface has cooled down, but the inside still retains a bit of stubborn heat. You bite into it with the tip of your tongue, and your mouth is filled with the fresh aroma of corn.
Xiao Ding took a few bites and felt a little dazed:
When was the last time she ate popcorn?
It seems like when she was little, her whole family took her to a holographic theater to watch "Strawberry Bear vs. Godzilla". Her older sister bought her a bucket of strawberry-flavored butter popcorn, but she complained that it tasted bad and spat it all out after taking one bite. In the end, her father ate the whole bucket while shaking his head.
Looking back now, even though only ten years have passed, it feels like a lifetime ago, as if it happened in a previous life.
Freshly popped sea salt corn kernels were piled in an insulated container. Fifty pounds of corn were used, but only four pounds were used to pop a huge amount of corn, forming a sweet mountain of popcorn.
The chubby, white, and adorable little corn popcorn vendor is incredibly tempting; almost every person getting food asks:
"Hey, a food processor can make popcorn??"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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