Chapter Thirty-Two: Steamed Fish + Steamed Shrimp
The thought that the fish would have died a worthwhile death at Yu Miaoyin's hands made Grandma Chen happy, but she was also worried that Yu Miaoyin must be very tired after just coming over to cook. "You just came back from cooking, silly child, aren't you tired?"
Yu Miaoyin shook her head and said calmly, "It's alright, Grandma. I've rested well. Besides, steamed fish is not difficult to make; it's very easy. Don't worry."
As she spoke, Yu Miaoyin placed the cleaned and gutted sea bass on a plate lined with ginger slices, and poured boiling water into the pot to start steaming.
Steaming fish is indeed much simpler than stir-frying, but it still requires skill. The key to steaming is preserving the original flavor of the ingredients and maximizing their natural taste. If not done properly, the fish will become tough, or the seasonings will overpower its own flavor, resulting in a less delicious dish. In short, if one step is wrong, the fish is essentially wasted.
Yu Miaoyin turned off the heat at the right time, poured out the water from steaming, spread the chopped scallions, ginger and chili on the fish, drizzled it with steamed fish soy sauce, and then poured hot oil on top, releasing the aroma of scallions, ginger and garlic, and making the fish glisten with oil.
Yu Miaoyin also made a dipping sauce for steamed shrimp. She mixed scallions, garlic, chili peppers, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a little sugar together and then poured hot oil over it. The delicious dipping sauce was ready.
Little Tangbao kept glancing towards the kitchen, her heart itching with desire. She whispered, "It smells so good, I'm hungry."
Yiling couldn't do her homework anymore. Chinese made her irritable, math made her confused, and the food that Sister Ayin made made her hungry. She put away her test papers, tidied up the table with Xiaotangbao, and then went to get rice.
As soon as the dishes were served, Xiao Tangbao was attracted by their appearance and taste. Her eyes were fixed on the dishes, shining as if she had seen something special. She even exclaimed softly, "Wow, it smells so good! I love eating fish the most because eating fish can make you smarter. I want to be the smartest child."
After Xiaotangbao finished speaking, she said to Yiling, "Sister Yiling, you should also eat more fish, because you are in high school. High school must be very tiring, so you must eat well. Eating well will help you grow stronger!"
Yi Ling smiled and said, "Okay, I'll eat more, just like you. Besides, Sister Yin's cooking is so delicious, why wouldn't I eat it?"
She recently stepped on the scale and found that she had indeed gained some weight. Perhaps it was really because of the food that Sister Yin cooked that she gained weight. Grandma squeezed her hand and was finally a little relieved.
"Xiaoyin, eat first." Grandma Chen picked out a large piece of fish for Yu Miaoyin. "Thank you for your hard work."
"Okay, I'm eating now. Grandma, Yiling, and Xiaotangbao, you should eat too." Yu Miaoyin urged everyone to eat.
Grandma Chen also picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth. The fish was delicate and not fishy at all after steaming, giving off a faint fishy aroma. After biting into the fish, the sweet fish flavor spread in her mouth. The aroma of scallions and ginger after being drizzled with hot oil mixed with the aroma of fish. "Delicious! Even such a simple dish without many seasonings, Xiaoyin can make it exceptionally delicious."
People in Yuncheng really like to eat dishes that retain the original flavor of the food, from poached chicken to steamed fish, emphasizing that the chicken should taste like chicken and the fish should taste like fish. She has also eaten a lot of steamed fish from high-end restaurants. What used to be her number one dish can only be ranked second after she tasted Xiaoyin's version.
"It's delicious, sister, you should eat more of this fish," said Xiao Tangbao.
Grandma Chen scooped a small spoonful of the sauce from under the fish and poured it over the rice. She picked up a piece of fish and mixed it with the rice, enjoying the savory sauce mixed with the rice grains, a perfect blend of salty and umami with a hint of the fish's sweetness. The rice soaked up the sauce beautifully, making it delicious.
