"So what fillings will we use for the zongzi then? Do you have any ideas?" Asaka blinked her eyes and asked curiously.
"That depends on individual needs. We'll try everything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, and swims in the sea. Only by having a wide enough coverage can we select satisfactory ingredients.
Then, we'll launch the new products and sell them in Dimensional Restaurant for a period, to see whose zongzi is more popular."
Pinching his chin, Hoshino Sora thought for a few minutes and made a decision: let the market decide the zongzi they would make, after all, this zongzi was to serve the public.
Speaking of zongzi, everyone at the table started chatting about it. As the conversation grew lively, smiles blossomed on everyone's faces, because such wonderful times were truly rare.
"All this talk is just theory; ultimately, we have to practice. Let's go into Dimensional Restaurant. Each of us will prepare 10-100 zongzi and randomly give them to customers to take home and taste."
"I think a tasting sale would be more suitable. This way, everyone can taste each zongzi, and we can also find out which type of zongzi is more popular."
"Isn't that the idea of samples? If so, we can make small samples and give them away for free, but making such zongzi is relatively troublesome, as there aren't such small zongzi leaves."
"Then it shouldn't be in the form of zongzi, but if it's not in the form of zongzi, then it's not zongzi. No, this line of thought is a fallacy. How exactly should we do it to be more suitable...?"
Everyone at the dining table had their own opinions. Hoshino Sora listened to their discussion without speaking, only lowering his head and silently considering the feasibility of their proposed methods.
Finally, he decided to enter Dimensional Restaurant, as practice reveals true knowledge.
With a flash of white light around them, everyone disappeared from the dormitory dining room and reappeared on solid ground. At this moment, Gourmet Manor was in the midst of night.
Exchanging glances, and after confirming that no one was missing, the group quickly headed towards Dimensional Restaurant. Before long, they arrived at the entrance of Dimensional Restaurant.
"Good evening, Master."
At this moment, numerous Interracial Girl, dressed as waitresses, were waiting outside. Seeing Hoshino Sora and the others arrive, they respectfully bowed their heads and then greeted in unison.
"You all clean the restaurant first. After cleaning, you can sit inside and rest, adjust your state. We'll officially open in an hour."
"Yes, Master."
Hearing the man's instructions, the Interracial Girl shouted in unison, their voices sweet and refreshing. Hoshino Sora also showed a wide smile in response.
"I bought some zongzi leaves when I came home today. I have glutinous rice and all sorts of ingredients here. You can help yourselves as needed. We'll have an internal tasting later."
Arriving at the kitchen of Dimensional Restaurant, Hoshino Sora took out the zongzi leaves and various ingredients for his wives to choose from.
"Okay~" Yumeko Jabami drew out her reply, then took the zongzi leaves from Hoshino Sora's hand, selected some ingredients she needed from the ingredient area, and found a corner to study on her own.
Tadokoro Megumi did the same, but she chose to stand with Hoshino Sora, and the two of them collaborated on researching zongzi. Because she had previously systematically researched rice balls, she had a natural advantage in researching zongzi.
"The zongzi that have been passed down for so many years in China are generally divided into sweet and savory factions. Sweet ones are easy to understand: pure glutinous rice zongzi with white sugar, or filled with red beans, Job's tears, or candied dates.
Among the savory faction, the most formidable is undoubtedly the fresh meat zongzi, where large pieces of marinated pork are wrapped in glutinous rice, releasing their flavor which is fully absorbed by the glutinous rice, creating an exquisite texture and taste."
Tadokoro Megumi spoke slowly, closing her eyes as she spoke, beginning to fantasize about the deliciousness of zongzi. To make a truly delicious zongzi, imagination must first be sufficiently abundant!
"It's been a while, I'll flip through the Recipe Encyclopedia."
Looking at Tadokoro Megumi's appearance as she meditated with her eyes closed, Hoshino Sora pulled out his prized Recipe Encyclopedia and began to search for the grades of zongzi and various ingredient combinations.
"Why are they all Golden rank? Is it because the ingredients are high-grade, or is it that with my current cooking skills, anything I make can reach Golden rank? The first possibility is probably higher."
Hoshino Sora muttered his guess, his brows slightly furrowed. He then closed the Recipe Encyclopedia (Incomplete) in his hand and began to try making zongzi. Everyone else was also proceeding in an orderly fashion.
"Ah! The glutinous rice is leaking, how do I wrap this? Why does the picture show it can be wrapped into a sharp triangle? Ah, ah, the meat is leaking out too, and the wrapper is torn, Hoshino-kun, help!"
As soon as she started, Shiina Mahiru ruined two zongzi leaves. She clasped her hands, her face showing an anxious expression. This thing was much harder than she imagined. How exactly could she wrap it into that shape?
"I know how to do this. I'll teach you all. Those who don't know, come and watch, you'll pick it up quickly."
His gaze swept around, seeing Erina Nakiri, Alice Nakiri, and others who were equally at a loss, Hoshino Sora clapped his hands to gather them.
Zongzi, for those who know how, can be wrapped easily. For those who don't, trying to figure it out on their own would take at least an hour or two, as it requires a bit of technique and skill.
"Watch carefully. Stack two zongzi leaves like this, with the larger one on top and the smaller one on the bottom, then bend them over to form a small funnel shape.
Triangles have stability, so the zongzi leaves in this state can hold the glutinous rice and filling. One layer of glutinous rice, one layer of filling, then another layer of glutinous rice, with the filling centered within the glutinous rice."
Hoshino Sora demonstrated as he spoke: "Then, press the two ends on the other side of your tiger's mouth inwards, pull the zongzi leaf downwards, and tie it with straw or thread. A four-pointed zongzi is then complete."
Displaying the wrapped zongzi in his hand, Hoshino Sora said with a smile. This thing was quite difficult for beginners, but once you got the hang of it, it was like child's play.
"So that's it! I wondered why it kept leaking just now. It turns out you need two leaves! And when two zongzi leaves are stacked, the overlapping part becomes thicker. The ancient Chinese people were so smart."
Shiina Mahiru clapped her hands together, a look of sudden realization on her face. It turned out her initial approach was wrong, but it wasn't too late; at least she had learned now.
"When you put it that way, I feel like I was so silly."
Shiina Mashiro spoke from the side, saying that she was the one who told Shinohiru about this method. Now that the method was wrong, and the other party was also complaining about the intelligence of the Huaxia ancestors, wasn't he indirectly calling her dumb?
Although she was indeed sometimes quite dull and slow to react to many things, this time it shouldn't be her problem. After all, she had never done it before, so making a mistake should be understandable.
"My fault. I didn't think you wouldn't know how beforehand. I took it for granted that you all did. If I had taught you in advance, it would have been much better. All in all, let's just start."
Hoshino Sora said, scratching his head awkwardly. After all, he was a transmigrator, and in his previous life, he made rice dumplings every year, so he was exceptionally skilled at it, never forgetting it even after decades.
"Then let's each go and wrap our own. The main ingredients are glutinous rice and filling. To make it taste better, we must improve it from these two aspects."
Erina Nakiri murmured to herself, and as she spoke, she followed Hisako to their corner. Then, the two of them buried their heads in studying the rice dumplings.
As the saying goes, when master and servant are of one mind, they can cut through metal!
"Understood."
"Then let's get to work too."
"Mmm! I will definitely make the most delicious rice dumplings!"
"I'll help master and lend a hand!"
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