Chapter 59: Seafood Pasta with a Chinese and Western fusion
Boko and Felix sat next to Xiao Peng like two good kids.
Finally, Bo Ke couldn't help himself and said, "Xiao, is this what you mean by 'eating a simple meal'?"
Xiao Peng pointed at Felix and said, "Ask Felix, what does a real Chinese family dinner look like?"
Felix tilted his head and said to Boko, "The captain's last family dinner had nine dishes and one soup. He called it 'perfect.'"
Xiao Peng said, "Today we'll just have a simple meal of Chinese and Western cuisine. What else could that be but 'a simple meal'?"
Boko was silent for a while before saying, "Xiao, you're really good with a knife! Do you have a special identity or are you from the military?"
He had just seen Xiao Peng cut the squid into petals-like cuttlefish flowers, cutting them vertically and then diagonally, with the same distance between each cut and the same force on each cut.
Felix nodded vigorously: "Master, you made the squid into a work of art!"
Xiao Peng laughed heartily after hearing this: "You guys are really just maggots from a small thatched cottage."
"What does this mean?" Boko asked in confusion.
"You've never seen a big asshole before!" Xiao Peng laughed. "You're really surprised by something you haven't seen before! In our country, my knife skills are just 'entry-level'. The real knife skills would scare you to death! We have a famous Chinese dish called 'Wensi Tofu' that most people can't make! The tofu is sliced and then shredded. The whole process must be done in one go without any mistakes! And the tofu shreds are as fine as hair! And paired with equally fine shreds of green pepper and carrot! To make that dish, you have to achieve the unity of hand, eye, and knife! That's the pinnacle of knife skills for Chinese chefs, and anyone who can cook in China can do what I do! Don't look at me like that, I'm not bragging! Bo Ke, get me a basin of sea water! Wash these shrimp!"
"Wash the shrimp with seawater?" Bo Ke thought he had misheard. "Will that work?"
"Why not?" Xiao Peng said, "Seawater naturally contains a moderate amount of salt and minerals. Using seawater for washing and cooking can bring out the fresh and sweet flavor of these seafood! This is basic common sense!"
Boko frowned and said, "But this is unhygienic, isn't it?"
Xiao Peng smiled wickedly, "Is this unhygienic? Let me ask you, you've been with me these past few days, when have you ever seen me drink raw tap water?"
Boko showed a look of disdain after hearing this. "I know! You Chinese are so weird. You only know how to drink hot water all day long! You say drinking cold water is bad for your intestines! You're so delicate! I have a friend who has been to China, and she told me about this! She said you Chinese like to drink hot water because the tap water quality is too poor to drink directly. Look at us in France, we don't have such concerns. Our tap water is of great quality and can be drunk directly!"
Xiao Peng's smile became even more malicious: "Then let me ask you, do you know what the 'water supply and drainage' major is?"
Boko thought for a moment: "Dig the sewers?"
Xiao Peng's face was filled with gloom. "Dig your own sewer! I can tell you're not a graduate of a science or engineering program... Let me ask you, where do you drink water in Paris?"
Felix raised his hand. "I know! It's the Seine!"
Xiao Peng nodded: "Then can you drink the water from the Seine River directly?"
Felix was stunned for a moment and shook his head. Xiao Peng smiled and said, "The water supply and drainage department is responsible for making the water of the Seine River drinkable for you. The water you drink needs to be drugged!"
Bo Ke was unconvinced, "That also meets the criteria for direct drinking!"
Xiao Peng gave a thumbs up: "Then let me ask you again, where does the water go when you flush the toilet after using it?"
Boko was stunned. He didn't understand why Xiao Peng asked this.
Xiao Peng laughed heartily and said, "After being treated at the sewage treatment plant, a large portion of it will become tap water and enter your mouths again. In other words, the tap water you drink could actually be your own urine! Surprising? Unexpected?"
Boco and Felix looked at each other, their faces as awful as they could be.
Xiao Peng pointed at the sea water and asked, "Do you still think the sea water is not clean?"
Without saying a word, Bo Ke took a basin of sea water and cleaned the small shrimps thoroughly.
"What a pity that the shrimp is too small!" said Felix.
"If it were big, I wouldn't eat it like this!" Xiao Peng poured peanut oil directly into the pot.
This peanut oil is a treasure! Olive oil is everywhere here, and it’s really not easy to buy peanut oil!
After heating the peanut oil, add the chopped green onions and red pepper to the pan and stir-fry. When the green onions are fragrant, add the cleaned shrimp and cuttlefish flowers to the pan. While stir-frying, Xiao Peng said regretfully, "You don't know, I actually used the wrong ingredients. In my hometown, there is a kind of small squid, about the length of a little finger, which tastes better."
The boiling peanut oil quickly locked the moisture in the shrimps and cuttlefish flowers, and the aroma of the peanut oil instantly filled the air with freshness and fragrance. Just smelling the smell made Felix and Boco drool.
When the fish were about half cooked, Xiao Peng thought for a moment, "Forget it. You might not be able to handle drinking seawater directly. Bo Ke, bring me a bucket of mineral water!"
Mineral water was quickly brought over, and Xiao Peng poured it into the pot and covered it. When he opened it again, a pot of fragrant seafood soup appeared in front of them.
There's nothing unusual about this seafood soup itself. Marseille's "bouillabaisse" is a must-try for every visitor to Marseille, and almost all of France has its own version of seafood soup, though the ingredients vary slightly. For example, Brittany's "Coteliad" and Burgundy's "Suspension Soup" are similar seafood soups, but due to the cooking method and ingredients, the seafood soups here are golden yellow, while Xiao Peng's seafood soup is milky white. And because of the peanut oil, it smells even more fragrant and enticing.
Felix swallowed his saliva. "Captain, when you say 'a simple meal', is this the seafood soup?"
Xiao Peng shook his head: "Who said that? Didn't I say we're going to combine Chinese and Western elements today?"
He took the pasta and put it in the pot. "This is the Chinese version of seafood pasta with soup. Drink the soup, eat the noodles, and finally pick some shrimp. The freshest ingredients only need the simplest cooking method to inspire unexpected deliciousness. If you don't want to eat it, you can go in and get canned food!"
"Who said you don't want to eat anymore! I want a big portion!"
"I want some too! I can't stand the smell! I can eat two large portions! The captain must be considerate of us making so much."
At this moment, a radio call suddenly came from the cabin. Boko frowned and said, "Who is it? Isn't this interrupting our meal?"
Xiao Peng laughed: "We're waiting for them!"
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