A Bite of Douluo Continent

These are the requirements for kneading dough passed down from the older generation. Only those who can meet these three requirements can be considered masters of kneading dough.

Qi Han had already mastered this step, which greatly increased his speed in making xiaolongbao.

Why have I mastered it? It's all thanks to the previous one-star recipe: Dragon Beard Noodles.

The difficulty in making dragon beard noodles lies in stretching the dough. To stretch twenty strands of dragon beard noodles well, the dough-making process must be meticulous. Strictly speaking, the requirements for dough-making for dragon beard noodles are even higher than those for xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), because only dough of the highest quality can be stretched to be as thin as a hair without breaking.

This is why Qi Han spent two whole days on the dragon beard noodles dish.

However, as the saying goes, "a skilled craftsman must first have the right tools," Qi Han saved the extra time he spent on the dragon beard noodles by making the xiaolongbao.

Even when learning other types of pastries in the future, the crucial step of kneading dough will no longer be a challenge for Qi Han.

Take a piece of plastic wrap, wrap the kneaded dough tightly, and let it rest for about ten minutes. This process is called proofing.

Qi Han had previously mastered the secret of "resting meat" through countless attempts, and this time, the name "resting dough" is similar to that of "resting meat," and they are essentially similar as well.

The purpose of resting meat is to allow the temperature of the surface of the meat to penetrate into the interior, so that the internal temperature is consistent with the surface temperature. Resting dough has a similar effect to resting meat.

Even if the dough reaches the "three smooths" (smoothness, elasticity, and dryness), it's impossible for the moisture in the dough to be completely even. Some dry dough particles will inevitably appear inside. These dough particles can absorb excess moisture from other parts during the proofing process, thus making the overall moisture of the dough more even.

The process of letting the dough rest not only increases its elasticity and extensibility, but also improves its texture and prevents cracks and holes from forming when rolling out the dough.

For steamed buns, which are filled with filling, having the filling spill out is a major no-no.

Take a 1:4 ratio of fat to lean meat, mince it together, add seasonings and egg white, then add some water and stir well. Add pork skin jelly and mix the minced meat and pork skin jelly in a 2:1 ratio until the color of the minced meat becomes brighter and lighter. The minced meat preparation process is now complete.

It's worth mentioning that the system selects badger meat for both the lean and fatty parts of the minced meat, but the raw material for making pork skin jelly comes from Guixiang pig, which is the raw material for Dongpo elbow.

This is why the filling of well-made xiaolongbao will have a subtle osmanthus fragrance and a hint of sweet fruit aroma, elevating its flavor to another level.

With the meat filling ready and the dough resting almost finished, Qi Han pinched the dough into small pieces about the size of his thumb and rolled them out on the cutting board into thin wrappers that were thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges.

After rolling out the dough, pat off the excess flour, fill it with the meat filling, and fold it into neat umbrella-shaped patterns. That's how you make cute, chubby little steamed buns.

He placed the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) in the steamer, and a minute later, when Qi Han opened the steamer again, the faint aroma of the xiaolongbao wafted into his nostrils.

Smelling the aroma, which was exactly the same as the steamed buns made by the phantom, Qi Han couldn't help but smile.

"System, how should we price the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings)?"

The price of xiaolongbao is 5 gold soul coins per basket.

"It's not ten gold soul coins?"

Qi Han was somewhat surprised. He had thought that a basket of ten buns, with each bun costing one gold soul coin, would cost at least ten gold soul coins.

[The cost of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) is low, and they are not difficult to make; therefore, this system's pricing is based on these two factors.]

Qi Han nodded knowingly. It was a good thing that the price was lower. In addition to fried rice, the shop's customers now had another main dish to choose from at the same price.

It took Qi Han two whole days to make the dragon beard noodles, but it only took him a little over two hours to make the xiaolongbao. He only made a few mistakes when preparing the filling, and everything else went smoothly.

After all, Qi Han is no longer the same as before. Cooking skills are interconnected, and with the increase in recipes he has mastered, Qi Han's overall understanding and control of cooking skills has also improved significantly.

Fuya suggested a main dish, and Qi Han chose dragon beard noodles. Ying Shuangshuang wanted steamed buns, so Qi Han chose xiaolongbao. Now, all that's left is Ji Yunruo's dessert.

"System, redeem a one-star recipe: Candied Hawthorn".

Qi Han already had an idea about sweets, and he spoke up without hesitation.

There are many desserts on Earth, but candied hawthorn berries are probably the least suitable to be sold in small shops.

In the past, on Earth, candied hawthorns were mostly sold by elderly people carrying straw targets as tall as a person, with strings of candied hawthorns stuck on them, hawking their wares along the street.

