Chapter 26 Steamed Rice Paddy Fish
When the steaming hot pot of wontons was served, everyone present squinted their eyes and took a deep sniff.
The dried shrimp, when rinsed in the hot broth, instantly become incredibly flavorful. Combined with the seaweed garnish on top, it's even more appetizing.
Each little wonton inside was crystal clear, floating on the soup with a glistening sheen, as translucent as a fairy's sleeve.
Gu Yuan scooped one up for himself, took a bite, and swallowed it along with the small wonton and the sauce in the spoon.
The wontons themselves are sweet and fresh, the cabbage is tender and juicy, and when combined with the scrambled eggs inside and the meat sauce that gets more flavorful with each chew, one bite leaves you with a sense of wistful longing.
Just then, the broth in the spoon spread across my taste buds. The broth was even more flavorful than the wontons, with a peppery spiciness that rolled down my throat, giving me an almost tangible, comforting taste!
In short, although it's not as satisfying as a typical feast of meat and fish, it has its own unique flavor!
*
The people present were mostly Jiang Zhi's friends and family, and they all had great faith in her cooking skills, so they all took a bite without hesitation.
Then, one bite, two bites, the chewing speed increased, until he began to wolf it down.
Finally, everyone let out a satisfied burp.
Gu Yuan finally had a full meal, and he patted his belly with a very satisfied look in his eyes.
Among the You siblings, Xiao Mahua never ate much.
As for You Yi, just by looking at how lively and energetic he was after eating, some people might think he hadn't eaten anything. But since no one there knew him well, they naturally knew that this guy was just digesting his food!
Finally, after everyone had scanned the room, Jiang Zhi turned her gaze to Pei Ye.
After just one glance, she silently looked away.
Ever since Jiang Zhi explained the whole reason for the move, that guy has started to revert to his peacock-like nature!
Sure enough, in the short time it took Jiang Zhi to glance at him, he even had the leisure to roll up his sleeves, wink at Jiang Zhi with his charming eyes, and seem to be making a few words in spoken language.
After silently mouthing the words, Jiang Zhi could only cover her face and sigh.
*
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Jiang Zhi stretched and began preparing to collect payment.
Yes, one of her main reasons for moving out was that she wanted to start charging her regular customers!
Gu Yuan didn't need to charge extra. After eating there for a day and feeling quite satisfied, the woman had already handed over the entire quarter's payment—look at that heavy bag of money…
This is the source of Jiang Zhi's confidence to splurge outside!
She still needed to be a little more discreet about what Mr. You had said. Although she and You Yi had initially reached a verbal agreement, with the You family helping her find some rare ingredients.
Jiang Zhi made this agreement mainly because she wanted to find some ingredients that are common in modern times but rare in ancient times, the most important of which was chili peppers.
However, the problem is obvious: this massive project will likely be abandoned anytime soon, especially since Jiang Zhi is also somewhat responsible for Xiao Mahua's studies. Naturally, she'll still have to contribute some money.
Pei Ye even offered to pay!
In short, after some passionate discussion, Jiang Zhi actually managed to attract this group of monthly subscribers!
You Yi casually pushed Xiao Mahua's and his own bills to a month later!
Of the group, only Pei Ye was slightly dissatisfied. He slammed his hand on the table indignantly and started shouting.
"Why am I more expensive than the rest of them?"
"I set the price, so what? You disagree?"
Jiang Zhi counted the money in her hand, overjoyed, but glanced at Pei Ye without showing any emotion.
Pei Ye, who was still looking at Jiang Zhi with resentment, was immediately dampened by that glance.
"Okay... alright."
*
After finishing her business here, Jiang Zhi washed her own dishes and went home.
As she walked along the country lane, still sweltering at midday, she half-covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
This house purchase was definitely a good deal.
Not only could I do some small business here afterward, but I also made a profit, and most importantly...
She finally got rid of the dishwashing chores!
Now, even if those guys want her to cook lunch for them, they can offer a discount, but she definitely won't have to wash the dishes herself anymore.
I've finally managed to get this job passed on!
As she walked, she idly glanced at the houses along the roadside.
Apart from rows of low, narrow houses, the roadside was lined with endless fields. Lush green wheat ears covered the fields, and bees and butterflies mingled among the greenery.
