Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 27 - 26 Unique Taste (Thanks to the leader for rewarding Xiao Liu’s successful graduation!)

Chapter 27 - 26 Unique Taste (Thanks to the leader for rewarding Xiao Liu's successful graduation!)

Qin Huai wasn't sure if wild vegetables counted as coarse grains, but he felt Qin Luo's reasoning held some truth.

He had something even wilder than wild vegetables here.

Tree bark.

After the disaster of the tree bark salad yesterday afternoon, Qin Huai went back and watched short videos to seriously study how to eat tree bark.

Surprisingly, it was quite varied.

Besides the usual method of drying it, grinding it into flour, and sifting it to make noodles, it can also be stir-fried with spices, grilled, made into cold dishes, or boiled to extract its essence, with the water used to knead dough.

Since the water from boiling it can be used for kneading dough, it was a perfect match.

Adhering strictly to a 12 o'clock off-work schedule, Qin Huai put the last batch of Crab Shell Cake in the oven at exactly 12 and reminded An Youyou to plate it up on time before rushing off work.

At this time, the lunch rush hadn't started yet. The first group of diners from a company nearby who ran quickly had started picking their dishes, and Ouyang, who worked closest and could leave early, was already occupying the best spot by the window on the second floor, eating.

Qin Huai joined them with his tray.

Qin Huai glanced at Ouyang's selection of dishes.

Braised chicken thigh, spicy fried pork, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, and garlic stir-fried water spinach, with an extra-charge kelp rib soup.

Beside the kelp rib soup was a small plate of Green Bean Cake, with fresh lychees placed in front of the soup and cake.

Three meats, one vegetable, one soup, one dessert, and a fruit, eating better than him.

The most crucial thing was that Qin Huai found that box of lychees looked very familiar. If nothing unexpected had happened, this variety was the $14-a-piece hanging green lychees Qin Luo was staring at in amazement when they were at the supermarket a few days ago.

"Weren't you broke recently, even buying the biggest bottle of iced tea?" Qin Huai sat opposite Ouyang.

Ouyang chuckled, "I called my mom this morning, whining about my poverty. She was moved by my determination to support my classmates' entrepreneurial ventures and decided to reimburse my meal expenses from now on."

"And this..." Qin Huai pointed at the lychees.

Ouyang pushed the lychees towards Qin Huai, "Just took them from home. Didn't Luoluo want to eat them last time? Take them to her and tell her that as her Brother Yang, I can still afford a box of lychees. Whenever she wants to eat, just say the word, and I'll grab them from home."

Qin Huai: ...

"Did Luoluo get up early again? I didn't see her just now. Is she catching up on sleep?"

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"No, she isn't." Qin Huai said, "She was playing on her phone until 3 AM last night, couldn't say a word, and came promptly at 5:30 this morning when the alarm rang. She almost fell into a pot while eating Green Bean Cake, so I sent her back to rest."

"I took her phone away in the process. From now on, she can only probably play with her kiddie smartwatch at night."

Ouyang paused briefly, took a few mouthfuls of rice, and started a new topic, "Wanna watch a movie this afternoon? When Luoluo wakes up, we can call her. I got two movie cards from my mom this morning."

Qin Huai thought Ouyang was really born in the wrong era; if born in the past, he would have made a great bandit, and asked, "Aren't you working this afternoon?"

"Sister Hong has some errands to run this afternoon, so I can skip work directly."

Qin Huai: "... I can't this afternoon. I need to experiment with a new product. Maybe in a few days."

Upon hearing that Qin Huai was working on a new product, Ouyang's eyes lit up and he expressed his willingness to sacrifice himself by staying at the cafeteria to become a taster for this new product.

Qin Huai thought Ouyang might really need to sacrifice himself this time.

After eating, Qin Huai went back for a short nap, and then returned to the cafeteria after 2 PM to start working on the new product.

Making buns is different from making filled buns; the dough for buns requires a higher texture standard, needing a second fermentation where water needs to be added to ensure the dough's moisture. Also, to enhance the bun's aroma and sweetness, ingredients like milk, eggs, sugar, and honey are often added during kneading for flavor.

Today, Qin Huai also planned to add flavor to the dough.

But the flavor he was adding was somewhat unique.

Elm bark water.

Elm bark water looked as unappealing as chewing on dried elm bark.

There's a reason tree bark isn't included in the human diet.

Qin Huai started kneading the dough.