But so what? Qi Han still stubbornly chose it, because those old men holding straw targets and hawking their wares along the street made up his childhood.

Making candied hawthorn berries is not difficult. Simply wash the hawthorns, remove the seeds, skewer them with bamboo sticks, roll the skewered hawthorn berries in the syrup after cooking, sprinkle some white sesame seeds on them while they are still warm, and place them on an oiled cutting board to wait for the syrup to cool and form a hard sugar coating.

The only difficulty probably lies in making the syrup. You need to take rock sugar and water in a 1:1 ratio, put them in a pot and simmer over low heat. You cannot stir during this process to avoid a chain reaction of crystallization, which would turn the last pot of syrup into a pot of granulated sugar.

Once it's almost done cooking, scoop up a little syrup with a spoon and drop it into cold water. If it quickly solidifies into brittle sugar crystals, then it's ready. At this point, turn the heat down to the lowest setting to prevent the syrup from solidifying. Otherwise, the syrup will gradually darken and turn yellow, losing its crystal-clear color and developing a slightly bitter taste.

Making candied hawthorn berries is even simpler than making xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), so much so that Qi Han made fewer than ten mistakes before he was able to make perfect candied hawthorn berries.

Stepping out of the system space, Qi Han slowly walked downstairs and looked up at the price list wall of the small shop. At the bottom of the right half of the wall, three price lists had quietly appeared.

Dragon Beard Noodles - 10 Gold Soul Coins/Serving

Xiao Long Bao - 5 Gold Soul Coins/Bao

Candied hawthorn berries - 1 Gintama coin/skewer

Among the dozen or so price tags priced in gold soul coins, the candied hawthorn berries, priced in silver soul coins, stood out.

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Chapter Ninety-Eight: Buddha Hand Douluo Tang Qianqiu

"System, candied hawthorn should be the cheapest one among the one-star recipes, right?"

Qi Han looked at the price list of candied hawthorns with great interest. This was the first time that the shop had food priced below one gold soul coin, and he guessed that the customers were not used to it.

【Yes. 】

Although the hawthorns used in candied hawthorn skewers are also a variety that has undergone systematic hybridization and is comparable to a hundred-year-old plant-type soul beast, the hawthorns that grow are a size larger than the hawthorns in Qi Han's memory, but unfortunately there are only four candied hawthorns on a skewer.

How many candied hawthorn skewers can be made from one hawthorn tree? The price can't be high.

However, it's not a big problem; consider it a perk for the diners.

Qi Han suddenly had a good idea, "System, how about giving each customer a free string of candied hawthorns today?"

The host has no right to lower the price or offer discounts on their own.

"I know, it's on me. How about I pay you?"

The system remained silent for a long time, seemingly considering the feasibility of this approach, before finally speaking softly.

[The host's act of treating is a personal matter, and this system has no right to interfere, but this is a one-time exception.]

That means it's okay.

Qi Han chuckled.

It's been a month since we opened, and it's time to give our loyal customers a little surprise as a way of thanking them for their continued support.

...

"Yu Hua, tell me, how did your chat with that little kid go last night?"

In the largest council hall of the Tang Clan Shrek City branch, five elderly men sat.

Four of them, dressed in black robes, sat at the lower end; they were the four branch leaders of the Tang Clan. The one sitting at the upper end was a man dressed in a golden Tang Clan robe.

Within the Tang Clan, the only person whose identity can be instantly determined by their attire is the one in the golden robe, as there is only one such person in the entire Tang Clan.

Tang Qianqiu, the leader of the Tang Clan.

Tang Qianqiu is a legendary figure because his martial soul is Blue Silver Grass.

Blue Silver Grass is a useless martial soul, which is common knowledge.

The great master Yu Xiaogang, who lived five thousand years ago, summarized the theory of the ten core competitiveness of martial souls. One of them is that the quality of a martial soul is directly proportional to its innate soul power. According to this theory, it is extremely difficult for a martial soul like Blue Silver Grass to possess innate soul power.

And that is indeed the case. In history, there has never been a pure Blue Silver Grass Soul Master whose innate soul power exceeded level two. The only exception was Tang San, the first sect master of the Tang Sect and the Sea God.

However, the Tang Sect has done a great deal of research on Blue Silver Grass. They know more secrets. Their ancestor Tang San possessed half the bloodline of the 100,000-year-old soul beast Blue Silver Emperor. If Blue Silver Grass is the weakest among plant-type soul beasts, then Blue Silver Emperor, which successfully reached 100,000 years and broke through, is the undisputed king among plant-type soul beasts.