Xiao Tangbao put on the disposable gloves that Yiling gave her and peeled the shrimp. In front of her was a small bowl with several large shrimp piled up inside. She didn't eat them herself, but handed them to Yu Miaoyin. "These are the shrimp I peeled for you, sister. Thank you for your hard work, sister."
Grandma Chen also picked out a few pieces of fish for Yu Miaoyin, saying, "Yes, Xiaoyin works so hard cooking every day, eat more."
"Thank you, Xiaotangbao, thank you, Grandma." The peeled shrimp meat was light pink and slightly curled. After being dipped in the sauce, the shrimp meat was coated with a rich sauce. When you bite into it, the springy shrimp burst open in your mouth. First, you taste the saltiness of the sauce, followed by the sweetness of the shrimp. They blended together, refreshing and not greasy.
"Thank you, Xiaotangbao, for peeling the shrimp for me. You can eat it yourself. I can peel it myself!" Yu Miaoyin said with a smile. Watching Xiaotangbao carefully peeling the shrimp warmed her heart. How could this child be so kind?
Because Yu Ji's restaurant was closed, Zhou Gui and Xu Changxing didn't go home for dinner either. So, Grandpa Xu had to go back to his old ways and start cooking for Xu Ruian. As he cooked, he smelled the delicious aroma in the air. It smelled so good that he even missed his head while filling the water container.
Xu Ruian was sitting cross-legged on the ground eating potato chips when he smelled a delicious aroma and thought his grandfather had cooked a delicious meal. So he used tongs to put the potato chips aside, intending to save room for the meal. The food smelled so good! When did Grandpa become such a good cook?
Is Grandpa some kind of superhero with a cheat-like ability from a comic book? Is his skill cooking delicious meals? He likes that skill!
Xu Ruian, whose mind had been wandering aimlessly for a long time due to the aroma, was now incredibly excited. After more than ten minutes, Grandpa Xu finally came out with the dishes and said, "Come and eat!"
Xu Ruian immediately stood up, dusted himself off, ran to the kitchen, scooped out two bowls of rice, and said as he carried the rice, "Grandpa, the food you made today smells so good!"
Grandpa Xu scratched his head in the living room, looking extremely puzzled. After looking at the "chicken carcass" he had cooked, he shook his head, even more puzzled. Had his grandson lost his sense of smell due to a fever today?
When Xu Ruian happily climbed onto the chair and looked in front of him, he almost burst into tears. "It's not this dish, Grandpa! You didn't steal any of it, did you? This doesn't taste good at all!"
Grandpa loves to lie to kids, he knows that!
Grandpa Xu continued to scratch his head in confusion, then, smelling the aroma in the air, he suddenly understood everything. He was both amused and exasperated. "Xiao An, did you smell Xiao Yin's cooking and think it was mine? Grandpa doesn't have Xiao Yin's skills. I'm sorry to disappoint you."
Xu Ruian, who was taught from a young age not to waste food, looked at the big bowl of rice he had scooped up and could only sit down helplessly to eat rice mixed with soy sauce. The dishes his grandfather made were so hard to eat!
...
After Xiaotangbao and Yiling tidied up the table, Xiaotangbao ran to Yu Miaoyin's side and sat on her lap to listen to her chat with her grandmother. As they chatted, Xiaotangbao probably got sleepy from eating and kept shaking her head. Yu Miaoyin gently touched her head and whispered to Grandma Chen, "Grandma, I'll take her back for a nap. You should take a nap too. It's easy to get sleepy after eating."
It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned it, because as soon as she did, Grandma Chen yawned and nodded, "Okay, go get some sleep and rest."
Little Tangbao was really sleepy, and didn't react much when Yu Miaoyin carried her back. The weather had turned cooler recently, so Yu Miaoyin didn't turn on the air conditioner for her, but instead turned on the fan. She took a nap herself, sleeping soundly and comfortably, and woke up feeling refreshed.
On Sunday morning, Yu Miaoyin received another WeChat message from Liang Hekang.
Liang Hekang: Boss, it's almost Mid-Autumn Festival. I wonder if you could make some more water chestnut cake or other pastries? We'd like to give them to our relatives and friends to try. Money is no object!
