Chef at the University Canteen-Chapter 254 - 216: Tomato Stewed Fish—Why Is There No Fish?

Chapter 254: Chapter 216: Tomato Stewed Fish—Why Is There No Fish?

The kitchen is as dirty as a trash can, who would believe your cooking is clean?

"It’s not that bad, this is a new kitchen, in a while it probably won’t be this clean."

Jiang Yu said with a smile while washing the selected ingredients,

"However, maintaining basic hygiene in the kitchen is essential, so it’s more comfortable staying in here."

Seeing that Jiang Yu was busy, Siqi didn’t want to disturb him, so she nodded and said:

"Okay, you carry on, don’t mind me, I’ll just look around."

Saying that, she walked around like a curious cat, looking here and there, showing interest in everything.

Seeing this, Jiang Yu didn’t pay her any attention and focused on his work.

Tomato Fish Noodles is a classic dish made from coarse grains popular in the Jinzhong, Lvliang, Jinbei, and Xinzhou regions of Sanjin Province. It’s a unique rural dish from the Northwest of Jin and one of the top ten classic dishes of Sanjin.

The "fish" is not fish, but dough shaped into smooth, "little fish" forms.

Just like fish-flavored shredded pork has no fish, this Tomato Fish Noodles has no fish either.

The method is not complicated: you scald the oat flour with boiling water, knead it into dough, cut the dough into little cubes, roll them into finger-length, thicker in the middle, pointed at the ends, fish-shaped noodles. Then the noodles are steamed for five to six minutes on high heat and set aside.

Next, heat oil in a pan until it’s seventy percent hot, add chive flowers, onions, and garlic in order to sauté until fragrant, then add diced tomatoes, diced potatoes, and diced tofu, season with salt, chicken essence, soy sauce, and other spices, stir-fry until tomato paste forms, then add water and bring to a boil.

Lastly, add the rolled oat flour noodles to the pot to cook for a few minutes, sprinkle with a little chopped green onion, and it’s ready to serve.

Jiang Yu kneaded the dough and was busy rolling the fish noodles when Siqi suddenly came over, looking at the slender fish noodles on the plate with curiosity and asked:

"Hey, brother, didn’t Sister Ning say Chenchen likes to eat Tomato Fish? Why are you rolling these little noodles?"

Jiang Yu, busy with his work, explained: "It’s not Tomato Fish, it’s Tomato Fish Noodles. The fish noodles aren’t actual fish. In Miss Pan’s hometown, fish noodles refer to this kind of food."

"Oh my, you’ve confused me."

Siqi waved her small hand, looking very interested and said, "But the way you roll the dough looks fun; I want to try too!"

Jiang Yu: "..."

Am I just playing around? I’m seriously cooking!

Though feeling a bit speechless, Jiang Yu couldn’t outright refuse, having just received her gift earlier. After all, it’s just some dough.

He smiled and said to Siqi, "If you want to try, go wash your hands first."

"Oh, okay!"

Upon hearing this, Siqi happily ran off to wash her hands.

When she returned after washing her hands, Jiang Yu had already portioned out a small piece of dough for her to "play" with. After pulling up a chair, Siqi followed Jiang Yu’s example, pinched off a small piece of dough, placed it on the board, and started rolling with her palm.

When she finished rolling and looked up, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter, which made Jiang Yu’s lips twitch as well.

The fish noodles Jiang Yu rolled were smooth, thicker in the middle, pointed at both ends, like elongated jujube pits. But what Siqi rolled looked like a twisted rope, some parts thick and others thin, even breaking in the middle.

"Oh no, why does mine look different from yours?"

Siqi frowned, puckering her lips, and said, "Brother, why don’t you teach me properly instead of laughing at me!"

"No, no, I’m not laughing at you."

Jiang Yu managed to hold back his laughter and said to her,

"Don’t roll it on the board. Hold it in your palm, put both hands together, relax your palms a bit, and roll slowly."

Saying this, he pinched a small piece of dough and demonstrated it to Siqi.

Following Jiang Yu’s method, Siqi tried a few times, and her work gradually started to resemble something decent, making her eyes squint with joy:

"Wow, who would have thought that I have a knack for cooking too. If I learned to cook, the food I make would surely be delicious!"

She paused and then said to Jiang Yu, "Brother, can I eat what I make later?"

"Sure, I’ll just make a bit more then."

Jiang Yu smiled at her, as he had to make it anyway, a little more wouldn’t be a problem.

After finishing the fish noodles, Jiang Yu saw that Siqi wasn’t done yet, so he helped her roll the remaining dough into fish noodles, and they were all steamed together.

After preparing two servings of Tomato Fish Noodles and packing them into two thermal lunch boxes, Liu Xining and the others were ready to head back.

As the group reached the canteen door, Liu Xining turned around and gratefully said to Jiang Yu,

"Xiaojiang, thank you for cooking for us so late. I don’t know what to say."

"Sister, I said there’s no need to thank me."

Jiang Yu waved his hand, smiling,

"If I need help in the future, you’ll definitely assist me, won’t you?

So, let’s not be formal between friends."

"Alright, I won’t say it again in the future."