At this time, the staff at Yunzhong Restaurant were all on break. Some waiters went to the nearby mall, two chefs were napping on the second floor, and the rest were in the main hall on the first floor. Huang Xi was busy adjusting plans on the computer, while An Youyou and another waiter were on their phones.

"Youyou, what are you watching?" asked Zhao Jiahui, noticing An Youyou craning her neck towards the kitchen, "Trying to pick up some skills?"

"You need a master to personally teach you how to make snacks; how could I possibly learn something so far away." An Youyou continued to watch, "I just think the water the boss is using to knead the dough looks odd."

Not only did the external spectators like An Youyou find it odd, but Qin Huai, who was doing the preparation, also felt something was off.

The task of using tree bark water to knead white bread dough can be best described as...

Parents enforcing hardship education might pass by and say: If it really doesn't work, let's just cook some wild vegetables with water, at least it's something edible.

Two hours later, freshly steamed elm bark-flavored buns, slightly tinged with yellow, came out of the pot.

Qin Huai didn't make much, just three of them.

Not daring to try it first, Qin Huai called Ouyang to tell him the new product was ready and to come to the cafeteria for a taste test.

A few minutes later, Ouyang arrived, tardily accompanied by Chen Huixi.

"Huihui has finals tomorrow and got out on time today since Sister Hong couldn't pick her up, so I helped," Ouyang explained with a smile, "Huihui, you're in for a treat today; your brother Qin Huai made a new product this afternoon."

Chen Huixi looked at Qin Huai with anticipation.

Qin Huai: ...

Qin Huai silently presented the steaming buns, which looked very soft and glossy, like those picture-perfect buns.

Ouyang picked one up and sniffed it, "This smell... quite refreshing."

Then he took a bite.

Ouyang: ?

Strange, though it wasn't unbearably awful, memories of eating salad yesterday unexpectedly started attacking him.

Chen Huixi also picked up a bun and took a gentle bite.

Chewing.

Chen Huixi: ?

Chen Huixi looked at Qin Huai, eyes filled with the disillusionment of an idol falling out of favor.

In her heart, Qin Huai could do everything in pastry, from making buns and dumplings to any other snack, all were super tasty, yet these buns turned out so plain.

Plain, with even a hint of something peculiar, not very palatable.

Chen Huixi sniffed, feeling a bit teary.

Mommy, brother Qin Huai's buns aren't tasty. 55555(*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ).

Keeping the principle of not wasting food, Chen Huixi continued with a second bite.

"Huihui, how's the taste?" Qin Huai asked.

Chen Huixi hesitated: "Weird."

Then shook her head, saying, "Brother Qin Huai, your buns aren't as tasty as your stuffed buns and dumplings."

Hearing Chen Huixi's disapproval, Qin Huai felt slightly relieved.

Great, Huihui simply prefers the taste of buckwheat rather than enjoying bizarre flavors.

It's all good as long as she's normal; Qin Huai worried that Chen Huixi's taste might be overly unconventional, impossible to predict, more absurd than third-rate magazine articles.

Assured that Chen Huixi just liked the taste and texture of buckwheat, he thought he should continue focusing on buckwheat buns.

"If you don't like it, don't eat it. I'll have Luoluo take it back to feed the chickens," Qin Huai said.

In the morning, Zhao Rong had stopped by the market to buy two live old hens, kept in the kitchen for soup in the upcoming days. Letting the chickens have some green and healthy buns wasn't a bad idea.

With a clear conscience, Chen Huixi put down the bun.

While they were chatting, Ouyang, who was oblivious to the conversation, finished the bun.

He smacked his lips a bit, seeming to savor it, and said, "Qin Huai, I have to say, your new product today..."

"Though it tastes a bit odd, when chewed, it has a unique flavor."

"Not bad at all!"

Qin Huai: ?

Turns out you're the one with unusual tastes.

If you had said earlier that you liked this, there's a whole bag in the warehouse; take it all home and eat it slowly, don't be shy.

If this mission were Ouyang's wish, with his unpicky palate capable of savoring the mystery and deliciousness of elm bark-flavored buns, Qin Huai estimated the task would have been accomplished long ago.

It's a pity.

Qin Huai looked at Ouyang and sighed.

Ouyang, puzzled by the sigh, pointed at the remaining bun on the plate and asked, "Qin Huai, are you eating this? If not, I'll have it."

Seeing Qin Huai nod, Ouyang picked it up and took a big bite.

"This flavor."

"Refreshing!"