Chapter 11 Steamed Sea Bass Magical Method
Speaking of food, the diet in the Ming Dynasty was not bad even compared to modern times.
In his early years, Song Jin had read through the cookbooks of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The method used in modern times would definitely be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and material-intensive. If it were a poor family, it would be fine, but a grandmother like Wen Ya, who was raised with money, would not be fooled by anything.
Because of this, Song Jin spent some time choosing the dishes.
First, select from the cuisine.
If she remembered correctly, chili peppers were not popular in the Ming Dynasty, so Sichuan and Hunan cuisines were abandoned first; Shandong cuisine, Anhui cuisine, and Fujian cuisine were not popular, so they were abandoned; there were too many Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisines in Suzhou and they were not fresh, so they were abandoned.
So there is only one option left, Cantonese cuisine.
Song Jin made up his mind and ran straight into the kitchen. He put on a warm smile and said to Granny Li, "Granny, are we going to make lunch for the courtyards?"
Granny Li saw Song Jin coming in and talking to her enthusiastically. She immediately felt happy and responded with a smile, "Yes, I'm cooking it. But what do you want to eat? I'll make you one if I see any dishes."
Song Jin smiled and replied: "It's not that I want to eat it, I just want to cook a dish for grandma, is that okay?"
When Granny Li heard this, she paused while cutting vegetables and asked, "You want to do it?"
"Yes, I helped in the kitchen before, I want to cook a dish for grandma." After saying that, her voice softened and she begged, "Grandma, just ask me to cook one dish. I will tell grandma that it was me who made it. Even if it's not good, I won't let you get scolded."
Seeing her like that, Granny Li didn't say anything more. Dongzhi was still counting on her.
"Okay, okay, which dish do you want to cook?"
Song Jin looked around the kitchen, looking for ingredients suitable for making Cantonese cuisine, and finally his eyes fell on the fish tank in the kitchen yard.
"Mother-in-law, do you have any fresh sea bass?"
"Yes, yes, yes. They are very fresh. They were delivered this morning and are still being kept in the fish tank."
As they were talking, they had already walked into the yard, and Song Jin followed behind to see the fish.
The sea bass is not big, so steaming it is just right.
Thinking this, Song Jin rolled up his sleeves and was about to go fishing, but was stopped by Granny Li.
"Don't let your new clothes get dirty. I'll help you."
Song Jin smiled and did not stop her. He watched the old woman's fat hands suddenly reach into the water. When she came up, the fish's tail flapped wildly and splashed water everywhere. It was really fresh.
Mrs. Li had been working in the kitchen for many years and was very skillful at her job. She grabbed the fish and went into the kitchen.
He pressed the fish on the chopping board with one hand and grabbed a kitchen knife weighing more than a pound with the other hand. He swung it sideways and hit the fish's head with a loud slap. The fish's tail, which had been flapping all over, instantly became submissive.
The sharp knife was stabbed into the fish's mouth. Song Jin felt that Granny Li didn't even use much strength, and the fish's stomach was broken open.
He quickly took out the internal organs, tore off the black skin, rinsed it in water and threw the fish back onto the chopping board.
Press the fish with your left hand and hold the kitchen knife with your right hand. Keep the back of the knife close to the fish body and scrape the fish scales in the opposite direction. In less than an incense stick of time, the fish goes from being a fresh fish jumping around in the fish tank to fish meat being gutted on the chopping board.
"I'll kill the vines for you."
Song Jin walked over with a smile, praising Granny Li for being a real expert at killing fish.
"I am not only good at killing fish, I can also kill chickens, ducks, eels, and even sheep. Here, I give you the fish. What do you want to do with it? Do you want us to help you?"
Song Jin shook his head and said, "I'm very grateful that my mother-in-law helped me get here."
Before he finished speaking, he had already grabbed the fish on the table, added some salt to a spoon and rubbed the fish to wash off some of the sticky stuff on the fish.
Peel the ginger and cut it into thin slices. Stuff two slices into the fish belly and cover the fish body with two slices. Place two chopsticks horizontally on the plate and put the fish on the chopsticks.
"Mother-in-law, my dish is very quick to prepare. Just put it in a pot of boiling water and steam it when you are ready to serve it to Grandma."
"Okay, no problem."
Granny Li responded with a smile, but her eyes did not leave Song Jin's hand. She wanted to see how Song Jin planned to cook the fish.
When it comes to sea bass, she is very familiar with it. She has tried making it into soup or frying it.
Now Song Jin wanted to steam fish in boiling water. She had never tried it before. Moreover, the way of steaming fish was somewhat different from what she had done before. So she slowed down her work and just looked at her.
Song Jin kept working, cutting the ginger into very fine strips, and after she finished cutting the ginger strips, she grabbed a handful of green onions. She rolled up the green onions from the end, rolled them into a ball, and cut them.
Granny Li was surprised to see this, because they usually cut the onions into small pieces, never into such thin strips.
While she was wondering, Song Jin did something that she couldn't understand. She filled a bowl with water and soaked the chopped green onions in the water.
"Your... onion fragrance should have been soaked away, right?"
Granny Li was getting worried, but Song Jin didn't care: "Don't worry, Granny, I have another way to bring out the onion fragrance."
Granny Li had no choice but to go along with her and asked the maids to cook. Only after the meal was ready did Song Jin return to the table.
"The water in the pot is already boiling, should we steam it now?"
Song Jin nodded and said yes.
A special bamboo tray was placed on the bottom of the pot, the fish dish was placed on the tray, and then the lid was closed. The fire in the stove was kept high, and Song Jin took a small pot to cook the sauce.
