Lin Dan soaked the rock fungus in coarse salt again, and asked the kitchen helper to soak the other dried goods according to his method. Then he turned to look at the young chef and said slowly: "Since you are sincere in admitting your mistake, I will teach you a signature dish."
"Ah, what did you say?" The young cook looked at Lin Dan stupidly, doubting that he had heard it wrong. It was already amazing that Shopkeeper Lin was willing to teach him some secret methods of preparing ingredients, so why did he also want to teach him his signature dishes? Isn’t the signature dish every chef’s trump card that they won’t easily show to others?
"You heard me right. I'm going to teach you a signature dish. You have to watch carefully." Lin Dan said as he fished out a big, lively carp from the bucket and pounded it unconscious on the chopping board.
Tang Jiu looked at her, then at the silly little cook, a gleam of interest flashing in his eyes.
“Manager Lin, wait a minute. I’ll go get some paper and pen!” The young cook saw that Lin Dan didn’t look like he was joking, so he quickly ran to the front hall, got a stack of paper and a wolf-hair brush, and wrote quickly: “Choose a large carp from the Yellow River, three to four pounds…”
"Have you remembered it?" Lin Dan held a kitchen knife in one hand and a big carp in the other, waiting for the little chef with a smile on his face. She likes people who are diligent and studious, and doesn't mind if they are a little stupid.
"Okay, okay, remember, Manager Lin, please continue!" The young chef nodded and bowed with a respectful attitude. The old shopkeeper had long been impressed by Lin Dan. He had now squeezed next to Tang Jiu, staring at the chopping board with burning eyes.
Lin Dan continued, "I've also tried the new squirrel mandarin fish from Yan's Restaurant. It's sweet and sour, tender and smooth, and really good. The dish I'm teaching you tastes better than the one at her restaurant. It's also a sweet and sour dish, and it's called golden lionfish."
One is called Squirrel, and the other is called Golden Lion. Both names are trying to be better than the other. Are you sure you are not here to compete? The young chef's head was full of random thoughts, but soon, Lin Dan's extraordinary knife skills made him forget everything. I saw her cut the fish clean in a few strokes, and sliced the fish meat on both sides into thin slices, cutting from the tail to the head, cutting shallowly and deeply, making eighteen cuts on each side. Each cut was smooth and continuous. She actually cut the big carp into a lotus bud. She lifted the fish tail and shook it, and the pink and white "petals" bloomed layer by layer, which was very beautiful.
The young chef thought that his knife skills were already amazing, but he didn't expect that Lin Dan would take out a pair of scissors and cut the petal-like fish fillets into strips, cutting each piece into six to seven strips and stacking them together again. A fish bone is covered with shredded fish meat from head to tail; the shape alone is unique enough. What should I do when cooking the fish meat since it has been chopped so finely? Are you sure it won’t crumble into mush when touched by a spoon?
The young cook was recording while worrying in his heart, but he saw Lin Dan start to prepare the egg batter. He added six eggs, half a pound of water starch, and four ounces of flour, and added an appropriate amount of water, and mixed it into a thick golden paste. You can hold a little bit with your hand and pull out threads.
"When making the egg batter, only use egg yolks, not egg whites, so that the color will look good. Only use aqueous starch, not dry starch, otherwise the fish meat will be frizzy. Water starch can ensure that it tastes more delicate and tender." After a brief explanation, Lin Dan pinched the fish head with one hand and the fish tail with the other, and put the fish meat cut into chrysanthemum shapes into the egg batter, soaking it evenly. When he lifted it up again, all the fish threads were stuck together, dripping with egg liquid. It didn't look good, but after being fried in the pan, all the fish threads spread out and stood up one by one, really like a golden lion.
Amid the exclamations of the young chef and the old shopkeeper, Lin Dan slowly explained: "When all the fish shreds are immersed in the oil, you have to shake them vigorously three times to let the fish shreds spread out one by one. After shaking, pull the fish head down and lift the fish tail slightly to let the fish shreds gather around the head, forming a golden lion shape. This is the key to the shape. After the fish is put into the pot, the oil temperature will drop. When it drops to 60% hot, turn to high heat and fry quickly in hot oil so that the fish meat can be shaped. At this time, you can let go and fry the fish head and tail as well. Turn it over with a slotted spoon, continue frying for a while, and then take it out and pour the sauce on it."
Although it is easy for Lin Dan to say, it is actually difficult to do. Just slicing the fish and then shredding it requires a lot of knife skills, not to mention the subsequent battering and frying. Seasoning becomes the simplest procedure. When frying, the chef must hold the fish head and tail firmly with his hands and keep them close to the boiling oil so that the shredded fish meat is completely immersed in the hot oil and fried thoroughly and set. This high temperature can burn a layer of skin off a person's hands. If the whole fish is thrown into the pot before the fish shreds are fried, the dish will be ruined.
The young chef took a close look at Shopkeeper Lin's hands and found a thick layer of calluses on her fingertips. This was the real skill acquired from enduring countless times of high-temperature frying! She gently shook the fish thread, her face showing no sign of pain, but instead full of patience and concentration.
After throwing the whole fish into the pot, she took out a clean pot and poured a little vegetable oil on it while instructing the young cook: "When the fish turns golden brown, take it out and put it belly down on a plate. I'll make the sauce." As she spoke, the oil in the pot was already heated. She crushed a lime and a tomato, mashed them into foam with a large spoon, then added sugar, white vinegar and water to make a thick sweet and sour sauce. After thickening, she poured it evenly on the fluffy and crispy fish shreds. A dish of golden lionfish was ready.
