Chapter 687: Dongpo Garra Fish
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“This dish is so beautiful.” The voice of Tang Min pulled back Geng Xiao’s consciousness.
“Right. It’s indeed very beautiful and also contains some artistic perceptions,” Geng Xiao nodded his head and chimed in.
“It’s like an intellectual was.h.i.+ng his brush pen and then attracting the naughty fish.” Tang Min liked the plate presentation very much.
“I heard from Mr. Wu that it’s based on the historical fact that Su Dongpo often went down to the Lingyun Rocks to wash his inkstone when he studied in Lingyun Temple,” Geng Xiao explained carefully to her.
“It’s indeed like the shape. Boss Yuan’s sculpting skills are truly awesome. He even sculpted the wrinkles and texture of the clothes.” Tang Min was simply reluctant to destroy such beautiful dish.
“Exactly, but I think you can try the taste first,” Geng Xiao was slightly perturbed when he said that.
Because he found out the dish in his mind and the one in the plate didn’t appear to be the same one. The main point was that it wasn’t the kind liked by his G.o.ddess.
Geng Xiao covered his forehead straightforwardly. He felt that there was a generation gap between Boss Yuan and him. Wasn’t Dongpo Garra Fish the Boiled Fish with Pickled Cabbage and Chili?
“Um?” Tang Min recognized the hesitation in Geng Xiao’s word and hence looked towards him curiously.
“I think I might have misunderstood the dish name. What Boss Yuan cooked isn’t the Boiled Fish with Pickled Cabbage and Chili,” Geng Xiao said with slight embarra.s.sment.
“It doesn’t matter. We are so lucky to have the honor of seeing such a beautiful carving,” said Tang Min straightforwardly.
“Let’s taste it. Boss Yuan always cooks well.” Geng Xiao hurriedly moved the plate towards Tang Min.
“Alright.” Tang Min nodded his head.
“Please.” Geng Xiao made a gesture.
Tang Min nodded her head smiling and then, she took the chopsticks and prepared to eat.
Speaking of which, Tang Min had sufficient reasons to like eating the flathead fish.
Tang Min’s family wasn’t rich in her childhood. On Chinese New Year’s Day of a particular year, her whole family went out to pay a New Year’s call and on their way back, they pa.s.sed by a bridge. While they were talking and laughing, her dad suddenly shouted loudly, “There is fish in the river.”
Then, he ran away swiftly to the riverside under the bridge and really managed to catch a fish with patterns in a little while.
It was a flathead fish, also known as Wu Bang. On that evening, her whole family ate the fish blissfully. At that time, Tang Min remembered the name of the fish.
In her memory, that flathead tasted quite delicious. Ever since then, she began to like eating the flathead but didn’t have any special feeling toward any other kind of fish.
Therefore, Tang Min didn’t look forward to the fish in front of her very much. Of course, she also believed that it was very delicious as it was cooked by Boss Yuan. However, she was still a little disappointed in her heart for it wasn’t the dish that she wanted.
The chopsticks in Yuan Zhou’s restaurant were made of crude wood, so they carried the natural brown color of the wood. They formed a sharp contrast with Tang Min’s white-skinned fingers and formed a drastic contrast with the fish as black as ink.
“Well…” Tang Min didn’t know where to start when she saw the black broth.
“I think we can directly pick it,” Geng Xiao looked around and said naturally.
“Um.” After she nodded her head, Tang Min began to pick it.
Once the chopsticks touched the broth over the fish, however, the aesthetic picture in the plate immediately changed.
“My goodness!” Tang Min couldn’t help drawing back her chopsticks and then watched the picture changing in the plate.
“What a miraculous scene!” Geng Xiao didn’t wear gla.s.ses. If he did, he would probably have pushed it upward.
The dish in front of him was originally a black fish served in a slightly clear and bright broth. After Tang Min poked it, however, there suddenly flowed some tomato-like red broth from inside. Then, it was mixed in the clear broth gradually.
Just in a little while, the dish turned into the appearance of Braised Fish With Soy Sauce. With the hot steam curling upwards, a scent of sourness and sweetness immediately rushed into the nose of the two people
It was sweet-smelling.
