Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 28 - 27 Buckwheat Bun

After confirming that Chen Huixi's taste is normal, Qin Huai began his buckwheat bun experiment.

Given that both Chen Huixi and the side quest have endorsed buckwheat buns as her preferred taste, Qin Huai naturally wanted to exert himself in this area.

Making regular steamed buns isn't difficult.

Even someone with no cooking experience but quick with their hands and feet can successfully make steamed buns, though not necessarily delicious, by following the instructions and controlling the water temperature and amount when mixing the dough.

However, when it comes to detailing, buckwheat buns require some finesse.

Because buckwheat flour isn't tasty.

Unlike cornmeal, which has a natural corn aroma and some sweetness, pure buckwheat flour is truly unpalatable.

The grainy texture of the flour makes it difficult to knead into a smooth, formed dough. Buckwheat flour itself lacks sweetness, in fact, it can even have a subtly bitter taste, which is why sugar is usually added when making buckwheat buns.

Because without sugar, they really don't taste good.

Most of the time, buckwheat buns are not made entirely from buckwheat flour but are usually a mix of buckwheat flour and all-purpose flour. The color of the buckwheat buns changes according to the ratio of white flour mixed in, generally the whiter, the higher the proportion of white flour.

Qin Huai texted Chen Huihong to ask what color the buckwheat buns her family ate during the New Year were. Chen Huihong said they were gray, indicating quite a bit of white flour was mixed in, strictly speaking, not qualifying as whole grain buns.

After comprehending the situation, Qin Huai was ready to start his controlled variable experiments.

First, he made 18 varieties, using sugar and the proportions of buckwheat flour to white flour as variables, to steam a batch and taste the flavor.

The next afternoon, the kitchen of Yunzhong Restaurant was filled with the strong aroma of buckwheat buns.

Steamed buns count as one of the simplest dough foods.

Making steamed buns is easy; whether kneading the dough or steaming them, it's easy enough that Qin Huai can watch a variety show while keeping an eye on fire control.

"Brother, what are you experimenting with eating? It smells like buns. Brother Yang said you made some especially delicious buns yesterday afternoon, is it the same kind? When will they be ready? I want to try them!" Qin Luo asked energetically as soon as she woke up from her nap and stuck her head in the kitchen.

"Your Brother Yang has a peculiar taste; don't believe his nonsense. All that's steamed are buckwheat buns, which you don't like. There's green bean jelly in the fridge; help yourself, I saved it especially for you. Today at noon, Ouyang cried and begged me to give him half, but I didn't." Qin Huai said.

Qin Luo giggled and said, "Thanks, brother. Actually, you could have given Brother Yang two pieces. Brother Yang brought me some lychees yesterday, and they were quite... expensive!"

Of course, Qin Huai wouldn't tell Qin Luo that the reason he didn't give any to Ouyang at noon was that Ouyang had already sneakily bought half a pound. Eating half a pound of green bean jelly in one day, Qin Huai was worried Ouyang would end up in the emergency room; he wouldn't give him more.

With Ouyang's mom footing the food bill, Ouyang is extravagant when buying food, getting snacks half a pound at a time, half a pound of each kind.

Qin Luo changed clothes and entered the kitchen to take out the green bean jelly from the fridge, sitting beside Qin Huai and eating while watching the variety show.

After finding out that Qin Luo stayed up till 3 a.m. on her phone, Zhao Rong was furious and immediately made her a very strict phone usage schedule, limiting her to no more than three hours a day, with penalties for overtime.

By morning Qin Luo had already used up her three hours, so in the afternoon, she could only watch Qin Huai's variety shows.

"Brother, why did you think of making buckwheat buns?" Qin Luo asked while nibbling on the green bean jelly.

Qin Huai's green bean jelly is made only of green bean paste and honey, with a very strong green bean flavor, cool and smooth. According to Qin Luo, when it's freshly taken out of the fridge, it tastes very much like refrigerated mousse cake, absolutely the perfect cooling snack for summer.

"Your Aunt Chen said Huixi likes buckwheat buns but has never had particularly delicious ones. Anyway, buckwheat buns aren't hard to make, so I thought I might as well try, maybe I can make some that Huixi would like."

Qin Luo didn't understand how anyone could love buckwheat buns; maybe brown sugar buns aren't sweet enough, or white flour buns aren't soft enough, or perhaps rice wine steamed buns...

Forget rice wine steamed buns. Qin Luo said her brother's rice wine steamed buns are average, not as good as brown sugar buns.

"So brother, are we going to sell buckwheat buns in the morning from now on?" Qin Luo asked.

"No." Qin Huai said decisively.

Tasks are tasks, life is life. Qin Huai stated he'd persist in executing the principle of getting off work at noon, and he would not include food in breakfast that required secondary fermentation, wouldn't fetch a good price, and might affect his getting off work on time.

As one variety show ended, the buns were also successfully taken out.

A line of buckwheat buns, varying in color intensity, looked almost like an art piece made by someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder, to prove buns could fade in color.

Chen Huixi was due to arrive at the dining hall in 3 minutes.

Finals week is great: no make-up classes, no meetings to run over, finish exams and dismissal, allowing Qin Huai to accurately control bun stewing time.

Having finished a small plate of green bean jelly, Qin Luo suddenly thought that maybe buckwheat buns weren't as unpalatable as she remembered, looking at the steaming line of them before her.

As long as Chen Huixi liked them, there must be something good about buckwheat buns!

Qin Luo blinked at Qin Huai, full of: Brother, how could you forget me in such an important mission? I am your top taste-tester!

Qin Huai didn't say anything, just silently cut the buns into pieces.

Chen Huixi was about to try all 18 kinds of buckwheat buns, so if they weren't cut smaller, she'd be full before she finished.

