Cooking System: Street Food Rules
Chapter 82: The Last Day’s Big Bang!

Chapter 82: Chapter 82: The Last Day’s Big Bang!

Fifth Day Task Extra Reward: Eggplant Meat Rolls.

Another rather nice home-cooked dish.

Eggplant Meat Rolls are made by cutting eggplant vertically into thin slices, then wrapping them around seasoned minced meat to form rolls. The rolled eggplants are dipped in potato starch until evenly coated, and then fried in oil. This dish sounds simple, but it’s actually quite particular about the technique.

Firstly, the eggplants should be "king eggplants," the type with larger bottoms, so the slices can be cut thinly. These eggplant slices also need to be marinated.

Then came the choice of minced meat. Having sold sauce meat buns and pork and green onion buns before, Jiang Feng was already skilled in adjusting minced meat seasoning. He ensured the meat was full of flavor by adding various seasonings.

Next was preparing a sauce for braising the eggplants, using dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, a little vinegar, some water, potato starch, plenty of minced garlic, and sesame oil. This sauce would be delicious with anything.

Then, the meat filling was wrapped with eggplant slices, rolled up, dipped in starch, and fried in oil. Since the rolls were quite thick and not easy to cook through, they needed to be deep-fried with constant turning.

Lastly, the braising sauce was heated up. The fried Eggplant Meat Rolls were added to braise, and the sauce was cooked until it thickened before being poured out.

Sprinkle some chopped scallions on top, and voilà!

The texture of the Eggplant Meat Rolls was fantastic. The exterior eggplant slices became golden and crispy after frying, while the meat filling inside was well-marinated and rich in flavor. The surface also had a thick and savory eggplant sauce.

Even the neighbor’s kids were drooling!

Making such a dish required care; generally, it wasn’t suitable for a canteen to prepare hundreds of portions. Unless it was a production line operation or involved pre-processed food, it would be very exhausting. But Jiang Feng, who had only been running his stall for a few days, always took matters into his own hands. He cooked the food in pots himself, making it taste much better than typical canteen fare.

Tomorrow’s specialty will be Eggplant Meat Rolls. Since everyone loves Dongpo Pork, I’ll stay open for an extra afternoon on my last day and make more of it. The most important thing is that everyone is happy. Jiang Feng thought.

Life is still beautiful.

「The next day, the weather was a bit overcast.」

At ten o’clock in the morning, the freshmen undergoing military training looked up at the gloomy sky, with only one hope in their hearts:

"Let it rain, please let it rain!"

"Dear heavens, I beg you, let it rain!"

And as if their prayers had been heard, raindrops soon began to fall from the sky.

"Yay! It’s raining! Instructor, it’s raining!" the students shouted.

Looking up at the sky, the instructor immediately said to everyone, "All attention, face me and form four horizontal rows for assembly!"

The instructor didn’t really want to trouble the students. However, since he was hired to conduct military training, it would be hard to justify not training without a reason. Now that it was raining, the only option was to return to the dormitories for a rest.

After arriving at the university’s back kitchen, Jiang Feng called the meat shop owner. The meat shop owner assured him not to worry, saying such a light rain wasn’t an issue. The ingredients were delivered safely.

Having received the ingredients, Jiang Feng continued to stay busy in the back kitchen. The kitchen helper, an auntie, also came over. Since the Eggplant Meat Rolls needed to be thinly sliced and the auntie’s skills weren’t that refined, she simply washed the eggplants while Jiang Feng did the cutting himself. This was mainly because there were no tools for shaving thin slices, so it all depended on Jiang Feng’s knife skills.

Due to the rain, the freshmen had no classes that day. Several of them decided to head to the Second Canteen for lunch, arriving early.

Meanwhile, sophomores, juniors, and seniors were in their classrooms, supposedly exchanging thoughts with teachers. While the teachers explained concepts, the students were off communicating with the Duke of Zhou in their dreams. In university classrooms, the front three rows were typically occupied by diligent note-takers, the middle rows by those playing games or reading novels, and the last few rows by the sleeping contingent.

By the fourth period, everyone realized they were hungry and immediately thought of the university’s Second Canteen. More precisely, they thought of the new stall in the Second Canteen.

As lunchtime approached, Jiang Feng was busy with the final steps. The Eggplant Meat Rolls sizzled in the oil, turning golden and crispy. After being simmered in the eggplant sauce, the sauce clung to the surface of the rolls, giving them a glossy, reddish, and moist appearance. The final step was plating, topped with a handful of chopped scallions. The green scallion garnish among the Eggplant Meat Rolls immediately elevated the dish to a new level of sophistication. It didn’t resemble typical canteen food; rather, it looked like an exquisitely prepared dish from a restaurant.

Jiang Feng placed all the prepared Eggplant Meat Rolls in serving dishes, then put the dishes on the food truck and pushed it out.

Outside, a long queue had already formed. Business started at 11:45 AM that day.

The sign read, "Today’s Special: Eggplant Meat Rolls."

