There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 268 Chrysanthemum Bass

Ye Bingli turned and went to the kitchen. Li Shuchen plucked a handful of tulips of various colors from his left, a handful of chrysanthemums of various colors from his right, and cut a large red peony. He put them in a basket, carried it to the kitchen, and began to think.

A meal consisting of ten dishes and a soup should always include two cold dishes.

I glanced over and saw clusters of cherry tomatoes lying to the side, in red, yellow, orange, green, and purple—colors that perfectly matched the tulips.

Let's make a tulip salad then, let's get started!

Li Shuchen washed the various colored cherry tomatoes and tulip petals, arranged the tulip petals on a plate, then cut the corresponding colored cherry tomatoes in half and placed them on the petals, and finally placed a whole tulip flower in the center.

And so, a beautiful and delicate tulip salad is ready.

Li Shuchen forked one up and put it in his mouth. It was sweet and sour with a floral fragrance, truly delicious. He then forked another one and put it in Bing Li's mouth, casually asking, "How is it?"

Ye Bingli: "This cold dish can be used by guests to cleanse their palates and allow them to better appreciate the fragrance of the flowers."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

After Li Shuchen finished speaking, he began to think about the next cold dish. Just having vegetarian dishes wouldn't do; it would be embarrassing if the guests couldn't finish them all.

Let's braise some beef; it's a meat dish and it'll keep you full for a while, that'll do.

"Uncle Yuan, do you have any beef in the kitchen?"

While wrapping flower cakes, Uncle Yuan replied, "Yes, but to make them last longer, I've marinated them with spices. If you want fresh beef, you'll have to go back to town and buy some."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuchen happily replied, "I just wanted to make braised beef. Where should I put it?"

Uncle Yuan: "It's covered with a cloth in the left corner."

Li Shuchen walked to the left, lifted the white cloth, cut off a piece of beef, and then covered it back up.

Sliced ​​beef is arranged on a plate, layered on top of each other, and then topped with a magnificent red peony. The Peony Beef dish is now complete.

Ye Bingli set the prepared filling aside: "Shu Chen arranged it nicely."

Li Shuchen cheerfully placed the plate on the table, saying, "Keep it low-key, keep it low-key."

"Uncle Yuan, I want to eat chrysanthemum sea bass for lunch. Can you make it for me? I've already caught the fish for you."

Erhu, covered in mud and reeking of fish, stood at the kitchen doorway, carrying four or five bass in one hand and lotus pods in the other.

Li Shuchen heard the chrysanthemum perch ask, "Erhu, where did you catch this fish?"

Erhu said smugly, "The river behind is wide and deep; only I, Erhu, am a good swimmer and can catch fish there."

Li Shuchen gave a thumbs up: "Impressive! Are there many perch in the river?"

Erhu: "Yes, I've been catching and eating over a hundred of them."

Li Shuchen took the fish from Erhu's hand: "Erhu, go wash it quickly."

Erhu: "Okay!"

Uncle Yuan put the flower cakes into the oven to bake, then came over and said, "Girl, can you prepare the fish for me?"

Li Shuchen handed the fish to Uncle Yuan, saying, "I'm going to pick chrysanthemums."

Uncle Yuan called out to Li Shuchen, who was walking out, "Girl, come back. You don't need to pick chrysanthemums."

Li Shuchen: "Aren't we making chrysanthemum sea bass? How can it be without chrysanthemums?"

Uncle Yuan laughed and said, "Haha, girl, you've misunderstood. The name 'Chrysanthemum Bass' comes from the fact that the shape of the bass meat after it's been cut resembles a chrysanthemum."

Li Shuchen nodded upon hearing this: "Then I'll pick some chrysanthemums and put them in when I cook, and then it will be a truly authentic chrysanthemum perch, right?"

Uncle Yuan: "Not bad at all."

Li Shuchen: "Uncle Yuan, you go ahead and prepare the fish, I'll go pick some chrysanthemums."

Uncle Yuan: "Okay!"

When Li Shuchen returned after picking chrysanthemums, Ye Bingli smiled and said, "Shuchen, the fresh flower rolls are ready! Come and have a taste!"

