"Yes." Lin Chou said, "Mandarin fish are ferocious fish. Lao Xue, I think the reason why you can ensure the survival of the mandarin fish by only feeding them wine and sugar is because they are raised at low temperatures, right?"
Xue Zhen nodded,
"'Three Flowers and Five Luo' are dominated by mandarin fish. The artificially created freezing water temperature is because before the catastrophe, mandarin fish will stop eating in winter. Otherwise, no matter how strong the fish species are, they will not be able to withstand months of hunger. ...Mandarin fish is the most suitable choice, and it seems that Lin Xiaoyou is also good at this."
Lin Chou said,
"I can't say I'm very precise, I just know a little bit about it."
"Mandarin fish is a ferocious carnivorous fish with sharp teeth that are no different from canine teeth. It usually eats other fish. When food is scarce, it will even attack its own kind and any protein-rich creatures that fall into the water. Mandarin fish are very powerful. It’s big, the flesh is firm and elastic, so it’s easy for a big mandarin fish like this to drag away an ordinary person in the water.”
"Lao Xue, you have raised this fish at low temperature for several months. I also need to use some unconventional means to activate the fish's viciousness, such as... the strong-smelling sheep blood and mutton oil."
Lin Chou took a piece of mutton the size of the belly of his finger and threw it into the water. The mandarin fish made a splash of water and swallowed the mutton into its belly.
"Without the fish you prepared, even though I can make this dish, it will still be of poor quality. Lao Xue, speaking of which, you are at a loss."
Xue Zhen just smiled and said,
"I've never seen this done before, it was really eye-opening for me, and that's the most important thing."
Lin Chou suddenly said,
"Half-foot fish with ten thousand points of peach blossom, Lao Xue, your secret ingredient is probably candied osmanthus and wine-soaked peach blossom, right?"
Xue Zhen rolled his eyes and glared at Qin Wuyong and the little machine flying around everywhere, and said angrily,
"It's okay if you know it. Do you have to tell me? Now, the entire base city knows my Lao Xue's secret recipe. Let me tell you... Little brother Qin, how much copyright fee are you going to give Lao Xue?"
Qin Wuyong was extremely embarrassed and said aggrievedly,
"Ahem, Master Xue, that... boy I'm afraid he can't afford it."
Most of the people present chuckled, and Xue Zhen also chuckled a few times.
"We've been talking for a long time, but Xiaoyou Lin hasn't said anything about his dishes yet."
Lin Chou fed the fish some meat and then explained loudly to everyone,
"Sheep is the delicacy in the north, and turtles are the delicacy in the south. There is a precedent for gathering delicacies from the north and the south into one dish as early as the Spring and Autumn Period."
"One of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Huan of Qi, had his imperial chef named Yi Ya. Biography commented that he was 'good at adjusting the five flavors'. Don't think this is a simple evaluation. History is very harsh. As a chef, he can be mentioned in the official history." Leaving such a comment is enough to be passed down through the ages.”
"It is said that Yi Ya steamed "turtle and sheep together, and the taste is fresh, and the fishy smell is gone." At that time, there was no such simple and clear simplified Chinese character as "fresh" to remind Yi Ya. Later, people used "fish" and "mutton". 'The two characters form the word 'fresh'."
"Later, in the Qing Dynasty, a shepherd from Huizhou Prefecture was crossing the river in a boat with four old sheep. The boat was small but there were many sheep. He accidentally capsized and fell into the water. It was the weather in March and April, and the mandarin fish had been hungry all winter. Seeing this The delicious meal swarmed up and bit the lamb frantically, and even the shepherd was bitten. A fisherman happened to pass by and saved the shepherd with a net. At the same time, he also caught many mandarin fish that were full of food and dizzy."
Lin Chou paused.
"I drank too much, drink some water first..."
Everyone who listened in rapt attention cursed together.
Lin Chou moistened his throat before continuing,
"Let's get back to the topic of the previous chapter. The shepherd thanked him so much that he didn't need to go into details, but he said that after the fisherman returned home, he warmed up some wine and prepared to kill the fish, only to find that the mandarin fish, which had always been full of vitality and would not die after being out of the water for a long time, had already died a lot. When the fish was opened, it was found that the belly of the fish was full of minced mutton. The intestines of the fish had long burst. People at that time did not pay much attention to food hygiene. Of course the fisherman was happy when he saw it and did not even think about it. The mutton is stuffed back into the belly of the fish and stewed in one pot. As a result, the cooked fish bones are crispy and the meat is not fishy or smelly. The fish soup is extremely delicious and the mutton also has a strange fragrance. Therefore, it is widely spread and over time, it has become an Anhui cuisine. The famous products are called 'Yu Tun Sheep', 'Fish Sheep Fresh' or 'The Best Freshness in the World'."
Even Zhao Er, who had an angry look on his face, was stunned when he heard this and started chattering,
"I'm so proud of you. How can you pay so much attention to a dish?"
Lin Chou said again,
"It takes four hours for a fish to digest a full belly of food. I crammed it for three rounds that night. The fish belly was already full of mutton and nothing else. This kind of mandarin fish is the best way to make this fish-eating mutton dish. The best time."
Xue Zhen exhaled a breath of admiration and bitterness.
"Little friend Lin, it's true that the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead. It seems that I, old Xue, are really old."
Lin Chou actually responded with a smile,
"As the saying goes, you get stronger with age. Mr. Xue Guangyuan and Mr. Xue were never called old, but you, Mr. Xue, are far behind."
Lin Chou picked up the big mandarin fish that was full of food and water, and flicked the fish's head with his fingers.
"Bang", with the huge force, the mandarin fish twitched a few times and immediately stopped.
Remove the scales and gills three times, five times, and two times. Use a knife a few times to remove the scales. Add ginger slices to the meat and throw it directly into the oil pan.
"Fish meat is very malleable, of course, before it is cooked in the pot. This is why most chefs like to cultivate fish that suits the taste of their own dishes. After it is put into the pot, it can only be called 'Tofu with thousands of rolls'. It’s hard to make changes now.”
Xue Zhen spoke out,
"Then this mutton..."
Lin Chou didn't hide his secrets and said directly,
"Tan mutton can be said to be the best among sheep. I use mutton loin and 'polar meat' for mutton. There is only one tael of mutton loin for the lamb, and only two taels for the big lamb. Tear it into half-finger-long thin strips of meat with your hands, and feed it to the mandarin fish together with the shredded sheep diaphragm... Hey, I said I was leading you to a sheep, but in fact I killed four... Oh, Wutou.”
Xue Zhen nodded repeatedly without mentioning the sheep. He only said,
"That's it, Xiaoyou Lin's clever approach."
Anhui cuisine is mostly stewed, boiled, and steamed, and emphasizes oil, color, and heat.
Naturally, the method of stewing fish and mutton is also used.
Enough effort has been put into the ingredients, and it is often necessary to return to nature when cooking.
Just sauté onion, ginger, garlic and star anise until fragrant, bring to a boil over high heat with some heavy soy sauce and chili pepper, simmer over low heat for half an hour, and it's ready to serve.
Qin Wuyong looked at it for a long time.
"It's not about removing the internal organs... won't the fish be bitter..."
Xue Zhen asked back,
"Qin...little friend, why are you suffering?"
Qin Wuyong spread his hands,
"For such a big fish, how hard it must be for the guts!"
Xue Zhen laughed loudly,
"Little friend Qin, who told you that mandarin fish has gall?"
Almost a dozen question marks and exclamation marks popped up on Qin Wuyong's head.
"What the hell??!"
Lin Chou holds good fish,
"Lao Xue, is your food ready?"
"Yes, come on."
