Cooking System: Street Food Rules
Chapter 40: Delicious Vegetarian Buns!

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Delicious Vegetarian Buns!

The plaza halfway up the mountain seemed to possess a magical quality today.

Visitors would enter, their faces etched with exhaustion, too weary to utter another word.

But upon leaving, their complexions would be noticeably rosier, and their eyes would sparkle with energy. Many excitedly chatted away.

"These filled buns are delicious, so satisfying to eat!"

"That egg fried rice smells amazing too!"

"How about we come here for breakfast tomorrow? It’s just a twenty-minute drive."

"No problem, I think it’s worth it."

Jiang Feng’s culinary skills were truly exceptional.

People vary greatly: some are interested in gourmet food, some in games, others in collecting, and still others in risqué pursuits.

When it comes to their interests, they are always willing to make the effort.

Even though Jiang Feng’s stall was quite far, people were still willing to make the twenty-minute drive as a detour.

[Number of guests served: 165/100, daily task completed.]

[Extra reward earned: Vegetarian filled bun recipe.]

Today’s task reward was a recipe for vegetarian filled buns.

This is perfect timing, Jiang Feng thought. He had an order from a temple for the next day and needed to prepare some mantou and vegetarian filled buns.

I had planned on making mushroom and bok choy buns, or perhaps celery and wood ear mushroom buns. Now that I have the recipe, I’ll follow its instructions, he decided.

By nine-thirty in the morning, the filled buns in the steamer had long since sold out. Only a few tea eggs remained, and there was barely any corn and pumpkin porridge left in the pot.

Jiang Feng decided to pack up and head home.

He had woken up quite early that day and was a bit tired.

He put away the signboard, moved the wheeled trash bin onto the bus and secured it, then folded and secured the tables and chairs inside the vehicle.

After finishing these tasks, Jiang Feng drove the food truck down the mountain.

The food truck was an electric vehicle (EV) with a range of about 200 kilometers. It couldn’t go very far, but it was more than enough for setting up a stall.

Now that the day’s work is done, I’ll tidy up a bit once I get home and then take a good nap this afternoon, he planned.

Little Black was still full of vim and vigor.

The little fellow had grown accustomed to life at the stall. He would stand by the food truck watching the customers come and go, even wagging his tail to greet them.

A man, his dog, and a well-equipped food truck. Life was as relaxed and joyful as ever.

Later that afternoon, Jiang Feng contacted the owner of the butcher shop to order a batch of fresh meat and various vegetables.

Having collaborated for a long time, the butcher knew Jiang Feng was a clever man and never dared to play any tricks; he always supplied goods strictly according to Jiang Feng’s specifications.

Nowadays, young people are all about practicality. If they were cheated even once in a long-term supply agreement, they would immediately switch to a different supplier without a second thought.

Personal feelings only came into play when business was conducted fairly.

When the butcher, Wang Wey, received Jiang Feng’s order, he decided to deliver the goods personally.

But looking at the delivery address, he hesitated.

Longxi Elegant Garden? he muttered, reading the address. Isn’t that an exclusive residential complex? Why am I delivering here this time?

Wang Wey shared his name with the famous Tang Dynasty poet. He was a shrewd middle-aged man who had done business with Jiang Feng several times. He later learned that Jiang Feng’s stall in the holiday resort’s snack street was so popular that customers were practically lining up.

He admired Jiang Feng greatly, so he took his business very seriously.

Driving his small delivery truck, Wang Wey communicated with Jiang Feng on WeChat.

Wang Wey: "Boss Jiang, are you sure this is the place?"

Jiang Feng: "Yes, just drive right in. I’ve already registered your license plate number with the security guard."

Wang Wey: "All right, I’ll contact you when I arrive."

Wang Wey hung up. This place looks so opulent, he thought, looking apprehensively at the grand residential complex before him.

He drove the delivery truck towards the main gate.

The security guard saw the truck, confirmed the license plate, and immediately opened the gate.

Wang Wey rolled down the passenger-side window and asked, "Buddy, could you tell me where Villa No. 8 is located?"

The guard replied, "Just follow this road straight ahead. It’s the dedicated driveway for the villa zone. Once inside, you’ll see the villa numbers."

"All right, thank you."

"You’re welcome."

Wang Wey couldn’t help but be impressed by the guard’s excellent demeanor. The security in these high-end complexes really is top-notch, he thought.

Soon, Wang Wey arrived in front of Jiang Feng’s villa.

Jiang Feng came out to help him unload the vegetables.

"Boss Jiang, this is my first time delivering to a place like this," Wang Wey said. "It’s quite an eye-opener."

"You own this huge villa, yet you still work from dawn to dusk at your stall!" Wang Wey sighed.

