Daddy! Come Home for Dinner!

"The first challenge in this dish," Gu Changfeng inspected and nodded with satisfaction, "is to remove the fish bones completely without damaging the fish’s integrity. The fish’s integrity is well preserved, and the incision for bone removal is small and not easily noticeable."

The other four judges nodded in approval.

"Second, there’s the matter of the fish’s doneness. It can’t be overcooked, but of course, it shouldn’t be undercooked either," Gu Changfeng said.

He gently tapped the fish with a pair of clean new chopsticks: "The fish body is full and elastic, indicating that the broth has fully infused inside the fish. The ideal doneness is when a slight poke with the chopstick tip causes the fish to split, with the separation as clean as a knife cut."

"Only if the fish is tender enough can this be achieved," Gu Changfeng said, "Let me try."

Even though Ye Fei had tried many times at home and was confident about the doneness,

at this moment, couldn’t help but hold her breath nervously.

Until seeing the chopsticks slice through the middle of the fish’s belly.

Because the fish was tender enough, just as Gu Changfeng said, even a delicate tip of the chopsticks made a flawless, smooth incision as if done with a knife.

At the instant the fish abdomen was cut open, the abundant tea-colored broth inside poured out like a breach.

Mixing with the broth in the dish that soaked half of the fish, it formed a light, translucent tea color.

Immediately, the five judges picked up the fresh, sweet aroma.

In the broth, there were also white and red balls.

The red and white colors intertwined, looking particularly attractive.

The red balls were still semi-transparent, appearing as if they would burst with juice.

Gu Changfeng first scooped a spoonful of broth.

The broth was fresh, without any fishy taste.

After drinking, there was even a slight sweetness that lingered in the aftertaste.

The second spoon, along with a white ball.

"The ball is just a regular glutinous rice ball. I didn’t add any seasoning; it relies entirely on the flavor of the broth to seep into the ball," Ye Fei explained.

Guo Wenbo tasted carefully: "The ball is soft and elastic, yet not sticky, carrying the inherent sweet freshness of the broth, as if the broth has solidified into a substance."

Lowell, on the other hand, scooped up a red semi-transparent ball, the same size as the white one.

Even before eating it, Lowell asked, "Is this fish roe?"

Ye Fei shook her head: "No, fish roe can burst with juice, but the juice inside is inevitably fishy and needs pairing, plus not everyone can accept that taste."

"I was worried that the taste of fish roe would ruin the sweetness of the broth," Ye Fei said, "So, these red balls, though they look like fish roe, are actually my imitation of fish roe. Try it, and then I’ll reveal the secret."

Intrigued by Ye Fei, not only Lowell but the other four judges were also curious.

They also thought Ye Fei had added fish roe. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Just moments ago, Luo Jialin was thinking silently that it was a mistake for Ye Fei to use fish roe.

Even though all are seafood, they seem like a match.

In reality, the fresh-sweet broth of the steamed yellow croaker doesn’t mix well with the slight fishiness of fish roe.

The fish roe would actually disrupt the original balance of the broth.

But now hearing Ye Fei’s explanation, Luo Jialin became curious.

Lowell took a small spoonful of broth alongside a red ball.

Upon biting into the red ball, there was a clear sensation of pressure release.

Then the juice erupted from the ball, blending with the original sweet broth.

The initially sweet broth suddenly had a slightly sour flavor mixed in, a combination that was indescribable but somehow brought out the original freshness even more.

Lowell closed his eyes, as if he were on a sunny beach.

"What is this?" Ye Huasong asked in awe.

"Is it delicious?" Ye Fei asked.

This young girl, truly daring.

Even as judges pressed for answers, she still kept them in suspense.

Ye Huasong wasn’t angry, but instead was amused: "It’s delicious, but a bit shameful that I couldn’t tell what it was."

"This is a bursting pearl made from passion fruit, grapefruit, and orange juice, using calcium carbonate," Ye Fei finally revealed the answer.

The judges suddenly understood: "So, it’s the principle of bursting pearls."

They, of course, knew about bursting pearls; they are a rather playful type of food.

To those unaware, it looks novel. But insiders all know how it’s made.

It’s just that, being experts in high-end cuisine, they hadn’t thought about bursting pearls initially.

"While designing the recipe at home, I debated whether to use this method, uncertain if the balance of juice’s sour-sweetness with the broth’s flavor would work well. I also had to choose the right fruits for a suitable effect."

"I bought all the available fruits, juiced them, then sipped fish soup followed by fruit juice to see which combination was best. However, drinking this way differs from making bursting pearls."

"So, after deciding which fruit to use, I made the bursting pearls to test, ensuring the flavors matched," Ye Fei explained.

Luo Jialin laughed: "Didn’t you get sick of tasting so many times?"

Ye Fei couldn’t help but laugh: "To be honest, now even the smell gives me no thought."

"The glutinous rice balls paired with fish broth are soft, glutinous, and full of flavor. The bursting pearls combined with fish broth are tangy and refreshing. Moreover, as the red and white balls emerge with the fish broth, it’s as if they are fish roe," Guo Wenbo commented.

Gu Changfeng tasted the fish again: "The fish is fresh and tender, thoroughly absorbing the flavor of the broth, melting in the mouth."

Guo Wenbo laughed: "Before, we worried that no matter how well you did, you couldn’t surpass Gu Changfeng. But now, it seems, Lao Gu, your signature dish might have to change owners."

"Hahahahaha!" Gu Changfeng didn’t mind at all, "It’s a motivation for me. This reminds me, without a sense of crisis, if I don’t constantly think about improving my dishes, eventually, I’ll be surpassed."

"Well, nothing more needs to be said. I’ll rush back to study new dishes right away. I’ve been surpassed once; I can’t let anything else be surpassed again. Otherwise, I might be sacked," Gu Changfeng joked.

But in his heart, there indeed was a sense of crisis.

He couldn’t remain stagnant.

Not only did he need to enhance his dishes, but he also needed to develop some new dishes.

Ye Fei smiled and said: "Actually, when I first tried making this dish at home, I always felt that the flavor was still lacking. So I specially went to ’Qiwei’, to taste Chef Gu’s steamed yellow croaker. I learned where the gap lay, and came back to repeatedly try."

"However, I couldn’t exactly replicate what Chef did," Ye Fei said.