Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle
Chapter 104 - 86: Eating Big Chunks

Chapter 104: Chapter 86: Eating Big Chunks

At 4 a.m. the next morning, Qin Huai arrived at the cafeteria for work precisely on time.

For Qin Huai, showing up to work on time was a rare occurrence, because he usually set his alarm for 4 a.m., got dressed and washed up quickly, and headed to the cafeteria, typically arriving 15 minutes late.

After all, he was the boss, and nobody could dock his attendance bonus.

Today, Qin Huai was on time for work.

This meant he had something important to do.

That’s right, the sticky rice cakes couldn’t wait any longer.

Yesterday afternoon, around three or four o’clock, Qin Huai steamed the rice cakes one last time and covered them with a damp cloth. By 4 a.m. today, it had been just over 12 hours.

From his years of experience making sticky rice cakes, Qin Huai knew that covering a basin of sticky rice cakes for around 12 hours was optimal; any longer and they would start to harden.

A slight hardness wasn’t a big deal, since everyone had different preferences—some liked them soft and sticky, while others preferred them a bit firmer.

But Qu Jing liked them soft.

If he wasn’t so tired, Qin Huai would have been at the cafeteria by 3:30.

Upon entering the kitchen, the first thing Qin Huai did was uncover the damp cloth.

The rice cakes were in great condition.

The rice-white cakes looked evenly textured. Qin Huai scooped out a spoonful for a taste; they were soft and sticky, slightly chewy, with a hint of glutinous flavor without any sugar or red bean filling.

To Qin Huai, this pure taste was just the flavor of rice cakes, but Qin Luo insisted it was the unique aroma of glutinous rice.

Eaten plain, it had its own charm.

Of course, dipping them in sugar or filling them with sweet red bean paste would transform the sticky rice cakes into a delightful sweet treat.

"Huaihuai, you made rice cakes, huh?" Qin Congwen spotted the cakes immediately.

Within the Qin Family, it was Qin Congwen who loved rice cakes the most.

Unfortunately, Qin Congwen wasn’t at Qin Luo’s age anymore, where he could just cry and demand to eat whatever he wanted. As the head of the Qin Family (at least that’s what Qin Congwen thought), he needed to maintain the dignity of a middle-aged man—for instance, subtly agreeing when his daughter begged for sticky rice cakes, sneaking a bite when he could.

If he could pack two pieces to take home, secretly devouring them before bed and getting too full to eat breakfast the next morning, that would be ideal.

Qin Congwen’s eyes lit up at the sight of Qin Huai’s rice cakes.

Actually, when he arrived early, he guessed what might be under the damp cloth, but didn’t dare to touch it. After all, Qin Huai had been experimenting with new snacks lately, and Qin Congwen avoided touching prepped ingredients for fear of ruining them.

"Today’s rice cakes are nice, but a bit sticky. I deliberately made them softer and stickier. Dad, would you like to try some first?"

"Sure, sure." Qin Congwen put down his bun and went to wash his hands.

Qin Huai watched as Qin Congwen took a small taste.

Two bites.

Three bites.

Qin Congwen started looking for sugar, and Qin Huai handed it over quietly, asking, "Dad, the red bean paste is actually ready. If you really want some, I can finish the rice cakes now."

The final steps for sticky rice cakes were simple: just wrap them in red bean paste and coat them in snowy sugar. If you liked them extra sweet, coat them heavily with sugar; if not, sprinkle lightly; for moderate sweetness, fill only with red bean paste.

Qin Congwen’s habit of directly dipping them in sugar was quite bold.

"Huaihuai, no need to trouble yourself, just a taste for me." Qin Congwen said with his bowl in hand.

Qin Huai: ...

Alright, Dad, as long as you’re happy.

Zhao Rong wasn’t interested in rice cakes, so she looked disdainfully at Qin Congwen, who was trying to hide his delight while eating, and turned to ask Chen An, who was kneading dough.

"Xiao Chen, why don’t you try some too?"

