Free Web NovelChapter 1156: Chapter 467: Sweet Potato Balls Are Delicious, But Watch Out—They’re Hot! The Stuffed Carp with Hidden Surprises! [Monthly Ticket Requested]
Han Shuzhen smiled:
"Lin Xu is just worried about you and wants you to rest... He brought you a set of cosmetics that should suit your skin, and a bottle of limited edition perfume that he can’t use at home."
She handed over the two boxes she was holding, making Chen Meijuan feel quite embarrassed:
"I haven’t even used up the set you gave me last time. I’m so busy every day that I can’t keep up with skincare... If you want to eat anything, just tell Lin Xu. Young people need to exercise more, don’t stand on ceremony."
"I’ve always treated Lin Xu as one of our own, never stood on ceremony."
In the kitchen, Lin Xu fried the sweet potato meatballs and started frying the stuffed eggplants.
This is the rule for frying foods—first sweet, then savory; first crispy, then meaty; first tasteless, then flavorful.
He dipped the stuffed eggplants, filled by Chen Meijuan, in the prepared batter, coating the surface with batter, and carefully placed them into the pot.
As the stuffed eggplants hit the pot, the oil inside the pot immediately boiled vigorously.
Lin Xu continued placing the stuffed eggplants into the pot.
Once the batter on the eggplants had set, he turned each piece over with chopsticks, adjusted the flame to medium heat, and focused on frying the inside stuffing and eggplants until they were cooked.
If the flame is kept high, the outside could get burnt while the meat filling inside remains raw.
When the first batch of stuffed eggplants was about to be done, the steamed buns in the pot were also nearly ready.
He placed the steamed buns one by one into a bamboo basket and then took out the stuffed eggplants to eat later with Sichuan peppercorn salt or dried chili.
After all the stuffed eggplants were fried, Lin Xu poured out the oil from the pot, took out the marinated carp, removed the scallion, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns, and wiped the moisture off the fish, including the cavity inside.
He applied some flour inside, filled the remaining stuffing into the fish belly, and then closed the fish’s back.
He added scallion oil made from lard into the pot, heated it to high temperature, sprinkled some salt to prevent sticking, and carefully placed the stuffed carp into the pan for frying.
Besides frying, this fish could also be steamed.
However, steaming takes too long, and everyone is waiting to eat, so they can’t wait too long.
The principle of frying fish is "don’t move until the enemy moves" — the fish skin must not be fried prematurely as its stickiness can easily tear the skin.
He had to fry the fish until the skin turned golden and crispy before flipping it over to keep the skin intact.
Finally, when he shook the frying pan and the carp followed, it meant the frying was nearly complete.
He lifted the frying pan and performed a large flip, seamlessly flipping the three-pound carp over and back into the pan.
"Wow, that’s amazing!"
Shen Jiayue and Geng Lele, who had sneaked in to eat stuffed eggplants, were stunned by the impressive flip.
"Xu Ge is really awesome; last time, I secretly tried frying small yellow fish at home, but I ended up spreading it all over the floor... I guess I’m destined to be a carefree person."
Is this the dilemma of a straight-A student?
Lin Xu asked with a smile:
"Doesn’t your family have a nanny? Why did you decide to do it yourself?"
"My godfather said that when he studied abroad, he cultivated exceptional culinary skills, even attracting foreign classmates. Every weekend his apartment felt like a buffet... Though I don’t intend to study abroad, I wanted to experience that feeling."
Oh, I didn’t expect Professor Cui to have such stories.
"And how did it feel after trying?"
"I feel like I am not the right person to study abroad; I can’t leave this passionate land."
Shen Jiayue swiftly revealed the truth:
"You realized your cooking skills were disastrous, so you don’t dare to study abroad, right?"
Geng Lele shrugged:
"My taste has become picky because of Lin Xu. If Lin Ji opens a branch abroad someday, I’ll consider studying abroad."
Lin Xu chuckled:
"Why blame it on me? Take the food outside to eat. The porridge will be ready soon, and dinner can be served shortly."
After saying this, he poured fragrant vinegar along the side of the pot, allowing its aroma to mask the fish’s smell while adding some vinegar fragrance.
Then he added pork bone broth.
The broth doesn’t need to be much, just level with the fish body.
Next, he added light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, and sugar, turned the frying pan a few times to mix the seasonings evenly, covered the pot, and simmered on low heat.
Taking advantage of this time, he placed another frying pan on the adjacent stove and stir-fried the spinach, brought from the store, with lard and dried chili pieces.
After serving, he prepared another dish: fried eggs with chives.
As these two relatively light dishes were completed, the fish in the pot was basically simmered thoroughly.
He lifted the lid, used a spoon to drizzle the broth over the fish body, allowing the carp to absorb all the flavors and simultaneously cooking the stuffing inside.
When the soup had thickened slightly, he poured some seasoning oil and a dash of vinegar around the edge of the pot, turned off the heat, and served the dish.
He brought the frying pan to the fish plate, tilted the pan slowly so the fish inside could slide onto the plate.
Finally, he poured the remaining sauce on the fish and sprinkled some cilantro.
Tonight’s dinner was thus prepared.
"Let’s eat!"
Lin Xu called out to those outside who were halfway through their meal, then brought the rice porridge down, followed by the steamed glass noodles meatballs from the steaming cabinet.
The meatballs had been steamed so long their surface started to slightly dry.
However, this made them taste even better and more enjoyable to chew.
He placed the meatballs on the dining table and set up the other dishes. Nearby, Chen Meijuan had already served the rice porridge and prepared a small dish of pickles and a dish of salted vegetables to accompany the porridge.
"The fish looks like ordinary fish, but why does it smell so strongly of pork? Was it made with lard?"
Chen Yan sniffed around, showing great curiosity about the fish on the table.
Shen Jiayue took chopsticks and scraped at the fish, revealing the stuffing inside:
"Haha, surprised? Lin Xu removed the fishbones and stuffed in the meat filling—isn’t it tempting?"
Zeng Xiaoqi’s eyes brightened as she looked:
"This could be filmed—it looks ordinary, but it holds hidden wonders, embodying the Confucian philosophy of modesty and reserve. Those cultural enthusiasts will definitely be full of praises."
Lin Xu didn’t mind:
"Sure, I’ll film it next time during a show recording... By the way, are the regular guests for ’Human Flavor’ decided? Just rotating constantly might confuse the audience; they might not remember anyone."
Zeng Xiaoqi, picking up a steamed meatball for a bite, said:
"Wow, this is so tasty, just like eating meat... Yes, it’s decided. The regular guests are Qiu Zhenhua as head chef and Qi Siming from Yanjing Hotel—a perfect match of the Fishing Platform and Yanjing Hotel, great lineup."
Eh?
This combination is quite good.
Moreover, with two pastry chefs, there’s no need for any friction.
Perhaps, once they’re familiar, Qi Siming might even apprentice under Qiu Zhenhua... It’s something to look forward to!
After marveling over this, Lin Xu picked up a piece of fish.
He started tasting today’s stuffed carp...
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This Chapter contains 5,200 words, asking for monthly tickets from the brothers!
