Chapter 187 Golden Lionfish, Smoked Bamboo Shoots with Pork, Sweet and Sour Pork Knuckle...

As soon as the fish meat was fried in the oil, the fish body spread out evenly. The fish, which originally weighed three pounds, more than doubled in size after being fried. It occupied the very center of the table.

Yao Huang is still young, and the only fish he has ever seen are those from the market. When he suddenly saw such a big one, he didn't know where to start eating it.

"Mom, can you give me some fish?"

Yao Qingqin deftly used chopsticks to "pick" a few fried fish and put them in her daughter's bowl.

Since the divorce, others may not know the changes in her child, but she has witnessed them firsthand. From never daring to ask for anything, cautiously afraid of upsetting the adults, to now being able to express her own thoughts, Yao Qingqin feels no regret whatsoever just by looking at her daughter's transformation.

Yao Huang ate the fish very carefully, afraid that a large fish bone might get stuck in his throat.

This is completely unnecessary worry.

The thin strips of fish meat are almost boneless, and the long fried fish has only a small portion of meat in the middle, covered by an extremely crispy crust. Dipped in sweet and sour sauce, it's deliciously sweet and sour.

Yao Huang's eyes lit up: "Mommy, I want more!"

This fish dish can be considered a variation of sweet and sour fish, but the preparation of the fish is more difficult. The fish meat strips cannot be too thin, otherwise the crust will mask the freshness and aroma of the fish, resulting in a crispy exterior and tender interior. They also cannot be too thick, otherwise it will no longer be lionfish, but squirrel fish.

To achieve the perfect, unbroken strands of fish while frying it, ensuring the fish retains its tenderness, everyone in the kitchen except Wen Fan was just short of mastering the technique.

Not long after this dish was served, the waiter began bringing out the other dishes.

"Stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork, and braised pork knuckle in sweet and sour sauce."

The stir-fried food was fragrant, and the waiter was very attentive, proactively asking what kind of main dish we wanted.

"How about a few servings of rice? Sister Hui, would you like rice or steamed buns?"

Four servings of rice.

...

In the room of Old Master Duan, Mr. Qu made a "six" gesture, indicating he was asking for an exorbitant amount.

"Six large portions of rice, please!"

The waiter suppressed a laugh: "Okay, coming right away."

Mr. Qu sat down, counted the heads again, and said with satisfaction that six large portions were enough.

"Everyone, eat quickly, there will be other things later."

Looking at his cheerful apprentice, Old Master Duan thought to himself that this man would never change in this lifetime.

All he's ever done in his life is grow up to be greedy.

Family members sat beside Qu's father. Qu's mother was chatting enthusiastically with a young man she didn't recognize. The young man seemed a little nervous and kept glancing at Qu Qingqing. Qu Qingqing took the rice brought by the waiter and casually interrupted her mother, "Mom, let's eat. The food will get cold soon."

Qu Qingqing's boyfriend also quickly got up to pour tea for Qu's parents, Qu Xiaoyu: "Yes, Auntie, please eat first."

Mr. Qu snorted, which startled Qu Qingqing's boyfriend, who looked at him nervously.

Qu Qingqing: "...Don't pay any attention to him."

The two families have met and agreed on a wedding date. Now, her father is putting on the airs of a father-in-law.

Qu Qingqing's boyfriend dared not really ignore her, so he smiled and poured wine for Qu's father.

After pouring the food, they were about to pour some for Grandpa Duan, but the old man waved his hand and said, "Don't be shy, just eat."

The two dishes that came out were piping hot. Stir-fried dishes should be eaten while they're hot; they just won't taste the same if you wait a while.

So-called smoked bamboo shoots are made from fresh, tender bamboo shoots harvested in spring. After being cooked, cooled, and drained, they are smoked in a special bamboo shoot oven until they turn golden brown. At this point, the smoked bamboo shoots are mostly smoked. The remaining part is dried. Once the smoked bamboo shoots are completely dried, they can be stored for up to a year, and even longer if stored properly.