"No, no need." The reserved Chen An, not knowing what he was missing, replied, "Sister Rong, I haven’t finished kneading the dough yet."

Qin Huai took the red bean filling out of the freezer to thaw and began making buns as usual.

The red bean paste sticky rice cake was a common version Qin Huai often made. He planned to steam some dates later to make jujube paste filling. There were many recipes for sticky rice cakes online, and this common, easy-to-make snack could be made in various styles to suit different tastes.

As long as customers liked it, red bean paste, mung bean paste, jujube paste, or even salted egg yolk and pork floss fillings were doable.

For snacks, being delicious is the main thing.

But Luo Jun’s dried tangerine peel tea was definitely eccentric.

Because they arrived early, the Three Meat and Five Fillings Buns were ready early, too. It was rare for them to be done before the morning joggers showed up.

Qin Huai and his crew seized the chance for breakfast.

Chen An took a bite of a Three Meat Bun, then a Five Fillings Bun, inwardly scolding himself for not having had the guts to eat the pricier buns yesterday and resolving to eat more today to make up for it.

While eating, Chen An discreetly checked the expressions of Zhao Rong and Qin Huai, and since no one seemed to mind his appetite, he continued eating.

"Xiao Chen, have some soy milk to wash it down. Eat a good breakfast, there’ll be more work later." Qin Congwen handed Chen An a bowl of soy milk.

"Thanks, Brother Qin!" Chen An mumbled through his bun, swallowed, and praised Qin Huai, "Master Qin, your skills are amazing. In all my years selling breakfasts, I’ve never seen anyone as talented as you!"

Qin Huai accepted Chen An’s compliment with a smile.

Heh heh, he thought his skills were pretty top-notch too.

"Master Chen, my dad’s back isn’t great, so he shouldn’t stand or sit for too long. In the future, I’ll have to rely on you for chopping fillings and prepping ingredients." Qin Huai said.

"Master Qin, don’t worry. I’m young and strong, I’ll handle those tasks for you, even the dough kneading!" Chen An assured, waving his arm.

For the sake of a good breakfast, the meat filling for the buns must be chopped to perfection!

As they were eating, the morning joggers arrived.

The regulars, as usual, could tell something was different as soon as they walked into the cafeteria.

This morning’s buns were ready, no waiting required.

"Master Qin, are the buns ready?" Uncle Wang came in first, asking.

"The Three Meat Bun, Five Fillings Bun, Shiitake Mushroom Bun, Vermicelli Bun, Chive Bun, and Pork Cabbage Bun are all ready. There’s also red bean paste sticky rice cake this morning, but not much. Jujube paste ones will be a bit later, the dates are still steaming."

Upon hearing there was sticky rice cake, Xu Tuqiang, who was leisurely strolling at the back, suddenly hurried forward, his pitch rising.

"Sticky rice cake!"

"Xu Tuqiang, what’s gotten into you? You’re hurting my ears." Mr. Cao complained, rubbing his ears.

Xu Tuqiang exclaimed, "You don’t understand! Do you know how valuable it is to have sticky rice cakes first thing in the morning?"

days! A full 18 days! Since Little Zheng returned to Gusu, it had been 18 days since anything related to rice cakes appeared in Yunzhong Restaurant. Although lard rice cakes weren’t his favorite, they were a passable substitute, especially since Yunzhong Restaurant hadn’t sold sticky rice cakes in 23 days.

My goodness, Master Qin finally remembered he knows how to make this snack!

Seeing Xu Tuqiang so excited, Qin Huai laughed, "Mr. Xu, do you especially like sticky rice cakes? You’re in luck, I plan to experiment with sticky rice cakes for a while, and unless something unexpected happens, they’ll be available every morning."

Xu Tuqiang: !!!

He was so thrilled he almost wanted to donate money to the cafeteria to set up a sticky rice cake foundation.

In the end, all his words boiled down to one sentence.

"Give me a piece!" Xu Tuqiang said, voice trembling, "Cut a big piece and coat it with sugar, I like it sweet!"

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