"Junior sister, don't be fooled by the fact that this dish, Crispy Fried Crucian Carp with Scallions, doesn't seem to have anything to do with Sichuan cuisine at first glance. In fact, it's a genuine old Sichuan dish. Although Sichuan cuisine tends to be spicy and numbing, it's not about pursuing spiciness and numbing sensation all the time."
Cui Mingjue's hands kept moving as he explained the key points to Xu Milu:
"Look, this dish is all about the aroma of scallions enveloping the aroma of fish, so it's best to choose a smaller crucian carp so it can absorb the flavors more easily. Also, when you're frying it, remember to control the heat carefully. Don't fry it too dry, or the crucian carp will have a burnt taste. And don't fry it for too short a time either. You have to fry the fish bones thoroughly so that it's crispy when you eat it."
Remove the scales, gills, internal organs, and black fascia from the abdomen of the small crucian carp. Rinse them clean and make diagonal cuts on the surface. Marinate with cooking wine and salt for five minutes, and then coat the skin with a layer of cornstarch.
Cut the white part of the scallion into thin strips, and cut the rest into sections. Cut the ginger into strips. Heat oil in a wok until it reaches 70% of its maximum temperature, then deep-fry the crucian carp.
During this time, Cui Mingjue kept turning the small crucian carp until they were fried to an enticing golden color, with a slight hint of light brown on the skin. When you gently tapped them with chopsticks, they would make a hollow sound, which meant they were thoroughly fried.
Heat oil in a wok, add scallion segments and ginger shreds and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add the deep-fried crucian carp, followed by dark soy sauce, MSG, and cooking wine. Add a little water, two pieces of rock sugar and cook until caramelized. Add pepper powder and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove the crucian carp and arrange it neatly on a plate. Top with a layer of thin scallion whites and finally pour the sauce from the wok over it before serving.
Xu Milu held her notebook and took careful notes. Although she could copy the other person's actions after reading them once, it was better to write down some key points for better retention.
Every chef has a different understanding and experience in cooking. It's likely that Cui Shengguo sent her here to learn with the intention of letting her learn as much as possible.
Ninghaiqiao smiled upon seeing this, his expression one of satisfaction:
"That's right, a bad pen is worse than a good memory, so you still have to write it down. Let me test you: Why choose crucian carp for this dish instead of grass carp, which has fewer bones? And why didn't your second brother coat it with flour and egg mixture before frying it, but instead just dry-fry it?"
"Compared to grass carp, crucian carp has a better texture. In addition, there is a deep-frying process in the cooking process. Crucian carp is covered with small bones, and the smaller the bones, the easier it is to fry them through. Once they are fried through, they are crispy and fragrant to the bone. In addition, crucian carp has less meat, so it can have a crispier texture after frying."
Xu Milu gave the answer after a moment's thought:
"After being deep-fried, the crucian carp meat is tough, so it is usually cooked again, such as braised, stewed, or boiled. Therefore, deep-frying allows it to absorb more flavor. If it is fried in a mixed way, the fish is coated with batter, and the aroma of scallions does not easily penetrate it."
“Yes, Master always tells us that as long as you think about it carefully, there is a way to cook any ingredient in this world. Take the small toon fruit you brought today, for example. It tastes sour and can easily make your teeth hurt if you eat it on its own. But if you use it as a seasoning in a dish, it is the most wonderful garnish.”
Ninghaiqiao nodded and continued:
"Toona sinensis buds have a unique aroma, just like durian. People either love it or hate it. So most chefs choose to boil them in water to remove the bitterness before stir-frying them with eggs. But the small Toona sinensis buds you brought today don't have that flavor, so you can make a cold salad with them."
Although Ning Haiqiao was broad and stout, he was extremely agile. His large, fan-like hands deftly flipped and turned, and with a tap and a shake of the back of the knife on the cutting board, several whole cloves of garlic rolled out.
Mince the garlic and chop it repeatedly on a cutting board until it becomes garlic paste. Add a little salt and set aside. Dice the small chili peppers, crush the roasted peanuts, and crush the small toon seeds, then filter out the impurities and set aside.
Add the small toon sprouts to boiling water, and sprinkle a pinch of salt into the pot to help maintain their bright green color.
Boil the vegetables for 15 seconds, then remove them, rinse them with cold water, drain them, cut them into small pieces, and put them in a large bowl. Add minced garlic, salt, sugar, small chili peppers, crushed peanuts, and then pour in the juice of the Chinese toon. Finally, heat oil in a pan, pour it over the vegetables to release their aroma, and stir.
The tender green toon shoots are interspersed with bits of minced garlic, and crushed peanuts are evenly coated on each shred of vegetable. Bright red chili peppers adorn the leaves, and the purple toon juice releases a tangy aroma, making it incredibly refreshing.
"When making vegetarian dishes, the simpler the seasonings, the better. Unlike meat, vegetarian dishes don't require additional steps to remove the bloody taste of meat. The fresher the vegetarian dish, the more delicious it is. You can taste its original flavor with the simplest cooking methods."
As Ninghai Bridge was speaking, he suddenly asked out of the blue:
"I heard from Master that you learned seven or eight tenths of the Cui family's sword technique after only watching his demonstration once?"
"I just memorized it by rote; it took me quite a while to truly understand and master the first move."
Xu Milu scratched her face and said.
Ning Haiqiao gave her a deep look:
"No wonder Master insisted on taking you as his last disciple. If I had met you first, I would have at least snatched you back to be my disciple."
"Senior Brother, the way you're saying that, I'm afraid all my disciples combined aren't as quick-witted as Junior Sister. When I was learning swordsmanship, my dad taught me for a whole year. Sigh, no wonder I always got scolded—it's all Mingyue's fault. She always thinks of her grandfather first when there's something good. Otherwise, I would have taken Junior Sister as my disciple long ago."
Cui Mingjue muttered something.
Who doesn't like a student who can grasp things quickly and apply what they've learned to other situations?
She was able to remember those steps after only seeing them once; such a memory is truly frightening.
No wonder his dad always praises his junior sister. If she were his apprentice, he would just hang her on his belt and show her off wherever he goes!
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