Food: Senior year internship, you take over the university cafeteria

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Four-Star Snack Skill - Yichun Mochi (Soft, Sticky, and Sweet Version)!]

next second.

Wang Sheng's culinary skills increased by 1.

A very fruitful harvest.

Information flows like Li Guang's flying arrow.

It instantly flooded into Wang Sheng's mind.

Mochi, also known as "mochi" or "glutinous rice cake", is a traditional snack in Jiangxi, especially in the Yichun area.

It makes an excellent tea snack or treat, especially suitable for pairing with light tea or...

Fried dough sticks.

Followed by.

The techniques for making mochi have also been passed down.

The system passed down to Wang Sheng.

Choosing the right rice is fundamental.

It must be freshly harvested round-grain glutinous rice from that year.

The rice grains are plump and white in color. They need to be soaked for a full six hours to ensure that each grain is fully saturated with water, so that they will be soft and sticky when steamed.

Steaming rice requires careful control of the heat.

Wooden steamers are best, followed by bamboo steamers. When the fire is brought to a boil, steam rises, and the rice grains gradually become translucent under the heat, releasing a fragrant aroma.

Steam the rice until the grains are fully cooked and have no hard core, but not mushy, maintaining a certain grainy texture. This is the foundation for the subsequent pounding to develop its elasticity.

The hammering is the soul of the process; it's also the most physically demanding and skill-testing step.

The steamed glutinous rice should be poured into a stone mortar (or a sturdy wooden basin) while still hot, and repeatedly pounded with a special wooden mallet. The pounding force should be even, and the rhythm should be steady, not chaotic.

At first, the rice grains will retain their shape, but as they are pounded, they gradually stick together and become a ball of rice with amazing extensibility and stickiness.

The degree of pounding determines the final "strength" of the mochi – insufficient pounding results in loose, soft rice balls.

If pounded for too long, the glutinous rice may lose its aroma and become too sticky.

The experience passed down through the system is that the rice dough is in its best condition when it can be pounded until it can be pulled into long, thin, unbroken strands, and its surface is as smooth as satin, and it springs back strongly when pressed with a finger.

Before eating, it needs to be coated with flour to set the flavor.

It tasted almost exactly like the flavor Wang Sheng remembered.

It's basically made primarily of sesame seeds.

Toasted black and white sesame seeds are mixed in a specific ratio, finely ground into powder in a stone mill, and then an appropriate amount of white sugar (or brown sugar, for different flavors) is added.

The pounded hot rice dough is pinched into evenly sized pieces, rolled a few times in warm sesame sugar powder, and immediately covered in a sweet aroma.

Other flavors such as peanut powder and soybean powder can also be prepared.

It's best to eat it fresh.

The hot glutinous rice balls are coated with fragrant powder, sweet on the outside and soft, chewy on the inside, with an amazing texture.

While it gains a unique chewiness after cooling, the flavor is slightly diminished.

Wang Sheng was carefully digesting these key points when there was a gentle knock on the door of the operating room.

"Senior, are you there?"

Su Weiwei's voice came through the glass, carrying a hint of cheerfulness.

"Come in, the door's unlocked," Wang Sheng replied.

Su Weiwei pushed open the door and came in. Today she was wearing a light yellow sweater, which made her skin look even whiter. She was also holding a textbook in her hand.

"Senior, you promised to save some for me yesterday..."

She blinked, a hint of playfulness and anticipation in her eyes.

Wang Sheng smiled and took out a bowl of specially reserved mixed rice noodles and a small bowl of meatball soup from the warming cabinet:

"I prepared this for you a while ago, I knew you'd come. The chili sauce and minced meat are served separately, help yourself."

Wang Sheng pointed to the golden, crispy pork cracklings sprinkled with salt and chili powder in a small bowl next to him: "Want to try some of these?"

Su Weiwei's eyes lit up, and without being polite, she picked up a small piece and put it in her mouth.

"Crunch!" Crispy and melts in your mouth, the rich aroma of lard mixed with a hint of saltiness and spiciness explodes in your mouth.

"Mmm! Delicious! It smells amazing!" She squinted her eyes happily.

