I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 780 - 343: Qiang Ge’s Deadly Rush Confession! The Complicated Silver Shrimp Soup, So Fresh! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_3

Chapter 780: Chapter 343: Qiang Ge’s Deadly Rush Confession! The Complicated Silver Shrimp Soup, So Fresh! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_3

He sliced two of the pieces of fish into sections about half a centimeter thick. He then placed them in a Peking duck oven and slowly roasted them over low heat, using fruitwood charcoal to gently draw out the fish’s savory flavor.

As for the other two pieces, he officially began making Silver Shrimp Soup. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

To make this soup, only the fish meat was needed; the fish skin and the red meat attached to the bones and skin had to be trimmed off.

After marinating, the fish meat firmed up, making it slightly more difficult to remove the skin.

However, with a thin slicing knife and some skill, the fish skin was manageable.

After removing the excess red meat, he was left with two pieces of snow-white fish meat.

Although the fish meat still contained moisture, it was much denser than salted fish. This density allowed it to be cut into thinner slices and finer filaments.

The time to challenge my Knife Skills has arrived!

Whether it was the Basic Knife Skills used for slicing or various decorative knife techniques, Lin Xu had already reached the Superior Level. In fact, his decorative knife technique had even surpassed expectations, reaching the Perfect Level during the last competition.

Such Knife Skills filled Lin Xu with confidence.

He took a kitchen knife and first trimmed the fish meat into a standard rectangular prism.

Although it’s a bit of a waste of ingredients, slicing the fish meat into filaments of consistent length and thinness will make the resulting soup more beautiful.

Soon, he had fashioned the two pieces of fish meat into flat rectangular prisms, fifteen centimeters long, ten centimeters wide, and one centimeter thick.

Once prepared, he picked up the kitchen knife and began shredding them into filaments.

He first sliced all the fish meat into ten-centimeter-long pieces.

The fish slices were very thin, almost transparent. After adjusting their angle, he then cut them into fine Fish Filaments.

This was similar to making Steamed Rice Flour Silver Strips, but those were radish strips, while these were Fish Filaments.

After shredding, he placed the Fish Filaments in a basin and began the next step.

He added stock to the pot. Then, he put in all the trimmed ingredients like fish heads, bones, spines, and skins. He boiled them over high heat to infuse the salty and savory flavors of the Fish into the broth.

After simmering for twenty minutes, he strained out the solids.

By then, the stock in the pot was infused with the salty and savory taste of the Fish, and even had a slight fermented aroma.

At this point, the broth needed no further seasoning; the saltiness from ingredients like the fish skin was sufficient.

He poured out half of the broth. He then brought the remaining half to a boil again, added the shredded Fish Filaments, and briefly blanched them before straining them out.

According to the system’s instructions, the broth used to blanch the Fish Filaments was meant to be discarded.

This is why, in ancient times, only wealthy households prepared soup this way, while common families would simply roast and eat the Fish. Making soup like this was truly wasteful. Even from a modern perspective, discarding the broth after just blanching some Fish Filaments in it seemed wasteful. So, I’ll add some other ingredients later. Perhaps I’ll make salted fish tofu soup or salted fish vegetable soup to neutralize some of the broth’s saltiness. That would surely be better than discarding it, right?

He poured the broth from the pot into an empty basin. Then, he returned the half of the previously reserved Fish stock to the pot, added the blanched Fish Filaments, and brought it to a simmer over low heat.

Then, he stirred in Water Starch to thicken the soup.

Finally, he seasoned it with a pinch of White Pepper powder, and thus, the so-called Silver Shrimp Soup was ready.

The soup was rich and white, with each hair-thin white Fish Filament clearly visible.

Its color and appearance unconsciously reminded one of a classic Huaiyang dish...

"Hey, Boss, the more I look at this soup, the more it resembles Wensi Tofu. Do you think Wensi Tofu could have evolved from this Silver Shrimp Soup?"

Zhuang Yizhou was curious, feeling that this soup’s preparation and presentation were very similar to Wensi Tofu.

This question actually stumped Lin Xu.

In the Ming Dynasty, Wensi Tofu had already graced the tables of high society, becoming a favorite among the literati and scholars of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.

