A Bite of Douluo Continent

During the process of steaming the fish head to cook the gelatinous substance, the gelatinous substance not only gets cooked but also absorbs a large amount of steam. As a result, the gelatinous substance after cooking is soft and glutinous, but it cannot achieve the same level of elasticity.

The key to achieving this is the final step of pouring hot oil over the fish head.

The hot oil, which has absorbed a lot of the spicy flavor of chopped chili peppers, is poured directly over the steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers after it has been heated to a rolling boil.

The scalding hot oil quickly penetrated, coming into close contact with the fish head through the gaps between the thick layer of chopped chili peppers covering its surface, creating an effect similar to deep-frying.

When the gel comes into contact with hot oil, it loses a lot of moisture from its surface, causing the epidermis to tighten and become taut.

The surface gelatinous texture is therefore elastic, while the internal gelatinous texture remains soft, chewy, and refreshing.

This process gives the fish head a texture that is both elastic and soft.

Qi Han put a mouthful of gelatinous substance directly into his mouth. The moment it entered his mouth, the unique and rich spicy flavor of the chopped chili peppers instantly permeated his tongue, bringing a strong burning sensation.

Ouch, so spicy!

However, the spiciness was not continuous. Soon, Qi Han could taste the even richer aroma hidden within the spiciness.

After a brief period of numbness from the burning sensation, the tip of the tongue slowly regained its sensation, and the unique flavor of the gelatinous substance in the fish head burst forth at that moment.

There was no fishy smell in the gelatinous substance. The unique fresh flavor of the fish head was slightly light, like a clear spring, nourishing things silently. As Qi Han chewed, it was slowly released from the gelatinous substance and completely blended with the spicy flavor of the chopped chili soup coating the surface of the gelatinous substance.

Like chewing jelly, Qi Han closed his eyes, savoring the complex and distinct flavors and exquisite texture as they burst forth.

Wonderful.

The gelatinous substance covering the fish head was lifted, revealing the crescent-shaped meat hidden beneath.

The crescent-shaped piece of meat is located in front of the gills and behind the eyes, precisely where Qi Han had previously made a crack when he cut it.

Between the large, smooth, and translucent fish cheekbones, the crescent-shaped fish meat is white and tender, with pink patches scattered on it.

This is the most tender and succulent part of the entire fish.

Those tiny pinkish patches are not uncooked fish.

Fish meat is white meat, so even if it's not fully cooked, it won't be pink.

From the perspective of fish physiology, the crescent-shaped flesh is closely connected to the gills. Since fish need to breathe constantly, the gill covers will open and close continuously throughout their lives. As a result, the crescent-shaped flesh becomes more elastic and vibrant through constant movement, and it also contains more collagen and fat.

Slowly, Qi Han used chopsticks to pick out the large piece of fish bone that was wrapped around the crescent-shaped meat, sucked the broth and a trace of gelatin from the surface of the fish bone, and then placed it on the table next to him. Then, with great excitement, Qi Han picked out a whole piece of crescent-shaped meat.

With such a large head, the crescent-shaped piece of meat in the hammerhead carp was naturally also quite large. This particular piece of meat was about half the size of a palm, making it the largest crescent-shaped piece of meat Qi Han had ever seen.

The crescent-shaped meat from a regular fish head isn't enough for a single bite, but this one is different.

You can eat to your heart's content.

The crescent-shaped fish meat is extremely tender, with a firmer and more bouncy texture than ordinary fish meat.

Before steaming the fish, Qi Han made a crack in the fish bone that wrapped the crescent-shaped meat. During the steaming process, a large amount of steam, carrying the spicy aroma of the chopped chili peppers covering the surface of the fish head, continuously seeped into the crescent-shaped meat through the crack. Therefore, although the crescent-shaped meat was wrapped in a large piece of fish bone and located inside the fish head, it was just as flavorful.

"Awoo!"

He took a big bite, and the crescent-shaped meat almost oozed juice into Qi Han's mouth. With just a gentle chew, a rich and fragrant fish flavor, along with the subtle spiciness of chopped chili peppers, continuously wafted out, quickly filling Qi Han's lips and teeth and lingering on his tongue.

What delicious fish!

Qi Han's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but slow down his chewing.

After swallowing the crescent-shaped piece of meat, Qi Han looked at the remaining two-thirds of the meat on his chopsticks and couldn't help but smile.

There is another way to eat crescent-shaped meat.

That means you eat it by dipping it in the sauce made from the chopped chili peppers on the plate.

Qi Han dipped the bite mark he had made into the soup on the plate, then took another bite.

Unlike the previous flavor of chopped chili that seeped into the crescent-shaped meat, this time the surface of the meat was covered with the fresh and spicy broth of chopped chili. As Qi Han chewed, his mouth felt a burning sensation.

The broth that has absorbed the rich, spicy flavor of the chopped chili peppers is the spiciest.

"hiss…"

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his lips felt somewhat swollen.

But the discomfort it brought was not much; instead, a feeling of exhilaration gradually welled up in my heart as I savored the chopped chili fish head.

