Su Chen scooped the oat flour into the mixing bowl again, recalling his final attempt in the practice room. ’There was clearly nothing wrong with it!’
Just then, Aunt Fang returned from cleaning outside.
"Making oat noodles?"
"Yup."
Aunt Fang walked over to Su Chen, intrigued. "Why did it all collapse?"
"I don’t know... It never happened before," Su Chen lied.
Aunt Fang gave Su Chen a curious look. "Do it again. Let me watch."
"Okay." Su Chen went back to boiling water. Just as he was about to pour it into the mixing bowl, Aunt Fang stopped him.
"That’s not right." Aunt Fang rolled up her sleeves and began washing her hands. "That’s not how you mix oat noodle dough."
Su Chen was baffled.
"You can’t use that water." Aunt Fang turned, filled a basin with tap water from the sink, and set it on the stove to boil. "You can’t use purified water."
"Why not?" Su Chen asked, his curiosity piqued.
"It’s like they say, the local water shapes the local people. I can’t really explain it, but it just doesn’t work," Aunt Fang said with a laugh. "A few of my relatives moved away and were always craving oat noodles. I mailed them the flour, but they could never get it to turn out right."
Su Chen tilted his head. ’Is that really a thing?’
"Only the water from around here works for oat noodles. It won’t work anywhere else. We don’t know why." As she spoke, the water in the pot came to a boil.
Aunt Fang poured the boiling water into a kettle, ready to start kneading the dough by hand.
"Let me do it!" Su Chen said, taking the kettle.
Oat noodle dough had to be made with freshly boiled water. Lukewarm or cold water simply wouldn’t do.
A small stream of scalding water poured into the bowl, and Su Chen immediately plunged his hands in to mix it, leaving everyone present dumbfounded.
"Doesn’t that burn you?" Aunt Fang cried out in alarm.
Su Chen chuckled. "It doesn’t feel hot. I’m used to it."
’This is the benefit of the White Jade Hand!’
Moreover, the ability was completely passive. He could still perceive temperature, but he couldn’t be harmed by it. It was as if the sensation of heat was censored by a mosaic.
"That’s amazing!"
Under everyone’s astonished gazes, Su Chen repeatedly poured in boiling water until he had worked the oat flour into a smooth dough.
He then took out an heirloom stone slate, pinched off a piece of the oat dough, placed it on the slate, and rolled it out from top to bottom with the heel of his hand.
Then, starting from the top edge, he carefully rolled it downward, forming a perfect little scroll.
He placed the oat scrolls upright in a steamer basket, repeating the process until the basket was full. "Is this really going to work?"
Aunt Fang nodded with great certainty. "Don’t worry. My family has always used purified water for drinking and cooking. I used to wonder why I couldn’t make oat noodles anymore after we moved. It was only later that I realized you can’t make them with purified water—it has to be tap water."
’Holy cow!’
’So water can be a local specialty?’
Regardless, this was a desperate gamble. ’If it still doesn’t work out, I’ll just switch to making Wen Si Tofu!’
The chicken broth was ready, after all, and Su Chen could prepare that dish in a flash.
「Ten minutes until service.」
Su Chen began to Blast the prepared and dusted mandarin fish in the wok. "Shuting, remember not to get my face in the video."
"Okay!"
The first half of the preparation for Squirrel Mandarin Fish is more or less the same for every chef.
The head is cut off, the main bone and side bones are removed, and then crisscross cuts are made from the inside of the flesh down to the skin, allowing the meat to open up like a flower without breaking apart.
This was the basic method.
But whether a Squirrel Mandarin Fish was delicious or not all came down to the quality of the sauce!
"Boss Su, the way you’re making this sauce is a bit different from what I’ve seen," Liu Ahbao asked as he watched from the side.
This was something Su Chen had requested—that he ask questions as needed while they filmed.
"Yes, the common approach is to use ketchup, sugar, and white vinegar for the flavor, and to sprinkle on a few honey-glazed beans when pouring the sauce. I’ll be adding some other ingredients, and I won’t be using ketchup."
For certain sweet and sour dishes, using ketchup would be considered heretical by some, or even unprofessional.
No one said that about Squirrel Mandarin Fish, but Su Chen’s decision not to use ketchup still left Liu Ahbao quite stunned.
And it wasn’t just that Su Chen didn’t use ketchup; his entire method for making the sauce left Liu Ahbao completely baffled!
"But Boss Su, the standard way is to first bloom the minced scallions, ginger, and garlic in oil to release their fragrance. You’re just..."
He could only watch as Su Chen added a ladleful of chicken broth directly into the wok!
Then he added sugar, rice wine, scallions, ginger, shiitake mushrooms, and winter bamboo shoots. This combination of ingredients wasn’t entirely unheard of, but it was at least exceedingly rare!
Once the chicken broth came to a boil, he poured a starch slurry into the wok and stirred continuously in circles with the back of his ladle.
Once the broth thickened into a sauce, he scooped up a bit of oil, heated it over a scorching flame, and then poured it into the wok.
"Ah Bao, the fish!"
Liu Ahbao watched as the fish in the wok Blasted to a perfect golden brown and couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration. ’That’s Boss Su for you!’
’He can juggle two tasks at once and still get the timing so perfect!’
He lifted the fish from the wok and arranged it on a plate. Wisps of steam were still visibly rising from its body as Su Chen quickly ladled the boiling sauce and poured it all over the fish.
WHOOSH!
The moment the sauce hit the fish, the aroma was incredible!
The few people watching all found themselves sniffing the air.
"Boss, when will we ever get to eat a fish like this?" Zhang Li asked quietly.
Su Chen glanced up at her. "You just have to pay for it. It’s that simple."
Erk!
’It really is that simple... and yet so, so difficult!’
"Boss, the guests are here!" Bai Xiaobo, who was on lookout duty, ran in to announce.
Su Chen nodded. "Serve the food!"
"You got it!" Liu Ahbao carried the Squirrel Mandarin Fish out to the dining area.
He Shuting helped portion the stewed Lion’s Head meatballs onto six plates, which Aunt Fang then carried out.
"Let the guests eat first. Now for the real race against time!"
Su Chen muttered to himself.
It was also time to reveal his dish that would subvert Huaiyang Cuisine: the Braised Dried Tofu!