The sweet and sour aroma instantly rushes into the nasal cavity, making people involuntarily secrete a lot of saliva. This dish not only has a strong aroma, but also looks extremely strong, just like a lion with messy mane, with a sense of baring fangs and claws.
"Good, it smells so good!" The little chef swallowed his saliva.
"Can I try it?" Tang Jiu stared at Lin Dan with burning eyes. He has always been a very introverted person, and only reveals his strong and greedy nature when he sees delicious food.
"Try it." Lin Dan picked up the towel and wiped the sweat off his face.
The young cook and Tang Jiu immediately picked up their chopsticks and prepared to start eating the golden lionfish, but then they saw the old shopkeeper who had run away at some point rushing back in and saying hastily, "You can't eat it! You can't eat it! Prince Cheng is here and specifically asked for the dish you just made! Quick, quick, Xiao Douzi, bring this dish out and don't keep the prince waiting!"
The waiter slipped under Tang Jiu's armpit, took the plate and ran away.
Lin Dan was so absorbed in cooking that she had no idea that the smell of her sauce had spread through the window onto the street. Prince Cheng, like Marquis Yongding, was a famous gourmet in the capital. His greatest hobby was tasting delicious food. He used to be a frequent customer of Qiaoyuan Restaurant, but after the chef's father died, he came less often.
He had originally planned to have lunch at Yan's Restaurant that day. When passing by Qiaoyuan Restaurant, his long-time attendant, who had accepted a favor from the old shopkeeper, mentioned casually that Qiaoyuan Restaurant had just received a batch of top-quality seafood and he could go and try some.
Prince Cheng was quite friendly with the little chef's father, and thought to himself, since that's the case, I'll just do you a favor and go for a meal. Unexpectedly, another carriage came by, and Prince Gong stuck his head out of the window and said with a smile, "Brother, don't be fooled. I was also fooled in the same way yesterday. It turned out that Qiu's cooking skills were really bad. He couldn't make the taste of top-grade seafood. It was far inferior to Yan's Restaurant!"
Prince Cheng glared at his attendant and was about to leave, but suddenly he smelled an indescribable smell, very sweet and sour. After a while, it was blended with the freshness of the fish and the richness of the oil, it was so fragrant that it was unbearable!
"What's that smell? Smell it, smell it quickly!" Prince Cheng jumped up, stretched his neck out of the car window, and sniffed around like a puppy.
The grinning Prince Gong was speechless. He quickly closed his mouth and swallowed the saliva that was flowing like a stream.
The attendant, who was terrified at having his thoughts exposed, said quickly, "Your Highness, the fragrance is coming from the Qiaoyuan Restaurant. Maybe Chef Qiu is cooking."
"Go in and take a look!" Prince Cheng could no longer sit still. He immediately jumped off the carriage and rushed into the store. He did not see the shopkeeper coming to greet him, so he could only shout, "Where are the people? Where are the people? Where have they gone? What dishes are being cooked in the kitchen? Bring them to me quickly!"
The waiter quickly settled the people down, then ran to the kitchen and explained the situation to the old shopkeeper. The old shopkeeper then saved the dish from the mouths of the young cook and Tang Jiu, and hurriedly brought it to the front hall.
Prince Gong had long lost confidence in Qiu's cuisine and had only planned to sit in the carriage and watch the fun, but he did not expect that he could not bear it when the dish was served. He quickly retracted his head, stood up and ran under the carriage, but because he moved too hastily, he bumped into the roof of the carriage and felt a little dizzy. He finally ran to the table with his head covered, and when he looked at the plate, he immediately gasped. Prince Cheng also opened his eyes wide, looking extremely surprised.
They originally thought that the squirrel mandarin fish at Yan's Restaurant was a masterpiece in terms of knife skills, shape, color and seasoning. As soon as this dish of fish came out, it immediately broke the myth of Yan's cuisine.
The thin strands of fish meat stand upright and gather towards the fish head, with a very beautiful and unique shape. Use chopsticks to poke the crispy outer shell of the fish shreds to reveal the pink and white fish meat inside. Immediately, shiny oil will ooze out and merge with the vermilion sticky soup. Fresh, tender, crispy, sour and sweet, all kinds of flavors explode on the tip of your tongue, it is simply wonderful!
Prince Cheng carefully broke off a strand of "lion hair" and quickly stuffed it into his mouth. Immediately, his eyes narrowed, and the layers of wrinkles on his face stretched out at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if he had become several years younger.
"Is it delicious?" Prince Gong pulled his sleeve eagerly.
Prince Cheng ignored him and once again broke off a strand of "lion hair" to taste it carefully, shaking his head and smacking his lips, looking like he really deserved a beating.
"Hey, say something! I have such a bad temper!" Prince Gong rolled up his sleeves and cursed: "Waiter, are you blind? Can't you see that I am here? Why don't you bring an extra set of bowls and chopsticks? Go and get the bowls and chopsticks, quickly!" If they were not brought, he would not care about the royal demeanor and would start to beat them!
The waiter came crawling over to bring a set of bowls and chopsticks, and saw the two extremely noble princes almost fighting on the table, with two pairs of chopsticks holding each other, neither of them giving in, and they kept shouting: "Sixth brother, get your mother's ass off, this is the dish I ordered, you have no share!"
"Brother, you are not fair! We are all brothers, so what's wrong with eating your dish?"
"You can't scream if you want to eat yourself!"
"Will it take a long time to order another portion? I can't sit still when I smell this smell!"
Seeing this, the waiter had to rush back to the kitchen and ask Shopkeeper Lin to quickly make another golden lionfish, otherwise the two princes would really fight.
Lin Dan didn't feel flattered or nervous. He rolled up his sleeves slowly and said, "In this case, I will help you to the end and show you my skills."
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