“You are discriminating against mooncake flavors in an unjust manner. As a candidate to become the God of Cookery, such unprofessional words should not come from your mouth.” The system’s serious voice sounded before it launched into a detailed explanation. “There are many, many types of mooncakes in China. When splitting them up in terms of their regions of production, these include Beijing mooncakes, Suzhou mooncakes, Taiwan mooncakes, Yunnan mooncakes, Hong Kong mooncakes, Chaoshan mooncakes, Anhui mooncakes, Zhejiang mooncakes, and Shanxi mooncakes.
“In terms of flavors, there are sweet, savory, sweet and savory, as well as spicy mooncakes. In terms of filling, there are osmanthus mooncakes, plum blossom mooncakes, fiver kernel mooncakes, bean paste mooncakes, crystal sugar mooncakes, ginkgo mooncakes, meat floss mooncakes, sesame seed mooncakes, bacon mooncakes, egg yolk mooncakes, etc.
“There are also all types of mooncake skins that differentiate in flavor and texture. There are also mooncakes with smooth or decorated edges. Countless types of combinations exist, and all of them fill a certain niche. As a chef, what you should be doing is to make each and every type of mooncake taste as good as you possibly can, not judge and discriminate between flavors based on your own narrow-minded preferences.
“Also, is five kernel mooncake really that difficult to swallow? No; there are no terrible foods, only terrible chefs. In that case, I’ll have you start off by making the most delicious five kernel mooncake.”
“…” Mag’s raised an eyebrow with a peculiar look on his face as he asked, “Which wiki did you copy and paste all of this information from? I’m also aware of the fact that there are countless types of mooncakes out there, but I’m really struggling to imagine how it would be a good idea to add meat to a mooncake. Plus, you’re telling to make a delicious five kernel mooncake? Are you just picking on me
now?”
“Cooking depends solely on the ingredients used and the efforts expended. As long as you have the best ingredients and focus wholeheartedly on the cooking process, even the strangest recipes can produce delicious food. I’m going to bestow upon you the cooking methods for eight types of mooncakes. I hope you can master all of them during this time,” the system replied in a serious manner.
“Alright, having a few more flavors will be a good idea. Perhaps it can make the moon festival celebration more memorable for everyone.” Mag nodded in response, even though he was fretting about having to learn the cooking methods for eight types of mooncakes and squeeze in some sword practice in such a short timeframe.
After pushing open the door to the test field for the God of Cookery using his consciousness, a white light flashed as he arrived in a kitchen. There was a set of new utensils and mooncake molds sitting on the cooking bench.
I used to think the five kernel mooncake tasted alright back when I was a kid, but the older I grew, the more skeptical toward it I became. No matter how I thought about it, it was weird to have almonds, peach kernels, peanuts, hemp kernels, and sunflower seeds in a mooncake. Mag was still rather skeptical, but he focused his attention on the recipe for the five kernel mooncake. Each and every step had been broken down very precisely, and only after a long while did he begin cooking.
Making a mooncake involved many complex procedures. The production of the skin and filling and the baking process all required exemplary skills. However, after making so much baiji bread, making mooncake skin wasn’t a difficult task for Mag. As for the filling, he had the molds to help him. All he had to do was to stuff the ingredients in the specified proportions into the molds before wrapping them in mooncake skins, so that wasn’t very difficult, either. An oven was to be used for the baking process. After baking the mooncake to a golden-brown color, a layer of liquid egg yolk had to be applied before some further baking. After that, the five kernel mooncake would be complete.
Mag picked up a large handful of flour. The pristine white flour contained no coarse granules whatsoever, and it appeared to be slightly different from the flour used to make baiji bread. The golden almonds were large and supple, while the white peach kernels, purple-skinned peanuts, hemp kernels, and sunflower seeds all exuded their own unique aromas.
Mag picked up a sunflower seed before placing it into his mouth. He chewed down on it, and a delightful flavor spread within his mouth, leaving a fragrant aftertaste even after swallowing
“System, what sunflower seeds are these?” Mag asked.
“They’re Qiaqia brand[1] sunflower seeds,” the system replied.
“Do you think you’re funny?” Mag pursed his lips in response. The quality of these sunflower seeds equaled the quality of all of the ingredients produced by the system. Just a single sunflower seed could bring a joyful culinary experience. If all of the other nuts and seeds were of the same standard, then just grabbing a handful of them and stuffing them into one’s mouth would create quite a delicious flavor combination.
However, Mag was feeling a little forlorn that such fantastic nuts and seeds had to be made into five kernel mooncake. It was a horrendous waste.
“The system selectively bred these sunflower seeds on the plateaus of the Tablata Mountain. An average of over 16 hours of sun exposure per day is guaranteed, and the seeds were all planted in extremely fertile black soil. The best and most supple seeds were then chosen, and it was ensured that all of the seeds were of the exact same size. There is not a single rotten seed among them. The almonds were…” The system launched into its customary introduction of all of the ingredients, listing a series of strange locations, many of which Mag actually had some recollection of as Mag Alex had once been those places. Many of them were very significant locations to the races that inhabited those lands, and under normal circumstances, no one would even dare to think about farming there.
“System, I also want to make mooncakes of exceptional quality, but I plan on supplying the mooncakes for free during the celebration tomorrow, and I’ll only be making them for one day per year; can we use ingredients that won’t be of as high a standard?” After hearing the system’s extensive introduction, Mag could tell that it was about to try and sell the seeds and nuts to him.
The system’s serious voice sounded in response. “As an exceptional chef, it is your most basic duty to cook every single dish to the highest standard possible. Choosing inferior ingredients when there are clearly better alternatives available is disrespectful to your customers and an insult to your integrity as a chef.”
“Do you think I’m retarded? I don’t know how many people are going to attend the celebration, but it definitely won’t be less than the number of spectators tonight. Even if each person only eats a single mooncake, I’ll have to give out over 2,000 mooncakes for free. I’ll be incurring a massive loss if the ingredients cost too much!” Mag rolled his eyes before proposing, “How about this? You said the sunflower seeds selected were one in 100, right? I’ll take the 99% of seeds that you discarded. I’ll take all of the discarded seeds and nuts as long as they’re not rotten. In any case, just offload all of the ingredients that are to be discarded to me. It would be quite a waste to just throw them out, so I’ll use them for some philanthropy. I’ll purchase them based on the current market prices. I make zero profit from this transaction; I’m just helping out a diligent farmer like you.”
“It sounds like it makes sense, but I can’t help but feel like something’s off…” The system was a little hesitant as it asked, “So am I supposed to become emotional and thank you for your kindness?”
“Is this not worthy of your tears?” Mag answered the system’s question with one of his own. A faint smile appeared on his face as he washed his hands before beginning to massage the dough.
The eight types of mooncake flavors included five kernel, sweet bean paste, crystal sugar, osmanthus, meat floss, black sesame seed, bacon, and egg yolk fillings. Among them, there were also going to be snow skin, mixed sugar skin, and crispy skin mooncakes. This was going to be a rather difficult challenge for Mag.
[1] A sunflower seed brand that is very popular in China.
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