That's cool!

After finishing the crescent-shaped piece of meat in three bites, Qi Han reached for the chopped chili fish head on the plate again.

cooked rice!

...

A plate of steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers, about the size of a cutting board, looks like a very generous portion, but in reality…

The portion size is really generous.

When Qi Han had some leftover chopped chili peppers on his plate and a pile of fish bones next to it, he was already about 60% full.

Looking at the remaining soup and chopped chili peppers on the oversized plate, Qi Han fell into deep thought.

I always feel...

It seems like something's missing...

What is it...?

Qi Han sat up abruptly, a sudden thought flashing through his mind.

Noodle!

If you don't use the broth from the chopped chili fish head to mix with noodles, the fish head loses its soul.

"I think the chopped chili fish head dish needs some improvements!"

"What improvements?"

"I think a serving of cooked noodles should be added next to the chopped chili fish head, so that after eating the fish head, the broth can be used to mix with the noodles!" Qi Han's expression was very serious. "Ruyi, what do you think?"

Chapter 268 The local specialties are nice, don't bring them next time.

Strictly speaking, this is the second time Qi Han has proactively improved the dishes provided by the system.

The first time was when we first opened the shop, we divided the fried rice into large and small portions.

Of course, although that time it could be considered an improvement, it really didn't involve any technical skill; it was just a suggestion, which is different from this time.

After a brief silence, Ruyi spoke up, "It can be improved, but this improvement is for a two-star dish and requires the introduction of new ingredients, so there will be corresponding requirements."

"any request?"

"You must provide effective solutions, rather than simply making a suggestion and considering it an improvement. You also need to provide feasible solutions for all the specific details related to mixing noodles."

Qi Han understood somewhat. "So, you mean I have to make the right noodles myself before the improvement is considered complete?"

"Yes."

"If I complete this improvement, will there be a reward?" Qi Han's eyes lit up, and his face showed a hint of anticipation.

Last time, I only made a suggestion about fried rice and I was rewarded with a one-star custom recipe fragment.

Will there be a reward this time too?

"Yes, if you successfully improve a two-star recipe, you can get four two-star recipe fragments of your choice."

Four two-star custom recipe fragments…

Isn't that just giving away a free two-star recipe that you can choose from?

"I'll give it a try!"

In an instant, Qi Han became interested.

This was his first time seriously improving the system's recipes, and he found it quite interesting.

Moreover, the reward was quite tempting to him.

As for the question of how to choose noodles, Qi Han pondered for a moment and quickly came up with a general idea.

If he had never cooked noodles before, he would be completely clueless at this moment.

But having already established a foundation in dragon beard noodles is a different matter altogether.

What are the characteristics of mixed noodles?

Generally speaking, the characteristics of dry noodles are that they are springy and chewy. If they are too soft and give people a limp feeling, then it is better to choose soup noodles.

The chewy noodles, after being cooked and drained, are added to the broth of the chopped chili fish head, stirred slightly, and then eaten directly—it's incredibly convenient.

Spicy chopped chili peppers cling to the chewy noodles, and when you chew them together with the spicy and savory broth, the wonderful texture...

Just imagining it made Qi Han unable to hold back her tears.

When it comes to chewiness, pulled noodles are the best. Compared to noodles made in other ways, pulled noodles are much chewier, making them perfect for making mixed noodles.

Dragon Beard Noodles uses the same noodle-pulling technique, so Qi Han doesn't need to learn it again.

Of course, the noodles used for mixed noodles cannot be as thin as hair as dragon beard noodles; they only need to be stretched to the thickness of ordinary thin noodles.

As for controlling the heat when cooking the noodles, with Qi Han's mastery of heat control, it's not a problem at all.

With a plan in mind, Qi Han's face became more confident and composed. He got up and walked towards the kitchen, rolled up the sleeves of his chef's robe, and prepared to get to work.

Let's get kneading the dough!

...

"Phew! I'm finally back."

Leading the robust, blood-red unicorn back to the gate of the Tang Sect Shrek City branch, Tyree let out a long sigh of relief.

“Indeed, this week of visiting relatives has been truly wonderful.” Beside Tai Lei, Zhao Yunsheng rubbed his chin, seemingly recalling some pleasant memories, and couldn’t help but show a contented smile on his face.

For the entire week, the two remained in Xingluo City. The food called hot pot was truly wonderful and exquisite, and the combination of various soup base ingredients and dipping sauces made them linger.

So the two branch leaders, who originally planned to return on the same day they arrived in Xingluo City, kept delaying until a whole week had passed. They had basically tried all kinds of hot pot in Xingluo City before reluctantly returning.

"It's lunchtime, shall we release the horses back to the sect and go to Hanshi to try some of the new dishes?" Tai Lei said that although the hot pot in Xingluo City was extremely delicious, and the snowflake beef was his favorite, he could not forget the temptation of Qing Palace Wanfu Meat.

“That makes sense, let’s go!” Zhao Yunsheng nodded, he was also eager to taste the delicious boiled cabbage.