Dali Temple Small Dining Room

  Chapter 320 Squirrelfish

  Of course, no matter what, as a cook who was invited to help, Wen Mingtang was just a sous chef, so if there was something puzzled...that was something Lin Fei should worry about.

   Glancing at Lin Fei, who seemed a little out of place with the smokey atmosphere in the kitchen, Wen Mingtang bowed his head and focused on cooking.

  Chop the fish, put in wine, salt and **** and marinate for about a cup of tea. After wrapping it in starch, carefully pinch the fish tail and body, put it into the oil pan and fry it.

  Wen Mingtang is frying squirrel fish here, while Chef Xing is frying chicken with spicy chicken, and the aroma of oily smoke gradually pervades.

Although the oil fume is "grounded" and has nothing to do with elegance, it is really fragrant. Lin Fei, who is sitting outside the kitchen and reading a book, smells the smell and looks at the kitchen again: Master Xing is holding chopsticks with one hand, stirring the oil. There was a fine layer of sweat on the forehead of the chicken in the pot. , obviously no matter how well-prepared, cooking with one hand is a bit more difficult.

Lin Fei squinted his eyes, and looked at Wen Mingtang, who picked up the fried fish and put it on a long plate, and started to make the topping sauce. Compared with Master Xing's reluctance, the girl seemed to be much more comfortable. During the gap, his eyelids were lifted, and he glanced at Master Xing, who was obviously aware of Master Xing's reluctance, but he didn't take the initiative to speak.

  While watching the two of them cooking in the kitchen, the servant ran in from the outside, wiped the fine sweat on his forehead, and said, "Second Young Master, Ma'am, the banquet is over, why don't you see your people?"

  Today is not a holiday, and Marquis Jingyun and his sons are not in the mansion. If Lin Fei went to the Yamen of Dali Temple, Mrs. Hou would not force her, but he purposely asked for leave. People are in the mansion, but there are no people at the banquet, so it is a bit unreasonable.

  Lin Fei nodded "Yes" when he heard the words, got up, and glanced at the two people who were busy in the kitchen before leaving, then turned around and went to the banquet with the servant.

  After Lin Fei left outside the window, Master Xing, who was busy in the kitchen, stopped what he was doing, and asked Wen Mingtang who was beside him without even raising his head: "Master Wen, Lin Shaoqing is gone!"

  Wen Mingtang simmered the sweet and sour sauce in the pot and said "um", focused on the sauce in the pot, but said in his mouth: "Lin Shaoqing is the master. Since he is in the mansion, he will naturally go to the banquet."

  Is it strange that Lin Fei was called away?

  Master Xing looked at Wen Mingtang who didn't even lift his eyelids, and asked, "Master Wen, did Lin Shaoqing like to watch the master cook so much in the past as the public chef of Dali Temple?"

Wen Mingtang, who was making the sauce, jumped in his heart. Thinking of the weirdness of Master Xing's behavior, he paused and said, "Lin Shaoqing is usually busy, but if he is free, he really likes to come to the public kitchen to see me. The cook is busy, and he prefers the freshly cooked one."

  Hearing this, Master Xing couldn't help laughing twice, and joked: "It's unbelievable that someone like the Second Young Master has such a hobby!"

Wen Mingtang poured the ready-made sauce on the finished squirrel fish, and then said: "We never thought that Lin Shaoqing is so down-to-earth under such an unearthly appearance. If not, I wouldn't Three meals a day, all of which are settled in the public kitchen instead of going to the banquet building."

Hearing what Wen Mingtang said, Master Xing seemed to be relieved, while looking at the expression on Wen Mingtang's face, he said: "To be honest, I thought that Lin Shaoqing came here for someone else, so he was scrutinized like this. , It always makes people feel a little panicked."

Wen Mingtang put the finished squirrel fish on the dinner plate, and when the maid outside came in and took out the finished squirrel fish, he turned his head and smiled at Master Xing: "Lin Shaoqing just wanted to see my big pot dish Whether the master cooks or not is just a small pot of dishes, so master Xing needn't worry too much."

  This is true! Master Xing nodded before continuing to make the unfinished spicy chicken.

   After such a delay, the taste of this spicy chicken can be imagined. Wen Mingtang glanced at the indifferent Master Xing, lowered his eyelids, and lowered his head to handle the ribs again.

  …

When Lin Fei came to the banquet, most of the cold food and side dishes on the banquet had been taken away. Madam Hou glanced at Lin Fei who had come late, reprimanded "I didn't wake up until this time", and then said to Madam Lu and the others: " Ah Fei is usually busy with cases and often doesn't even have Xiu Mu, and today he took advantage of the banquet to ask for a vacation, and he fell asleep until this time..."

  Lin Fei didn't expose Mrs. Hou's scene, and nodded in response to "I won't do it next time", and then his eyes fell on the dishes brought by the maid.

In the long white plate, a fish dish was brought up, different from the usual "rules" of fish dishes, the mandarin fish in this long plate tilted its head rather "playfully", and the fish meat was like a blooming The chrysanthemums are blooming, and the orange sauce is poured from the beginning to the end. The green peas and golden pine nuts are mixed in the sauce, and the whole dish looks quite attractive.

Mrs. Jingyunhou claimed that she had participated in many banquets in the capital, and even went to palace banquets more than once, but this was the first time she saw this dish. Looking at the "playful" appearance of this fish, She couldn't help asking: "Which dish is this?"

  Lin Fei said: "Squirrel fish, sweet and sour."

  The preparation of this fish is really fresh, and the color of the orange sauce is really eye-catching and festive. After the "squirrel fish" was put down, everyone raised their chopsticks to the squirrel fish in unison.

  The flesh of the fish body is open, but the skin is not broken. It really looks like a "squirrel" with fluffy hair. Because the bone has been removed, the fish can be removed with a light clamp. In the mouth, the sauce is sweet and sour, quite appetizing. When the teeth bit down on the fish, it was discovered that the fish was deep-fried and crispy on the outside. The crispy shell was broken by the teeth, and the fish inside was Very fresh and tender, different from the sweet and sour taste of the sauce, the fish tastes slightly salty.

Although all the sweet, sour and salty tastes appear in the same dish, it is not abrupt when chewed carefully. Instead, the taste is rich and layered. One bite, the outside is crispy and the inside is loose. The layers of progressive taste are unbearable I can't help but raise my chopsticks again.

While chatting with Madam Lu and the others, Mrs. Hou glanced at Lin Fei and raised her chopsticks again, looking at Lin Fei, who was eating slowly but not too slowly: I didn't expect that Master Wen not only cooks big pot dishes, but also home-cooked dishes well. The banquet dishes are also not bad.

  Although the two dishes just served did not resemble the artistic conception of Master Xing's cooking, they tasted very good. Looking back at Master Xing today, he glanced at the spicy chicken that was served just now when he was eating squirrel fish. Although the Lu family also praised him a few words, Mrs. Hou's tricky mouth, coupled with the fact that he had eaten the dishes made by Master Xing, knew his taste. With his hands-on work, the spicy chicken he imported today can be seen as a "poor" dish for him as soon as he tastes it. The chicken is obviously fried.

  What is going on here? How can a person who is the most meticulous in his daily life and has never made a mistake, make a mistake at a banquet today?

  (end of this chapter)