Back at the shop.
Huang Tao tidied up the items he just bought.
Sweet and sour sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, star anise, Sichuan pepper, etc., were all prepared and placed into jars. Green onions, ginger, garlic, and meat were all set on the stove as backup.
"Daddy, do you need help? Xuanxuan can help you wash the vegetables and fold the green onions!"
Xuanxuan, being very considerate, followed in to help Huang Tao with the work.
Huang Tao affectionately tapped Xuanxuan's cute little nose: "Alright, then you can help Daddy fold the green onions!"
"Okay, okay~"
After arranging Xuanxuan's task, Huang Tao washed his hands and started working.
First, make pork skin jelly.
Take the cleaned skin-on fatty meat, remove the pork skin, cut the pork skin into strips, slice green onions, slice ginger, and place them in a pot.
Then add star anise and Sichuan peppercorns, pour in an appropriate amount of water.
Turn on the heat to simmer.
Then start another pot to prepare to render lard.
Cut the fat into small square pieces, put them in the pot, add half a bowl of water, and bring to a boil over high heat.
The lard rendered this way will be white and fragrant.
Then add slices of ginger to remove the smell and enhance fragrance.
"Sizzle sizzle..."
The white fat slowly squeezed out all its oil, floated up, jostled together, and bubbled.
Until finally shrinking into small, golden, and fragrant pork cracklings, with the enticing aroma spreading throughout the room...
Huang Tao, who was absorbed in rendering, heard the shuffling of footsteps.
He turned his head to look.
The aroma of the pork cracklings drew his darling daughter tiptoeing, curiously peering her little head over towards the pot, even greedily sticking out her little tongue to lick her lips.
"Little glutton."
Huang Tao chuckled and scooped a few pieces of pork cracklings into a bowl, handing it to Xuanxuan.
"Be careful, it's hot..."
Xuanxuan quickly pinched a piece and put it in her mouth.
Hmm hmm~
It's very delicious!
"So delicious~ Daddy, you try it too."
Xuanxuan picked up a piece of pork crackling and fed it to Huang Tao.
The crispy fragrance, the flaky texture, seemed to melt one's heart.
Especially when the crackling burst out with lard as you bit into it, enveloping the mouth with fragrance, slowly sliding down the throat, instantly rejuvenating the long-dry stomach and intestines.
It's truly amazing!
"Daddy, I want more..."
"Okay!"
He scooped some more pork cracklings for Xuanxuan, letting her eat at the guest table.
After handling the cracklings, he filtered the broth from the cooked pork skin using a sieve, cooled it in front of a fan, and then refrigerated it to solidify into skin jelly.
Once these were done, he began making pan-fried buns.
The steps for making pan-fried buns are actually similar to those for making regular buns.
The first step is making the dough.
The dough being soft and fluffy is crucial to the deliciousness of pan-fried buns.
Huang Tao brought out a stainless steel basin, pouring flour into it.
The yeast powder dissolved in warm water was slowly poured into the flour.
Once the warm water and flour combined, he stirred the flour with chopsticks in a clockwise direction into flocculent dough.
He also added a bit of sugar and lard.
Adding some warm lard is to make the dough ferment more expansively.
This trick is usually used by those seasoned chefs.
And Huang Tao, who had a system, naturally knew this unique kneading technique.
After adding the lard, he vigorously kneaded it.
To make the flour fully ferment.
A few minutes later...
The pot is clear, the dough smooth, and the hands clean.
He stopped his movements, covered it with plastic wrap, and began to let it rise.
Utilizing the time the dough was fermenting, Huang Tao could start making the filling.
Placing the cleaned pork leg meat on the cutting board, he chopped it into fine minced meat.
Manually chopped meat preserves the granular texture while mincing the meat.
This is why Huang Tao didn't have the butcher use a meat grinder for the minced meat.
"Tap tap tap..."
Huang Tao held two knives, evenly and powerfully chopping the meat.
For a better texture, he didn't chop the meat too finely.
The minced meat went into a container.
He also minced green onions and ginger, chopped skin jelly into fine pieces, and added them into the container.
He seasoned it with light soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, Sichuan pepper powder, and drizzled in two spoons of water.
Stirring clockwise until the meat filling absorbed everything.
Once the meat filling was ready, the dough had finished fermenting.
He lifted the plastic wrap, and the dough had doubled in size, a poke with the finger showed no rebound.
The internal honeycomb structure proved the dough was well fermented.
He moved the dough onto the board, kneading to release air.
He tore the kneaded dough apart in the middle, rolling it back and forth into a cylinder, cutting it evenly in the middle, and rolled it into a long strip.
Then divide the dough into small pieces of uniform size, looking as though they were produced by a machine.
He used a rolling pin to flatten the dough, wrapped it with meat filling, and pinched pleats along the edges...
A moment later.
One by one, round, plump, and generously filled Shengjianbao.
In Huang Tao's hands, they quickly took shape, with tops twisted into flower-like shapes.
