Free Web NovelChapter 563: Chapter 475: Tangy and Appetizing Fish Soup, Instant Epiphany
Apart from a few old employees in the restaurant, all forty-some people present had never tasted rice steamed in a wooden barrel in their lives.
Not to mention wooden barrel rice, there were probably very few who even had rice cookers at home.
Most of the rice eaten at fast food joints outside was steamed in ovens, where the water quantity each time could differ, and the type and taste of rice was completely different from Northeast rice.
The chefs, who had been working all afternoon, were already famished, and upon smelling the fragrant rice, eagerly scooped a spoonful into their mouths.
Rice steamed in a wooden barrel carried a faint, pure fragrance, complemented by the aroma of pork fat, mixing with the rice’s own aroma, with grains distinct and chewy, even just eating it plain felt incredibly delicious.
"Damn it!!"
"Why is this rice so delicious, what’s been added inside?"
"It doesn’t taste like any seasoning, just pure aroma, could it be the variety?"
"I think the wooden barrel must play a role, otherwise why use such a peculiar container."
After tasting a bite, the chefs’ eyes lit up and they hurriedly shoveled several more mouthfuls, savoring the flavors as they chewed.
"No wonder Great Xia people love rice so much. If it tasted like this, I could eat it every day!"
"If fried rice were made with this kind of rice, how fragrant would it be then?"
"After eating this rice, I finally understand, how many Great Xia cuisine restaurants are either fake or cutting corners, this is the true taste of Great Xia!"
Watching the chefs endlessly devouring the rice with such relish, the girls were almost drooling, all eagerly followed suit, scooping up large spoonfuls of the fragrant rice into their mouths.
For a while, the room was filled with praises for the flavorful rice.
Having swallowed her mouthful, Lin licked her lips and forcefully shifted her focus to the pickled fish.
She, who often ate Great Xia box lunches, clearly understood that pairing dishes with rice or soup with rice was the essence of Great Xia Cuisine.
Although it was just a small bowl of pickled fish, pairing it with such fragrant rice, it might not be enough to eat.
Compared to others using spoons, her smooth skills with chopsticks stood out remarkably.
Effortlessly picked up the slippery fish fillet and placed it onto the rice, involuntarily swallowing again as saliva pooled.
"Gulp"
The previously translucent fish fillet seemed to have increased in thickness after being cooked, overall becoming smooth and snow-white, with a very thin layer of slippery coating attached, indistinguishable to the naked eye.
Even she, who had been using chopsticks for several years, nearly failed to pick them up. The fish fillet was just too slippery.
"So this is the result of marinating with egg white and starch?"
Lin nodded to herself, already able to vaguely guess how tender this would taste.
Before, when eating in the cafeteria, there were often dishes like fried meat slices, she was curious about why the meat tasted so slippery, as if coated with a layer of slime.
But without any culinary experience back then, she didn’t give it much thought.
Only now did she understand how it was made.
Chris, sitting beside her, had been secretly observing her actions, initially curious as to why she could use chopsticks so smoothly, but when Lin picked up a fish fillet, Chris couldn’t resist any longer, hurriedly using a spoon to scoop up a slice of tender fish fillet, placing it over the rice along with soup.
The golden fish soup quickly dyed the pure white crystalline rice a layer of golden yellow, faintly showing a hint of yellow-green.
Although curious about what the fish fillet would taste like, her personal dining habit was to first sip the soup.
Hence, she scooped another spoonful of golden fish soup, brought it to her mouth, blew on it gently, then cautiously sipped a mouthful.
The moment it entered her mouth, a strong sour taste emerged instantly.
Just as she instinctively wanted to grimace and frown, she realized the sourness was not as strong as imagined, instead very smooth and refreshing.
The tasty fish soup was moderately salty, apart from the mild vinegar sourness, more so was a kind of natural fermented food sourness.
"This pickled vegetable, should be the Great Xia version of German sauerkraut, right?"
German sauerkraut is quite famous around here, often used to pair with some greasy fried foods.
It was just she never thought of putting sauerkraut in soup.
The mild sourness completely awakened her taste buds, the refreshing taste made Chris involuntarily scoop up another spoonful to taste.
"Slurp~"
"Ahhh!"
The boiling fish soup carried a mild spicy within the slight sourness, seeming to have a unique allure, making one drink more and more addictively.
Unconsciously scooped a spoonful of rice and stuffed it into her mouth.
The top layer of rice that had been soaked in a little soup, the taste changed completely, crystalline grains fully absorbed the rich and sour fresh taste of the fish soup, with the surface wrapped in a thin layer of fish oil, eaten in the mouth was moist yet firm, utterly delightful.
The deliciousness of the rice soaked in fish soup left Chris frozen in place, her face written with disbelief.
Looking at the remaining half bowl of fish soup, a bold idea suddenly sprang into her mind.
Wouldn’t mixing the rice directly into it be more delicious?
But wanting to mix the rice in, the two large fish fillets were a bit of a hindrance.
However, considering how good the fish soup was, the main ingredient fish fillet must taste amazing?
Chris cautiously used the spoon to push the fish fillet into the rice pit, preventing it from slipping out of the bowl due to its overly slippery nature.
With some thought, she brought her mouth closer, using the scooping method shoving it directly into her mouth, to avoid any unnecessary accidents.
Without the texture unique to fish meat as imagined, the surface of the black fish fillet seemed like it was coated with a layer of lubricant, eating it was incredibly smooth.
It did not require teeth to bite at all, just lightly pressing with the tongue, the fish fillet instantly melted.
Though it appeared translucent thin when raw, eating it did not feel too thin, rather just perfectly balanced.
If it were thicker, the texture might change again.
Having grown up eating pan-fried fish steaks and fried fish sticks, she finally understood why Lucas’s video mentioned the shape of food would affect the final texture, it turned out to be like this!
Originally, she thought it referred to concepts like square, round, olive-shaped, now she realized it was her own superficiality.
The texture of fish meat cut into thin slices, completely overturned her perception of fish meat!
At this moment, a flash of insight crossed her mind.
Chris slapped her thigh vigorously.
"Right!"
"Carrots and onions can be shredded, sliced, or diced, then why not meat?"
"Why must meat be kept in large chunks for pan-frying, or strips for deep-frying?"
"It can be shredded, sliced, or diced too, then wouldn’t the taste be entirely different?"
"I get it, it’s because of plating!"
"Western plating style dictates that the main dish must stand out, overly small-sized ingredients can only become side dishes."
"Thus fixing the shape of meat, unable to generate varied forms, naturally unable to foster innovation."
