Chapter 91: Mala Crayfish
’But the chances of that were just too slim, so it was best not to dwell on it.’
After everyone had a look at the photos, they returned to their seats.
The teachers had already finished eating, but they didn’t leave right away.
It was still early, so there was no rush. They could sit and chat for a while before heading back.
"Oh, right, Boss, is that big jar outside the shop for making pickles? Are you planning to make some?" Chu Yiwei asked.
Li You nodded. "It is. I just bought the jar this morning. Got it from Boss Deng."
Deng Luping chuckled at this. "The boss came over first thing in the morning, and I delivered the jar for him. It was because of that delivery that I found out for the first time he’d opened a shop here."
Chu Yiwei nodded and asked again, "So are you making the pickles as a side dish, or are you planning to launch a new item on the menu?"
Li You said, "I’m preparing to launch a new dish: Huoxiang Crucian Carp."
Hearing the name "Huoxiang Crucian Carp," all the teachers’ eyes lit up.
’The boss is finally adding a fish dish to the menu!’
Previously, when they came for lunch one day, they had happened to run into Li You coming back from fishing.
They had been wondering ever since when Li You would introduce a fish dish.
And now, it was finally here.
’The first fish dish is Huoxiang Crucian Carp?’
It was a relatively famous dish, too.
This was something to look forward to!
"Boss, when exactly will you be launching it?" Chu Yiwei asked eagerly.
Li You said, "In a few days. I need to make the pickles first."
’Still a few more days?’
The teachers were disappointed. But there was nothing to be done; they would just have to wait a few more days.
Of course, the other business owners like Deng Luping and Zhao Yu were also pleasantly surprised.
They had heard news about a new dish on their very first visit. They’d come at just the right time.
’Looks like our luck is pretty good.’
Xia Xiaoyue was also happy and said, "I know of Huoxiang Crucian Carp, but I’ve rarely eaten it. I’ll definitely have to give it a proper try once the boss launches it."
But for now, it was time to order lunch.
"Boss, one Mapo Tofu, one Twice-cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts, one Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes, and rice, please," Xia Xiaoyue added.
Li You nodded. "Alright. Please have a seat, you two. It won’t be long."
With that, he walked into the kitchen and started cooking.
Soon, the three dishes were ready one after another.
He served them to Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye.
Mu Qingye had been looking at the photos of the Red-crowned Crane on her camera, unable to get enough of them.
However, the moment the food was placed on the table, her gaze instantly shifted from the camera’s display to the dishes.
The Red-crowned Crane in the canyon had stunned her all morning. And now, the dishes on the table left her stunned in a completely different way.
"Xiao Yue, the food here is just like you said. Just looking at it makes it seem delicious. And it smells amazing," Mu Qingye said.
Xia Xiaoyue replied, "Sister Qingye, you’ll be even more surprised when you taste it. Try the Mapo Tofu first. The boss’s version is what truly delicious Mapo Tofu is all about. You’ve probably never had Mapo Tofu this good before."
Mu Qingye said, "I’m sure of it. I can tell just by its appearance. I’ll have a taste."
She then picked up her spoon, scooped some up, and put it in her mouth.
The moment it entered her mouth, she was hit with a symphony of sensations: numbing, spicy, fragrant, crisp, hot, and savory.
These flavors mingled together, creating an unparalleled sense of satisfaction and excitement—an indescribable deliciousness.
Mu Qingye was indeed even more surprised.
This was so much better than the best Mapo Tofu she had ever had before.
’If the Mapo Tofu is this good, what about the other two dishes?’
Eagerly, Mu Qingye tried a piece of the twice-cooked pork and then a mouthful of the shredded potatoes.
They were also unbelievably delicious.
Mu Qingye said, "Xiao Yue, I never imagined that twice-cooked pork and stir-fried shredded potatoes could be this good. This is even more delicious than you described."
Xia Xiaoyue smiled. "Because no matter how we try to describe it with words, it will always seem hollow. You can only truly understand how delicious it is by tasting it yourself."
Mu Qingye nodded. "That’s true. I feel like I could eat two bowls of rice for lunch today."
"Only two bowls?" Xia Xiaoyue said. "I’m having at least three."
"Then I guess I can eat three bowls too," Mu Qingye said. "Coming here, not only did I get to photograph such a beautiful canyon, but I also got to see a Red-crowned Crane. And on top of that, I get to eat such exquisite food. Xiao Yue, thank you so much for bringing me here today."
Xia Xiaoyue smiled. "Sister Qingye, you’re being too polite."
Mu Qingye also smiled. "It’s not about being polite. I’m just truly glad I came here."
Xia Xiaoyue said, "Me too. I’m very glad."
After that, the two of them stopped talking and focused on their meal.
Meanwhile, through their conversation, Zhao Yu, Deng Luping, and the other business owners learned the identities of Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye.
It turned out they were students from the Xingshui Academy of Fine Arts.
And Xia Xiaoyue and many of her classmates were already regulars here.
’So the young man’s shop is already this incredible.’
’At first, we thought he’d definitely have no business, that he might not even get a single customer a day.’
’What a load of crap that was.’
’But with food this delicious, it’s only normal for the place to be this amazing.’
’And this is probably just the beginning.’
’I have a feeling this place will be constantly packed in the future.’
This was what all the business owners were thinking.
On the other side, Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye slowly finished their meal.
Xia Xiaoyue ate three and a half bowls of rice, and Mu Qingye ate two and a half.
They were completely full and satisfied.
By this time, the teachers and the business owners had rested enough and began to get up and leave one after another.
After resting for a bit, Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye went back to the canyon.
Mu Qingye had more shooting to do that afternoon.
Li You went into the kitchen. It was time to prepare a delicious meal for himself.
That meal was Spicy Crawfish.
Generally speaking, there are many ways to prepare crawfish, such as spicy (mala), fragrant-spicy (xiangla), garlic, and braised.
This time, Li You planned to make Spicy Crawfish.
He hadn’t obtained a special recipe for crawfish yet, so he couldn’t make the absolute tastiest version.
However, he now had his own deep understanding of the culinary arts. Even for dishes he didn’t have a recipe for, he could still make them taste quite good.
And that included crawfish.
Generally, when making crawfish, many people use store-bought seasoning mixes specifically for crawfish.
There are many kinds of crawfish seasonings available now, and they are indeed very convenient.
But Li You didn’t need them.
Of course, before the system’s arrival, Li You would have needed them.
He just didn’t need them anymore.
Now, all he needed were ingredients like cooking oil, doubanjiang (broad bean paste), Sichuan peppercorns, green Sichuan peppercorns, perilla leaves, bay leaves, star anise, cooking wine, ginger, garlic, and salt.
Time to get to work.
First, he stir-fried the aromatics.
He heated oil in a wok and tossed in the Sichuan peppercorns, green Sichuan peppercorns, perilla leaves, bay leaves, star anise, doubanjiang, salt, and other seasonings.
Once they were fragrant, he added the cleaned crawfish and stir-fried them over high heat.
After stir-frying, he added a suitable amount of water.
After a series of steps, a plate of Spicy Crawfish was ready.
It looked quite good.
Li You was very satisfied.
’How does it taste?’
After letting it cool down a bit, Li You picked one up with his hands and started eating.
The first bite brought even more delight.
The flavor was genuinely good, very delicious.
It was much tastier than the ones he’d made before.
’It seems my cooking skills really have improved a lot, even for dishes I don’t have a recipe for.’
This made Li You very happy.
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