I'm the Culinary God

"Xu Bao, besides vinegar fried and spicy, what other flavors can be made with this fish?"

Shen Jiayue’s words brought Lin Xu back to his senses. He thought for a moment and said:

"In theory, it can also be made into ginger juice, garlic flavor, scallion flavor, vinegar and pepper, fresh pepper, sour and spicy... But whether it tastes good or not, you’ll have to try it out. After all, not all flavors suit this crispy texture."

"Then you make it. I can reluctantly help you taste it. If it works, that’s another innovative dish for the restaurant."

Shen Jiayue had a self-sacrificing look on her face, making Chen Yan unable to resist a sneer:

"Tsk tsk tsk, aren’t you afraid of getting fat? Keep eating, and at the wedding, everyone will see the tire around your waist."

Shen Jiayue chuckled and said:

"Doesn’t matter. We’ve decided to wear traditional Chinese clothes, no need for a wedding dress."

The No. 1 building at the Fishing Platform is a classic Royal building, in the same style as the buildings in the Imperial Palace, and the banquet hall inside is even more ancient and elegant.

Having a wedding in such a place, wearing Western wedding attire seems somewhat inappropriate.

So it was changed to Chinese attire, which also allows for thicker clothing, especially since the wedding day is in the coldest time of the year.

Although the banquet hall is well-heated, in such cold weather, showing one’s shoulders and wearing a long dress can’t compare to the comfort of wearing a Xiuhe suit, which can accommodate sweaters and leggings for maximum warmth.

Chen Yan listened to Shen Jiayue, feeling slightly smug, and said:

"Luckily, we’ve chosen to get married next May 1st. It’ll be springtime, and I can walk into the wedding hall in a beautiful white wedding dress."

"Go ahead, as they say, better late than never. At your age, it’s about time to dress beautifully."

Chen Yan’s expression froze, defeated again by age every time.

Does being young make you so great?

She angrily took a bite of the vinegar fried cabbage on the table and was immediately surprised by the crisp, tangy taste:

"Wow, this cabbage is so tasty. Did you make it, brother-in-law?"

Lin Xu shook his head:

"It was made by Master Qin. I’ve been busy frying fish just now, didn’t get the chance."

He picked up a piece of cabbage to taste it himself. Indeed, it was sour, spicy, and crunchy, with little sauce at the bottom, unlike home-cooked dishes where half of the plate is filled with sauce.

"How was this cabbage made? It’s really delicious."

Having experienced more now, Lin Xu guessed about seventy to eighty percent of the method with just one taste:

"The cabbage stems are cut into strips, and when cutting, cut diagonally to break the fibers. After cutting, first use salt to draw out water, bringing out the excess moisture. This makes it crunchier and removes the strange cabbage smell."

Saying this, he turned his head and asked Qin Wei at the next table, who was eating shumai:

"Master Qin, is there anything else to pay attention to?"

"No... don’t add ginger... ginger... will dominate the flavor."

Lin Xu said with a laugh:

"With that one sentence, you’ve revealed a trade secret that some people ponder for years without figuring out."

He took another bite of the cabbage and found that the garlic flavor and the aroma of dried chili were quite strong. This must follow the restaurant method: first fry the dried chili to bring out the aroma, then add the salted cabbage stems and stir-fry on high heat for thirty seconds, finally adding a bowl sauce made with garlic slices, water starch, light soy sauce, fragrant vinegar, dark soy sauce, white sugar, salt, and sesame oil.

The so-called bowl sauce is a term from Shandong cuisine.

It means the needed sauce is pre-mixed with water starch, held in a bowl, and poured into the pot when the dish is almost done, achieving seasoning, coloring, coating, and enhancing in one go.

Not only Shandong cuisine uses bowl sauce, but other cuisines also have similar methods for quick-fry dishes.

However, when cooking at home, it’s best not to mix bowl sauce, but to add seasonings step by step separately.

This is because the fire on a home stove is too weak, and pouring half or more of a broth into the pot at once will rapidly lower the temperature, taking a long time to return, during which the dish’s texture and flavor will suffer.

There’s no such concern with restaurant cooking, where the industrial engine keeps the pot’s temperature consistently high, making the dishes naturally taste better.

There were quite a few cabbage stems today, so everyone practiced their skills.

Besides Qin Wei making vinegar fried cabbage, Wei Qian stir-fried sour and spicy cabbage, and Zhu Yong shredded the cabbage stems into fine strips and made a cold salad with soft white sugar and fragrant vinegar.

Shen Guofu preferred the cold salad cabbage strips. He ate several bites in a row and said to Lin Xu:

"This dish reminds me of the mustard dumpling I used to eat. When you’re free, Little Xu, make some. A bite on a winter day is refreshing and appetizing, especially good with a bit of meat."

Lin Xu nodded and said:

"Okay, I’ll start making it tomorrow after getting some yellow mustard."

As he was eating, Lin Xu received a message on his phone. He opened it to see it was from Old Sun:

"Little Xu, I went back to my hometown a few days ago, and all the association’s paperwork is done. I just got it. Shall we take advantage of the holiday to have a gathering with all the association members?"

Besides this message, Lin Xu also saw a picture sent by Grandpa Sun, showing that the establishment of the Yingchun Street Fishing Association was approved.

However, there are still several reviews in the future. If they cannot pass, it will still be canceled by the subdistrict office.

Reading this, Lin Xu’s mind echoed with the system’s prompt:

"Host has established the Yingchun Street Fishing Association, completing the side quest [Establish Association], earning a Perfect Level Sichuan flavor type draw. Would you like to draw now?"