Li Shuchen didn't stand on ceremony, picking one up and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Click~"

Li Shuchen was taken aback: "It's actually crispy?"

Ye Bingli: "The outer skin is deep-fried, and the inside is soft. Shu Chen, do you think it tastes good?"

Li Shuchen nodded eagerly: "Delicious! Bingli not only makes excellent pastries, but her meals are equally outstanding."

"What's outstanding?"

Gu Ziying walked into the kitchen with the blueprints in her hand.

Li Shuchen: "Ziying, you're here! Quickly try this flower cloud roll; Bingli made it absolutely delicious."

Gu Ziying took a bite and said, "The outer shell is crispy, and the filling is tender and sweet. It's really good."

Uncle Yuan: "My colorful flower cakes are ready too! You girls, come and try them while they're hot!"

Li Shuchen was in a hurry; he fiddled with a bellflower cake in his hand several times before finally putting it in his mouth.

"Platycodon grandiflorus is not only beautiful but also delicious. Uncle Yuan, your cooking skills are truly excellent."

Gu Ziying glanced at the colorful flower cakes: "White lisianthus, red roses, pink peonies, yellow chrysanthemums, violets, blue hydrangeas, and orange roses."

Uncle Yuan smiled and said, "Good eye! You all eat first, I'll go make chrysanthemum perch."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuchen quickly grabbed another flower cake and went to Uncle Yuan's side to 'learn the craft'.

Uncle Yuan sliced ​​the sea bass horizontally into two pieces, removed the bones and thorns, and then made straight cuts about 1 cm wide and 0.3 cm deep on the flesh side. He then made diagonal cuts about 1 cm wide across the flesh, and finally cut it into six large chrysanthemum-shaped sea bass pieces.

"Has the little girl learned it?"

Li Shuchen: "I understand."

Uncle Yuan handed the knife to Li Shuchen: "Try it."

Li Shuchen took the knife and got to work, cutting off the head, severing the tail, removing the bones and thorns, then using a decorative knife to cut large chunks. The whole sequence of movements was fluid and graceful, breathtakingly cool.

He unexpectedly received praise from Ye Bingli: "Shu Chen is amazing!"

"I've always been great."

After Li Shuchen finished speaking, he moved on to the next fish, continuing until all five fish were processed.

"Uncle Yuan, what should we do next?"

Uncle Yuan: "Pickling, girl, get the salt and wine."

Li Shuchen did as instructed.

Uncle Yuan took the items, put salt and wine into the large basin to marinate them, and then coated them with a layer of starch.

"The oil used to fry roses can be used to fry fish."

"I see fire"

Li Shuchen added a piece of firewood to the bottom of the pot and waited for the oil to heat up.

Uncle Yuan carried the brazier to the stove and waited.

Li Shuchen, playing with a fire poker, asked, "How hot do you need it to be?"

"Seventy percent complete, that's it."

Uncle Yuan put pieces of fish into the oil one by one.

"Stab~"

"Stab~"

"Stab~"

The pieces of fish began to deform, then gradually stabilized.

Ye Bingli: "The fried fish really looks like a chrysanthemum."

Li Shuchen: "Uncle Yuan is amazing!"

Uncle Yuan laughed and said, "Erhu loves to eat fish, so I just thought about it a bit out of boredom."

Li Shuchen: "Erhu is truly blessed."

Uncle Yuan: "Erhu is strong and honest. He even brought all the firewood for the kitchen. The chrysanthemum fish is ready!"

Uncle Yuan finished scooping out the fish and started plating it.

Li Shuchen: "Is this ready to eat?"

Uncle Yuan: "What's missing is the sauce. It's simple: just mix salt, vinegar, sugar, tomato sauce, and cornstarch in a pot and bring it to a boil."

Li Shuchen: "Let's add some chrysanthemum shreds together."

Uncle Yuan: "Okay"

Li Shuchen quickly washed the chrysanthemum petals and added them to the sauce.

Uncle Yuan flipped the pan a couple of times: "It's done!"

Then pour it over the fish one by one.

Li Shuchen then added some fresh chrysanthemum shreds to each plate of fish.

"Perfect"