Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Chapter 445 - 357: Xiang Sauce Noodles, Shredded Chicken Sesame Cold Noodles

As Lin Chen was busy making noodles for everyone, he held a sieve and stirred the pot, scooping up a mountain of noodles.

The chopsticks were like precise electronic scales, and each time they picked up noodles, the amount looked almost identical.

The noodles folded several times in the food box and slowly fell, forming a neat blanket shape, resembling a comb laid on top.

The diluted peanut sauce at the bottom of the box was stimulated by the heat, emitting a faint nutty aroma.

He was quick, packing ten bowls in a row, then grabbed a handful of spring onions and scattered them swiftly.

Since most customers requested a double mix, obviously, the whole box couldn’t be served.

But if he were to mix them himself, he wouldn’t have enough hands, and the noodles in the pot were prone to overcooking.

"Bang—"

The wide noodles slapped heavily on the tabletop, making a dull noise, and were then thrown into the pot.

Lin Chen glanced at Raphael and Nagishiro Sho beside him, grinned, and grabbed chopsticks to hand over.

"You two, I’ll give you a job, mix these noodles evenly and split them into two portions, two flavors per box."

Almost forgot, wasn’t these two ready-made laborers!

The two were proud that they learned the technique of pulling noodles so quickly, and in the next second, they were assigned work, rolling their eyes in disbelief.

Without saying much, they silently took the chopsticks and began to mix.

The two sauces, peanut and sesame, obviously differed in noodle mixing.

The former was paired with soy sauce, and the latter with chili oil, Sichuan pepper oil, and sesame oil, easily distinguishable.

As Raphael picked up a box of noodles, he sniffed closely. The peanut sauce aroma was very faint, almost unnoticeable.

Could it be due to not being mixed?

He didn’t believe there was any issue with Lin Chen’s sauce ratio, and promptly picked up the noodles to mix thoroughly.

Nagishiro Sho, seeing Raphael taking the peanut sauce noodles, took the sesame sauce ones and started mixing, maximizing efficiency.

Being Asian, he knew this fine hot noodle, if left too long, would definitely stick together, greatly affecting texture, and there couldn’t be any hesitation.

As the two mixed quickly, the heat under the noodles unleashed a strong nutty fragrance, mixing with the rich wheat aroma and the refreshing scent of spring onions, making one’s mouth water just from the smell.

While the two were mixing here, Lin Chen continued quickly packing a bowl one by one, alongside Xiao Zhao kneading dough and Old Chen chopping meat, the whole process flowed seamlessly and highly efficiently, like a factory production line, extremely pleasing.

Moreover, Lucas had started cooking as well.

He still used transparent plastic boxes, scooped in a large portion of translucent ice powder, drizzled with syrup and mint essence, and covered the surface with colorful fruits and dried fruits.

This time he made some small changes, adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

It’s the height of summer, even at five in the morning, the temperature is around twenty degrees.

At this temperature, the ice cream ball would slowly melt, the sweet milk mixing with fruit, blending with its fragrance and then sinking into the ice powder, greatly enhancing the overall flavor.

Even though he hadn’t tasted it yet, just imagining knew it must taste great.

Ice cream is like a universal ingredient, whatever it’s combined with becomes delicious.

Like waffles, crêpes, coffee, and even dipping salty fries tastes good!

Anyway, he hadn’t seen a dessert with added ice cream turn out bad.

"The scent is too fragrant, I’ve never smelled peanut sauce this strong before!"

"I’m starving, watching food being made bit by bit is such torture, should have sat aside without watching!"

"After eating that Chinese burger, I feel even hungrier!"

"No wonder the food videos get so many views, they have a reason, indeed delicious!"

"I’ve started to look forward to what will be sold for lunch, Rovena, should there be no shift at noon today?"

Rovena widened his eyes: "What nonsense, do I decide the shifts?"

"If guests come, you all just go eat and don’t serve them? If there are complaints, each of you will have your salary deducted!"

With a bucket of cold water poured, the employees sighed one another.

"Alas, every noon is spent at sea, afternoon meal bubbles burst."

"I’d rather not earn money, and want to taste what the chef’s lunch sells."

"Anyone willing to cover the shift, guests have priority."

"Wake from the daydream, you want to eat, don’t we?"

"Everyday lunch is those damn hotdogs and frozen pizza, I’m gonna vomit!"

"Can’t help but leave it to luck, see who is the unlucky one."

As everyone was discussing lunch arrangements, Dais had already taken a tray full of noodle boxes from the window.

