Chen Xuan knew that the best way to engage viewers in her livestream was through interaction.
At first, she wasn't used to it—after all, talking to the air felt awkward. But like anything, familiarity helped her grow more comfortable.
"First up is Buddha Jumps Over the Wall," she said, picking up the prepared sea cucumber, fresh abalone, and other ingredients. "This dish is also known as Fushouquan, a top-tier state banquet dish. The key to this dish is the stock and aged wine. The stock is ready, and all that's left is to prepare the ingredients and simmer them in the pot for about two hours."
The difficulty of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall lay mainly in the stock. Once the stock was made, the rest was just a matter of following the usual steps.
Chen Xuan placed the ingredients one by one into the pot, then ladled a generous scoop of rich stock, bringing it to a high boil.
While the dish simmered, she moved to the water tank and pulled out a bass. "This bass is for making Immortal Fish."
"What's Immortal Fish?"
"Never heard of this dish."
"By the name, it sounds like something from Tan Family Cuisine."
[Chef Pang]: Could it be the Immortal Fish from Hunan cuisine?
Li Aimin asked the question on everyone's mind:
"Chen, what exactly is Immortal Fish?"
After all, he was just an ordinary chef, running a restaurant that specialized in home-style dishes—not complicated ones. Let alone a dish that 90% of people had never heard of.
Chen Xuan explained, "Immortal Fish is a famous dish from Hunan cuisine, but it's hard to find it in Hunan restaurants these days."
"Why's that?"
"Because the method is extremely complicated."
Chen Xuan placed the cleaned bass on the chopping board and continued,
"The key to Immortal Fish is the broth, followed by the fish itself."
She then explained the cooking process:
"To put it simply, the fish is hung above a pot of broth, then covered and simmered on low heat for four hours. The fish steams in the chicken broth, with the steam gradually cooking the fish meat, which then falls into the broth. Eventually, the fish becomes just bones and fishbones, and only then is the Immortal Fish ready."
Everyone was left confused.
"Hang the fish over chicken broth?"
"Steam it with the broth? Never heard of such a method!"
"This sounds incredibly difficult."
"Damn, I'm from Hunan, and I've never even heard of this dish?"
"I've never heard of it either…"
"Is this really Hunan cuisine?"
"Are you sure Sister Chen isn't making this up?"
"If this dish is really as famous as Sister Chen says, why have I never seen it at a restaurant?"
"That's because the dish has been lost."
[Chef Pang] explained:
"Lost? A dish can actually be lost?"
"No way, our culture is too vast to have something 'lost.'"
[Chef Pang]:
"It really has been lost. I heard about it from a senior chef, and I even tried making it myself, but no matter what I did, I couldn't get it right."
"If you can't make it, maybe your skills aren't up to par."
[Chef Pang]: "Not up to par? Well, I may not be a state banquet chef, but I was once the head chef at a Michelin three-star restaurant. Now I'm the executive chef at two five-star hotel restaurants."
"Whoa! This guy's a big deal!"
"Wait, Chef Pang... Could it be Pang Tong, the head chef from Greenfield Hotel?"
"Pang Tong? That name sounds so familiar."
"He was the one who won first place at last year's International Chef Exchange Competition!"
"No way, it's really him!"
[Chef Pang]: "Yep, it's me."
"So, Chef Pang, what do you think of Sister Chen's cooking?"
[Chef Pang]: "It's amazing! Her skills are on par with mine, if not better!"
"Sister Chen, 666!"
"Now that Chef Pang said so, I can clearly see just how awesome Sister Chen really is."
Before, they could only gauge Chen Xuan's cooking based on customer feedback.
But with Chef Pang's endorsement, they now had a clear understanding of her skill.
Chen Xuan took the stock and poured it into a clay pot.
"Now that the broth is ready, we can begin preparing the fish."
"There are two main steps in preparing the fish."
Chen Xuan took a piece of cotton thread, grabbing the fish with her left hand while holding the cotton thread with her right.
"The first step is to fix the cotton thread onto the fish's spine."
With a flick of her finger, the cotton thread passed easily through the fish's mouth and into its belly.
She then grabbed a pre-prepared embroidery needle from the side, gently sliding her finger along the fish's back before pressing it just above the spine. "The placement of the thread is also very important. It can't be too close, or the spine will break during steaming. It also can't be too far, or the fish won't hang vertically in the pot. It must be at the sixth vertebra of the fish's spine. Right here!"
With a flick of her finger, she carefully pierced the fish's back with the needle, and the cotton thread came out perfectly at the desired spot.
This action left everyone stunned.
"What the hell? Is this some kind of magic?"
"How did you know exactly where the cotton thread was?"
"This is sorcery, seriously!"
The cotton thread had gone through the fish's mouth, but no one knew exactly where it was on its back—at most, they had a vague idea.
Yet, Chen Xuan pierced the fish's back with the needle as if she knew exactly where the thread was.
Quick, accurate, and precise!
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。