The smoked bamboo shoots were collected by Wen Fan when he went out to play. They were made by the villagers themselves and were only a few months old. They only need to be soaked briefly. Whether stir-fried with pork belly or cured meat, they have a very unique flavor.

The farmhouse-style cured pork slices are extremely thin, and the chili peppers are generously added. After being stir-fried over high heat, the pungent aroma of chili peppers mixed with the smoky flavor is irresistible. From the moment it's cooked to the moment it's served, it only takes a few minutes, preserving the wok hei (the smoky aroma imparted by a strong wok over high heat). This kind of dish is perfect with rice.

Although Yan Guo and Ke Miao kept saying they wanted to lose weight, they ate spicy food more fiercely than anyone else. They didn't even see the bright red chilies in the smoked bamboo shoots and cured meat, and finished a large bowl of rice in no time.

"Hey, don't just eat rice, there's also braised pork knuckle!"

Fearing that the two girls would only eat rice, Mr. Qu urged everyone to eat braised pork knuckle.

The so-called "Guobao Zhouzi" (steamed pork knuckle) looks completely different from pork knuckle from the outside.

A long platter, almost as long as an arm, has a stack of crispy square pieces of meat in the middle, with several dishes of sauce and seasoning powder on the side, and cucumber strips, scallion segments, and stacked small pancakes on both sides.

"...How are we supposed to eat this?"

Ren Haijin couldn't help but ask, "It's supposed to be pork knuckle, but there's no pork knuckle in it. It looks more like an ingredient for roast duck."

I asked a waiter, and sure enough, it was the way to eat roast duck.

Unfold a small pancake, thicker and chewier than a Peking duck pancake. Spread a layer of sweet sauce, a touch of chili sauce, then add cucumber strips and scallions. Finally, wrap a piece of pork knuckle sprinkled with seasoning powder inside, seal it, and pop it into your mouth. Inside the chewy pancake, the pork knuckle is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Ren Haijin suddenly realized why it's called "Guobao Zhouzi" (literally "Pot-Baked Pork Knuckle"). It's pork knuckle coated in batter and deep-fried, then deboned and cut into neat rectangles. The golden, crispy pork knuckle with scallions and sauce is different from the oily texture of Peking duck, offering a more crispy and savory flavor.

"...It smells so good!"

Pork knuckle is already rich in fat, and after being boiled and then fried, it can be a bit greasy to eat on its own. But with a little bit of pancake, two kinds of sauce, and some scallions and cucumbers to cut through the richness, the greasiness of the pork knuckle is like an overly fragrant flower, ultimately settling perfectly against a plain background.

Everyone ate with great satisfaction. When it comes to satisfying one's appetite, nothing beats a feast of meat and fish, the aroma of which far surpasses anything else.

The number of small cakes was just right, and Yan Guo was extremely satisfied.

"What I hate most is when there are no pancakes left at the end of the roast duck meal. Can't roast duck restaurants outside learn from this? One pack of pancakes isn't enough, and two packs aren't enough either. Can't they just give you the perfect amount?"

After stuffing the last bite of braised pork knuckle into their mouths, everyone patted their bellies and exclaimed that it was truly worth it.

"Thanks to Ji Baiyi for making a reservation for us in advance, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to eat there."

Although there were quite a few people sitting outside, the private rooms definitely had a wider selection of dishes since it was the first day of business.

Ren Haijin looked at Ji Baiyi with envy: "If my family hadn't been urging me to go back home for the holidays, I could have worked part-time for a longer period of time."

During holidays, his grandfather would urge him to go back and help. Ren Haijin spent most of his holidays writing prescriptions and preparing medicine.

"I really envy you; your parents didn't pressure you to do an internship during the summer vacation."

Ji Baiyi didn't stop eating because of Ren Haijin's words. He simply replied, "They're busy," and ended the conversation.

The focus of everyone's attention quickly shifted from the dishes in front of them to the next dish.

"I wonder how many more dishes are coming up."

