The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 551 Failed Cooking

Smile again...

Upon hearing this request, Qin Lang fell silent.

He, who had never struggled with making dishes from watermelon or desserts from meat, stood there with a furrowed brow.

"I'm sorry..." the woman said apologetically, "My request might be a bit difficult for you. How about this, just do me anything."

“No.” Qin Lang shook his head. “Your request was indeed very challenging, but I’m willing to give it a try.”

Food is the most important thing for people. It is not only a necessity for survival, but also a spiritual enjoyment. Therefore, enjoying delicious food is a pleasant thing.

For Qin Lang, it would be a very meaningful thing if the food he cooked could make a depressed person happy again.

Even with his extensive culinary experience from his previous life, he had never accepted such a challenge before, and he was very interested in it.

But before that…

Can you tell me why you're unhappy?

Qin Lang spoke softly.

“This…” The woman hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently, “Okay.”

“My mother passed away last week.” As she said this, her eyes reddened slightly, and she couldn’t help but cover her mouth. “I feel like a part of my world is missing, and I have a very empty feeling inside.”

"I think about her every moment, so..."

The woman's voice trembled with emotion, "So during this time, I haven't smiled at all, and I'm completely unable to get out of this sadness."

"I'm sorry," Qin Lang said softly, momentarily at a loss for words.

The passing of my mother…

He could empathize with such sorrow, having experienced it in his previous life, but their memories of their mothers were different.

Therefore, he couldn't possibly comfort the other person with twice-cooked pork.

The woman shook her head and said softly, "My mother loved cooking. Although her cooking skills couldn't compare to those of the best chefs, in my heart, her dishes were the most delicious."

"Especially her tofu and fish soup, I can always eat a lot of it. I can eat two big bowls of rice with the fish soup..."

She rambled on and on, then looked somewhat embarrassed at Qin Lang, who was listening patiently, and said, "Sorry, I've talked a bit too much."

“No.” Qin Lang shook his head. “I already have an inspiration.”

Tofu and fish soup...

Since this is part of the diner's memory of his mother, let him try to recreate it.

However, even knowing the name is still difficult.

Even the same dish can taste quite different when made by different people, let alone Qin Lang's knowledge of this dish, which is limited to the dish itself.

It's almost impossible to recreate the taste from someone's memory.

So, I can only give it a try, albeit reluctantly.

He glanced at the "rejection card" item he had just acquired.

If all else fails, we'll have to use this prop.

"Wait a moment." After saying this softly, Qin Lang turned his head, stood in front of the table and pondered for a moment, then took out two fresh crucian carp from the food storage.

Of all the fish and tofu soups, Qin Lang was most familiar with crucian carp and tofu soup. This soup was fresh and nutritious, with a mild flavor and no fishy taste.

This was also a dish he planned to make for women.

Remove the scales from the crucian carp, gut it, and remove the gills. Carefully scrape away the black membrane inside the abdomen and wipe away any blood near the bone with kitchen paper. Pour boiling water over the crucian carp briefly, scrape off the mucus from the skin with a knife, and finally pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut off the dorsal, caudal, pectoral, and cephalic fins. The process is now complete.

After processing the other crucian carp in the same way, Qin Lang found a piece of firm tofu, cut it into cubes, put it in a bowl, soaked it in hot water, sprinkled it with a little salt, and set it aside for later use.

This step is to remove the beany smell of the tofu, so that it won't affect the final taste of the crucian carp and tofu soup.

Heat the wok and add a little oil. Place a few slices of ginger on the bottom of the wok with the cold oil, then carefully place the two crucian carp into the wok and gently shake the wok to prevent them from sticking.

As the aroma of fresh fish gradually rises, after frying for about a minute, flip the crucian carp over. The taut outer surface of the fried side is clearly visible.

After frying the other side, drain the oil from the pan. This oil will have a fishy smell from frying, so discarding it will further remove the fishy smell.

Add a suitable amount of lard to the pot to enhance the aroma, and add a few slices of ginger. Pour in cooking wine to allow the alcohol to evaporate and further remove the fishy smell. Once the alcohol has evaporated to the point where you can barely smell the wine, pour hot water into the pot.

Bring the water to a boil over high heat with the lid off. Skim off any foam, add scallions, and keep the heat constant. Cover and simmer for five or six minutes. Then add tofu and wakame seaweed to the pot, cover again, and simmer for ten minutes.

Finally, add salt and white pepper to taste, and sprinkle with a little cilantro.

Out of the pot!

The milky white broth of the nourishing and warming crucian carp and tofu soup is ready!

"Crucian carp and tofu soup, please enjoy!"

Qin Lang placed the dishes in front of the woman and looked at her expectantly.

"This..." the woman couldn't help but widen her eyes, "It looks so familiar..."

The tofu and fish soup his mother made for him also had the same milky white color.

She couldn't resist picking up a spoon, scooping out a small bowlful, and then tasting it in small bites.

A moment of amazement flashed across her face, but it was quickly followed by confusion and a hint of disappointment.

"How is it?" Qin Lang, who had been watching the other party's expression closely, felt a sudden unease and couldn't help but ask.

"Thank you for your kindness," the woman said softly. "This crucian carp and tofu soup is truly delicious, and I understand what you mean, but..."

"It doesn't taste like the one I remember."

As she finished speaking, the woman's voice became choked with emotion. She gently put down the bowl, not even tasting most of the remaining fish soup in the pot, before standing up with red eyes and turning to leave.

"Wait!" Qin Lang quickly called out to the other person, his expression changing from hesitation to determination. "I'm sorry I didn't make a dish that satisfied you."

"But I hope you can give me another chance to try."

"Could you come again at this time tomorrow?"

The woman didn't speak, but nodded slightly, which was taken as agreement to Qin Lang's request, and then she hurriedly disappeared into the crowd.

Only when he could no longer see the other person did Qin Lang reluctantly turn his gaze away.

It seems I still have a long way to go in terms of cooking skills…

"Um, Chef Qin..."

A voice brought Qin Lang back to his senses.

He turned his head and saw a group of diners who had previously enjoyed the food at his place gathered together, staring longingly at the pot of fish soup.

"We can't waste this fish soup, can we share it?"

Qin Lang: “…”

He nodded somewhat speechlessly, and the diners cheered and rushed forward.

(End of this chapter)