The students in line checked the sign every day. It had to be said this stall understood the students’ desires very well. It kept its staple dishes consistent while offering a new daily special. Creating surprises with a variety of dishes—how could any student who ate here not become infatuated? He had the university students completely figured out.

"There are new dishes today!"

"Eggplant Meat Rolls? What kind of dish is that? I have to try it later."

"I was planning on having Yuxiang Shredded Pork and Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet, now how am I supposed to choose?"

"Just eat both!"

"My wallet won’t allow it! Every time I eat here, I get three dishes. A single lunch costs around sixteen or seventeen yuan; I can’t sustain that."

"It’s already great value. Enjoying the meal is what’s most important. We can just have something simpler for dinner."

The students in the queue discussed with their companions.

Having a food stall that was *too* delicious also posed a problem. Wallets grew thinner, and waistlines expanded. But the satisfaction was genuine.

Soon, the students got their hands on their coveted food, found a place to sit, and started eating heartily.

A student picked up an Eggplant Meat Roll and took a bite. First came the rich flavor of the sauce, accented by the aroma of scallions. The taste was slightly tangy and incredibly pleasant. Biting into the meat roll, the fried eggplant exterior made a CRUNCH CRUNCH sound. The meat filling inside burst with hot, savory juices, and the meaty aroma instantly exploded. The medley of flavors combined, creating a wonderful chemical reaction that mingled with the saliva, sending an ultimate sensory experience through the taste buds to the entire body.

The student chewed on the Eggplant Meat Roll, their expression filled with delight.

He’d made the right choice again!

This Eggplant Meat Roll was so delicious! Especially the meat filling inside—that was the real masterstroke!

Jiang Feng’s preparation and marination of the meat filling had reached perfection. He had made fillings multiple times, so he knew exactly which flavors would best stimulate one’s appetite. Used in the Eggplant Meat Roll, the eggplant balanced some of the meat’s richness and enhanced the roll’s overall texture. Naturally, the Eggplant Meat Rolls made this way were delicious.

The meat rolls were rapidly consumed. Jiang Feng kept busy in the kitchen. Sometimes, when a dish sold out, the line would pause for a while, waiting for a fresh batch of the hot dish. People queueing here were accustomed to this. As long as they could get to eat it, it was worthwhile.

"The Eggplant Meat Roll is also really delicious!"

"Does he even have a plateau?"

"How can everything he makes be so tasty!"

"He’s truly a master chef! Amazing!"

"There’s not a single dish that isn’t delicious!"

The students couldn’t stop exclaiming.

On the sixth day, Jiang Feng’s stall remained as lively as ever. Even though it was raining, the number of people coming to eat did not decrease.

The day’s tasks were easily completed, and Jiang Feng received an extra reward: a [Special Clay Pot]. This clay pot could greatly preserve the flavor of ingredients, making it an excellent piece of cookware for stews and braised dishes. Jiang Feng occasionally made dishes like soups or stews, so he would definitely find a use for it.

Life went on as usual.

「On the seventh day, Jiang Feng planned to operate during both lunch and dinner.」

For lunch, he would sell the previously introduced dishes, and for dinner, he would sell Dongpo Pork. He planned to make a larger quantity than usual as a farewell to the students.

Many people asked him if he really wasn’t coming back the next day, their expressions tinged with longing and reluctance. Jiang Feng replied that he had only rented the stall for seven days and indeed had to leave the next day.

Many people still came that day.

After everyone in line had finished eating by one-thirty in the afternoon, Jiang Feng turned off the stall lights, took a short break to eat, and then got busy preparing Dongpo Pork. He would be open again in the afternoon, selling only Dongpo Pork.

Jiang Feng planned to make five hundred portions. It might not sound like much, but preparing that many would be quite troublesome. After all, a regular restaurant typically prepared Dongpo Pork one plate at a time, with about eight or nine pieces each. Who else would make five hundred pieces of Dongpo Pork in one go?

Jiang Feng considered the students’ desire to eat it, and since it was his last day at the University of Science and Technology, he decided it was worth the extra effort.

The week’s tasks were already completed, and the reward was a pair of mutton-fat jade chopsticks. But Jiang Feng didn’t have time to take them out and examine them just then.

「In the afternoon, the other stall owners had gone to rest.」

In the back kitchen, Jiang Feng was the only one left working. Technically, he didn’t need to keep working. The tasks were already completed, and making authentic Dongpo Pork was quite labor-intensive. However, a couple of days prior, when Jiang Feng went to the university’s TV station for a recording, he met some enthusiastic students. They mentioned they really wanted to try his Dongpo Pork but hadn’t gotten the chance. Jiang Feng had promised them he would make more that day. Even though Jiang Feng didn’t know these students personally, since he had made a promise, he was determined to fulfill it.

The stove in the back kitchen flared to life again. Piece by piece, choice pork belly was taken out by Jiang Feng and meticulously prepared.

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

On his last day at the University of Science and Technology, he had to leave behind some special memories.

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