While they were proofing again, Huang Tao set about preparing crucian carp.
Before he had the system, he could cook as well.
He just only knew how to make simple dishes.
Ever since he got the system...
Well, he still only knows how to make simple dishes.
So he made a comforting crucian carp soup.
Once the Shengjianbao had finished proofing again, he took a flat pan and brushed on a layer of oil.
He neatly placed the proofed Shengjianbao one by one in the pan.
Gently fried on low heat.
"Sizzle..."
The intense heat from the oil perfectly brought out the aroma.
The oil in the pan bubbled with golden yellow bubbles, gathering around the base of the Shengjianbao.
The base of the Shengjianbao gradually took on a golden brown color visible to the naked eye.
Poured in starchy water, covered, and let it steam for 5 minutes.
The starchy water can make the Shengjianbao's texture even crisper.
Don't ask how Huang Tao knew.
Just ask and it's the secret recipe from the system.
As the mixture dried, accompanied by the continuous sizzling sound from the pan.
A thick, steaming white mist, mixed with the scent of oil and the fragrant aroma of the Shengjianbao, drifted from the kitchen, quietly wafting out of the store with the wind...
...
The aroma was so strong that when the wind blew, nearby shops on Old Street and passersby caught a whiff of it.
"Wow... What's that? It smells so good..."
This sudden aroma made people who were already a bit hungry instantly salivate.
Each one wondering which shop this enticing fragrance was coming from, eager to try it.
Some even followed the scent, looking over...
Meanwhile, Jiang Guowei, the convenience store owner next door, had earlier caught a faint aroma of meat, though it wasn't very obvious at first.
Now, the intense aroma of pork mixed with the fresh scent of sesame and green onions hit his throat, making his stomach growl with hunger.
He couldn't help but swallow his already overflowing saliva, walked to the small kitchen, and said to his wife Chen Wenli, who was preparing dinner, "Has the shop next door opened? I just smelled a strong aroma of meat."
"I didn't hear about an opening today!"
Chen Wenli paused as she was finishing up her braised pork, then smiled with a look like she saw through him: "Old Jiang, if you're craving for my braised pork, just say it."
She then picked up a piece of braised pork to feed Jiang Guowei.
Usually, he found his wife's braised pork very tasty, but now, Jiang Guowei felt a bit unsatisfied eating it.
Returning to the counter.
The familiar enticing aroma of meat wafted over again, and Jiang Guowei licked his lips, feeling even more tempted.
"Dear, I'm heading out for a bit, be right back..."
Without waiting for a response, Jiang Guowei headed toward the shop next door.
"Creak~"
Jiang Guowei pushed open the door of "So Delicious" store, entered, and said, "Boss, I'm Jiang Guowei, I run a convenience store next door, we'll be neighbors, if you need anything, feel free to ask."
"Sure, we'll help each other out, I'm Huang Tao, care to sit for a while?"
"No need, I have to get back to my store." Jiang Guowei hesitated for a moment and bashfully said, "Don't laugh at me, Boss Huang, I followed the smell over, what are you making? It smells really good..."
"Shengjianbao."
"What? Shengjianbao? Can they really smell this good?" Jiang Guowei exclaimed.
The Shengjianbao in the pot: ヽ(._°)ノ
Looking down on my Shengjianbao, huh?
If you don't believe it, take a bite!
Xuanxuan raised her little head proudly and said in her childish voice, "Of course they smell this good, because they were made by my dad~"
Huang Tao felt a warmth in his heart.
"Indeed, they smell so good that just by the aroma, they make me hungry."
Jiang Guowei nodded in agreement, bent down, and smiled at Xuanxuan: "I was just wondering, are you selling these Shengjianbao?"
"Uncle, my daddy said the shop opens tomorrow morning~"
Jiang Guowei took a deep breath and with some regret said, "Oh! Then I'll come by tomorrow morning to buy them."
"Mm-hmm~" Xuanxuan nodded enthusiastically.
"Boss Huang, you carry on, I'll head back to my store."
Huang Tao took out two Shengjianbao, put them in a bag, and came out of the kitchen: "Boss Jiang, take these two Shengjianbao to try..."
"Boss Huang, how can I accept this! Let me pay, how much?"
"We're neighbors, isn't it okay to give you two Shengjianbao? Tomorrow when you come to buy some, I'll charge you."
"Then... thank you..."
Jiang Guowei, feeling a bit embarrassed, took the Shengjianbao, leaving the store thinking about how to return the favor.
Back in the store.
His wife complained, "I've already cooked, why did you go out to buy two Shengjianbao?"
"They are from Boss Huang next door at 'So Delicious'."
"How could you take them for free? I heard he's a man with a little girl, it's not easy for them..."
"I offered to pay, but he wouldn't take it, maybe later I'll help advertise a bit among friends and family, then tomorrow I'll bring some snacks for his daughter..."
"Fine, do what you think is best..."