"Without getting up early and working till late, how could one afford such a huge villa?" Jiang Feng replied with a smile.

Jiang Feng was telling the truth, but Wang Wey assumed he was just being modest.

How could anyone afford such a huge house just by running a food stall? Wang Wey mused.

"If you ever have any requests in the future, just let me know. I’ll make sure to deliver whatever you need," Wang Wey added.

"Okay, thanks."

Once the ingredients were all sorted, Jiang Feng went back to the kitchen to begin processing the food.

He had rented a storefront outside the residential complex and was having it renovated. The main work involved installing commercial steamers and other kitchen equipment, which he estimated would take a few days.

I’ll do the prep work for the food truck at the small shop from now on, Jiang Feng decided. Doing it at home makes everything too messy.

With the side dishes and meat fillings prepared in the kitchen, Jiang Feng went to bed early.

「The next day, 3:00 AM」

Jiang Feng woke up once again.

He started by proving the dough, kneading it, and preparing the fillings.

Today, he had an order from a temple: sixty vegetarian filled buns and thirty mantou.

Since he had promised, he naturally intended to fulfill it.

Jiang Feng took out cabbage, carrots, bottle gourds, and wood ear mushrooms, chopping them finely. He then took out sweet potato vermicelli and cut it into small pieces.

He placed the sweet potato vermicelli in a bowl, added dark soy sauce, and stirred. The translucent strands instantly absorbed the sauce, turning a rich, dark brown.

Next, he added the chopped cabbage, carrots, bottle gourd, and black wood ear mushrooms, then drizzled hot oil over everything to release their aromas.

Finally, he seasoned the mixture with salt, thirteen-spice powder, and a touch of sesame oil.

Normally, these buns would also contain eggs, dried shrimp, and scallions, but since this order was for the temple, he omitted them.

After mixing the vegetarian filling evenly, a large bowl of it was ready.

The proportions of ingredients and seasonings were perfect.

All that remained was to wrap the mixture in dough and steam them until cooked, and the nutritious, delicious vegetarian filled buns would be done.

Vegetarian filled buns didn’t need to steam for too long. Jiang Feng had excellent control over the proportions and made exactly sixty, not one more or less.

I don’t plan on selling these vegetarian filled buns to regular customers, Jiang Feng decided. Most people don’t care for purely vegetarian fillings anyway; they’d much prefer the delicious, saucy meat buns.

In the kitchen, Jiang Feng was bustling about, steaming mantou and filled buns.

His fermented dough was excellent. When torn, it revealed a fibrous structure. He kneaded it again to remove any air bubbles.

He cut off portions of dough, rolled them into round wrappers, and began making the filled buns.

Alternatively, he could pinch off small pieces of dough, let them undergo a second proofing, and steam them into mantou.

Once the vegetarian filled buns were steamed and bagged, he placed them in an insulated container to keep them warm before starting on the meat buns.

By around 5:20 AM, everything was ready.

The insulated containers held many filled buns, and the steamer was also packed with meat buns ready for sale.

Jiang Feng drove the food truck minibus out of the residential complex, slowly heading off into the distance.

When he passed by the main gate, the security guard stood at attention and saluted the food truck.

This was the kind of treatment villa residents deserved.

Passersby witnessing this scene often exclaimed in surprise, some even blurting out, What the hell?! They would see headlights at the entrance of the luxurious residential complex, eagerly anticipating what kind of high-end car might emerge. But upon closer inspection, it was a food truck! A food truck, of all things! And to top it off, the security guard actually saluted it! Absolutely unbelievable!

「Fengqi Mountain, around 6:00 AM」

Jiang Feng arrived and set up his stall at the familiar spot.

Customers who had watched the sunrise would be coming down the mountain and would inevitably pass by here.

Although customer traffic was relatively light, his was the only stall around, so business was still decent.

After a while, Li Xiangfo came driving by. Seeing Jiang Feng, he got out of his car and walked over.

They had already coordinated via WeChat, and Jiang Feng, true to his word, wouldn’t miss the appointment.

Although Li Xiangfo wore monastic robes, he wasn’t strictly a monk; he simply enjoyed dressing that way.

Jiang Feng handed over the vegetarian filled buns and mantou.

"The filled buns and mantou are better eaten warm," Jiang Feng suggested.

"Don’t worry, there’s a kitchen up there; they’ll be steamed again."

"I have to go check on things, so I’ll head up now," Li Xiangfo said, holding several bags of filled buns and mantou.

"All right."

Li Xiangfo drove up the mountain with the delicacies made by Jiang Feng.

The temple was as peaceful as ever that day.

The monks rose early for morning chanting, meditation, and their daily chores.

Then, when it was time to eat, they all headed towards the dining hall.