BXBX NOVEL Chapter 23 - 23: Squirrel Mandarin Fish
Speaking of dishes made from Mandarin Fish, there’s one dish that has to be mentioned.
It’s a classic dish of Suzhou Cuisine, the Squirrel Mandarin Fish.
The moment Qin Lang got his hands on this Mandarin fish, it was the first dish he thought of.
The moment Qin Lang picked up his kitchen knife, Dan Bao moved closer, his face filled with curiosity.
The ingredient Qin Lang had obtained was something Dan Bao had never seen before.
This means that the dish Qin Lang is about to prepare is a new one!
“Gududu?”
“This dish is called Squirrel Mandarin Fish.” Qin Lang smiled, and skillfully began to descale and gut the fish, “When it’s done, it looks like a squirrel.”
The Squirrel Mandarin Fish is divided into two types, one is Yuanbao-shaped, and the other is shaped like an actual squirrel.
The former looks like a Yuanbao with the fish head facing upwards and the fish body curling up, symbolizing good luck. The latter, which is shaped like a squirrel, is more often seen in restaurants as it has life-like details.
Cooking a fish to look like a squirrel?
There are dishes as interesting as this?
Dan Bao blinked, with curiosity showing on his tiny face.
Qin Lang skillfully ran the knife close to the fish’s dorsal fin, deboning to divide the fish body into two, then remove the spines on the sides.
“Dan Bao, help me prepare the scallions and ginger.” As Qin Lang requested, he began to score the two halves of the fish.
He first scored diagonally, then vertically, to elongate the pieces of fish.
If preparing the yuanbao shape, the knife needs to tilt more, so each slice of fish can open up as much as possible. If shaping it to look like a squirrel, the knife should only tilt slightly, shorter slices of fish make the shaping process easier to control.
This cutting technique is also known as the Lychee Cutting Technique. After heating, the skin of the fish curls up, revealing distinct morsels of fish that resemble lychees, making the dish particularly attractive.
On the other side, Dan Bao already adeptly selected the scallions and ginger from the side ingredients and started to prepare them with great effort.
They finished at the same time.
The two halves of the fish were put into a bowl with water, chopped scallions and ginger, and cooking wine, for a brief marination.
With a gentle shake, the scored fish looked like it had bloomed. The thin slices of fish were trembling in the water, which made a stunning sight.
Dan Bao leaned in, with his eyes widened, staring at the fish meat in the water as if he was amazed.
“Dan Bao, help me with these oranges.” Qin Lang handed several oranges to Dan Bao.
“Gududu!”
Leave it to me!
Dan Bao took the oranges and began to prepare them with great concentration.
While Dan Bao was busy with the oranges, Qin Lang had already started another phase of the preparation.
Both halves of the fish were arranged to form the body and the large tail of the squirrel, while the short fin part at the back of the fish gill formed the squirrel’s head.
The whiskers of the squirrel are formed by the rib bones from the belly of the fish.
After assembling a squirrel head for later use, it was about time to finish marinating the fish for deodorization.
After shaking off the water, two halves of the fish were put into the cornstarch. Once each shred of fish was well coated with cornstarch, the excess starch was shaken off, and the fish was spread out skin side down to rest for a few minutes.
This step is called ‘nourishing the paste’.
During this resting period, the dry cornstarch on the surface of the fish would absorb the moisture in the fish, forming a tight layer of starch.
During the deep-frying process, the starch layer quickly hardens, becoming dense, much like a micro steamer, perfectly retaining the tenderness of the fish.
Only then can the Squirrel Mandarin Fish achieve a crispy exterior and tender interior.
While the fish was resting, Qin Lang had not been idle either.
The preparation of the sauce needs to be done in advance.
If you wait until after the Squirrel Mandarin Fish is fried to prepare the sauce, the newly fried fish would have already started to cool, failing to generate the sizzling sound when served.
The sizzling sound, reminiscent of the squirrel’s cries, is an integral part of this dish.
After receiving the prepared oranges from Dan Bao, Qin Lang quickly peeled them and used a juicer to extract the juice.
He was preparing a sweet and sour sauce, but to improve the final taste, he added orange juice to it.
Orange juice was added to the pan, then a pinch of salt, the white sugar and the white vinegar were poured in at a 1:1 ratio.
As soon as the pot started to bubble, he added cornstarch slurry to thicken the mixture, and then kept it on low heat to maintain its temperature.
The process took only a few minutes, and meanwhile, the fish’s body was covered in slurry.
He heated up the pan with oil, and slowly placed the fish, fixed with toothpicks to retain its shape, into the pan.
In an instant, accompanied by a crisp sizzling sound, countless tiny bubbles erupted from the fish.
A rich aroma from the oil frying burst out in the process, causing Dan Bao to take a deep breath, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.
“We’re just getting started,” Qin Lang said with a smile, scooping up hot oil and continuously pouring it over the surface of the fish to even out the heat. Once the fish was set in its shape, he took it out.
The scooped-up fish presented a light yellow color. As the fish skin heated and curled up, it also spread out, looking as delicate and fluffy as squirrel fur, and there was a continuous emergence of a rich aroma.
The prepared squirrel head was slightly coated with cornstarch, then fried in the oil until golden, and finally scooped out.
The oil temperature was higher at this point.
The fish body was put in again to be deep fried; in just an instant, a strong aroma burst out from the pan.
This aroma had the unique fragrance of deep-fried starch as well as the fresh fragrance of fish.
The light yellow color on the fish’s body gradually deepened during the frying process, eventually turning into a beautiful golden color.
Dan Bao unconsciously swallowed his saliva.
It looks so delicious!
As it is, it seems tasty!
The fish was taken out, and the squirrel’s head, body and tail were arranged into shape. Qin Lang carefully poured the previously prepared sweet and sour sauce over every inch of the Squirrel Mandarin Fish.
The fish was still hot from frying, and when the sweet and sour sauce was poured over it, it gave off a burst of sizzling sounds.
The Squirrel Mandarin Fish, ready!
“Father, I thought you knew Qin Lang, and his test would be easier,” said Zhou
Yun at the dining table, “1 didn’t expect you to give him such a test.”
Cooking one’s own caught fish is a process filled with randomness.
The type of fish cannot be determined, nor can the quality of the fish that is caught be determined.
Therefore, it’s more difficult than cooking a specific type of fish.
The latter is the way Zhou Qing used to test the Spirit Chef in the past.
“Let’s see,” Zhou Qing calmly sipped his tea, “I believe he has the potential.”
“Alright.” Zhou Yun nods, then changes the subject, “Father, what was that special invitation you received the other day?”
“The Leaping Fish Banquet in Mingjing Province,” Zhou Qing looked at Zhou Yun, “1 visited Mingjing Province many years ago and made a few old friends there. They invited me to come and see this time.”
“It’s two months away. After the city-level competition is over, it wouldn’t hurt to go see it.”
“I see.” Zhou Yun sighed, “It’s a pity I can’t take time off as a Food Fight Judge for the Association, otherwise, I’d also have a chance to experience it.”
A sizzling sound interrupted their conversation.
Smelling the strong aroma that quickly wafted over, both father and son of the Zhou family expressed surprise in their eyes.
They turned their heads together and looked at Qin Lang carrying the fish platter.
Placing the fish platter on the dining table, Qin Lang smiled slightly.
“The Squirrel Mandarin Fish, please taste.”
End Chapter Teaser:
[Yuanbao-Shaped Mandarin Squirrel Fish]
[Schematic Mandarin Squirrel Fish]