Chapter 167: Clear the Land
Then, her smile disappeared, and she said seriously, “but what if I tell you, there’s no one else in this world who can replicate my other recipes?”
Zhou Wencai and Liu Qi were shocked when they heard Lin Yuelan’s sharp and arrogant tone.
There wouldn’t be a second person who could replicate her second recipe?
Wasn’t this a little too exaggerated?
The corners of Lin Yuelan’s mouth curved up to a certain degree, and she revealed a confident and brilliant smile. She said, “The reason is that there is a most important seasoning in the other recipes that only I have. Without that seasoning, the dishes will be very different in color and taste.”!!
Zhou Wencai and Liu Qi looked at each other after they heard that. They didn’t know if they should believe her or not. The words sounded too arrogant and presumptuous. Plus, they came from someone who was only in her teens, not a master with decades of experience. She was a young woman who came from the countryside. What kind of amazing seasoning could she have in her hands?
This sounded unbelievable.
However, Liu Qi still asked hesitantly, “Miss Lin, what is this important seasoning then?”
Lin Yuelan opened her backpack and took out a porcelain bottle that was the size of two fingers and half the height of a chopstick. She opened the lid and poured some reddish-brown liquid into a small plate. Then, she put the bottle back into her back.
Lin Yuelan pushed the small plate toward Liu Qi and said, “Try it!”
Liu Qi and Zhou Wencai were especially curious. When they heard Lin Yuelan telling them to try it, Liu Qi and Zhou Wencai quickly picked up their chopsticks and dipped them in the sauce. They tasted the sauce.
After a while, they frowned. Then, they dipped their chopsticks in the sauce and put the chopsticks in their mouths again. Their brows furrowed again.
After that, Liu Qi put down his chopsticks and said to Lin Yuelan, “it has a salty taste and a slight fragrance. What is this?”
Lin Yuelan said, “this is called soy sauce. It’s a special seasoning to help with color and taste.”
“But, it only tastes salty to me.” Liu Qi said doubtfully. “I’m sure you can replace this with salt.”
Lin Yuelan shook her head and said, “young master Liu, can you lend me your kitchen again?”
Liu Qi immediately understood and said, “sure!”
Then, the group went to the big kitchen.
When Master Yang saw them and heard that Lin Yuelan was about to cook another fish dish, he didn’t show any dissatisfaction. He even volunteered to help her.
Lin Yuelan didn’t refuse Master Yang’s help. After all, Master Yang would be making these dishes in the future.
Other than Master Yang, Liu Qi, and Lin Yuelan, the others were chased out. After all, this recipe was supposed to be a business secret. Even though Liu Qi and Zhou Wencai were good friends, he had to be careful.
Lin Yuelan decided to make braised carp.
Due to the lack of seasoning, Lin Yuelan grabbed only ginger, star anise, green onion, sugar, wine, and dried chili.
After removing the scales and the internal organs of the carp, she cut lines on both sides of the fish so that the marinate could go in better. She spread some salt and wine on the fish.
Then, she heated the wok and added lard. After the wok was hot, she put the carp in. After a quick fry, she lowered the fire and slowly burned the fish on both sides until they were golden yellow.
Then, she added sugar and waited until the sugar melted. After that, she poured in wine and soy sauce. Lastly, she poured in water and brought the dish to a boil. She let it simmer for 15 minutes. Then, she garnished it with chopped green onions.
Finally, the dish was ready.
Master Yang and Liu Qi had their eyes wide open throughout the whole process, staring at Lin yuelan’s every move. They had never seen fish prepared in this way before. The fragrance overflowed. The fish was beautiful and looked delicious.
Master Yang couldn’t control his emotions and said excitedly, “miss … Miss Lin, can I have a taste?”
They never knew that the fish could be done this way.
She used salt and sugar in her recipe. Most importantly, Miss Lin used soy sauce to add color to the fish.
Since it smelled good, it should taste even better.
Lin Yuelan nodded and said, “Master Yang, of course, you can!”