CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33: CHIVE AND EGG STEAMED BUN

Besides pork, scallions, onions, ginger, and garlic, Wang Fan planned to buy some chives and eggs.

This morning, many people asked if there was this flavor while selling, indicating that this filling still has a market.

Moreover, Wang Fan himself wanted to try different fillings for steamed buns; eating one kind all the time would get tiresome no matter how delicious it is, right?

That recipe involves making up to hundreds of steamed buns.

As for how to get rid of the chive smell in your mouth after eating, that’s not something Wang Fan needs to consider.

Arriving at a vegetable stall, Wang Fan squatted down and picked up a bunch of chives to take a look.

The chives were deeply colored, with a white root still covered in dirt, and the broad leaves appeared large and succulent.

The stall owner, a woman in her fifties, warmly greeted the customer, "Young man, buying some chives? I’ll tell you, these chives are all grown in my own field, just picked this morning, very fresh. 5 yuan per jin, shall I pack some for you?"

After speaking, she took out a plastic bag to start packing.

Wang Fan quickly said, "No need, no need, I’m just browsing."

After speaking, he stood up and walked away, leaving the woman grumpily sitting back down, muttering something under her breath.

Wang Fan felt that this woman was not very honest.

Although not very knowledgeable about chives, the steamed bun recipe book provided some insight.

Chives are generally divided into broad-leaf and thin-leaf with purple roots and white roots, not because of different varieties, but due to differences in the growing environment.

Broad leaves are generally white-rooted, thin leaves are generally purple-rooted.

Purple-rooted chives are usually cultivated in low-temperature environments. When chives grow in cooler temperatures, they secrete more sugars and anthocyanins, the accumulation of which causes the roots to appear purple. Additionally, because purple-rooted chives grow in less comfortable environments, the leaves are greener and slender, about thirty centimeters long, with relatively thin roots and pointed leaves.

White-rooted, broad-leaf chives are generally greenhouse-grown. The suitable temperature in greenhouses, along with minor day-night temperature variation, affects the formation and storage of anthocyanins and sugars, preventing the chives from turning purple.

Moreover, white-root chives grow much faster than purple-root ones.

Additionally, chives in greenhouses are harvested in batches, and each time they are cut, the root becomes thicker, and the leaves broader and more robust, typically growing about ten centimeters longer than purple-root chives.

Although white-root chives are carefully tended, purple-root chives, while wild, taste superior.

Purple-root chives excel in taste and nutrition, with a rich, spicy flavor, a subtle sweetness, and a tender and delectable taste.

Not to mention whether in the Great Capital’s below-freezing weather the woman could actually grow chives herself, even if she could, they wouldn’t be white-root ones. Even if the white-root ones were homegrown, they shouldn’t be sold as purple-root.

Ordinary chives cost about 3.5 yuan, but starting the price at 5 yuan suggests a rip-off.

To cut costs, Wang Fan had already familiarized himself with market prices.

After wandering for a while, he finally found his target.

An elderly woman, appearing to be around 70, bore the marks of time on her face, with hair as white as frost.

But her warm smile made Wang Fan feel a sense of goodwill.

In front of the elderly woman was a piece of cloth with just one bunch of chives, about as thick as a water bucket.

The chives’ leaves were narrow and pointed, unlike the large, lush ones at other stalls.

Perhaps for this reason, few stopped by her stall.

Seeing someone arrive, the elderly woman smiled and said, "Young man, interested in some chives? I grew these indoors, already picked clean, just wash and eat."

Wang Fan lightly flipped through the chive leaves, indeed showing signs of being picked, with no yellow leaves in sight.

"Grandma, how much for these chives?"

The elderly woman grinned, her eyes narrowed into slits, "If you’re buying, I’ll give them to you for 3 yuan per jin."

She spoke with hopeful anticipation.

Wang Fan picked up the chives, estimating they weighed about eight or nine jin, his frequent purchases had honed his judgment.

"I’ll take the whole bundle."

The elderly woman was overjoyed, "Wonderful, if you want all of them, I’ll discount it for you, take them for 20 yuan."

Wang Fan shook his head.

The elderly woman seemed a bit troubled, "Well... a bit cheaper is fine, maybe 18? 17 also works."

Wang Fan quickly replied, "Grandma, you misunderstood, I wasn’t saying it’s overpriced. These chives are clearly homegrown, tender, and flavorful, and you’ve also cleaned them. You’re charging too little for them. How about this, I’d say the bundle weighs over 9 jin, I’ll round it up to 50 yuan, does that sound good?"

The elderly woman hurriedly protested, "It’s not worth that much. These chives grow back after cutting, how could I earn such unscrupulous money?"

Wang Fan chuckled, "Grandma, how could that be unscrupulous? I work hard for my money penny by penny, and you grow these chives day by day. Your chives are better than others, so naturally, they should sell for more."

With that, he took a crisp 50-yuan bill from his pocket, slipped it into the elderly woman’s hand, and walked off with the chives.

...

During the day, there was still no system automation available; Wang Fan needed to manually operate.

Fortunately, I’m naturally blessed with the culinary physique... cough, cough...

With a slight flush on his face, Wang Fan cleared his throat and began making steamed buns with focus.

If time allows, he planned to sell another round in the evening.

He had never made steamed buns before; last night’s system automation was the first time. Today, on his first manual attempt, he felt an inexplicable familiarity.

It was as if refined through thousands of trials, a muscle memory achieved over time.

The common beginner’s dilemma of too much dough needing water or too much water needing dough didn’t occur; his first batch of dough was perfectly made.

The dough resting time coincided exactly with preparing the bun filling.

Pouring a pot-bottom full of oil into a pan, Wang Fan prepared to fry the eggs.

To make the eggs fluffy and tender, the oil must be ample.

He cracked a bowl of eggs, added some salt to eliminate any fishy smell, and began whisking the egg mixture.

Once the egg mixture was evenly beaten, the oil in the pan reached optimal temperature.

"Sizzle..."

The egg mixture instantly expanded when it hit the pan, spreading out in no time.

Wang Fan quickly stirred with a spoon, soon resulting in nail-sized scrambled eggs across the pan.

Turning off the heat, he let the eggs cool naturally, then focused intently on the chives.

Chives, the soul of chive and egg-filled steamed buns, are the absolute star, so handling chives carelessly is not an option.