Food: How come this boss knows everything?

Chapter 221 Grilled Crucian Carp, KTV No. 21

At midnight,
The girl who worked at the KTV came to the store for a midnight snack again, without Li Rui going to look for her.

Li Rui originally wanted to talk to her about extras.

But she was chatting non-stop with a strange middle-aged woman next to her.

Li Rui couldn't get a word in at all.

"Sister, I feel that you are quite cultured. You must have a high level of education." said the little girl.

The middle-aged woman sipped her noodles and replied with a wry smile:

"You're right, I'm a graduate student."

"Right, right, you look like a very cultured person. I envy you so much. I only went to a county high school and was in the second year of high school."

The middle-aged woman took the helmet on her knees and put it on the table.
"What's the use of having a high degree? I went to work for a foreign company right after graduation, and now I'm still delivering food."

"Delivering food is good, and I can make money."

The middle-aged woman turned her head and looked outside the store, wanting to say something, but in the end she just sighed.

The surrounding customers heard their conversation.

Being optimized in middle age may be an unavoidable problem for many people in the workplace.

The woman's story made everyone present sigh.

A corporate executive who now delivers food may be a loser, but she is still a wife and mother struggling to make a living.

"Don't be discouraged, sister." The little girl comforted her.

Then he talked about his work experience:
"I used to sell clothes, work as a waiter, and work as a cashier in a supermarket, but what I liked most was working in a printing shop. Unfortunately, I could never learn how to do photo editing. I want to open a nail salon or a flower shop in the future."

The middle-aged woman looked at the girl's bright and beautiful appearance and was a little curious:
"Sister, what do you do now?"

The girl pointed in a certain direction outside the store and said, "I'm working at the KTV. I'm on the 21st. You can come and sing with me when you're free."

"haha okay."

The eldest sister nodded perfunctorily, then picked up the helmet and walked out of the store.

No. 21 seemed to sense the disdain in the eldest sister's eyes.

After she left, he started to complain, "Tsk, we all work to make money, what's the difference?"

Li Rui heard their conversation clearly in the kitchen.

The relationship between people is subtle and complex.

The two were chatting happily one second ago, but soon they parted on bad terms.

The little girl might be kind.

But the middle-aged woman may feel that she does not need the comfort of a KTV staff.

Li Rui did not forget what Director Wang asked him to do. After girl No. 21 finished complaining, he recommended a part-time job to her.

"Miss, do you remember the person who sat next to you last night?"

"Well, I remember him, boss. I tried a piece of his fried fish."

"He's actually a director who's coming here to film a TV series. He told me he wants you to be an extra. We can just have a meal here. Are you interested?"

"Yes!" After hearing what Li Rui said, the girl who called herself No. 21 agreed immediately.
"I said he looked familiar. Who is he?"

"Wang Bo, there is a movie called 'Crazy Stones Beside Red Sorghum on a Sunny Day'."

"Yes, yes, that's the name. It's very long. I remember the teacher played it in school, but I couldn't understand it at all. I prefer his Mini Era 1, 2, 3."

Lan Xing's literary works are somewhat different from what Li Rui knows.

He hasn't seen any of these movies, but he can guess what they are from the titles.

He chatted with No. 21 for a while, explained some specific matters, and then handed it over to the crew.

Li Rui learned from the conversation that the girl's name was Cheng Aiyi.

It sounds the same as her work number.

She said that when she was 21 years old, she came to the KTV for the first time and fell in love with this number at first sight.

Cheng Aiyi recalled the fried fish that Director Wang had yesterday and said to the boss:

"Does the store still have the fried fish like yesterday? I want to try it again."

Li Rui remembered that he didn't buy sea bass today, and shook his head helplessly at the customer.

Cheng Aiyi asked again: "Are there any other fish?"

"How about grilled fish? Crucian carp."

"Sure, thank you, boss." Every customer in the store has a different story.
A middle-aged unemployed delivery woman,

Singing with you in KTV,

An old man who loves to eat grilled skewers, but due to poor digestion he can only taste a little at a time, and so on.

Li Rui could only feel their lives from their few words.

What he is best at is dealing with food ingredients.

Li Rui arranged each ingredient clearly.

Crucian carp is a freshwater fish, and You Dahai calls it crucian carp seeds.

According to Xiao Han's retelling, "Brother You said that this crucian carp has 28 small black dots in the middle, and it is a wild fish from the reservoir."

Are there 28 black dots on the center line?

Xiao Han confirmed that it was correct, so Li Rui did not count it in detail.

However, the presence of intermuscular spines on both sides of the crucian carp's body makes it not very suitable to be coated with batter and put into the oil pan like fried fish fillets.

Slow roasting over medium heat is a better destination for it.

The pickled ingredients must also be sufficient because freshwater fish has a slight "earthy smell".

In addition to the basic salt, sugar and MSG,
Dried peppercorns and chili peppers create a slightly numbing and spicy base.

Scallions, ginger, onions, and rice wine enhance flavor and remove fishy smell.

Soy sauce, oyster sauce, and steamed fish sauce add the final flavor.

Because it is being baked and stuffed into tin foil, in addition to removing the scales and guts, the fins and tail also need to be slightly trimmed and beautified.

Marinate in advance to allow the ingredients to fully absorb the flavor.

After the customer places an order, they can add water, put it in the tin foil bag, seal it and start baking.

Li Rui was not in a hurry because he couldn't observe the changes in the ingredients inside.

The sealed tin foil bag will give out signals on its own.

When heated at high temperature, water vapor evaporates and the flat tin foil will gradually expand.

When every wrinkle of the tin foil was stretched and tightened, Li Rui took out a knife and poked the surface of the tin foil.

The heat brings out the fragrance, which gushes out of the tin foil when the first cut is made.

Wait until the small opening is completely opened.

The tin foil slowly flattens and the steam slowly dissipates.
Only then can you see the crucian carp inside, soaking in the soup, bubbling.

The heat is just right, except for the final touch of soul.

Li Rui scooped out a spoonful of minced garlic and stuffed it in through the small opening.

When the garlic aroma comes out, it is time to come out of the oven.

"Here, grill the crucian carp, enjoy."

Cheng Aiyi was sitting very close, so Li Rui brought the grilled fish directly to her.

The fragrance made the girl's smile grow wider.

"Wow, it smells so good."

Even though the delicious food was in front of her, Cheng Aiyi couldn't help swallowing her saliva.

She simply stirred the minced garlic.
He took out the chopsticks and reached into the belly of the fish.

In winter, you cannot eat the delicious fish roe in crucian carp’s belly during the spawning season.

A little regretful.

However, at this time, the crucian carp has already stored fat in advance in preparation for winter, so the meat is even more plump.

The marinated food is tasty and the ingredients are strong.

But also maintain a certain degree of restraint,

The earthy smell is completely removed while still retaining the delicious taste of crucian carp.

Slightly spicy, with a strong garlic aroma.

The fish meat was tender and moist. Cheng Aiyi recalled how the boss cooked it and suddenly wanted to take a sauna.

“It must be good for the skin.”

(End of this chapter)