Chapter 69: Chapter 69 Boiled Fish is Really Fragrant (1)_1 Chapter 69: Chapter 69 Boiled Fish is Really Fragrant (1)_1 Having promised Lao Fan to make water-boiled fish for lunch, Lin Yuan hurriedly got busy.
While Lao Fan was seeing patients, Lin Wei had already steamed the rice.
With Liuzi taking care of the fire, Lin Yuan didn’t need to watch over it, and by now, the rice was already emitting a fragrant aroma.
Earlier on, Lin Yuan had prepared the fish slices and necessary spices, and had even salted the sliced fish to marinate.
Now, she was just waiting to begin cooking.
The first step was to blanch the vegetables in hot water, which didn’t require much skill.
Once the water boiled, Lin Yuan tossed in the small bok choy, spinach, cilantro, and other vegetables she had prepared.
Originally, she hadn’t planned to use so many vegetables, but there was no helping it, considering two more guests had suddenly turned up hungry today.
Once the vegetables were done, as Lin Yuan was fishing them out, she couldn’t help but lament that it would have been better with bean sprouts and mustard greens.
After the vegetables were blanched, she soaked them in cold water before arranging them at the bottom of a large bowl.
Now it was time for the fish.
To make water-boiled fish, she liked to fry some sauce first, so she started by slowly frying the sauce on a cold wok with cold oil.
If she had Pixian bean paste, it would have been better since that paste is more aromatic, but the homemade sauce she had was also fairly decent.
Once the sauce was heated up, she added green onion, ginger, garlic, and chili to fry until fragrant, then put in the fish head and large fish bones, frying until they changed color.
After that, she added water to boil before simmering on low heat for a few minutes.
The best water-boiled fish requires Sichuan peppercorns, but since there were none on hand, she had no choice but to settle for only using chili.
Lin Wei followed her older sister’s commands, now adding fire, now withdrawing it, busy and enjoying herself.
Xiao Linshuang, who rarely refrained from drooling around the big stove, was currently observing Lao Fan as if watching some rare creature, with her large eyes sparkling bright and her little mouth sometimes bursting into an oblivious smile, then smacking her lips as though savoring something delicious, giving Lao Fan goosebumps, making him feel as if his leg was starting to ache again.
Lin Yuan glanced at her younger sister from afar, reassured to see that Xiao Linshuang wasn’t being bullied.
After all, with her around, Lao Fan wouldn’t dare sneak around and steal her recipes.
When the water in the big pot boiled, Lin Yuan carefully added the pre-marinated fish slices into the pot with chopsticks, one piece at a time.
Once the fish pieces turned white and floated to the surface, she adjusted the taste with salt.
All of the two fish, weighing over a pound each, were added, filling nearly half the pot with fish slices.
She poured the fish along with the broth into the large bowl containing the blanched vegetables, then grabbed a handful of chopped chili and sprinkled it over the fish.
Now, the large bowl was nearly brimming.
After finishing that, she swiftly cleaned the wok and heated oil.
Once the oil was hot, she drizzled it over the fish.
The aroma of the water-boiled fish and chili mixed with the hot oil filled the entire kitchen.
Lao Fan and Xiao Linshuang in the other room couldn’t contain themselves any longer, neglecting their mutual disdain as they rushed towards the kitchen.
“Get out, get out, the food isn’t ready yet.
Go wait outside,” Lin Yuan said, fearing her water-boiled fish might be sneakily devoured by these two gluttons.
The moment she saw their figures approaching, she quickly shooed them out.
Xiao Linshuang pouted and cozied up to her older sister, acting spoiled, “Big sister, let me have a taste.
I’ve never smelled anything so delicious.
Just one bite, please, pretty please, big sister.”
Looking at her younger sister’s pitiful appearance, Lin Yuan felt somewhat reluctant.
She picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, carefully checking for bones, then blew on it before placing it in Xiao Linshuang’s mouth.
“Be careful, it’s hot.
Xiao Linshuang bit into the fish and chewed slowly, boasting to Lao Fan with her mastication.
Lao Fan watched, drooling, itching to join in, but as a grown man, how could he stoop to flattering like a little girl?
Lao Fan swallowed his saliva and was just thinking of how to ask when he saw Lin Yuan already covering the bowl of water-boiled fish, glaring at him disdainfully, “Don’t even think about flattering me.
I still need to save my appetite for lunch!”