“It’s surprisingly Braised Fish With Soy Sauce?” Geng Xiao was a little suspicious.
“It smells like that.” Tang Min nodded her head.
“Shall we taste it?” said Geng Xiao.
“Sure. Let’s taste it.” Tang Min nodded her head.
This time, Tang Min really started to pick at the fish directly. For braised fish, she liked eating it from the back right behind the fish head as the meat of this part was strong and tough.
Therefore, the first piece that she picked was the meat on the back.
Only when she picked the meat did Tang Min find out the fish meat was fairly thick though the fish mouth was small and the fish body was long. She picked an intact piece of the meat on the back very easily.
Besides that, the fish meat inside was spotlessly white and translucent and looked quite beautiful. When it was picked up, it even carried some red broth and appeared incomparably attractive.
“It looks so tasty,” Tang Min muttered in the heart.
“Awoo.” Tang Min ate up the fish at a gulp. Once it entered the mouth, it tasted slightly sour along with a little sweetness. The taste was like the tomatoes that she grew in her hometown in her childhood.
After that was the smooth and tender feeling of the fish meat. Once the meat entered her mouth, it became like the lily petals that unfolded one by one. The tenderness mixed with the taste of sourness and sweetness immediately made the fish meat bring out a very fresh and delicious taste.
It didn’t have any fishy smell at all. When she ate it to the end, it even carried a little bit of burnt aroma, as if the fish had been fried in oil, so that it tasted crisp on the surface and tender inside.
There wasn’t even any foreign flavors in it, let alone the fishy smell. Her mouth was full of the fresh and delicious taste of fish meat. She thought it would be greasy, but the sour fruit taste neutralized the grease.
Just like that, Tang Min ate it one mouthful after another and finally ate up one surface of the fish about 350g. When she tried to turn the fish over, she remembered that there was still somebody beside her.
“It’s fairly delicious. Do you want to eat together with me?” Tang Min smoothed out her hair with the fingers shyly and said.
“No. Mine is coming very soon,” Geng Xiao shook her head and said smilingly.
“Okay. Then I’ ll not stand on ceremony.” Tang Min turned the fish over neatly and prepared to eat the other surface.
Speaking of which, this fish wasn’t like other kinds of fish, where the meat would fall into the broth and then disappear when it was turned over. That didn’t happen to the Dongpo Garra Fish. After it was turned over, it was still intact.
This was even taking into account that Tang Min’s skill in turning over the fish was only at a beginner level.
“By the way, the plate presentations in Boss Yuan’s restaurant are also edible,” Geng Xiao reminded considerately at the side.
“Yes, I know.” Tang Min nodded her head.
Then, she picked off the head of the white jade sculpture and swallowed it up after it was dipped into the broth.
“Huh? It tastes like radish and is very delicious. Very refres.h.i.+ng,” said Tang Min in surprise after she swallowed it.
Nevertheless, Geng Xiao was a little stupefied upon seeing Tang Min pick off the head so neatly.
“My G.o.ddess is really so free and easygoing,” Geng Xiao swallowed his saliva and thought in his mind.
“It’s so tasty. And I feel it’s really not bad to eat in this way. Crisp,” while saying that, Tang Min picked off another piece and ate it blissfully.
“Well, it’s indeed not bad.” Looking at the sculpture that was beyond recognition, Geng Xiao nodded his head ceaselessly and chimed in.
“Are you really not going to try it?” Tang Min was a little shy to eat alone and thus she asked again.
“No, no need. Mine is coming very soon. You can taste mine later if it’s not enough for you. After all, it’s me who is treating. I can’t let your stomach go empty,” Geng Xiao said with a smile.
“Thank you.” Tang Min revealed a sunny smile and nodded her head.
While they were talking happily over here, Yuan Zhou, who turned around and set dishes down, happened to see Tang Min’s valiant actions of eating the head first.
Instantly, he felt astonished in his heart and meanwhile, sighed with emotion, “Girls’ thoughts are really hard to guess.”
Didn’t all girls like beautiful things? He originally thought this girl would be unwilling to eat it.
It turned out that Yuan Zhou thought too much.