Chapter 96 Lamb Pan-fried Buns
The room was filled with fragrance
The steamed buns were prepared in advance—thick, handmade unleavened flatbreads, cut into wide strips and neatly arranged to one side. She took one strip, laid it flat on the scalding hot griddle, and gently pressed it down, allowing the bun to absorb the aroma of mutton fat.
"Crack".
With a gentle scoop of the wooden spatula, the bottom of the steamed bun had already set slightly, gleaming with an enticing golden color. She flipped it over, spread a layer of mutton filling on top, sprinkled sesame seeds and chopped green onions on top, and finally covered it with another steamed bun strip, pressing the edges tightly, as if to seal all the aroma into the layers.
The heat must be controlled; it cannot be rushed.
She stared at the griddle, occasionally turning the spatula to ensure the steamed buns heated evenly. Gradually, the buns became fluffy, their edges puffing up slightly, as if countless tiny air bubbles were hidden inside, ready to burst at any moment.
The sesame seeds release a caramelized aroma under high temperature, and the mutton filling's oil seeps into the bread shreds, making each bite full of layers of flavor.
"turn!"
With a deft flick of her shovel, the steamed bun flipped over in mid-air, its golden-brown side facing down, and continued baking. The aroma grew even stronger, a blend of mutton fat, mutton, sesame seeds, and scallions, like an invisible net silently enveloping the entire room.
Luckily, no one was around, or it would smell amazing.
The pleasure of carbohydrates is indeed irresistible to most people.
Su Yingxue learned from the first day's experience that having more people around was indeed quite busy. She called He Rongrong and asked her for help.
He Rongrong was already doing odd jobs. Since she had nothing else to do, she immediately agreed to help.
The next day, the two packed their things early and arrived at March Mountain, only to find it incredibly popular. Unlike the quiet scene of the previous day, today, even at nine o'clock, there were almost no seats available. They were assigned a corner spot. The entire large area was completely filled.
Not only that, four or five fried rice stalls suddenly appeared. Many of them even put up signs.
"God of Cookery Fried Rice"
"Slap-in-the-face Fried Rice"
"Authentic Egg Fried Rice from Sanyue Mountain"
"Authentic Egg Fried Rice from Sanyue Mountain (the one next door is fake)"
"March Mountain Fried Rice: One fake, three-times penalty (the two shops next door are both counterfeit)"
There were vendors selling stinky tofu, fried starch sausages, jianbing (Chinese crepes), rice noodle rolls, fried dough sticks, fried rice with eggs, drinks, and cotton candy. The whole place started to have the atmosphere of a food festival.
This is completely different from yesterday. The two people stared in disbelief.
"Sister Su, didn't you say there weren't that many people?" He Rongrong had always lived in the city and had been to March Mountain before, but this was the first time she had seen such a lively scene.
"It seems Zhou You was right. He really did get him a lot of stalls and made this food festival a success." Su Yingxue looked at the banners behind her and the various festive flags added today. She nodded; it was a good thing. At least she didn't see many people yesterday. But today there were a few young couples coming to stroll and eat.
"Oh, Little Su is here! Business was good yesterday. You can sell fried rice again today!" Aunt Guo walked over with small steps and greeted Su Yingxue warmly as she saw that Su Yingxue had brought another young woman to help.
"No, today I'm selling mutton flatbread," Su Yingxue said calmly. She started preparing the seasonings and began setting up her stall.
"Boss, I want a cotton candy." Aunt Guo wanted to say something more, but seeing that her cotton candy business was good, she hurriedly went to do her business.
The morning sun shone on the food plaza of March Mountain, and the air was filled with the aroma of various foods. Su Yingxue stood in front of her stall, her hands deftly kneading the dough, and neatly arranged on the cutting board were the handmade unleavened steamed buns she had carefully prepared the night before.
With a crisp "sizzle," Su Yingxue laid a thick steamed bun flat on the scorching hot griddle. The griddle was already glowing red-hot, and the bun sizzled happily as soon as it touched the surface, as if playing a prelude to a delicious meal.
"Sister Su, your skills are so professional!" He Rongrong stood to the side, her eyes fixed on Su Yingxue's movements, her face full of admiration.
Without even looking up, Su Yingxue's hands moved with fluid grace: she gently pressed the steamed bun to allow the mutton fat to fully penetrate, flipped it over, spread the secret-recipe mutton filling evenly, sprinkled it with freshly ground sesame seeds and bright green scallions, and finally covered it with another steamed bun strip, pressing the edges tightly. The whole process was completed in one go, as if it had been practiced a thousand times.
"Wow!" He Rongrong's eyes suddenly widened, her nose involuntarily following the aroma. "This fragrance... it's too overpowering!"
Su Yingxue's lips curled into a slight smile. She was all too familiar with this aroma—the richness of mutton fat, the savory flavor of mutton, and the toasty fragrance of sesame seeds blended perfectly, forming an invisible net in the air that enveloped the entire stall. The aroma was so intense that passersby couldn't help but slow down.
“Come on, let’s try the first one.” Su Yingxue cut the baked bun in half, the golden and crispy crust glistening temptingly in the sunlight.
He Rongrong took the steamed bun, ignoring the heat, and took a big bite. The crispy outer layer crackled between her teeth with a delightful "crunch," while the soft, fluffy bread inside filled with tender, juicy lamb filling, and the aroma of sesame exploded in her mouth. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she mumbled indistinctly, "This is so delicious! Sister Su, your cooking is amazing!"
"Sister Su, this location is way too out of the way!" He Rongrong finally swallowed the food in her mouth and complained, pointing around. "Look over there, the fried rice stalls are lined up all the way to the door! Ours..." She pointed to a corner stall that was almost deserted, looking distressed.
Su Yingxue looked up into the distance. The main street of the food festival was bustling with people, and long queues had formed in front of each stall. But their little corner was deserted. But Su Yingxue wasn't in a hurry. She slowly and methodically arranged the seasonings, already having a plan in mind.
"Rongrong," she suddenly said, "go and get the tasting tray I bought yesterday."
He Rongrong was taken aback: "A taste test? But Sister Su, the cost..."
"Don't worry," Su Yingxue smiled mysteriously, "I have a plan."
She turned to look at He Rongrong, her eyes sparkling with confidence: "We want the entire food festival to know that the best food is often hidden in the most inconspicuous corners."
But after waiting a while, no one came to the tasting plate placed next to her because it was in a corner, and He Rongrong became even more anxious.
"Sister Su, what should I do? This smells so good, why isn't anyone buying it?" She was so anxious that she paced back and forth. She simply picked up a piece of flatbread and offered it to a passing tourist. "Hello, try our mutton flatbread, it's delicious!"
The middle-aged man took it, took a bite, and his eyes lit up: "Mmm! It really tastes good! Delicious."
He Rongrong's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Would you like to buy one?"
The tourist hesitated for a moment, glanced at the price, and then waved his hand, saying, "No thanks, I'm not very hungry."
He Rongrong thought to herself, "...What a waste of my steamed bun, eating it so clean..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com