Chapter 96 - 91: Self-Service Menu

Chapter 96: Chapter 91: Self-Service Menu

Friday.

Just as the morning rush ended, Uncle Wood arrived with good news. They had successfully achieved the highest comprehensive score over the past three months, making them eligible to apply for an upgrade to a Level 1 Stall.

Ning He went to the office to fill out the application form, and Uncle Wood asked about the credit value issue.

"I have a few ideas. It should be fine."

Ning He didn’t actually have any solid ideas yet, so she could only give a vague answer to placate him.

As Ning He left the office, her mind on the menu changes she’d make after the upgrade, a voice called out from behind her.

"Congratulations. Meeting the upgrade requirements so quickly... you must be the first in the entire academy cafeteria to do it."

Ning He turned to see Wendy from the neighboring Level 1 Stall.

She wore a smile that seemed almost genuine. Ning He scratched her head. ’What’s she up to?’

"Thank you."

"Don’t mention it. We’ll be working together for a long time to come," Wendy said with a smile before walking away.

Back at the stall, Ning He told Connie about the little exchange, and Connie was just as puzzled.

"Come to think of it, the other Level 1 Stalls next to us have been a lot more polite lately. They’ve stopped with the passive-aggressive comments. You think they had a sudden change of heart?"

Ning He couldn’t figure it out either. In the end, she chalked it up to the cafeteria meeting a couple of days ago.

"...Didn’t they say the academy is preparing for something big and that no one is supposed to cause any trouble? Maybe the Dean’s notice actually had an effect."

Connie couldn’t think of any other reason either, so she nodded.

"Oh, right. The administration is currently collecting donations to replenish the emergency reserve fund, and small businesses are their primary target. How much do you think we should donate?"

Ning He paused. Thinking about her savings, which had just dipped back into the four-figure range, she said with a pained expression, "The reserve fund is for dealing with extreme natural disasters; we can’t be stingy. Let’s scrape together two thousand."

Two thousand was equivalent to more than half a month’s profit for a small stall, which was by no means a small amount.

Connie and Ah Huai had already saved enough for Ding Xiang’s medical treatments and Juan’s tuition, so they didn’t object.

"Alright, we’ll each contribute half, one from the restaurant and one from the noodle shop."

Ning He agreed. After cleaning up the stall, they all hurried back to the restaurant to prepare for the grand opening the next day.

Wendy watched them leave, a glint in her eye. She exchanged a smile with the people around her, her face completely devoid of worry.

Back at the restaurant, Vance was guiding two classmates through the process of making malatang.

Several batches of Ning He’s homegrown tomatoes had ripened. Their flavor was so rich that she had turned them all into tomato paste. By combining it with store-bought, quick-ripening varieties, she could also make a tomato-based soup. This meant they would sell two types of malatang broth after opening. The base seasonings were still prepared in advance by Ning He; Vance and the others were mainly responsible for prepping the ingredients and simmering the bone broth.

They had handled these tasks during the food festival, so it wasn’t difficult for them to get the hang of it. Ning He just glanced over, offered a few pointers, and then sat down with Connie and Ah Huai to finalize the menu.

Since the daily supply of produce wasn’t entirely stable in quantity or variety, Ning He had to first create a menu that encompassed all possible vegetables. This would allow them to be flexible and adapt the daily offerings based on what was available.

"...Cabbage, bok choy, cucumber, corn, lettuce, eggplant, tomato, pumpkin, zucchini, and leeks—these should be available almost every day."

"...Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, daikon and green radishes, bean sprouts, cauliflower, scallions, garlic sprouts, and various mushrooms—these will be hit or miss."

As Connie listed them off, Ning He scribbled furiously in her notebook.

"...Tofu, soy protein, and eggs will be in short supply each day, so we’ll probably have to limit them. Staples like rice and noodles shouldn’t be a problem for now."

Ning He finished writing with a final flourish and blew on the ink to dry it.

"Alright, let’s start the taste-testing."

The malatang stall was closed for the day, and they had nearly all the ingredients they needed. Ning He first instructed Connie and the others on how to portion the ingredients for each dish, while Youzhen stood by with a notebook, recording the necessary components and their ratios.

These were the steps that she and her classmates would be responsible for later on.

"Next, let’s document the prep methods. We’ll start with the easiest."

"For the corn, cut the whole cobs into five-centimeter pieces, while the loose kernels should be washed and set aside. For the tomatoes, blanch, peel, and chop two-thirds of them; the remaining third should be rough-chopped. For the pumpkin, steam and mash half into a purée, and chop the other half. For the potatoes, peel, shred, then soak them in water. All the radishes should be shredded. Chop half the leeks, and cut the other half into five-centimeter lengths... Take about a pound of firm tofu, cut it into blocks, and pan-fry until golden brown. The soft tofu should be cut into small cubes..."

"Did you get all that down?"

Youzhen nodded. "Got it."

"Good. Now I’ll demonstrate the specific techniques. Follow these methods from now on."

Youzhen and a few other students immediately gathered closer to watch, while Connie and Ah Huai observed carefully from the side.

"Even though we’re julienning several things, the thickness varies. Watch closely."

Ning He picked up a cucumber and began to peel it.

