Chapter 1223
historical
“I can finally eat it. This is so torturous.” Lee Yanyi couldn’t help sighing while holding the small bowl. “Exactly. Who made the rule that only chefs can eat their own pufferfish?” Zhou Shijie also couldn’t help ridiculing. “I think it was set by you more than twenty years ago.” Lee Yanyi immediately shifted his gaze to Zhou Shijie. “Er ...” Zhou Shijie said. He had lost his memory due to old age and thus couldn’t remember anything. He lowered his head and went to drink the soup. However, Wu Hai didn’t think about that at all. He held the bowl and started to drink the soup. Wu Hai had always been very serious about eating. Yuan Zhou, on the other hand, put on the face mask and stood at the side with his back straight, watching the three people drinking the soup seriously. Two pufferfish that were less than one and a half catties were used to make soup with fish bones, fish skin, and fish liver. How much could they make? it was just a small bowl for each person. The purpose of the soup was to warm the stomach so that the cold fish wouldn’t hurt the stomach. After all, one’s health was also important in eating and drinking. Yuan Zhou had been using this point to practice his cooking skills. Thus, the three of them finished the small bowl of soup very quickly. “Baba,” Wu Hai smacked his mouth,””That’s it?” When Wu Hai asked that, Zhou Shijie and Lee Yanyi at the side also looked at Yuan Zhou. “One bowl per person, just nice.” Yuan Zhou nodded his head. “Too little, too little.” Wu Hai shook his head and said. “That’s all I can get from two fish. ” Yuan Zhou explained, which was rare. After all, it was his treat and he didn’t want others to think that he was stingy. “The next dish, fish maw, please wait a moment.” This time, Yuan Zhou didn’t wait for the three people to answer. He turned around and opened the refrigerator to take out the dried fish. There were two large flat plates on which the fish were placed. It wasn’t obvious when it was placed on the small plates, but it felt completely different when placed on the large plates. The plate was very flat, and there were a few simple patterns outlined by lines on the outside of the plate. The lower part of the plate inside was painted with a Green Lotus leaf and a few lotus stem. The patterns drawn on it were fine and realistic, and the cut fish spine was carefully placed on the empty lotus stem. The rhombus-shaped fish meat was stacked into the shape of a blooming lotus flower. Because the wild pufferfish had a light pink color, it made this lotus flower painting look even more realistic and interesting in summer. Furthermore, the fish meat was crystal clear, and the pistil in the middle was pale yellow. The whole composition was extremely beautiful. The dark green Lotus leaves, the dark green Lotus stem, the crystal clear fish with a hint of pink, and the pale yellow stamen in the middle looked like a painting on the White porcelain plate. “Boss Yuan’s composition is getting more and more beautiful.” Looking at the painting in front of him, Wu Hai was a little surprised and praised it for the first time. “Yes.” Yuan Zhou answered Wu Hai’s praise with a nod of his head indifferently. However, Yuan Zhou was still quite satisfied in his heart. After all, Wu Hai was a great oil painter and had an extraordinary ability to appreciate paintings. Moreover, this was the first time he praised the composition of food, which indicated that the books that Yuan Zhou read every day were still useful. There was nothing that could make one happier than working hard and improving. “This is yellow mustard, it smells good.” But Lee Yanyi pointed at the stamen and said. “Yes, it was just made before the three of you came. It’s fresh and has an obvious fragrance. It’s suitable to be used as a dipping sauce for the fish. Of course, there’s also another dipping sauce, soy sauce.” Yuan Zhou reached out his hand and signaled the three people to look at the bottom of the Lotus leaves. There was a dark brown area there, like the rich soil where lotus flowers grew. When they looked at it, the two of them had both ignored this place. Only Wu Hai paid attention to the whole picture and then praised him. “I didn’t notice this place. Is this a compound soy sauce?” Lee Yanyi looked over and recognized the soy sauce at first glance, but that surprised him even more. “Little Yuan’s cooking skills have improved again.” Zhou Shijie stroked his goatee with a smile. His face was full of smiles. “That’s because of me. ” Wu Hai stroked his small mustaches complacently and boasted himself. “I really have to thank you for your drawing notes.” This time, Yuan Zhou didn’t expose him. Instead, he thanked him earnestly. Indeed, after Wu Hai exchanged his craftsmanship with Yuan Zhou, he had given Yuan Zhou a notebook, which contained some of his experiences after he started to learn how to draw. Moreover, there was only one notebook like this. After he became famous in his youth, Wu Hai never wrote any more notes like this. “Other than eating, you only know how to draw.” Lee Yanyi said. “You only know how to eat.” Wu Hai immediately answered. “Of course, eating is my job and my hobby.” Lee Yanyi said complacently. Everyone in the restaurant knew that Lee Yanyi and Wu Hai didn’t get along. The two of them often argued with each other and Yuan Zhou had long been used to that. Actually, it was very impressive for a person to do two things well in his life. “Cough, cough. It’s time to eat the fish. If you guys don’t want to eat, I’m going to start eating.” Just like Yuan Zhou, Zhou Shijie’s words caused the two to stop arguing. “Oh, it’s delicious.” Hearing that, Wu Hai immediately reached out his chopsticks to pick up the fish. Wu Hai had already picked up his chopsticks when he was talking just now. When he heard Zhou Shijie’s words, he immediately reached out his chopsticks and picked up a piece of fish. His speed was simply unparalleled. As there were only two plates of fish meat, both of which were placed in front of Zhou Shijie, Lee Yanyi and Wu Hai were both sitting sideways and staring at the fish meat covetously. They ate the fish meat one piece after another very quickly and satisfyingly. The slightly cold fish meat was lightly dipped in the yellow mustard at one end, and then stuffed into his mouth. It was dense and had a little toughness. The cold texture and the tenderness of the fish made people chew uncontrollably. “Hiss.” The spicy taste of the yellow mustard filled his mouth. At this time, the chewed fish gave off a fresh and sweet taste, and the ice very well diluted the choking feeling. The slight bitterness of the yellow mustard neutralized the fishy smell of the fresh fish, making it even more delicious. The yellow mustard originated from China and was a seasoning in the palace during the Zhou Dynasty. It was later introduced to Japan. Therefore, the yellow mustard was the most suitable for eating the dried fish. “Oh, it’s delicious.” Zhou Shijie slightly squinted his eyes and praised with satisfaction. When the umami in his mouth faded away, Zhou Shijie immediately picked up another piece of fish. This time, he dipped it in the mixed soy sauce. This time, the taste was completely different from when it was dipped in yellow mustard. Not only was the yellow mustard spicy, but it also had a slight bitterness that could neutralize the fishy smell of the fish. On the other hand, the compound soy sauce was much gentler. The salty and fragrant taste combined with the rich fragrance of the beans enriched the taste of the fish. The fishy smell was not removed, but instead, it had the vigorous feeling of raw fish slices. “The taste is amazing. I really don’t want to eat any other fish.” Zhou Shijie heaved a sigh of satisfaction. The pufferfish, known as the most delicious fish, displayed its true strength in Yuan Zhou’s hands. Later on, Zhou Shijie couldn’t maintain his bearing as the chairman anymore and directly ate one piece after another quickly. As for the other two, they had already started fighting for food. After joining Zhou Shijie, it became three people fighting for food. ....