"Eat slowly, there's more." Wang Sheng smiled and handed her a rice noodle dish that he had specially set aside that morning, with brown sugar tofu cubes and sweet and sour radish. "Your breakfast, no, it's more like brunch. Try this modified version."

Su Weiwei took it, opened the lid, and looked at the bright red tofu cubes, crisp radish, and rice noodles coated in sauce. She exclaimed with delight, "Thank you, senior!"

She picked up her chopsticks, stirred it, and began to eat heartily.

"Mmm! This is delicious too! The tofu skin is slightly crispy on the outside, but the inside is so tender and sweet! The radish is sweet and sour, which helps to cut through the richness! The noodles are still so smooth!"

She ate and praised the food, her cheeks puffed out.

Just then, a few students who had just finished class passed by the window and peeked out from the aroma. When they saw Su Weiwei eating pork cracklings and mixed rice noodles, they were immediately filled with envy.

"Boss! Do you have any more? Do you sell pork cracklings?"

"Are you still having mixed rice noodles? I'd like the one with tofu too!"

"Senior Vivi, can I have a bite? (Looking pitiful)"

Wang Sheng shrugged: "Really, that's all. We sold out this morning. Pork cracklings are a byproduct, and this is all we have, so we're not selling them for now. Please come early tomorrow for the mixed rice noodles."

The students sighed in disappointment, and were filled with envy and jealousy as they watched Su Weiwei eat with relish.

Su Weiwei swallowed the food in her mouth somewhat embarrassedly and explained to her classmates outside the window, "The senior left it for me as a 'staff meal' because I helped deliver takeout this morning."

She didn't say that it was actually Wang Sheng who specially left it for her.

The students then realized what was happening and were impressed by how good their boss was to his employees.

Su Weiwei quickly finished eating and deftly helped Wang Sheng clean up the work surface, washing the used pots, pans, and bowls.

Although her movements were not very skilled, they were earnest and meticulous.

After finishing all that, she checked the time and said apologetically, "Senior, I have two classes this afternoon, so I have to go now. I'll come back tomorrow morning!"

"Okay, drive carefully. See you tomorrow." Wang Sheng nodded.

After Su Weiwei left, the operating room returned to silence.

Wang Sheng sat down and refocused his attention on making the mochi.

Mochi and fried dough sticks are really delicious!

and.....

indeed.

According to the system's tradition, this stuff is really delicious, but it's also really hard to make.

Just pounding the glutinous rice is hard work. He gets up before dawn every day to buy, prepare, make, and sell the food, and he's already exhausted. If he adds the work of pounding the mochi rice balls to that...

No, we need to think of a solution.

He stared at the bag of high-quality glutinous rice he had just bought in the corner, then looked at his not-so-strong arms (although he had been working out by flipping the wok recently), and a thought suddenly popped into his head.

Where is this? It's a university!

What do we have in abundance? Young, strong, and full of energy, plus... well, students who need to work part-time or earn some pocket money!

Especially for those athletes or boys who are simply strong, pounding rice dough is probably no problem at all! Besides, he has a good reputation now and his window is not short of money, so he can hire people!

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Wang Sheng immediately took out his phone, logged into the school forum, and quickly typed a new post:

【Window 07 is hiring a 'Popeye'! Daily wage $100, deluxe breakfast included!】

Contents:

Due to the need for new product development, we are urgently recruiting 4 strong, patient, and healthy males to be mainly responsible for a core part of the production of a traditional delicacy - pounding rice dough (commonly known as making glutinous rice cakes).

Working hours: approximately 1-2 hours daily from midnight (to be discussed in person).

Daily wage: 100 yuan/day, settled on the same day. Additional benefits: One deluxe breakfast set meal (your choice) worth 30 yuan is provided daily at this window!

Requirements: Strong, steady movements, able to get up early, and responsible.

The work is a bit demanding, but the pay is excellent! Interested parties please send a private message; first come, first served!

Wang Sheng himself laughed as soon as the post was published.

"Popeye the Sailor Man", "Making Rice Cakes", "Luxury Breakfast"...

This job posting should attract guys who want to earn extra money and crave his food, right?

Sure enough, less than a minute after the post was published, the private message notification sound started ringing non-stop!