Chapter 407: Chapter 407: Mutual Achievement
The broth cubes placed inside the fish’s belly had already solidified in the refrigerator.
What Zhao Gushen just tasted was the broth meant to be poured over the fish.
Zhao Gushen went to change his clothes first.
Ye Fei placed the broth cubes inside the fish’s belly, tied the incision near the fish’s belly with a string, and then put it in the pot to fry until golden.
She served it onto a plate and finally poured the stewed thick chicken broth over it.
Brought to the table, Zhao Gushen sat down with Xiao Mo.
"It’s so fresh!" Xiao Mo’s mouth was almost watering, "Dad, Xiao Fei, can I try a sip of the broth?"
"Go ahead and taste it," Ye Fei said with a smile.
Xiao Mo took a spoon and scooped a small spoonful of broth.
The broth trickled over the fish and into the plate, accumulating shallowly at the bottom.
The broth was a light tea color, faint and clear enough to see through.
There wasn’t even a trace of oil glistening on the surface of the broth; it was transparent as if it were real tea.
Yet the aroma it emitted was exceptionally savory.
"So fresh!" Xiao Mo’s little face was flushed, "My tongue is about to fall off!"
Zhao Gushen also took a sip. It was fresh, though seemed to lack something.
Ye Fei tried it too, feeling a bit dissatisfied.
"Shall we break open the fish’s belly?" Zhao Gushen asked Ye Fei.
"You do it," said Ye Fei, who was trying this dish for the first time, feeling nervous and not daring to open the fish’s belly herself.
"What’s inside the fish’s belly?" Xiao Mo was puzzled.
He thought it was just an ordinary steamed fish.
"Watch carefully," Zhao Gushen reminded Xiao Mo, and demonstrated by poking the fish’s belly with chopsticks.
He saw that the fish’s belly was incredibly elastic.
"Aren’t there fish bones?" Xiao Mo was surprised, "Why does it feel like a water balloon!"
"I removed the fish bones, and there is broth inside," Ye Fei explained with a smile.
"This dish is called Drunken Yellow Croaker, which means the broth is filled inside the fish," Ye Fei explained.
Only then did Zhao Gushen pierce the fish’s belly with the tip of his chopsticks, sliding open a cut to reveal the inside.
The broth inside immediately started flowing out.
"Wow!" Xiao Mo’s eyes were popping out.
This scene was really beautiful and astonishing!
"I should have taken a picture!" Xiao Mo regretted.
The broth that was originally in the fish’s belly flowed out and merged with the chicken broth on the plate.
The broth inside the fish’s belly exuded a savory aroma, with a slight hint of wine.
"After preparing the fish, I added some rice wine into the belly as a rinse. So both the fish’s belly and the broth will have a hint of rice wine flavor," Ye Fei said, "However, the alcohol content of rice wine is not high, and I didn’t put much. It only adds a hint of wine aroma, and the alcohol has evaporated during cooking. It’s okay for Xiao Mo to eat."
"Just tasting the broth alone felt like something was missing. Now with the two broths blended together and the aroma of rice wine added," Zhao Gushen took another spoonful, "let me try it."
After taking a sip, his eyes lit up, and he smiled, "This is very close to Gu Changfeng’s Drunken Yellow Croaker."
"However, the taste is slightly different. I can’t quite pinpoint it because Gu Changfeng likely has his own unique secret formula," Zhao Gushen said.
Even though he is Gu Changfeng’s boss, he can’t ask for the recipe for every dish.
After all, Gu Changfeng is a Three-star Michelin chef.
He and "Qiwei" can be said to have achieved success together.
Because Gu Changfeng became the head chef at "Qiwei," he had the opportunity to become a Three-star Michelin chef.
And "Qiwei," because of Gu Changfeng, was elevated to a Three-star Michelin Restaurant.