Upon seeing the rice paddies, Jiang Zhi unconsciously lost her senses.
Then, Jiang Zhi saw a farmer sitting on the path between the fields, holding a net with several small, lively fish in it.
Her eyes lit up instantly!
*
And wouldn't you know it, Jiang Zhi's favorite fish, the rice paddy fish, just happened to run into her by sheer coincidence!
Rice paddy fish have been a tradition since ancient times. Jiang Zhi vaguely remembered that the method of raising fish in rice paddies existed as early as the Spring and Autumn Period.
For the working people of ancient times, this was an inexpensive and delicious treat! For example, in Shucheng, almost every household could eat it two or three times a month. Secondly, the fish tasted good. Unlike fish caught from ordinary lakes, it didn't have a muddy taste. Instead, the meat was firm, and if steamed, you could even taste a faint aroma of rice.
As Jiang Zhi thought about it, the taste in her mouth almost came out.
She greeted the farmer sitting and waiting to sell his fish with a smile, and then began to bargain.
*
Finally, with both of them clearly showing a hint of smug satisfaction, the deal was finalized.
The man surnamed Sun never imagined that these seemingly small rice paddy fish could fetch so much money! Jiang Zhi was even more pleasantly surprised.
While they were haggling over the price, Jiang Zhi had thoroughly examined the fish in the net. They were three crucian carp, no longer than a hand, with slender bodies, clear eyes, and bright red gills. They were all very lively and were already splashing around in the water, trying to break free of the net!
This is the perfect rice paddy fish she wanted!
Soon, the two exchanged money for goods and left happily.
Jiang Zhi had already started planning how to cook the fish!
There are two most famous ways to cook rice paddy fish: steaming and braising, each with its own unique deliciousness!
Steaming basically preserves the unique freshness of the whole fish, while braising gives the whole fish a unique savory flavor!
This was the first time Jiang Zhike had ever been so conflicted.
But once she got home, she finally came up with a solution!
She took out a string of copper coins from her sleeve, took one string out, and then tossed it aside.
It's the traditional method of tossing a coin.
Jiang Zhi also muttered to herself:
If the country's name is on top, it's steamed; if the back is on top, it's braised!
After muttering this to herself more than ten times, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at the coins in her hand.
Look, the national title is above!
It's settled then, let's steam it!
*
Why does Jiang Zhi need to decide how to cook the fish in advance, even though it's still morning?
That's because the fish needs to be marinated in advance!
Jiang Zhi's fish-killing skills have even become quite proficient, simply because she's used to it!
To put it simply, in layman's terms,
Jiang Zhi used to work as a chef in a restaurant. Sometimes, when she encountered expensive ingredients...
That dim-witted boss always seemed to think that the fishmongers outside might steal some of the meat, which forced Chef Jiang Zhi to hone her skills in killing chickens, ducks, and other animals.
Of course, Jiang Zhi didn't do this craft for too long: she passed it on to her apprentice!
In this way, the work can be considered to have a successor!
As she thought about it, Jiang Zhi couldn't help but laugh. But even while laughing, her hands remained incredibly nimble.
Fish gills? He grabbed one, twisted it slightly, and tossed it away!
Fish belly? He ripped it open, threw out all the internal organs, and scraped off the black skin inside.
Fish scales? No need to treat them for now.
After killing the three fish, Jiang Zhi arranged them side by side on the nail board, and then made three light cuts on each fish with a diagonal knife.
It helps the flavors to penetrate.
Then, Jiang Zhi took some salt and rubbed it evenly on the fish's body and belly. She then added ginger slices and scallion segments, poured a ring of white wine over it, and left it to marinate.
This step is to further remove any possible earthy taste from the rice paddy fish, and also to make the meat more tender.
Jiang Zhi deliberately didn't add too much salt, otherwise it would easily become too salty if marinated for too long!
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A note from the author: I've been quite busy lately, preparing for exams.
And then, my mood was still a bit affected by that recent AI incident.
As for the update frequency, I'll be updating two chapters a week, which will be quite substantial. The current tentative schedule is this Saturday and next Monday.
I'll start updating daily after the exams on the 13th! [Hugs][Hugs][Hugs]
Thank you for your support, everyone! As always, please remember to add this to your favorites! [cheering emojis] [cheering emojis] [cheering emojis]
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