Chapter 342: Chapter 205: The Secret to Making Fish Head! Lamb is so cute, it must be well-marinated before roasting! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_2
After outlining a few key points, the relatives all showed an eagerness to give it a try.
Compared to other dishes, this one didn’t require knife skills or any other particular attention to detail—it just needed to be fully steamed—making it a definite first choice for novices.
Plus, once it was done, both the taste and presentation were exceptionally striking.
Wouldn’t preparing such a dish be the highlight of the family banquet?
Lin Xu sampled a piece of fish from the belly. The meat there was steamed to a jelly-like consistency and, when dipped into the spicy and fragrant sauce at the bottom of the plate, proved indescribably delicious.
Mmm... No wonder it’s a Perfect Level Cooking Technique. The fish head turned out so tasty.
Besides the fish head and a few other fish dishes, the table also featured Shi Wenming’s fried crispy river shrimp, wild vegetables stir-fried with pork Lard, and cold salads made from various other wild greens, all beyond reproach in flavor. And because these ingredients weren’t something you could find outside, everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. This was especially true for Liu Zhengyu and Zeng Xiaoqi. As they ate, they couldn’t help but exclaim that even the leaves in the mountains had a fresher taste than those in the city.
After eating for a while, Lin Xu went back to the kitchen to check on the crayfish. He also took the pressure cooker off the stove, released the pressure, and then fished out the fish bones to pick off the meat.
Well, it wasn’t just about eating; he also had to prepare something for the little one.
After removing the fish meat, Lin Xu searched around and finally found Dundun next to the cage holding the remaining goose. The little guy was crouching, once again transformed into a goose hunter.
"Why are you always attempting an Over-level Challenge?"
Lin Xu picked him up, brought him to the kitchen door, scooped the fish meat that was laid out on a dish cooling into a disposable lunch box, and handed it to the little fellow.
Seeing the meat, Dundun instantly became a "rice-devouring cat," head down, gobbling it up bite after bite.
「At the dining table.」
Grandma Lin, wearing glasses, said to Shen Baobao, "Yueyue, hurry and eat while it’s hot. Make sure you eat your fill; you’re in our home, after all."
Shen Jiayue responded and then said to her mother-in-law, "Grandma is so kind!"
Chen Meijuan laughed, "That’s because you haven’t seen your grandma when she’s really fired up. Back when I first married into the family, we visited some relatives who were quite traditional. They said that women shouldn’t sit at the table and wanted me to eat in the kitchen. Your grandma got so angry she flipped the table, sending food scattering all over the room!"
Wow!
Shen Baobao’s eyes glittered. She looked at Grandma Lin with admiration and exclaimed, "Grandma, you’re so cool!"
Who would have thought that Grandma, who seemed every bit the refined lady from the Republic era, had such a fiery side? But then again, considering how the usually gentle and cultured Grandfather once chased Dad down several streets with a shovel, Grandma flipping a table didn’t seem so out of character anymore.
Smiling at the memory, Grandma Lin said, "It wasn’t easy for our Hongqi to marry such a beautiful bride like Meijuan. I doted on her so much, how could I let her suffer such indignity?"
Chen Meijuan quickly offered a piece of fish to Grandma Lin, "Mom, try this piece. It’s steamed just like jelly; it slides right down."
After saying that, she also served a piece to her own mother, Grandma Chen.
Mm, mothers on both sides. Both deserved devoted care.
Shen Baobao watched with a moved expression. No wonder her mother-in-law was so good to her—it was a family tradition! Ha! In the future, I must also be good to my daughter-in-law. Let the Lin family’s fine traditions be passed down!
"The tofu soup is here! After we have some, it’ll be almost time for the crayfish," Lin Xu announced, carrying in two large tureens of tofu soup from the kitchen, which exuded a rich, savory aroma.
The broth, made from fish bones and fish, was paired with blanched firm tofu. This delicious combination was simply irresistible.
"Wow, Cousin’s cooking skills are amazing!"
"I’m going to apply to Central Finance for college! After graduation, I’ll become a chef!"
"Me too, me too! After I graduate, I’ll apply to be the head chef at Lin Ji’s Food!"
"You, a head chef? Dream on! I added Car Guy on WeChat the other day. He said that Lin Ji’s Food is very strict; even someone with his cooking skills had to start as a kitchen assistant. What makes you think you can be head chef?"
The chatter of his cousins left Lin Xu somewhat speechless.
That Car Guy, spouting nonsense online again. Wasn’t he afraid his cousins would totally embarrass themselves if they ever visited Beijing? Besides, Central Finance doesn’t even teach cooking! You guys better not get any wrong ideas!
Shen Baobao stood up with a ladle and served a bowl of tofu soup to each of the elders. This delighted the Lin family relatives, who all praised Lin Xu’s wife for her politeness and filial piety.
If it weren’t for the fear of his in-laws’ blood pressure skyrocketing, Lin Xu would have really liked to record this and show them.
As everyone enjoyed the tofu soup, their curiosity about the dish grew. Reluctantly, Lin Xu once again explained to his relatives how to make the Milk Soup Tofu.
「Before long.」
The crayfish in the pot were ready. He returned to the kitchen and ladled them onto trays.
Two large trays of spicy crayfish and one large tray of garlic-flavored crayfish were placed on each table.
「When the crayfish were served.」
The meal truly began in earnest.
Everyone put down their chopsticks, donned disposable gloves, and started on the crayfish.
"This crayfish is really packed with flavor!"
Chen Yuanyuan tasted a crayfish, and her eyes lit up. She had eaten crayfish at street stalls many times recently, but none were as delicious as the ones her cousin made.
Lin Xu smiled and said, "There’s really no secret to it, as long as you’re generous with the seasonings."
Many restaurants failed to make delicious crayfish because they used cheap, dead ones, which tasted vastly different from live ones.