Chapter 173: Aromatic Grilled Fish (2)
Translator: OnGoingWhy Editor: Vermillion
As the aroma enveloped the entire place, everyone could not help but be mesmerized.
It never crossed their mind that the smell of fish could reach such an enchanting level. The moment when Bu Fang sliced open the spirit herb leaves, the fragrance instantly took hold of their senses and they fell into an euphoric state.
Wu Yunbai swallowed her saliva. Her eyes were staring straight at the bundle of steaming leaves. Even though the tantalizing fish inside was not visible because of the rising steam, she felt an incredible urge to immediately taste this delicious dish just from smelling the aroma.
Both elder sister Mu"s body and mind trembled in incredulity. The aroma of the dish… had simply exceeded her understanding. She cooked this type of fish on a daily basis but the aroma of her dishes never reached such a level even when she braised the fish. Bu Fang"s method of preparing the fish had completely brought out its smell.
This young man… was definitely a super incredible chef!
As the young serpent-girl breathed in the aroma, she was filled with craving for the dish. She slithered toward the cooking stove with her small body and tried peeking over the counter to catch a glimpse of the fish inside the spirit herb leaves.
However, because of her height, she could only see the steam rising from the leaves and not the tantalizing fish inside.
How frustrating! After watching for a while and still not seeing anything, the young serpent-girl gave up and turned toward Bu Fang. With her childish voice, she asked, "Human big brother, this fish… can we start eating?"
This was not just the young serpent-girl"s thoughts but also the thoughts of everyone present.
They also wanted to know whether they could start eating. With such an enticing aroma, everyone wanted to have a taste.
Bu Fang gave the young serpent-girl a glance. She was no longer about to burst into tears like before. It seemed that the attraction of food was powerful enough to distract her.
A smile appeared on his lips as Bu Fang replied, "Of course… not."
Uhh… Everyone"s face stiffened for a moment. They could not understand the reason for his reply. Why were they not allowed to start eating? The fish was so aromatic, what was the reason for not allowing them to have a taste?
The eyes of the young serpent-girl widened and she angrily puffed up her cheeks...
Elder sister Mu was also looking toward Bu Fang in puzzlement. The dish was already finished… Why couldn"t they have a taste? He could not even accede… to the simple request of a little girl?
Bu Fang did not pay any attention to their expressions and instead started the fire of another cooking stove. Once the temperature of the wok was hot enough, he added some oil and poured in the julienned vegetables before he started stir-frying.
Bu Fang threw in the seasoning in a skillful manner. After a short while, the stir-frying of the side dish was finished.
The expression on everyone"s face was slightly awkward. As it turned out, the dish was not finished yet. No wonder he refused to let the young serpent-girl have a taste. A chef would naturally refuse to let the customer have a taste if the dish was not complete. This was a basic principle of a chef.
Using a spatula, he directly poured the slightly viscous side dish over the fish on the leaves. The overwhelming fragrance of the side dish mixed together with the aroma of the fish produced an indescribably euphoric aroma.
After Bu Fang sliced the fruits and placed them on the leaves, this colorful dish of Spirit Swamp Grilled Fish was completed.
While Bu Fang was making the side dish, he stir-fried the vegetables over high heat in a short duration. Therefore, the appearance of the ingredients were still as glossy and alluring as ever.
The meat of the fish lying in gravy was slightly trembling. The incisions made on its body had opened up because of the grilling process. Its white and tender flesh was covered in grease as well as the sauce.
Bu Fang twirled the kitchen knife in his hand before placing it back down on the cutting board. He calmly gave the crowd a glance and said, "The dish is completed, please have a taste."
Completed? It was finally completed! Waiting for this fish to be grilled was practically torture for them...
Looking at the steaming grilled fish, everyone was suddenly overwhelmed with indescribable emotions.
Elder sister Mu slithered toward the grilled fish and her eyes were filled with amazement. It… was simply too beautiful. The colors of the vegetables were bright and diverse. Because of the oil on their surface, they appeared to be glittering with vibrant colors. The aroma of the fish was also outstanding. Without a doubt… this dish was flawless! It was definitely going to be delicious.
"Big brother, can we start eating now?" the young serpent-girl eagerly asked once more.
Bu Fang nodded. He did not reject her request this time.
The young serpent-girl was immediately overjoyed. She grabbed her mother"s hand and urgently said, "Mom, hurry and feed me the fis.h.!.+"
In order to placate her daughter, elder sister Mu grabbed a pair of chopsticks. She did not choose to pick up any of the side dish. Instead, she picked up a piece of the fish and popped the meat into her daughter"s mouth.
Once the piece of meat entered her mouth, everyone"s gaze was focused on the young serpent-girl. They all wanted to see her reaction.
The moment when the young serpent-girl tasted the meat of the fish, her eyes widened and her face was filled with astonishment...
This fish was… compared to the fish cooked by her mother… really more delicious!
Elder sister Mu narrowed her eyes and her gaze landed on the grill fish.
Bu Fang did not serve the grilled fish on a plate. Instead, he left the fish on the grilling pit with the fire still brightly burning below. The gravy was bubbling and the meat of the fish was trembling...
This seemed like a gradual process. At the start, the taste of the fish would definitely be fresh and delicious. However, after a while, the meat of the fish would gradually harden but its taste would become more flavorful and its texture would become even firmer!
Elder sister Mu swallowed her saliva with a gulp and then used her chopsticks to tear off the meat near the gills of the fish. This was the most delicious part of the fish.
Once the meat entered her mouth, elder sister Mu could not help but narrow her eyes in ecstasy. The flavors of the fish spreading and lingering within her mouth were sending her into throes of pleasure.
By then, the rest of the people could not sit still any longer and all started coming forward. Wu Yunbai popped a piece of meat into her mouth as well and was completely taken prisoner by its flavors. This fish… was the most delicious fish she had ever tasted. Nothing could compare against its flavors.
"Hmm… There seems to be spirit energy inside the meat? How is that even possible… The meat of a first grade spirit beast shouldn"t have any spirit energy left after cooking, right?" Wu Yunbai thought in slight puzzlement.
Bu Fang seemed to have sensed her confusion. A smile appeared on his lips as he said, "These leaves are actually from a third grade spirit herb. It"s rich in spirit energy and has a calming effect on the mind. After my preparation and cooking, the spirit energy in the spirit herb has gathered into the meat of the fish. Furthermore, its calming effect has also migrated over. In short, this grilled fish could be considered an elixir cuisine, although it"s just the most basic elixir cuisine."
The spirit energy originated from the spirit herb? He could even migrate the calming effect? Elixir cuisine?
Wu Yunbai was stunned for a moment. She suddenly discovered that her bank of knowledge might be somewhat inadequate… She never realised that there was so much knowledge involved in culinary as well!
Elixir cuisine… was a term that she had obviously heard before. However, not just any chef was capable of making elixir cuisines. Even within the White Cloud Villa, only one out of the many great chefs was capable of making elixir cuisines. Furthermore, that chef"s cultivation level was extremely formidable and cooking was just his hobby!
The young chef in front of her who was only a fifth grade Battle-King… could actually make elixir cuisines? That was simply… terrifying!
When the head elder of the serpent-men tribe heard elixir cuisine, his gaze immediately landed on Bu Fang. As he closedly stared at Bu Fang, his intense gaze filled with an inexplicable agitation made Bu Fang"s hair stand on end.