I'm the Culinary God

Next, it was time for the "fry one, retrieve one" mode.

The freshly fried fish should not be refried immediately. It needs to rest, much like letting wine breathe, allowing the heat of the batter and fish to slightly decrease.

As the temperature drops, the moisture in the batter and fish will seep out again. Some fried pastries tend to soften because of the reflow of internal water molecules to the surface when the temperature drops.

Refrying at this moment will naturally make the fish more crispy and fragrant.

This applies not only to frying fish but to any food. Waiting a little before refrying can achieve a similar effect.

Once all the fish were fried, the ones retrieved earlier could almost be refried.

"Master Lin, can you handle it alone? How about I help you prepare the Vinegar Sauce?"

For a Huaiyang cuisine master, being able to control two pots simultaneously to complete Vinegar Fried Crucian Carp alone is when the essence of the dish is truly mastered.

So Qiu Zhenhua politely asked if Lin Xu needed help, which would indicate that Lin Xu’s understanding of the dish needed deepening and that he hadn’t mastered the skill of "ambidextrous fighting."

In the Chinese culinary circle, Huaiyang cuisine masters are distinct from other cuisines.

In other cuisines, the pastry and main kitchen are separate and often look down on each other. Pastry chefs think main chefs are all about fancy tricks, while main chefs regard pastry chefs as relying purely on physical strength.

They almost labeled pastry chefs as "coarse warriors."

But Huaiyang cuisine masters are usually proficient in both pastry and main kitchen, a rare "Magic and Martial Dual Cultivation" school within the circle.

Besides dual cultivation, Huaiyang cuisine masters are skilled at independently controlling two pots, frying fish in one, preparing the sauce in the other, with no interference between the pots.

Lin Xu smiled and said:

"No need, I can handle it myself, you can just help loosen the fish skin."

Loosening the skin involves intentionally damaging the fried ingredient so that the hot oil can penetrate more easily during the second frying.

For Vinegar Fried Crucian Carp, the loosening steps vary with each of the three fryings.

For instance, after the first frying, you need to poke some holes in the thicker parts of the fish, like the back, with chopsticks or similar tools, so when refrying, the hot oil can seep into these holes, making the fish crispier and more tender.

Qiu Zhenhua’s face unwittingly displayed an expression of envy.

Being able to single-handedly prepare Vinegar Fried Crucian Carp in your twenties is a talent anyone would envy.

At the stove, Lin Xu turned the fire to the maximum, raising the oil temperature slightly once more.

For the three fry stages of Vinegar Fried Crucian Carp, each requires a higher oil temperature than the last, but the frying time becomes shorter each time. Especially the third time, the fish needs to be taken out just as the outer skin fries to the right point and plated.

Such a frying method makes the batter crispier while keeping the fish inside tender and juicy.

Qiu Zhenhua said:

"In Shandong cuisine, fried meatballs also require multiple refrying, with the skin becoming crispier while the meat inside gets tenderer."

As the oil heated, Lin Xu placed a wok on the adjacent stove.

He first slid the wok, then added a large spoonful of lard into it.

For fish dishes, lard is indispensable; otherwise, the fish’s freshness would overshadow its aroma.

Once the oil was hot, he threw in the prepared minced scallion and ginger to sauté for aroma.

The scallion and ginger should be minced as finely as possible to avoid affecting the texture when served.

Once fragrant, he added a large bowl of Light Soy Sauce, a small bowl of Crystal Sugar, a large spoonful of Rice Wine, another large spoonful of Dark Soy Sauce, and then a small basin of stock and a small basin of clear water.

For ten Gu fish, a good amount of Vinegar Sauce is needed, so it’s better to prepare more.

This sauce should be abundant, not scant, as the fish hasn’t been marinated and relies on the Vinegar Sauce for flavor.

With the sauce boiling, the oil in the nearby pot reached seventy percent heat.

Lin Xu carefully placed the loosened Gu fish into the pot for frying.

This round of frying was much shorter than the first, lasting about fifty seconds before the fish needed to be retrieved.

With the Gu fish retrieved, Qiu Zhenhua began the second round of loosening.

This time, the loosening was called disassembling, which involved simply removing some large bones from the fish to facilitate the third frying.

The bones removed are usually the large ones behind the gills, enabling the head to fry thoroughly without obstruction.

Besides that, the fish’s abdominal cavity is fully exposed, allowing hot oil to flow through unhindered.

Sometimes, bones behind the head and the dorsal fin might also be removed, aiding frying and preventing diners from being pricked by hidden bones during tasting.

Even if the dorsal fin is cut off, sharp little bones often remain hidden inside, which meticulous chefs remove. During refrying, hot oil crisps this part up deliciously.

There is no need to worry about ruining the presentation.

A quick pass through the hot oil will fry the disassembled parts to a golden brown, hiding any trace of disassembly.

Lin Xu fried the fish one by one while the Vinegar Sauce in the adjacent pot boiled.

He stirred it once with a spoon; the crystal sugar had melted, and the rice wine aroma had dissipated, leaving a slightly braised fragrance combining scallion and ginger broth and Light Soy Sauce in the pot.

The presence of Dark Soy Sauce made the broth appear somewhat dark, resembling a pot of caramel sauce at first glance.

Lin Xu added a small spoonful of salt to the pot, along with a bowl of vinegar.

He stirred it, releasing the vinegar aroma, and then lifted the pre-mixed Water Starch, stirring it in circles as he drizzled it into the pot.