These old women were supposed to be sent away after cooking the food, but since Song Jin was going to cook the seasoning, they all stuck their heads out to take a look.
Song Jin asked for soy sauce and smelled it before putting it down. It was still inferior to modern ones, but it was the only one he had.
One tablespoon of soy sauce, half a tablespoon of water, and one tablespoon of sugar.
After adding the sugar, Song Jin thought about it and added some more. It seemed that people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang could eat sweeter food.
Put the scallion, ginger and coriander into the pot and cook slowly over low heat until bubbles appear.
Song Jin calculated the time. She used to have a timer, but now it doesn't exist, so she had to guess.
"Mother-in-law, is it enough time for a cup of tea?"
Granny Li said, "They haven't arrived yet, wait a little longer."
So Song Jin waited for a while until Granny Li told her that the time was up. Then she lifted the lid of the pot and saw that the fish eyes were all white and steamed.
Granny Li helped to bring the bowl over, and Song Jin poured out the fish soup from the dish himself before taking away the chopsticks. He drained the soaked scallions and placed them on the fish along with the shredded ginger.
Oddly enough, the thin green onion shreds were curled up after being soaked in water. The emerald green onion shreds covering the grayish-white fish meat looked very pretty.
Pour the cooked sauce into the dish, and finally pour a spoonful of hot oil on the chopped green onion to bring out the aroma of the chopped green onion.
"So that's how it works. I've never tried this method before. Where did you learn it from?"
When Granny Li smelled the fragrance, she knew that this was not a random recipe, so she immediately became interested and asked Song Jin about the recipe.
"This is the one I studied in my dream school."
The immortals have great power. Whenever you encounter something that cannot be explained, attribute it all to the immortals in the cave.
"Oh, this person you met is really a god. He can cook and write, and even his brain is sharp. Mother Chen, you can enjoy your life in the future."
Granny Li was quite envious, but Granny Chen, Mancao's mother, did not look very happy.
Her Mancao was different from before, she hardly recognized her anymore, but Mancao still called her mother.
This dish was brought to Zizhuyuan by Granny Li herself. Before entering the house, Song Jin reminded her, "Tell Grandma that this fish must be dipped in the sauce to be tasty."
Granny Li smiled and said repeatedly, "I know, I know. Just wait and see."
Song Jin watched Granny Li carry the plate of fish into the main house, and he stood in the yard waiting.
Whenever new dishes are served, one always has to ask the host for his opinion. Song Jin was also curious whether Wen Ya would like this light Cantonese cuisine.
Song Jin paced alone in the yard, looking into the main house from time to time. After looking for about a cup of tea, he saw Granny Li running out with a smile on her face.
"She said it was fresh, tender and delicious. She even asked me how I made this new dish."
Song Jin smiled and asked, "What did the mother-in-law answer?"
Granny Li said, "I just said it the way you did it, but..." Granny Li looked embarrassed and said, "I told Grandma that you taught me to do it, you won't be angry, right?"
When a new dish he learned was liked by the grandmother, this was probably the only time the chef of the Bai family could gain face.
"How could that be? Without my mother-in-law's approval, I can't make this dish."
"I'm glad you're not angry. I know you have a good temper." Granny Li smiled brightly, her face flushed, and then she asked in a low voice: "Then could you teach me carefully next time? Your sauce and so on..."
"Okay, I'll do it again tomorrow and tell you in detail."
"Hey, hey, hey, thank you so much."
Song Jin smiled and sent Granny Li away, thinking about how to talk to Wen Ya about opening a restaurant.
One dish is just a display, she needs to have more dishes out, luckily she still has some stock.
When I go to teach Granny Li how to make steamed fish tomorrow, I should ask her to order some very fresh spare ribs. Steamed spare ribs are also delicious.
Egg yolk pumpkin is also delicious.
pumpkin......
pumpkin......
Song Jin patted her forehead and thought carefully. The pumpkin must have been passed over, as well as the peppers and tomatoes. She had to spend some time looking for these "fresh" ingredients.
Just as he was thinking hard, Du Juan came out of the door and saw Song Jin hitting his forehead with his hand in the yard.
"Mancao, grandma is calling you."
Song Jin was delighted, thinking there was a chance, and ran over quickly.
When she reached Du Juan, she whispered, "Grandma is very happy."
Song Jin felt more confident.
After entering the door and bowing, Song Jin stood there confidently waiting to be questioned.
Wen Ya wiped her hands with the handkerchief handed to her by the servant and asked, "Did you teach that old woman to make this sea bass?"
Song Jin said yes.
Wen Ya chuckled: "Why did you think of making this fish dish out of the blue?"
Song Jin did not answer but asked: "Grandma, just tell me how it tastes. Do you like it?"
Wen Ya smiled and said, "Not bad, I put a lot of thought into it."
After hearing this, Song Jin took the opportunity to talk about opening a restaurant.
"I'm thinking, this money is just sitting there, why not open a restaurant? The unique dishes will definitely have a place in Suzhou. Then the money will make more money, isn't it better?"
After hearing this, Wen Ya's smile faded. She neither answered yes nor no, but just stretched out her hand to admire the three gold and gem-studded rings on her left hand.
Everyone loves money, they just fear losing it.
Song Jin had no choice but to continue, "Grandma is in mourning right now, and she's wearing simple clothes. After the mourning period is over, she'll need a few new headgear. When the time comes, it will be justified for this restaurant to pay for it, right?"
Wen Ya heard this, clenched her palms, and said slowly: "Your dish is not good."
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