CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: WHETHER IT’S AUTHENTIC OR NOT!

The signature traits of Goubuli baozi are:

"Moist filling, semi-leavened dough, a mix of thirty percent fat and seventy percent lean meat."

"Chrysanthemum dome with a hair bun twist, silky to the touch, dripping with oil when eaten."

With the recipe in hand, Jiang Feng had all these characteristics memorized.

The broth had been stewing for four hours and was ready.

Jiang Feng took some fine pork, separated the fat from the lean, chopped the lean meat into a filling, then did the same with the fat. He then mixed the filling together in a ratio of thirty percent fat to seventy percent lean.

The minced meat sat in the bowl, sticky to the touch.

Jiang Feng poured chopped ginger into the filling and mixed it evenly with his hands, then added a suitable amount of soy sauce for flavor and coloring.

Next, it was time to add a little broth. Only with the addition of broth would the filling become fragrant, tender, and juicy. This step also required finesse: a little broth was added, and the minced meat was mixed; then a bit more broth was added, and it was mixed again. This way, the meat filling could be perfectly seasoned. If all the broth were added at once, the filling wouldn’t be mixed properly, and the taste would be off.

Once the seasoning was just right, chopped green onions and sesame oil were added last.

A batch of Goubuli baozi filling was ready.

Then came the dough. This required only flour, a small amount of yeast, a little lard, alkali, and water. These were mixed and kneaded into a dough. The dough was allowed to rest for 30 minutes. No second proofing was needed; it could then be rolled into a log, cut into portions, and the portions rolled out into wrappers.

After wrapping the filling, they were steamed on the stove, and it was done!

Once steamed, there you had Goubuli baozi.

Of course, wrapping baozi is a skillful task. The Goubuli baozi requires a "chrysanthemum dome with a hair bun twist" and must be pretty to behold.

Jiang Feng was skilled with his hands. His fingers were long, straight, and remarkably flexible. The speed of his baozi wrapping was agile and swift. Such hands were capable of performing other technical tasks with no issues, like playing the piano or performing magic.

Soon, the steamer racks were filled with baozi. Next, Jiang Feng placed a steamer full of baozi into the steam oven. They would be ready after high-heat steaming for about eight or nine minutes.

Jiang Feng waited a bit, clearing up the stovetop in the meantime.

Little Black sat on the ground, quietly waiting. It knew it was mealtime, time to eat.

Before long, the Goubuli baozi were ready.

Jiang Feng opened the steam oven, and a rush of steam enveloped him.

The baozi were cooked. He let them cool a bit before taking one and tearing it in half to taste. The torn baozi released some juice, most of which was absorbed within the filling.

Taking a bite, hot broth poured out. This broth, meticulously simmered and mixed into the meat filling, had been steamed at high temperatures for several minutes. That burst of umami flavor was rather delightful. The meat filling was tender and became more savory with each chew.

Overall, the taste was quite magnificent.

Jiang Feng savored the delicious baozi, nodding to himself in approval.

"Authentic Goubuli baozi are indeed tasty, but the price is too high, costing over a hundred for just a dozen. Baozi shouldn’t be this expensive," he thought.

Additionally, Jiang Feng marveled at the brilliance of China’s culinary culture. Just baozi alone came in countless varieties: Kaifeng’s Guantangbao, Capital City’s large meat-filled baozi, Nanjing’s crab roe baozi, Wuxi’s small basket buns, Guangdong’s Char Siu bao, and the roasted baozi from Xinjiang. What he had made so far were just some of the more common types of baozi.

After consuming one baozi, Jiang Feng’s stomach felt very comfortable, and his mouth was full of aromatic flavors. He grabbed another one and bit into the baozi.

Little Black sat on the ground, gazing up at Jiang Feng with a face full of longing.

Seeing its expression, Jiang Feng couldn’t help but laugh. "This baozi is called Goubuli, meaning ’dogs ignore it.’ Can you eat it?"

As he spoke, he took down two baozi, ready to feed Little Black. He wouldn’t be able to finish a whole rack of baozi by himself, and he had planned to feed the leftovers to Little Black anyway.

The little guy immediately stood up, overjoyed.

Jiang Feng tore the baozi apart and put them into the feeding bowl. Little Black approached, and after waiting for the baozi to cool for a bit, devoured them eagerly, quickly cleaning out the bowl of Goubuli baozi.

Eating with such gusto, Jiang Feng thought. I wonder if this counts as authentic or inauthentic now.

Jiang Feng had eaten two baozi himself and had broken apart another two for Little Black. This little fellow’s food was no worse than a human’s. Every meal was a rare delicacy. There was no helping it, for it followed a great chef. So, of course, it ate well.

Life remained easygoing.

Tomorrow would be the last day Jiang Feng set up his stall on Fengqi Mountain, but he felt nothing special about it. He was just looking forward to getting his hands on the promised golden flat-bottomed pan. He wondered what it would feel like to hold and whether the wind from swinging it would also carry an air of wealth.

「The next day, Jiang Feng appeared again on Fengqi Mountain.」

The small plaza was still a bustling scene.

"Boss, is today the last day you’re setting up the stall here?" a customer asked Jiang Feng. He wasn’t the first customer to ask this.

"Yes, it’s the last day," Jiang Feng replied warmly. "I was just enjoying the scenery in the mountains, and it’s time to change places."

"So where will you go after this, and will you still sell baozi?" the customer asked again.

"I’m not sure," Jiang Feng said with a smile. "I’ll take a couple of days off and then decide."

He was busy on the food truck.

Many locals had come to know him. And there were some internet celebrities who came every day to review his baozi. Jiang Feng welcomed everyone; as long as they were customers, he treated them well.

The Goubuli baozi introduced today received unanimous praise from customers. Those who tasted the baozi were immersed in the deliciousness of Goubuli baozi and thoroughly enjoyed it.

"How come the baozi he makes are so fragrant!"

"It’s all just pork and green onions, yet his taste so good."

"Is it because he uses different pork, or are the green onions different?"

Some customers pondered long after eating their baozi, still unable to figure it out.

Actually, from ingredients to proportions, Jiang Feng meticulously crafted his baozi. For example, the fat-to-lean meat was mixed in a 3:7 ratio, and he included a rich, delicious, simmered broth. These details ensured Jiang Feng’s baozi were destined to be delicious.

With people coming and going, many regulars came up to give Jiang Feng warm greetings. After buying their baozi, people were amazed by the large and full buns, surprised by Jiang Feng’s craftsmanship. While eating, the delicious meat filling captivated them. Many people tasting Jiang Feng’s baozi for the first time were simply astonished.

"Boss Jiang, let us know where you’ll be setting up your stall in the future," a regular customer then asked Jiang Feng. It was the ranch owner, Zhang Dashan.

"I haven’t decided yet," Jiang Feng replied, "and I don’t know where to announce it."

"Why not create a public account? We can follow it," Zhang Dashan suggested. "You can just post where you’ll be setting up your stall there."

The suggestion was excellent. Jiang Feng didn’t want to be disturbed after work, as he valued his "personal time." If he had a public account, no one could bother him. However, it was also rather troublesome.

"Alright, I’ll consider it for the next time I set up the stall," Jiang Feng nodded. "But there’s no time for that today."

The day of vending ended in a flurry of activity. Many people chatted with Jiang Feng, and he could feel everyone’s fondness and reluctance to see him go. It was also a reluctance to part with the delicious baozi.

But it didn’t matter. The food he’d make in the future would still be incredibly delicious. As long as people recognized it as a Jiang Feng product, that was all that mattered.