Chapter 247: Roasted Meat Bun
Early the next morning, Qi Han woke up and gave a hearty rua to the still-groggy Pururu. Under Pururu's bewildered gaze, Qi Han chuckled softly before stepping into his system space.
There, he was greeted by a simulation of the roasted meat bun, recreated from Feng Yi's memories through the Ru Yi Extraction feature.
"Let's activate the training space first," Qi Han said after examining the flatbread for a while. He decided to cut it open and study how to replicate it.
Since completing the Wensi Tofu training, the training space had been closed, requiring him to unlock a new dish to reactivate it.
After a brief moment of thought, Qi Han chose a 3 Star recipe: Jade Dragon Tendons.
The reason for choosing a 3 Star recipe over a 2 Star one was that he had already mastered four 3 Star recipes.
By mastering one more, he would meet one of the prerequisites for advancing to an Intermediate Chef.
There were three prerequisites for advancing to an Intermediate Chef:
Completing Main Quest 7, the one he was currently working on. Qi Han had already identified the opportunity to complete it: the Shrek Food Festival happening in half a month. He was confident that the festival would mark the end of this quest.
Mastering five 3 Star dishes.
When Qi Han first learned of this requirement, he had only mastered one dish—Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb. At the time, it seemed a distant goal. Now, he was just one dish away.
Reaching a spirit power level of 40.
Qi Han's current spirit power level was 35. He still had three tasks to complete: Main Quest 7, Side Quest Five, and Side Quest Six.
Each of these quests would grant him two levels of spirit power upon completion.
By this calculation, reaching level 40 didn't seem as daunting anymore.
Among the three quests, Main Quest 7 and Side Quest Six were closely related and could be completed almost simultaneously. As for Side Quest Five, though it had some uncertainties, Qi Han had already completed a third of it, giving him confidence in finishing it soon.
The training space materialized, and a lingering soul gradually appeared, its form solidifying.
Before him stood a middle-aged man with bright, piercing eyes and the refined demeanor of a scholar. Dressed in a pristine royal chef's robe, he nodded at Qi Han with a polite smile.
This was Master Tan Yuzhi, the creator of Jade Dragon Tendons and a royal chef of the Qing Dynasty.
(Note: Due to the scarcity of information about Jade Dragon Tendons, the author has fictionalized its origin. No offense is intended.)
However, faced with this seemingly kind master, Qi Han had to offer an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Senior. For now, I might not be able to learn the preparation of Jade Dragon Tendons."
"Oh?" Master Tan Yuzhi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why not?"
Qi Han earnestly explained the situation with Feng Yi. Since he had promised to recreate the roasted meat bun from Feng Yi's memory, it was his priority, and learning Jade Dragon Tendons would have to wait.
After listening, Master Tan Yuzhi wasn't angry. On the contrary, his gaze held a hint of admiration. "Kindness, indeed!"
Qi Han breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to the workbench.
He carefully examined the roasted meat bun again.
The flatbread was round, thick in the middle, and thin at the edges, resembling the shape of a discus. It was about the size of Qi Han's outstretched palm.
The roasted meat bun had been steamed, giving its surface a slightly yellowish-white color with a faint sheen. It looked simple and unpretentious, embodying the homely style of traditional family recipes.
Qi Han carefully sliced the flatbread down the center, exposing its filling—a medley of shredded grilled meat interspersed with finely chopped fish mint.
"Feng Yi... really does love fish mint," Qi Han mused, raising an eyebrow.
Using chopsticks, he picked up a bit of the filling and placed it into his mouth. After a brief chew, his eyes lit up.
"Honey Badger meat?"
Honey Badgers were a unique type of spirit beast from the Kalei Forest. Could Feng Yi's family be from that region? That area was quite remote, a far-flung rural corner.
Qi Han's face showed a touch of delight.
While other meats might have been harder to work with, he happened to have extensive experience with Honey Badger meat.
It was a fortuitous coincidence.
The grilled meat had a tough texture—not particularly delicious by Qi Han's standards—but for an ordinary homemaker, this was already an impressive effort.
"Rear leg meat?"
Even after the dual processes of grilling and steaming, Qi Han could still identify the meat's cut. He let out a small sigh.
For a dish like this, the front leg meat with its balance of fat and lean would have been a better choice. The succulent fat would render during grilling, enveloping the meat in a glossy sheen. When stuffed into the dough and steamed, the melted fat would seep into the bread, enhancing the flavor to a new level.
Rear leg meat, being leaner, was a bit drier—but it was cheaper. Qi Han guessed that Feng Yi's mother had chosen it based on simple, practical logic.
However, Qi Han wasn't aiming to create the best-tasting roasted meat bun. His goal was to replicate the flatbread exactly as Feng Yi remembered it. Thus, the choice of rear leg meat was non-negotiable.
Rear leg meat it is, then.
As he analyzed further, Qi Han noted that Feng Yi's mother had used some familiar spices during the grilling process. Fortunately, none of the spices were rare or difficult to source. With this in mind, Qi Han turned his attention to the flatbread's exterior.
Judging by its texture and appearance, the outer layer was made from fermented dough.
Fermentation, huh...
Qi Han hadn't worked with fermented dough before. Both the dumplings and the dragon whisker noodles he had mastered were made with unfermented dough.
Still, given his current level of culinary skill, basic fermentation wasn't a challenge.
Overall, this roasted meat bun didn't involve any particularly intricate techniques. Based on his analysis and the fragments of Feng Yi's descriptions, Qi Han could already outline the general preparation steps.
Taking the flatbread in hand, Qi Han bit into it, savoring both the grilled meat filling and the soft exterior.
The grilled meat's slight dryness, due to the rear leg cut, was balanced perfectly by the tender, fluffy bread. The inclusion of fish mint added a distinctive flavor.
While fish mint wasn't to everyone's taste, as a chef, Qi Han had few culinary aversions.
After swallowing the bite, Qi Han nodded in approval.
Though this simple roasted meat bun couldn't compare to any 1 Star dish in his repertoire, for a humble homemaker, it demonstrated remarkable skill.
More importantly, for Feng Yi, this flatbread carried an emotional weight.
Even though it had been simulated by the system, Qi Han habitually finished the entire flatbread before heading over to his workstation.
Now... It was time to replicate this roasted meat bun.
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