I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 602 - 285: The Milk Yellow Mooncake that Fails As Soon As You Learn, Won’t You Try Making It? [Subscribe Please] _3

Chapter 602: Chapter 285: The Milk Yellow Mooncake that Fails As Soon As You Learn, Won’t You Try Making It? [Subscribe Please] _3

"Eating Three Non-Stick in the early morning can be a bit greasy, huh? It’s all lard and sugar; one bite and you gain three pounds."

His words made Lin Xu realize that this custard filling was indeed quite similar to Three Non-Stick. Even the final product looked quite a lot like it.

"This is the custard filling for the Milk Yellow Mooncake. Aren’t you on the night shift today? How come you’re here so early?"

Lin Xu noticed that Wei Qian seemed a bit thinner these days. It seemed that cycling to and from work every day really helped with fitness.

Unfortunately, he lived too close to the store, just a stone’s throw away, so he couldn’t even get exercise by commuting. If he had money, he’d buy a villa like his father-in-law’s, convert the basement into a gym, play some pool, and work out after his shift. Just thinking about it felt incredibly comfortable.

"I... Lin Xu, help me analyze this. I haven’t offended Tiantian, have I?"

Lin Xu: "..."

You’re really stuck in a dead end.

He stirred the ingredients in the pot and asked, "What now?"

Wei Qian took a small, transparent, sealed bag out of his pocket and shook it in front of Lin Xu. "Last night after biking home, Tiantian gave me this packet. She told me to eat one every day, saying it can treat physical weakness... Out of nowhere, she says I’m weak! We’re colleagues; how could she say that?"

Looking at the Moringa Seeds in the sealed bag, Lin Xu had a helpless expression.

Was Wei Qian the friend Song Tiantian mentioned? Still, Moringa Seeds were mostly for strengthening the loins; they didn’t do much for general physical weakness. For a bachelor like Wei Qian, eating them might even cause a nosebleed.

Lin Xu said, "Wei Qian, think about it seriously. When a girl suddenly starts caring about a boy, what do you think her purpose might be?"

Wei Qian scratched his head, pondered for a moment, and then said with conviction, "She wants to borrow money!"

Lin Xu: "..."

My goodness, man, what kind of experiences have you had to come up with such an idea?

To prevent this guy’s thinking from straying further off track, Lin Xu gave an example. "Since starting university, Yueyue has always been nice to me, often bringing me snacks and things, and eventually, we became a couple. Now Tiantian is doing the same for you. What do you think she wants?"

This time Wei Qian perked up. "She wants to be my sugar mommy!"

Lin Xu: ???????

He suddenly felt tired. Maybe later he should persuade Tiantian to consider someone else. Wei Qian’s thought process was as incomprehensible as a tangled ball of yarn.

He didn’t want to deal with Wei Qian anymore, so he stood in front of the stove, concentrating on the ingredients in the pot.

As the moisture evaporated, the paste-like ingredients in the pot became increasingly thick.

But this was when he had to be most careful because the ingredients were very sticky and could easily adhere to the bottom of the pot. He had to keep scraping the bottom with a wooden spatula while stirring.

As he was busy, Wei Qian came over again and asked quietly, "Lin Xu, do you think Tiantian... likes me?"

"Otherwise, why would she cycle with you every day?"

"Then what’s she after? I don’t have money, no house in Beijing... Although my family has some savings, it’s only enough to buy a small house back home..."

Wei Qian’s face showed a mix of anxiety and hesitation.

Being liked was a good thing, but was he worthy of such a girl’s devotion?

Lin Xu patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "This is an answer you’ll have to find for yourself. Maybe she likes that your plumpness means you’re not bony to the touch, or perhaps it’s because your cooking suits her taste. Anyway, the girl has already taken the initiative, so you might as well give it a try. For example, let her encourage you to lose weight or something. That can deepen your bond and also reduce your anxiety about your figure."

Wei Qian was a skilled cook and an honest person. Although he once took revenge by swapping holidays at the Fishing Platform, that was only because he had been bullied first.

His only flaw might have been his weight, which made him extremely insecure about his personal charm.

This situation was especially suited for a vigorous weight-loss campaign.

Losing weight could not only reshape one’s physique but was also a process of rebuilding confidence.

Transforming one’s least perfect aspect into perfection could greatly enhance both one’s image and inner self.

These words deeply stirred Wei Qian, and he went outside to ponder.

Meanwhile, the custard filling in the pot had completely solidified, its surface slightly glossy—a sign that the filling was well-cooked.

Lin Xu poured this solidified filling into a large basin, then added the remaining salted egg yolks and began mixing.

Salted egg yolks shouldn’t be added during stir-frying because prolonged heating would render the fat from them. This would make the custard filling greasy, not only cloying to eat but also prone to causing the pastry skin to break during wrapping.

Mixing them in after the base was cooked avoided this issue.

Moreover, mixing at this point also sped up the cooling process of the custard filling, allowing the temperature to drop more quickly.

Finally, after thoroughly mixing the filling, he covered the basin with cling film and carried it to the cold storage to cool.

Taking advantage of this time, Lin Xu started making the mooncake’s crust—the outermost layer, like a nesting doll.

The dough for the crust was simple. Besides sieved low gluten flour, it only needed egg yolks, icing sugar, milk powder, cream, and butter.

If you wanted the mooncakes to have a nicer color after baking, you could add a tiny bit of lye water. This is an important additive in making Guangdong-style mooncakes, as it makes the crust more enticing and appetizing.

However, you shouldn’t add too much lye water; just a tiny bit was enough.

Once the dough was ready, he covered it with cling film to let it rest. By this time, the custard filling had cooled down. He took it out of the cold storage, removed the cling film, and portioned the custard filling into small pieces weighing about 25 grams each.

After portioning, he rolled them into small balls. Then, holding a ball, he used his thumb to press a small indentation into it, much like when shaping a small dough nest.

This made it easier to encase the frozen lava core balls inside.

After preparing all of them, he placed them on a tray and returned them to the cold storage to continue chilling.

By now, the dough had also rested properly. He rolled it into a long strip and then portioned it into pieces, each weighing about 25 grams.

After portioning, he kneaded them again and covered them with cling film to continue resting.

He began to wrap the filling.

He took the frozen lava core balls from the freezer and, while they were still cold, placed them into the small indentations in the custard filling. Then, he quickly sealed them and re-rolled them into balls.

After rolling, he continued to freeze them.

The lava core balls needed to remain frozen at a low temperature.

This was to prevent any spillage.

After all the lava core filling was encased in the custard filling, he took the rested dough, pressed a piece by hand into a flat disc, and wrapped the custard filling inside, much like wrapping a steamed bun.

Once wrapped, he re-rolled them into balls and then put them into the refrigerator to continue resting.

He couldn’t rush to press them in the molds at this stage. They had to be chilled in the refrigerator first to rest, otherwise the crust could easily crack. This would not only affect the appearance of the finished product but could also cause the lava core to leak.

The chilled mooncake balls needed to be dusted with a layer of cornstarch to prevent the crusts from sticking to the tray.

After finishing these tasks, Lin Xu came outside and saw Wei Qian walking downstairs as if he had made a significant decision. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Just as he was about to follow him to see what was happening, Shen Baobao, who had agreed not to contact him during the day, suddenly called.

"Xu Bao, we might not be able to make the mooncakes!"

"What happened?"

"Just now, Yan Bao and I were melting the ingredients for the lava core filling, and we found it was quite good to scoop out with a spoon and eat, so... so we accidentally ate it all..."