Inside the shooting venue, Lin Xu looked at Dai Jianli, who had changed into a chef’s uniform, and asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to film with ? This shouldn’t be too difficult for you, right?"
It was understandable for chefs from other restaurants to get stage fright, but the head chef from Fishing Platform, having appeared on CCTV countless tis, found such interviews to be as routine as a daily al. Recording a gourt cooking show? That would be a piece of cake for him.
Dai Jianli said with a wink and a smile, "Filming a show with you ans higher viewer ratings. I’ve been looking into the recent show ratings and found that they’re higher when you’re on and drop when you’re not."
Lin Xu stared, utterly bewildered. So, that’s your ga? Trying to outshine the other head chefs at Fishing Platform? TSK TSK, such cunning... If this were a Qing Dynasty court drama, he’d probably survive an extra episode or two.
Before long, Zeng Xiaoqi, dressed in sportswear, finished her makeup, and the show officially began recording.
"I’m a Szechuan-style Sour Fish, sour, trivial, and superfluous... Hello everyone, I’m Xiaoqi, and welco to today’s episode of ’Taste of the World.’ Today, I’ll teach you how to make a national favorite dish—Szechuan-style Sour Fish!"
Outside the cara fra, the assistant director Xiaowei looked at Zeng Xiaoqi, who had found her groove, a smile spreading across her face. HMPH, always so resistant, but look at you now, doing just fine. Truly as stubborn as a mule that won’t budge when pulled and only backs up when pushed.
She had already stead the rice. Ever since a kitchenware company sponsored a full set of utensils, the crew would cook a large pot of rice for every episode to let everyone taste the masters’ skills. Today’s dish was Szechuan-style Sour Fish. Forget Xiaoqi; everyone was rubbing their hands in anticipation of the feast.
After Xiaoqi finished her introduction, she pointed to the side. "Today’s master chefs joining us are Dai Jianli, the executive head chef of number eighteen building at Fishing Platform State Guesthouse, and Lin Xu, the founder of Lin Ji’s Food."
The cara panned to Lin Xu and Dai Jianli in their chef’s uniforms, who waved at the cara.
Dai Jianli introduced the origins, developnt, and the various types of Szechuan-style Sour Fish available today. After the introduction, he began to present the ingredients for the day.
"Today we’re using Grass Carp, a common choice for fish dishes. I suggest selecting a fish around three pounds. Otherwise, there are too many small bones, which can easily get stuck in the throat."
After ntioning Grass Carp, he started to introduce the pickled vegetables. "In this dish, pickled vegetables are not only a key ingredient but also serve as a seasoning agent. The pickled vegetables need to be crispy, tender, and appetizing. To enhance the sourness of the dish, so sour radish is added, making the sour flavor smoother. Besides the sour taste, Pickled Peppers and wild mountain peppers are also required. The wild mountain peppers need to be finely chopped for use when stir-frying the seasonings. The red pickled pepper should be cut into sections and added at the end of cooking. Pouring hot oil over them after they are placed in the dish increases the sour and spicy flavor."
When introducing this part, Dai Jianli said, "For those who particularly like spicy food, you can substitute the wild mountain pepper with Lantern Pepper, which is hotter and more satisfying to eat."
After introducing all the ingredients and seasonings, it was ti to start the knife work. Dai Jianli flipped the Grass Carp over, scraped a bit underneath the head to remove the Fish Scales, then used the tip of his knife to puncture the middle area, letting the blood gush out. He held the fish with both hands, letting all the blood drip into the sink, and then proceeded to remove the Fish Scales.
"The fishy sll mainly cos from the mucus on the fish’s body, the black mbrane inside the abdominal cavity, the fish teeth, and the blood. Therefore, it’s important to bleed the fish before processing it. This spot allows you to directly pierce the heart for thorough bleeding, making the fish whiter and more tender."
Dai Jianli didn’t announce beforehand while bleeding the fish, and when the blood gushed forth, it gave Zeng Xiaoqi, who was standing by, quite a scare. In the past, although there was a step to bleed the fish when slaughtering, there would be a warning. The caraman would co in close to capture a close-up shot of the knife entry point.
But now, he bled the fish without a word, only explaining the technique while removing the Fish Scales! The audio and video are out of sync! HEY!
Lin Xu smiled. Chef Dai doesn’t like to explain things while he cooks. His current comntary is already an exceptional performance for him. If you want explanations, you’d need soone like the academic-style Guo Weidong. Watching him cook is like attending a unique culinary class. He not only provides various cooking tips but also shares plenty of broader knowledge. Once he finishes a dish, you’ve practically mastered the key principles for creating its specific flavor profile.
After removing the Fish Scales, gills, and innards, Dai Jianli scraped the mucus off the Grass Carp’s surface. Then, holding the cleaver, he started cutting from the Fish Tail, slicing close to the backbone towards the head until the skull cracked open, splitting the fish in half. Next, he split the other half in the sa way, completely removing the fish’s spine.
First, he cut off both sides of the fish head, discarded the fish teeth which have a strong fishy sll, split the head from the gill area into two, and finally removed the rib bones. The entire Grass Carp was thoroughly deboned, separating flesh from bone.
He chopped the spine into four to five-centiter-long sections, chopped the rib bones as well, put them in a basin with the fish head, and rinsed them under the tap.
While the bones were rinsing, he sliced the fish diagonally into large pieces. The fish slices shouldn’t be too thick—about three milliters is right to cut through any stray bones, so they won’t get stuck in your throat when eating.
After slicing the fish, he put the pieces in a basin, added two teaspoons of salt, and mixed it for a minute until slightly sticky and sowhat glutinous. He then added water to rinse it thoroughly. This process helps remove any fishy taste and makes the fish more tender and smooth.
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