Zhang Shou remembered that he had tasted dishes like copper pot fish in Yunnan in his previous life. The most important word about it was spicy, so before the chili pepper became popular, he was somewhat skeptical about the century-old restaurant recommended by Ah Liu. However, he was not familiar with Tongzhou at all, and Ge Yong was happy to accept any place he recommended, so he just chose this one.
At least, if Ah Liu, who also has a picky taste, says that the food is quite delicious, then it shouldn't be too bad.
It was also because of this that Mr. Ge had tasted the dishes he cooked twice when he was in Cangzhou, and not only did he adapt well to peppers, but he also showed a great love for them. So after the Jiang family's attendant left in a huff, he went to the kitchen himself and planned to watch the shopkeeper cook the copper pot fish. If it didn't work...
He doesn't mind rolling up his sleeves and cooking in person to show his respect for his teacher, and maybe it will become a good story.
Although he was somewhat surprised that Zhang Shou came to the kitchen in person, no matter how proud he was of his cooking skills, he would never dare to refuse Zhang Shou's observation. However, when he thought that his signature dish might become one of the dishes for the banquet at someone else's house, he couldn't help feeling a little distressed, especially when Zhang Shou asked him to cook the first pot for others first.
Zhang Shou didn't expect that the shopkeeper was afraid that he would steal his skills. He found that the copper pot was almost the same as the one he remembered. The auxiliary ingredients for cooking fish were also green onions and celery. As for other seasonings, they were quite common, except for the lack of chili peppers. He looked at the shopkeeper's cooking method again and immediately understood that this was just a copper pot fish with spicy and salty taste, but without the most important spicy taste.
When the shopkeeper saw that Zhang Shou seemed a little dissatisfied after looking at the main and auxiliary ingredients, he boldly said: "Sir, there are many restaurants in Tongzhou that make this copper pot fish. It is said that it was made by the chef instructed by our great grandfather when he passed by. The pots are the same, and the fish are mostly the same, but only our family can become a century-old restaurant because of my ancestral craftsmanship. If you don't believe it..."
Before anyone could finish their words, Zhang Shou chuckled and said, "Okay, I didn't question your meaning. It's just that the teacher and I have a strong taste, so I specially brought a seasoning. After you stir-fry the onion and ginger, add this seasoning to the mix, and then add the fish and water."
Seeing that the shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, then nodded after a moment's hesitation, Ah Liu took out a porcelain jar and handed it to him without saying a word. Seeing that the shopkeeper took it carefully, he glanced at Zhang Shou and then said in a low voice, "I'll watch here."
Zhang Shou knew that this guy was stealing because of the rice noodle seller Xu Ba. After seeing the shopkeeper open the porcelain jar and look at the red dried chili inside with curiosity, he smiled and said, "This is called chili. Well, you can think of it as something similar to Sichuan pepper. It is a spice brought from overseas and has a unique flavor."
The shopkeeper had never thought that his small shop would one day use the precious spices from Shanghai. His eyes lit up and he was so excited that he could not be more excited. So, when Zhang Shou turned and left, he quickly concentrated on making the next pot of copper pot fish. But when he was frying the onions, garlic and celery in the copper pot and was about to open the porcelain jar to put the mysterious pepper, he could not help but glance at Ah Liu.