I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 834 - 361: Hot-Smoked Fish Recipe! Yan Bao, I’ll Give You a Chance to Rephrase!

Chapter 834: Chapter 361: Hot-Smoked Fish Recipe! Yan Bao, I’ll Give You a Chance to Rephrase!

There aren’t many restaurants with delicious food in Beijing, but they’re not particularly rare either.

Almost every upscale restaurant has its own signature dish.

But no restaurant has an atmosphere as friendly as Lin Ji’s Food. Not only are the staff friendly, but even the customers are very kind. Occasionally, when the conversation opens up, it’s not uncommon for two tables to merge into one for dining and drinking.

This kind of place really makes people enchanted.

Ren Jie looked at Chen Yan and asked:

"No wonder everyone was helping to act when you pretended to be a chef to trick me. This atmosphere is indeed nice... Speaking of which, you’ve been tricking me for so long, do you really know how to cook?"

"Hey, don’t underestimate me, let me tell you, everyone praised my steamed egg custard, fruit jelly, and crystal pork hock as delicious... Oh, right, let me make you a fragrant orange steamed egg, this is my specialty dish."

Ren Jie was taken aback:

"You won’t set the kitchen on fire, will you?"

"What are you talking about? I’m the executive chef of Lin Ji’s Food, how could I do such a thing? Come on, let’s go to the small kitchen, I’ll show you my skills."

After saying that, Chen Yan stood up and went to Lin Xu’s video recording small kitchen.

Ren Jie was worried that his reckless girlfriend would set the kitchen on fire, so he followed her with his arm raised.

In the large kitchen, Xie Baomin set up the frying pan and officially started making hot-smoked fish.

He poured a little bit of base oil into the pan, added scallion, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon to cook. These ingredients, except for the scallion, are all dregs from the just-boiled sauce.

It’s considered a bit of waste utilization.

"These dregs are better than new ingredients because the harsh flavor of the spices has already been boiled out. A quick stir in hot oil will unleash their aroma."

Once the aroma of the spices has been released, the freshly fried fish chunks are added to the pan.

Next, he scooped a large spoonful of aromatic vinegar and drizzled it along the edge of the pan.

The volatility of aromatic vinegar can take away any off-flavor, and when heated, releases a pleasant aroma. In cooking, they say there’s an aroma of vinegar but no taste of vinegar, achieved by utilizing this drizzling method. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

As the vinegar aroma rises, the lid is covered, and the fragrance is stewed into the fish chunks.

Vinegar evaporates quickly, so it shouldn’t be stewed for too long, about two to three minutes should do.

Opening the lid, a pleasant aroma wafts from the pan, a blend of sour fragrance and the freshness of fish chunks, making it an enjoyable scent.

Xie Baomin poured boiled water into the pan, leveling it with the fish chunks.

"You can’t add cold water when cooking fish, otherwise the texture will become poor and the fish might fall apart. Use boiling water instead."

After adding water, it’s time to season.

Half a spoon of light soy sauce, a small half spoon of dark soy sauce, then a small spoon of salt and half a cooking spoon of white sugar. Cover the lid and start simmering.

Lin Xu curiously asked:

"How long does it take?"

"Around ten minutes, not too long. The broth in the pan shouldn’t be completely dried out; there should be a little left."

Ten minutes later, the lid is opened.

The broth in the pan has significantly reduced, its color has turned a rosy, rich texture.

The fried fish chunks inside are cooked tenderly, soft enough to be like tofu.

Xie Baomin used a spoon to scoop a bit of aromatic vinegar and drizzled it along the edge of the pan.

The second drizzling of vinegar enhances the aroma further, while filling the fish with a "vinegar smoked" flavor.

After the aromatic vinegar, he shook the pan gently, then sprinkled some five-spice powder in, and immediately moved the frying pan to the workbench beside, plated the fish.

At this moment, the fish is extremely tender. When serving, you need to use chopsticks and a spatula to keep the fish chunks intact.

Neatly arranged the fish chunks on the plate, with some broth remaining at the bottom of the pan.

Xie Baomin placed the frying pan back on the stove, added some sesame oil to it, and simmered it on low heat, letting the sesame oil mix with the broth in the pan.

Then, carefully spooned it over the fish chunks.

With this step done, the hot preparation of the fish chunks is concluded.

"Junior, try it while it’s hot, see the difference between hot eating and cold eating."

Lin Xu happened to want to try the taste, so he unceremoniously picked up chopsticks, grabbed a piece of fish, and placed it on a small dish, taking a big bite.

The fish was cooked tender, with a slightly crisp texture reminiscent of meatballs simmered in a large pot dish.

Yet the unique fresh aroma of smoked fish remained, appearing more prominent and rich.

"Delicious, your craftsmanship is really amazing, Senior."

The flavor is richly savory and balanced in sweetness and saltiness, plus a hint of vinegary tang and broth in the fish chunks. Tasting it prompted Lin Xu to want a bowl of rice by instinct.

Hmm, this broth over rice would definitely be delicious.

"Senior, your craftsmanship is really amazing, delicious and so fragrant."

Lin Xu found that the method improved the texture of fish belly, being juicy and even melting in the mouth.

It was about dinner time now; as soon as served outside, Lin Xu saw Chen Yuejin and others coming up from the staircase.

In the afternoon, Chen Yuejin’s family and Ren Jie’s parents chatted until around three, and after being well-fed, the two families, along with Geng Lishan, went to Lin Xu’s new house to inspect it.

While looking around, Shen Guofang saw her daughter mention Ren Jie’s injury in the chat group, and lost interest in house viewing, everyone rushed to the store.

"Hey, where’s my brother-in-law? Where’s my glorious injured brother-in-law?"

Shen Baobao was swift-footed and reached the kitchen entrance first.

Dai Jianli pointed toward the small kitchen:

"Your cousin said she wanted to cook fragrant orange steamed egg, your brother-in-law, worried, went in with her."

Fragrant orange steamed egg?