...

The waiter knocked on the door of the private room: "Hello, milk soup with cattail shoots."

As soon as the door opened, the waiter almost instinctively raised the dishes in his hand higher.

The people in this room were different from those in the other rooms; upon closer inspection, they turned out to be all teachers from the school!

Zhao Yu sat next to Teacher Wang, her eyes fixed on the soup served in a white porcelain urn.

"Tell the children not to run, be careful of getting burned."

These teachers are all loyal customers of Wenji Restaurant. Now that they heard Wenji was going to upgrade, they couldn't wait to book a table and be among the first to try it. There weren't many seats available, just enough for everyone with children.

The children, who had been stopped by Zhao Yu's words, watched as the waiter put down the dishes. They stopped playing with their toys and running around, and each ran to their parents, staring longingly at the jar.

The waiter smiled and said, "This is the last dish. We'll have two more main courses coming up later."

Zhao Yu: "Wait a minute."

There are three or four children in this room. They've all eaten their fill of vegetables, and who knows how much they'll eat later? We need to keep track.

Zhao Yu's son, Chen Zihan, sat upright on the stool, holding up his small bowl for his mother to serve him.

Everyone at the table served the children first, then distributed the food to themselves. As the soup spoon stirred the contents of the pot, the ingredients were stirred up.

There are shiitake mushrooms, ham, and long cattail shoots.

It's late June now, the best time to eat cattail shoots. The best time to enjoy cattail shoots is only about half a month. This year, it just so happens to be around this time. Wen Fan bought fresh cattail shoots from the market and the first thing that came to mind was cattail shoot soup in milk.

Zhao Yu initially thought this soup was vegetarian, but upon tasting it, she realized how rich the broth was.

When making milky cattail soup, the broth is crucial. Simmer pork bones and hen to make the broth, and a touch of pork fat is key to achieving a milky white color. After simmering a pot of broth, remove the outer, tough skin of the cattail shoots, leaving only the tender stems, and cut them into sections. Blanch the cattail shoots, and finally combine them with the broth.

This soup is known as the "king of soups".

The soup was savory and fresh, and the cattail shoots were crisp and tender. The children all grabbed their bowls and drank until their bellies were bulging, but they didn't want to stop.

The adults, however, were restrained. They wanted to savor this delicious soup slowly, and they chatted about trivial matters at school.

"I heard the school is going to expand again, and this time it seems the plan has already been finalized."

"I've heard about it too. Apparently, they're planning to buy the land across from the school."

"That would be fine. It would clear up the space in front of the door and save us from the constant traffic jams."

"So, Wenji left at a pretty good time? Otherwise, they would still have to move even if the area was demolished."

"You can argue with that, but I'm still a little reluctant to leave Wen Ji. It used to be so convenient there!"

"What's so convenient about it? It's crowded with tourists every day, and it's impossible to even squeeze in. I actually think it's better now; the space is bigger, and we can accommodate more people."

"Looking back now, Wenji has really developed very fast in the past two years. By the way, Teacher Zhao, you were one of the first people to eat at Wenji, right?"

Speaking of this, Zhao Yu perked up and quickly brought up the time when Wenji ran a small catering business.

"...My son Zihan ate there for the whole summer vacation, and those kids still often ask me if I can still book a after-school care program for them."

Especially Zihan's friend Zhuangzhuang, because Zhao Yu's workplace is close to Wenji, he would always pack some food to take home. Zhuangzhuang changed from the naughty child he was two years ago, and now he would pester Zihan every day after school, just for a bite to eat.

Even Zhuangzhuang's maternal grandmother stopped being so unreasonable, because her grandson was indebted to her!

The group listened with great interest, and before they knew it, the pot of milk soup with cattail shoots was completely devoured.

Zhao Yu let out a burp, thinking to herself that she had eaten too much, especially the main course...

Or should we not eat?

The others were in a similar situation, but the children went out for a walk and came back complaining.

"Mommy, I want to eat cat ears too!"