49: 33 chapters “First grade”_3 49: 33 chapters “First grade”_3 Yuan Fangzhi had returned in less than the duration of a cup of tea, holding a large tray.
On the tray were five small dishes, each containing sothing; at first glance, each dish seed to contain fish, but just by looking, one obviously could not tell what they were.
Yuan Fangzhi quickly arranged the dishes on the table next to Sun Yixie’s seat and then stood aside, watching Sun Yixie with a smile, “Mr.
Sun…
please go ahead.”
Clearly, in Yuan Fangzhi’s heart, this challenge was already Sun Yixie’s undoing.
If you had chosen pork, tofu, or such, perhaps there was still a chance to guess the origin of the ingredient, or at least the thod of cooking; like black pig, white pig, Jinhua pork, southern or northern stews, frying or boiling, which most people would have heard of.
Fish?
Given the era’s understanding of aquatic products and fishing techniques, even fishern sotis couldn’t figure out what they had caught; furthermore, even among the well-known species of fish, the varieties were extrely nurous…
so, this was arguably the toughest choice.
But Yuan Fangzhi had never anticipated…
“Heh…
that’s it?” Sun Yixie hadn’t even moved his chopsticks yet; just by looking at the contents of those five dishes, he already revealed a disdainful smile.
At that point, Yuan Fangzhi’s smile vanished from his face, as he subtly felt that this was not re bravado.
Dut dut.
Sun Yixie lazily picked up the chopsticks, indelicately tapped twice on the table, and then tasted one dish after another, “Monkfish liver, cooked with white wine.” Before his words were finished, he had already moved on to the second dish, the taste of the first fish still lingering in his mouth as he tried the second dish, “Pufferfish sashimi, with a few drops of soy sauce.” Then ca the third bite, “Dried barracuda, marinated with chili, salt, cooking wine, green onion, ginger, and garlic.” The fourth bite, “Mackerel, stead until soft then mixed with black bean sauce.” Lastly, as he put the fifth piece of fish into his mouth, he smiled again, “Heh…
as for the last silverfish recipe, it’s passable; considering you prepared five kinds of…
oh no, the barracuda was already prepared…
four kinds of fish in such a short ti, indeed it’s challenging, so I won’t fuss over the rough thod of preparation.”
Huang Donglai wasn’t surprised by Brother Sun’s swagger; after all, they knew each other extrely well.
But Xue Tui and Yuan Fangzhi were completely dumbfounded…
Xue Tui stood there, thinking, “Did I see wrong?
Were they just ssing around when they registered their nas?
Wait a second…
did he just say he’s the ‘King of the Sea?'”
It was worse for Yuan Fangzhi, his face twisted up; Sun Yixie not only correctly described the “five grade” fish and their cooking thods but also ntioned “sashimi,” a term Yuan Fangzhi was hearing for the first ti, making him look even more knowledgeable.
Yuan Fangzhi thought: I’ve never been lectured like this even when cooking for the Emperor and Empress.
What is this all about?
But his thought was essentially nitpicking—what would the Emperor and Empress know about these matters?
They didn’t even know how much eggs cost per pound, didn’t understand that at should be blanched first, so of course, they couldn’t challenge you; but Sun Yixie had been dealing with fish markets for two lifetis, why bother with your pretense?
It’s like humankind’s swimming champions discussing diving with Atlanteans.
“Hmph…
quite the big talk.” Indeed, after mulling it over a bit, Yuan Fangzhi was still not quite convinced, “Admittedly, Mr.
Sun, you have guessed the five kinds of fish and passed the ‘First grade’ challenge, but if you say my silverfish recipe is just ‘passable,’ I would indeed like to ask for your advice.”
This was basically saying, “You’re saying I’m not good enough, right?
Well, show how it’s done.”
In reality…
it was sowhat a frivolous argunt.
But Sun Yixie, confident in his advantageous position, didn’t mind sparring sarcastically, “Certainly, so where is the kitchen?” While saying this, he had already stood up, and he even turned to Brother Huang, “Brother Huang, co along, I’ll personally prepare an appetizer to whet our appetites.”
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