Three minutes later, Chen Huihong led Chen Huixi into the dining hall and upon seeing the line of buns from dark to light, mother and daughter were both stunned.

Is this... a bun feast?

What an exclusive type of banquet.

"Huixi, I'm not sure exactly what flavor you like, so I've made 18 kinds for you to try, see if there's anything you like."

Chen Huixi sat down dazedly.

After recovering from a moment of shallow surprise, Chen Huihong awkwardly said, "Xiao Qin, Huixi might have just casually mentioned it yesterday, you didn't need to..."

"I don't often make buns, and since Huixi wanted to try some, I thought I might as well study them. If I manage to make some delicious and popular buckwheat buns, the dining hall can also launch something new." Qin Huai said with a smile.

Chen Huihong didn't respond, she only mused in her mind how she figured herself to be quite enthusiastic usually. Yet, she realized today that Qin Huai was equally enthusiastic; no wonder she found Xiao Qin so congenial, it turned out they were kindred spirits.

Instantly, Chen Huihong's fondness for Qin Huai grew a little more.

"Huixi, let me introduce you to these. This is the No. 1 Buckwheat Bun. Sugar-free, 90% buckwheat flour, 10% all-purpose flour. After you taste it, if you find it unpalatable, just shake your head; if you like it, tell me, and also feel free to share any suggestions or ideas. We'll evaluate each one as we taste, okay?"

For the first time, Chen Huixi was a taste tester, and hearing Qin Huai say this, she immediately felt the buns she was eating today were very important, nodding resolutely, determined to seriously taste these buns.

Chen Huixi picked up the No. 1 Buckwheat Bun and resolutely stuffed it into her mouth, chewing with force, seriously tasting it.

0.1 seconds later, she shook her head resolutely.

Too awful!

Chen Huixi remarked that the No. 1 Buckwheat Bun was coarse, aside from scraping her tongue and having a slight bitterness, although the buckwheat flavor was strong, it was truly worse than the weird-tasting buns from the day before.

Qin Huai quickly moved on to the next: "This is No. 2 Buckwheat Bun, with white sugar, 90% buckwheat flour, 10% all-purpose flour."

Once again, Chen Huixi chewed seriously.

0.1 seconds later, she shook her head even more firmly.

Only slightly sweeter than the first, but also an unappetizing buckwheat bun.

"This is No. 3 Buckwheat Bun, sugar-free, 85% buckwheat flour, 15% all-purpose flour."

...

By the time Chen Huixi reached the 8th buckwheat bun, Ouyang, having heard about the bun-tasting event at Yunzhong Restaurant, audaciously skipped work to join in watching the spectacle.

Chen Huihong, completely oblivious to Ouyang's skipping work, kindly explained the tasting results of the previous buckwheat buns.

None were very ideal.

Chen Huixi was trying them according to the color of the buns, from the deepest to the lightest, the deeper the color, the higher the proportion of buckwheat flour. Even though Chen Huixi was fond of the buckwheat taste, it didn't mean she liked eating pure whole grain.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

This kind of liking is akin to parents usually not allowing a child to eat roasted sweet potatoes outside, so the child occasionally having one develops a fondness; but were you to let her constantly eat them like ordinary farming families from the last century who couldn't get enough to eat, to the point of heartburn or making her nauseous, she too would probably not like roasted sweet potatoes.

When reaching the buckwheat buns with a ratio of half buckwheat flour to half white flour, Chen Huixi nodded for the first time.

Let's not kid ourselves; Huixi is a determined child, even her temper and character are good.

Under normal circumstances, many pampered children would've long become upset if made to continually eat such unpalatable buns. But Chen Huixi, despite denying all the previous buns, ate with determination and enthusiasm.

It seemed to Huixi that whether or not she found tasty buns today didn't matter; completing this important mission of taste testing was what was most significant.

Qin Huai began to note down the buns that Chen Huixi rated well.

Seeing how these two were seriously conducting their tasting like an experimental study, Ouyang turned to Qin Luo to quietly ask, "Was your brother always like this?"

Qin Luo coolly nodded, "He's always been like this."

"My brother's been making snacks like this all along; buns are the easiest to make. Those with fillings but don't taste right following a recipe and need ingredient adjustments are troublesome, buying lots of items and trying them one by one. Making seven or eight kinds a day, consecutively for twenty to thirty days, is quite normal."

Ouyang was a little surprised, "Then who handles the taste testing?"

"Me!" Qin Luo proudly lifted her head, "I've been the taste tester for our family all these years!"

"I'm our family's number one taste tester!"

Hearing Qin Luo's boasting, Qin Huai silently nodded in agreement in his heart.

Indeed, Qin Luo hasn't been picky and eats heartily since she was little; if not her, who else?

By the time Chen Huixi got to the 15th buckwheat bun, she was obviously a bit full, her swallowing started to slow down.

Qin Huai marked it down in his notebook: Huixi can't handle so much, the optimal tasting session capacity is 14 types.

He miscalculated; Qin Luo could eat at least 26 varieties at Huixi's age.

Qin Huai glimpsed Luping Qin Luo, who had already sneaked into the kitchen and taken the No. 10 Buckwheat Bun, the highest-rated one by Huixi, broke it in half, sharing it with Ouyang.

The two of them were already eating.

"Luoluo, I find your brother's buns quite good too, though these aren't as nice as those from yesterday, the taste is definitely alright."

"What kind of buns did my brother make yesterday?" Qin Luo's eyes were full of curiosity, "He won't tell me."

"Tsk tsk tsk." Ouyang clicked his tongue twice, "Probably too lazy to make them. No worries, I'll ask your brother to make them next time, and split them with you when he does."

"Thanks, Brother Yang!"