After chatting with Liang Hekang for a few more minutes, Yu Miaoyin finally agreed to Liang Hekang's request, considering the money...
Since it was a gift, Liang Hekang asked if they could make something that represented the season, like osmanthus cake, as long as it was nicely packaged.
Still considering the money, Yu Miaoyin said it was no problem. The Liang and Kang families were very generous and would proactively raise the price, thinking that if they could make money, Yu Miaoyin was willing to do it.
However, the osmanthus honey had run out, so Yu Miaoyin had no choice but to continue picking osmanthus flowers to make more osmanthus honey.
There are several osmanthus trees behind Grandma Chen's house. When the wind blows through the osmanthus trees, the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms fills the houses in front and behind.
Yu Miaoyin went to find Grandma Chen and asked if she could pick some osmanthus flowers to make osmanthus honey.
"Of course! I was just worried that these osmanthus flowers were useless. I heard Yiling say that it will rain tomorrow. If it rains, the osmanthus flowers will be knocked down and wasted, right?" Grandma Chen said, and she also thought of the osmanthus honey she made. It was dark in color and the osmanthus flowers were bitter. She really felt that she had wasted such good osmanthus flowers.
Right now, Xiaoyin is willing to handle these osmanthus flowers, which will make the best use of them.
"Okay, thank you, Grandma. I'll make it and bring it to you to try."
After saying that, Yu Miaoyin took Xiaotangbao to pick osmanthus flowers. Yiling also came out to help. At the end of the osmanthus tree where the flowers were in full bloom, Xiaotangbao and Yiling each held a corner of a cloth. Yu Miaoyin gently shook the tree with a stick, and the osmanthus flowers fell down with a "rustling" sound. Xiaotangbao said innocently, "It smells so good. It's like it's raining. I feel like I'm an osmanthus fairy now."
"Yes, even the strands of Xiaotangbao's hair smell sweet," Grandma Chen said.
Looking at Xiao Tangbao's curious and happy expression, Yu Miaoyin thought to herself that when Xiao Tangbao learns the article "Osmanthus Rain" in elementary school, she will also remember this scene.
After removing the stems, rinse the osmanthus flowers with running water and pat them dry with kitchen paper. The rock sugar has already melted and is bubbling in the pot. Yu Miaoyin pours the osmanthus flowers in, adds lemon juice and a suitable amount of salt.
The fragrance of osmanthus grew stronger, so Yu Miaoyin lifted the lid of the pot to let it cool before putting it into a glass jar. Thanks to the osmanthus tree behind Grandma Chen's house blooming profusely, Yu Miaoyin made several jars of osmanthus honey. When she took them back to Grandma Chen, Grandma Chen's eyes lit up.
Being able to be Xiaoyin's neighbor is truly a blessing she has accumulated over many lifetimes!
"Thank you, Xiaoyin, it smells really good."
"You're welcome."
Yu Miaoyin went to the supermarket again and bought a lot of water chestnut flour and other similar items, as she was going to prepare to make mooncakes.
Since it was a gift, Yu Miaoyin thoughtfully bought some pretty packaging boxes. At the agreed time, Yu Miaoyin made the water chestnut cake and osmanthus cake and gave them to Liang Hekang.
When Liang and Kang brought the pastries home, they couldn't resist opening a box and taking a bite to taste it. The osmanthus cake was soft and not dry at all. As they savored it, the sweet osmanthus honey that permeated the cake slowly spread on their tongues, and the osmanthus fragrance within the sweetness was exceptionally rich.
He was a staunch follower and supporter of Boss Yu. He was amazed that such a simple osmanthus cake could be made so delicious. He used to think that osmanthus cake and water chestnut cake were just snacks for the elderly. Wasn't fried chicken and barbecue more appealing? Now that he had tasted Boss Yu's osmanthus cake, he finally understood why his grandmother had always insisted on eating the water chestnut cake from this shop.
If it were him, he would throw a tantrum and beg his grandma to buy it for him!
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