Therefore, using Tang San's example to study Blue Silver Grass is fundamentally flawed.

Tang Qianqiu did not have the same extraordinary experience as Tang San. His martial soul was really just Blue Silver Grass. Despite having such a martial soul, his innate soul power reached a full level six.

Is a level six innate soul power very high? Of course not. In some places it might be considered a good talent, but in the eyes of the Tang Sect, the number one sect on the continent, a level six innate soul power is nothing special.

However, if it is a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master with innate Soul Power Level 6, that is a different story.

Tang Qianqiu might not have received much attention elsewhere, but it was the Tang Clan that discovered him.

Because of the spirit of Tang San, the founder of the Tang Sect, the Tang Sect held a great fondness for Blue Silver Grass spirit masters who could cultivate it. After Tang Qianqiu entered the Tang Sect, he immediately received extra care from the higher-ups.

Within the Tang Clan's medicine hall, there are many pills that will not be circulated outside. The prescriptions for these pills include those left by their ancestor Tang San, as well as those accumulated by the disciples over five thousand years. Among them are many miraculous pills that defy the heavens and earth. Tang Qianqiu, whose innate soul power was only at level six, received treatment that was almost like tempering bones and washing marrow, and his improved talent was close to that of a genius with full innate soul power.

Tang Qianqiu, who received great care from the Tang Sect, shone brightly after entering Shrek Academy. At that time, he and Qi Po Xiao were known as the Shrek Twin Stars, becoming the two most monstrous among a group of monsters.

Tang Qianqiu broke through to the Title Douluo level at the age of thirty, and to the Super Douluo level at the age of forty. Moreover, he broke through to the Limit Douluo level almost simultaneously with Qi Po Xiao within a hundred years.

Under his leadership, the Tang Sect became the second entity after Shrek Academy capable of resisting the two great empires.

No one knows exactly how strong Tang Qianqiu is. After becoming a Limit Douluo, his only move was his earth-shattering battle against Qi Po Xiao.

Unfortunately, no one was fortunate enough to witness that battle, and only the two of them knew the final outcome.

"Yes, Sect Master." Yu Hua sat at the lower end of the table, his expression extremely respectful. Every Tang Sect disciple held this legendary Sect Master in the highest esteem.

After organizing his thoughts, Yu Hua began to recount his conversation with Qi Han, as well as some of his own speculations about Qi Han.

Tang Qianqiu was a tall and imposing man with gray hair, but his face resembled that of a handsome middle-aged man. It was hard to imagine that he was over 170 years old, similar in age to Qi Poxiao.

Tang Qianqiu listened quietly to Yu Hua's story until Yu Hua finished speaking and took a sip of tea, at which point a strange smile appeared on his face.

"Do you believe there's a hidden force behind this little guy?"

“Yes.” Yu Hua answered without hesitation. “As you know, Sect Leader, I have a deep understanding of all kinds of rare and precious materials. Every dish that little kid brought out had ingredients of extraordinary quality. He could even cook things like the thousand-year-old dragon scale fish without limit. He must have a very strong force supporting him.”

“That makes some sense.” Tang Qianqiu nodded slightly, clearly recognizing Yu Hua’s expertise. He knew about the Thousand-Year Dragon Scale Fish; even the Tang Clan wouldn’t just casually produce it. Clearly, the other party had a hidden force behind them, one that was extremely skilled at cultivating various rare and precious materials.

The only strange thing is that I have traveled around the Douluo Continent for over a hundred years, and have visited almost every corner of the entire Douluo Continent, but I have never heard of the existence of such a force.

"Sect Master, what do you think..." Yu Hua slowly began, wanting to see what his sect master's plans were for Qi Han's small shop.

From a personal perspective, he was very happy to befriend the other party. Now, Yu Hua felt a little uneasy if he didn't taste Qi Han's cooking every day.

However, the sect's interests come first, so if the sect leader wants to take action, he has no choice but to comply.

Tang Qianqiu glanced at Yu Hua with a half-smile, "It seems you have quite a fondness for that little kid."

Yu Hua lowered his head slightly and did not refute.

"According to what you've said, Qi Han has no intention of being an enemy of my Tang Clan. He not only purchased a lot of hidden weapons from the Tang Clan but also hired a Tang Clan disciple as an employee of his shop. Clearly, he's a friend, not an enemy. My Tang Clan never provokes trouble, so there's no need for us to target him. However..."

After a slight pause, Tang Qianqiu smiled and said, "I'm also very curious about this little fellow's background. It's almost noon, so why don't we go to that little shop for a simple meal together?"

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Breathtaking Dragon Beard Noodles