Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country

Chapter 475 - 473: Longjing Tea-Smoked Shrimp

Wang Fan looked curiously at Parker, not understanding why this middle-aged handsome man was spacing out.

His bell had almost become a class dismissal bell, yet Parker hadn’t come to serve the dish. What on earth was he doing?

Uh...

Seeing Wang Fan’s somewhat dissatisfied gaze, Parker coughed awkwardly and quickly gestured to his staff to serve the dish.

"You can’t blame me for this; it’s the unique and captivating aroma of your dish, Chef, that made me think of my hometown."

Parker spoke excellent English, allowing Zhuo Qianqian to translate for Wang Fan. Upon hearing the translated words, Wang Fan felt both amused and exasperated; was it my fault?

Am I supposed to apologize to you?

Professor Liu was already becoming impatient.

As the boyfriend of her favorite student, she had a bit of a soft spot for him and was eager to see what other surprises this young man could provide.

The two appetizers had already been stunning, and the small portions along with a glass of plum wine had successfully whetted her appetite.

If she guessed correctly, the first main course must be Tea-Smoked Shrimp!

From her deduction, the sequence of serving the main courses would go from lighter to richer flavors, since reversing it would make it difficult to appreciate the subtle flavors of lighter dishes.

The current feeling of hunger was just right to perfectly present the delicacy of lighter dishes to the palate.

As she was pondering, the waiter had already pushed the dining cart inside.

The accompanying faint tea aroma also verified Professor Liu’s speculation.

Brilliant!

Professor Liu couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly.

This kid, whether he’s thinking for himself or getting guidance from some master, has flawlessly executed this process so far. Now, it’s just a matter of how he manages to mask the slight bitterness of the tea leaves.

Bitterness is probably the toughest flavor to neutralize. Even if you add a bunch of sugar, it’ll still be bitter. So, what exactly are you going to do?

Professor Liu was full of anticipation.

Three plates were served to the three people in their compartment, and when the lids were lifted, a delicately styled bowl with ancient Huaxia designs was quietly sitting there.

The shrimp inside were plump and translucent, appearing even whiter under the soft lighting.

A small piece of dark green tea leaf, as lustrous and translucent as jade, was quietly inserted amidst the tender shrimp.

The edges of the leaves showed a fine, serrated pattern, intricate and uniform.

Professor Liu’s mind was filled with a big exclamation mark.

Although it was just a small piece of tea leaf, its color was vibrant and dazzling, the green so vivid it seemed to drip, sharply contrasting with the shrimp’s whiteness. The plating was simple yet artistic, undoubtedly making for an excellent decoration.

But... why did this tea leaf look so much like small-leaf kuding?

What, shrimp cooked with kuding?

Has Tea-Smoked Shrimp been substituted with Kuding Shrimp? Is it a case of using poison to counter poison, or is the budget too tight to afford Longjing Tea?

Professor Liu’s mind was filled with question marks.

Meanwhile, the waiter started introducing the dish: "Esteemed guests, this is today’s first main course—Tea-Smoked Shrimp. It’s made with top-grade Longjing Tea, personally selected by Chef Wang Fan, and shrimp from Huaxia rivers.

This dish was first recorded during Huaxia’s Southern Song period, with a history spanning a thousand years. It was once an imperial dish for Huaxia’s emperor.

Even today, it remains the top of the thirty-six famous dishes in Hangzhou and recently graced the state banquet tables, welcoming national leaders from around the world."

For the previous two dishes, Zhuo Qianqian hadn’t translated much information. They were just small appetizers, after all.

It wasn’t until the first main course that the real explanation formally began.

Kade, seeing the guests, including their own boss, listening intently, felt even more invigorated: "Chef has made some modifications on the original basis of this dish, switching from stir-frying with tea water to smoking with tea leaves. This preserves the tea’s fragrance while preventing the bitterness from penetrating the shrimp, giving them a faint, unique smokey flavor. Please, esteemed guests, enjoy at your leisure."

Smoking!

Can it actually be done this way? How clever of him!

Professor Liu’s mind flashed a big, flashing exclamation mark.

"Oh, right."

The waiter suddenly turned back and said, "The chef instructed that the tea leaves on the dish are purely decorative and absolutely should not be tasted."

Allen laughed and said, "Aren’t these just ordinary tea leaves? Why not taste them? Surely, they aren’t poisoned, right?"

Professor Liu nodded, "That’s right, they’re just ordinary tea leaves; maybe they just won’t pair well with the dish if eaten."

Allen raised an eyebrow, "Since he specifically mentioned it, I’ll save them for last to try."

Powell shrugged, "They said the leaves might be a bit bitter, but the chef really underestimates us. It’s just a bit of bitterness, it won’t affect me at all. Let me try this dish that used to be fit for an emperor."

Professor Liu smiled and didn’t speak further; she wouldn’t eat that tea leaf for anything.

If it was specifically mentioned, then it’s bound to be particularly bitter, and since the rehydrated tea leaf is so vivid, it’s likely small-leaf kuding.

Glancing at the two eager people, Professor Liu didn’t say anything.

It’s not about being scheming; she just thought both of them needed to cool down.

Picking up the chopsticks to hold a shrimp, a thin layer of sauce sealed the flavor into the shrimp’s flesh. The translucent shrimp exuded a fragrance of tea, wine, and meat, making it visually and aromatically impeccable.

(￣～￣) Chew!

"Crack..."

As the shrimp entered the mouth, a refreshing flavor began to spread, with each bite seemingly allowing one to hear the shrimp breaking.

Crisp, tender, bouncy, firm, and smooth.

Savory with a hint of salt, a flavor that’s almost sweet yet not, filled with a fresh aroma in the mouth.

!!!

Exclamation marks once again filled her mind.

She had tasted this dish at a certain Black Pearl restaurant in Hangzhou, but its texture couldn’t compare to what was in her mouth now!

Especially the unique crispness of river shrimp.

She even felt like she heard the shrimp breaking!

That refreshing crispness is a texture sea shrimp never possess.

The flavor from smoking with tea leaves didn’t affect the river shrimp’s natural sweetness, but the tea aroma lingering in the mouth gave these shrimp a soul, as if they’d grown in tea water.

Powell also expressed his amazement with a stunned look: "Wow! I’ve never tasted shrimp so crunchy and refreshing. It’s like bubble beads bursting in your mouth, and while it feels sweet, it doesn’t taste sweet at all. It’s truly magical."

Allen agreed, "A very interesting dish, it could totally feature on my menu."

The menu, of course, referring to those few three-star restaurants.

Powell nodded, "If you were the creator of this dish, it would undoubtedly become a signature dish."