"Peel the cucumber skin a bit thicker; we can use it to make aged-vinegar cucumbers. The rest you can just shred to use as a side for the savory pancakes. For the potatoes, peel and slice them, then julienne them finely. You all learned this at the academy, so it shouldn’t be too hard. Try not to use a mandoline for the potatoes; the shreds come out too thin and are difficult to cook properly. The eggplant is more complex. It requires an accordion cut, so watch carefully."

Ning He demonstrated the technique.

"With each slice, you don’t cut all the way through. Keep the spacing as even as possible. Once you finish one side, flip it over and do the same thing to the other side. The final result looks like this."

Ning He set down her knife, pinched both ends of the eggplant on the cutting board, and lifted it. The thirty-something-centimeter-long eggplant expanded completely, stretching to nearly twice its original length.

Everyone’s eyes widened in amazement.

"After cutting the eggplant, soak it in saltwater, then prepare a batter for a crispy crust. Sift together cornstarch, cake flour, and baking powder. First, dust the eggplant with this dry mixture, making sure to get the powder into every single cut. Then, add ice water to the remaining flour mixture. Remember, it has to be ice water, or the result won’t be nearly as good. Mix it to this consistency, then add a spoonful of oil and combine it into a batter."

Youzhen took diligent notes, while the students next to her took photos with their phones for reference.

Once the prep work explanation was finished, Ning He moved to the stove.

First up were vegetarian radish balls.

She hadn’t made the turnip cakes that earned her her first big score in a long time. This time, Ning He changed the recipe, forming them into balls with a much higher radish content. They were about the size of sweet rice balls, with just enough flour to act as a binder and add a hint of fragrance.

Shredded carrots and daikon not only looked beautiful together but were also more nutritious. Now that she wasn’t constrained by the limitations of a market stall, Ning He went all out with the seasonings.

She added a generous amount of scallions and five-spice powder, and even mixed in two eggs. After shaping the mixture into balls, she dropped them into the deep fryer.

Frying was one of the skills the culinary academy students had practiced the most. Ning He just had to clearly explain the oil temperature, cooking time, and the key points for double-frying, and Youzhen understood completely.

Once a batch was finished, drained, and cooled slightly, everyone took two to taste.

The outside was perfectly crisp, while the inside was light and fluffy. The natural sweetness of the radish mingled with the toasted aroma of flour and egg, making them delicious on their own without being greasy. They were lighter than the turnip cakes, with a more pronounced sweetness.

After a brief discussion, Connie, Youzhen, and the others gave the radish balls three and a half stars in the notebook.

"Next, let’s get a soup going. Pumpkin, carrots, the pan-fried tofu, onion, and a few mushrooms. Let that simmer on the stove. And now, tomato and scrambled eggs."

Ning He grinned, proceeding to make a perfectly executed version of the dish, complete with a rich, sweet-and-sour sauce.

In the end, this dish earned four and a half stars.

Ning He made two types of potato dishes. The first was a classic spicy and sour shredded potato salad often found at banquets. For the second, she cut the potatoes into slightly thicker strips, coated them in potato starch, and fried them until crispy and golden. Then, she stir-fried them with minced garlic, onion, and chili oil, finishing the dish with a sprinkle of pepper, chopped scallions, and a pinch of cumin.

It was essentially a Chinese-style stir-fried shoestring potato dish, but the taste and texture were absolutely heavenly.

The shredded potato salad received four stars, while the stir-fried shoestring potatoes earned a perfect five. Connie wanted to give it an extra star, and Ah Huai suggested marking it as a signature dish. In the end, they drew a big thumbs-up next to its name.

Next, the hot and sour cabbage, cabbage and tofu clay pot, candied sweet potatoes, pumpkin balls, cold-dressed zucchini salad, and assorted vegetable tempura all received three and a half stars.

The pumpkin, tofu, and mushroom soup; chive pockets; dry-fried green beans; mixed vegetable stir-fry; sweet fermented rice soup with pumpkin balls; mapo tofu; spicy dry-fried mushrooms; aged-vinegar cucumbers; and Ning He’s homemade radish kimchi all received four or four and a half stars.

The sweet corn fritter cake, "fish-fragrant" accordion-cut eggplant, dry-pot cauliflower, spring rolls with dried tofu and vegetables, eggplant with garlic sauce, vegetarian "chicken" cutlets made from soy protein with fresh chili sauce, and the hot and sour soup Ning He made with the leftover radish balls all received a perfect five stars, with several earning a thumbs-up mark.

Adding in a few of her signature staples and snacks like youtiao, sweet rice cakes, egg fried rice, and pocket bread with savory vegetable pancakes, the menu now boasted over thirty items. The buffet menu was officially set.

Each day, they would prepare twelve stir-fries, two soups, several staple dishes, and a few snacks from the menu, depending on the available ingredients. Add in some drinks, and for a vegetarian buffet, it was an absolutely lavish spread.

Ning He was exhausted. She collapsed into a chair, and Youzhen thoughtfully began massaging her back and arms.

Connie held the menu, hands on her hips, a proud, triumphant smile spreading across her face.

"Hmph. That so-called ’president’ wants to see us fail? We’ll show him tomorrow!"

"You sent out the announcements, right?" Ning He asked.

"Don’t worry. I’ve already notified the group chats, and Mia and her friends have been promoting us online. We’ll definitely have a huge crowd tomorrow."

Ning He pushed herself up from the chair and waved her hand.

"Alright, everyone go home and get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow, we give it our all!"