"Everyone, let’s pause the chat for a moment and come quickly to get your noodles."

"These noodles should be consumed promptly; if left too long, they become mushy, turning into a paste-like texture, affecting the dining exp..."

Before she could finish speaking, the area darkened as she was instantly surrounded by a crowd, countless hands eagerly snatching the containers of two-color noodles from the tray.

However, due to limited tray space, nearly half of the employees hadn’t yet received their portion of noodles and anxiously turned to look inside the window at the two Head Chefs continuing to mix the noodles.

No one dared to rush them, as their status here meant they could only watch longingly as their coworkers devoured their bowls of noodles and swallowed their own hunger.

"Slurp—"

"Gulp—"

The employees who got the noodles didn’t hesitate; they indiscriminately grabbed a heap of noodles and stuffed it into their mouths without caring about the color or flavor.

The sounds of slurping noodles, mixed with the rich aroma of nuts, intensified the hunger of those who hadn’t eaten, leading them to swallow continuously to quench their cravings.

The slightly thinner noodles, compared to regular pasta, were covered in a thick peanut sauce, offering a fresh, fragrant richness with every bite.

But this peanut sauce tasted entirely different from what they were familiar with; it wasn’t overwhelmingly thick and sticky like pure peanut butter but coated each noodle like a sauce.

The flavor wasn’t purely peanut butter either; it mainly consisted of savory soy sauce, with a noticeable scallion aroma perfectly balancing the peanut butter’s sweetness.

For the foreigners used to peanut butter on toast, this peanut sauce noodles opened the door to a new world.

With just one bite, everyone widened their eyes in disbelief, looking around.

When they saw their coworkers displaying the same expression, they reassuredly continued to indulge with big bites.

The half portion wasn’t large, about three bites, and even the entire box wasn’t much, just enough to allow diners to try other foods.

To put it bluntly, it was for sales volume.

Those who tasted the sesame sauce noodles also had a look of astonishment, indistinguishable among the crowd.

Compared to the sweet richness of peanut butter, sesame sauce lacked the sweetness of peanuts, and its flavor was relatively less impactful, offering only a thick texture and a faint sesame aroma.

Thus, most vendors would mix some peanut butter when making sesame sauce, commonly known as two-eight sauce.

Since excessive peanut butter becomes cloying, and pure sesame sauce lacks that stunning quality, blending the two is the correct approach.

But these foreigners didn’t know this little secret; they only knew these noodles were incredibly spectacular!

Beyond the initial rich sesame sauce aroma, there followed a sensation that made their lips tremble uncontrollably.

A mild spice, mixed with shredded chicken and scallion aroma, spread throughout the mouth, a spiciness they could endure, yet their lips and tongues couldn’t stop shaking.

Despite the shaking, there were no other reactions or special flavors, just a purely novel experience.

Such a fresh experience quietly prompted them to keep tasting, eating one bite after another endlessly.

After a few bites, they finished half the box of noodles, with droplets of fine sweat quietly appearing on their foreheads, cheeks flushed, unsure if it was from the heat or the spiciness.

"Hiss... thrilling!"

"So hot, why is it so hot, my back feels soaked."

"Is it this spicy??"

"Not that spicy, it’s just hot, hard to explain."

"These two flavors of noodles are super delicious, a taste never experienced before."

"Which flavor is better?"

"Both are good; the flavors are completely different, hard to compare."

"I think this spicier sesame sauce noodle with chicken is better, it’s sweet and spicy with sesame aroma, quite addictive!"

"Then I prefer the peanut sauce one, the flavor is purer, without many complex aromas, just the pure scent of peanut butter."

Rovena didn’t rush to compete with the employees for food, as they were about to host guests soon, and he wasn’t.

He just needed to stay on the shore to coordinate and dispatch, eating a few minutes later didn’t matter.

He could even beautifully enjoy a mysterious lunch!

"Are these noodles really that delicious?"

After serving two waves, when all the guests had their noodles, Raphael and Nagishiro Sho themselves couldn’t resist the temptation.

While the diners outside only had to endure the temptation of the bowl of noodles before them, those in the car had to withstand several times the aromatic temptation.

Despite their experience, the fatal allure from unknown foods was often more intense than for ordinary people.

In their world, few foods sparked their curiosity anymore, as they could mentally assemble the taste from just hearing the ingredients without needing a sample.

But Great Xia’s food was not in this category.

Using seemingly ordinary ingredients, it unexpectedly combined them in intriguing ways, elevating to form entirely new taste experiences.