Let's make the beef balls first.
Qin Yi took out the fresh beef hind leg she had bought.
Remove the fascia from them; this will make the texture more delicate.
Next, cut the meat into chunks, put it into a meat grinder with ice water, grind it into a paste, and then add seasonings and grind it again.
Make sure to grind it until it's very fine before freezing it in the freezer for one hour.
Freezing is a crucial step, as it's necessary for cooling down the mixer in the next step.
As we all know, to make meatballs elastic, they must be thoroughly mixed; otherwise, they will just taste like a mouthful of crumbly meat.
The machine releases heat when it's mixing, and the temperature of the meat gradually rises, causing the meat to become looser and less firm.
Just to be on the safe side, Qin Yi took two ice packs and hung them next to the blender, then ran it on low speed for 15 minutes.
The mixed meat filling is very sticky; when you pick it up with a spoon, it sticks to the surface and won't come off no matter how much you shake it.
That's the best state.
The next step is simply to shape the meatballs with your thumb and forefinger and cook them. Once the beef meatballs float to the surface, rinse them in ice water and freeze them.
If you slam a well-made beef ball onto the table, it can bounce at least as high as a book.
Following this method, Qin Yi also made fish balls, cuttlefish balls, and pork balls; having more choices is always a good thing.
I watched as different varieties of meatballs were neatly arranged in bags in the refrigerator.
Qin Yi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense over the mission, finally felt a little relieved.
Clap your hands. We've stocked up on the regular meatballs enough. Now we need to make something a little different.
She pulled a bag of golden beef tendon noodles from the very bottom of the cardboard box!
Soak the beef tendon noodles for 1 minute, then let them rest for 15 minutes, until they become so weak they collapse to the ground...
Then come the oil used to fry the spicy strips.
Pour oil into a pot and when it's 60% hot, quickly add the star anise, onions, scallions, and cilantro. Fry until crispy and thoroughly cooked, and the aroma will be irresistible.
Then discard these foods that have been exploited and drained of all their essence.
Leave only the base coat of oil to pour over the newly laid surface.
The new flavors come in different forms: red (coarse and fine chili powder), yellow (crushed peanuts and cumin powder), white (sesame seeds), and green (chicken bouillon).
Gather them together, sauté them in white wine, and stir them enthusiastically while drizzling hot oil over them.
Finally, soak the softened beef tendons in the mixture and season with salt.
A fragrant plate of spicy strips is ready.
Once the spicy strips have fully absorbed the flavor, grind them in a machine, mix them with minced pork, and stir until they become sticky. Add some potato starch to increase the viscosity.
Once cooked, they become complete spicy snack balls.
Qin Yi looked at the adorable little ones in front of her and smiled with satisfaction.
At 6 a.m., a piercing alarm clock jolted Qin Yi awake from her bed.
Today is the first day of the meatball series, and the first day is always the hardest.
In the morning, there are still tricycles to decorate for the stalls and desserts to make, so I have to get up early and work hard.
Qin Yi hung the various light signs she had received the night before on her car.
One was a cream-colored tricycle with small colorful flags hanging on it and a small white, wave-shaped rain canopy.
The sign above read "Wanzi Dessert Shop," and the carriage was surrounded by rings of fairy lights.
The other vehicle was a brown tricycle with a giant skewer of meatballs displayed on the side of the carriage; this was specially customized by the system.
There are five eye-catching round signs on top that read "Meatball Fried Food Shop".
After finishing decorating the tricycle, Qin Yi went home and hand-made some glutinous rice balls and smooth jelly.
The system only said it needed a meatball, without specifying the size, so Qin Yi figured these small meatballs should count too.
If you make all the jelly balls, completing the task will be much easier.
However, there's a sentence at the end of the mission details that's easily overlooked: "The more flavors, the better."
The word "多" (duō, meaning "many") is quite significant.
Remember the minimum requirement for the previous level was 20 Swiss rolls, but those who made more than that were rewarded.
So this time...
Qin Yi arrived at the gate of Ziyi Primary School at 11 o'clock.
When she arrived, she found that all the vendors selling oden, mala tang, and stinky tofu were already in place.
The person selling mala tang (spicy hot pot) was an older woman, the person selling stinky tofu was an older man, and the person selling oden (Japanese hot pot) looked to be a middle-aged man in his thirties.
The three of them stood in a line, seemingly unfamiliar with each other, and none of them spoke to the others.
Qin Yi drove her car to the opposite side of the road. For some reason, the area where she was standing was spacious and had no obstructions, so everyone was crowding towards that side.
After parking the car, she first scooped out bowls of her sweet soup and placed them in the glass display case.
These carefully crafted glutinous rice balls are all round and plump, like pearls, and they bring joy to the heart when you see them.
Pair it with crystal-clear, bubbly jelly and a spoonful of fragrant rice wine, and your mouth will be watering.
"Is this your first day setting up a stall? I've never seen you before?" A woman stood next to Qin Yi.
The older woman set up her stall, which included a small table with a pot of what looked like milk tea broth on it.
Then I took a six-compartment condiment box, which contained coconut jelly, peanuts, red date slices, raisins, red beans, and black tapioca pearls.
There was a large box at her feet, and Qin Yi guessed that this woman must be a vendor selling herbal jelly.
"Yes, this is my first time here. Ma'am, is business good here?"
"Oh dear, it's terrible! I can't sell any of my herbal jelly. Not many people are buying it. I heard that people who sell drinks at Zi No. 2 Primary School and Zi No. 3 Primary School can make a lot of money every day!"
"Then why don't you go?" Qin Yi asked while doing her work.
"I live around here, it's convenient for me to come here. Why do you have both small and large meatballs? They look quite nice! Where did you get them from?"
"I made it myself." After saying that, Qin Yi placed a large bowl filled with hot water on the stall.
Pour in fructose and mochi powder, knead into a smooth dough, roll into large glutinous rice balls, and then skewer them in groups of three with bamboo skewers and place them in a box.
"These meatballs are so easy to make? How much do you sell them for a bowl?" the older woman asked again.
"Six yuan," Qin Yi answered truthfully.
"Such simple meatballs cost 6 yuan a bowl? Little sister, you're quite the money-maker!"
The older sister placed her herbal jelly on the table and, like Qin Yi, arranged the bowls one by one, saying, "Look at this big bowl of herbal jelly I have, it only costs 10 yuan a cup, and it has everything in it."
Qin Yi looked at the bowl of light brown grass jelly soup, but she couldn't smell the aroma of milk tea.
Then, with my right eye, I accidentally caught a glimpse of the packaging in the plastic bucket under her table—'Grass Jelly Powder for Milk Tea'.
My inner monologue: There are no taro balls, and the soup base is just grass jelly made with milk tea powder. How dare you sell it for 10 yuan? Are you trying to fool elementary school students?
"Yeah, I just made it up randomly and sold it casually. It can't compare to yours."
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