But at that time, Silver Shrimp Soup couldn’t be served at formal banquets. It was merely a breakfast item or one of the Snacks for wealthy households, not considered high-end cuisine.

Lin Xu didn’t know if the two dishes shared the same origin, but their preparation methods had undoubtedly influenced each other.

After adding the White Pepper powder, he turned off the heat and removed the pot from the stove.

Lin Xu poured the finished Silver Shrimp Soup into a white porcelain basin. Under the force of gravity, the soup formed a pattern radiating from the center to the edges, resembling a chrysanthemum.

Carrying the soup upstairs, the server at the private room door knocked and then pushed it open. Lin Xu walked straight in.

"Everyone, the Silver Shrimp Soup is here."

Upon hearing this, Professor Xu and a middle-aged man about a decade younger quickly stood up. They were eager to see what this soup, praised by countless literary figures, looked like.

When they saw the daisy-like formation in the basin, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but exclaim,

"’No wonder Lu You, in his poems about Fish, compared it to flowers! The presentation is indeed beautiful. This calls for a grand toast!’"

Professor Xu then stood up and said to Lin Xu,

"’Lin Xu, come, let me introduce you. This is Ren Chongmo, the current chief professor of Chinese at Beijing University. Next to him is his wife, Professor Tian Qinglan from the Chinese Literature Research Institute. And this is...’"

The scholars gathered today, both men and women, were all authoritative figures in the fields of Chinese studies or literature.

Lin Xu was too busy to attend to them, so he had left his sister-in-law Chen Yan in charge of entertaining the guests.

Chen Yan held a Master’s degree in Chinese. Her college Chinese professor had been a student of several of these academics, so she found herself conversing animatedly with the senior professors.

With each introduction by Professor Xu, Lin Xu raised his cup of Rice Wine in a toast.

Fortunately, they were drinking heated Huadiao wine today, which, though fragrant, was not very potent.

After Lin Xu had toasted everyone, Chen Yan stood up to serve the soup.

"’This is the famous Silver Shrimp Soup often mentioned in classical literature! I never thought I’d get to taste it in my lifetime.’"

"’Thank you, Boss Lin! I haven’t even tasted the soup, but I can already smell its exquisite aroma.’"

"’As expected of a soup praised by countless scholars and poets, its presentation is so elegant!’"

"’Who would have imagined that these hair-thin strands are actually Fish Filaments?’"

"’Boss Lin, your craftsmanship is superb!’"

Amidst the ongoing praise, Lin Xu said with a smile,

"’If you all enjoy it, please come again often.’"

Although these professors were modestly dressed, each was an authority in their field. A casual remark from one of them could bring significant business to Lin Ji.

As Chen Yan served each guest, it eventually came to Tian Qinglan’s turn. Chen Yan said cheerily,

"’Professor Tian, I don’t know why, but I felt an instant connection with you.’"

Tian Qinglan smiled broadly.

"’I feel the same way about you. Yesterday, when you let my car go first, I thought to myself, Whose daughter is this? She’s so beautiful and kind-hearted, truly delightful!’"

These words made Director Chen (Chen Yan) beam with joy.

Lin Xu didn’t disturb them for long. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he excused himself.

When he reached the kitchen, he was about to add some stock to the previously reserved Fish soup to cook noodles for himself. However, he found Wei Qian and the other chefs gathered around that very basin, tasting the soup spoonful by spoonful.

"’Lin Xu, you’re just in time! How did you make this soup? It’s unbelievably delicious!’"

"’Exactly! It’s so savory and fragrant, simply indescribable.’"

"’I never imagined that wrapping fish with Glutinous Rice and straw could produce such a delectable flavor!’"

"’No, I need another taste! I’ve learned so many seafood dishes from my uncle, I thought no fish soup could move me anymore. But this soup... it’s making my mouth water uncontrollably!’"

Their exclamations continued.

Lin Xu looked at the head chefs with utter astonishment.

I understand all that, but don’t you find it incredibly salty?

If even this leftover broth, which was supposed to be discarded, is so popular, just how incredibly delicious must the soup I took upstairs be?