The Koi Wife of the Prime Minister

Shen Yan put the lid on the steamer and wrapped the edge of the lid with a kitchen towel to ensure that steam would not leak out from the edge and maintain the steaming effect.

She adjusted the heat so the water maintained a steady boil but not so intense that it would cook the chicken.

While waiting, Shen Yan prepared a small bowl of soy sauce and shredded ginger, as well as some scallions and coriander leaves, to be used as seasoning for the steamed white-cut chicken. She specially selected fresh scallions and ginger to ensure a more refreshing seasoning.

As time goes by, the big iron pot exudes a strong aroma of chicken, making people salivate.

Shen Yan occasionally opened the lid of the pot and gently used chopsticks to gently test the doneness of the chicken to ensure that it was cooked but not overcooked.

When steam slowly overflowed from the gap in the pot lid, Shen Yan knew that the poached chicken was cooked.

She carefully removed the steamer from the heat and lifted the lid with a cloth to let the steam escape.

Shen Yan used a spatula to gently move the chicken to a clean plate, leaving the dripping soup in the pot.

She sprinkled the pre-prepared seasoning evenly on the chicken, and the fragrance of green onion, ginger and coriander spread immediately, increasing people's appetite.

Finally, Shen Yan took out a small dish and poured a special dipping sauce into it. It was a mixture of soy sauce, shredded ginger and a little balsamic vinegar, which could add a delicious flavor to the poached chicken.

A snow-white, tender and juicy steamed chicken was presented on Shen Yan's dining table, exuding an enticing aroma that made people salivate.

This dish is not only delicious in appearance, aroma and taste, but also simple and light, making it a delicious dish on the Spring Festival reunion table.

However, just making these two dishes is far from enough. During Chinese New Year, there must be at least six dishes. She has asked Wang Jun to tell Aunt Wang and Uncle Wang in the backyard to come here to celebrate the New Year together.

Even on New Year's Eve, Aunt Wang went to work at the mansion. The noble mansion was busy during the holidays, so she didn't come to help. Shen Yan was afraid that she and her husband wouldn't eat well, so she prepared to cook more dishes.

At home, Song Yunfei also went to work in the county government. Shen Yan didn't rely on men, so it was time to eat when he came back.

Because the fish has been processed, Shen Yan plans to make a sweet and sour fish. She doesn't know if she can make it delicious with the current ingredients, but Shen Yan is ready to try it anyway.

So she started cutting the prepared fish.

Shen Yan took out the processed fish. It was a fresh grass carp, still slightly moist.

Shen Yan used a sharp kitchen knife to gently cut along the center line of the fish body. With one cut, the tender cross-section of the fish meat was immediately revealed.

Then, Shen Yan gently brushed away the blood on the fish with her fingers, and then rinsed it with clean water to ensure that there were no impurities on the fish.

She turned the fish over and used a knife to make a few shallow cuts on the skin to help the fish absorb more flavor.

In an iron pan, Shen Yan put an appropriate amount of cooking oil, turned the heat to medium-low, and waited for the oil temperature to rise.

She watched the oil in the pan gradually heat up and emit a slight steam, then she began to put the fish fillets into the pan one by one, being careful to prevent the oil from splashing out.

When the fish fillets are fried in the pan, crackling sounds are made, and the fish skin gradually becomes golden and crispy, exuding an enticing aroma.

Shen Yan kept turning the fish fillets to ensure that they were evenly cooked and fried until both sides were golden brown.

When the fish slices were fried to golden brown, Shen Yan took them out with a spatula, drained the excess oil, and set them aside. She used another pan, added appropriate amounts of water, sugar, vinegar, and a little salt, brought to a boil, added some shredded ginger, stirred evenly, and cooked until the juice thickened slightly.

A sweet and sour aroma spread out, and Shen Yan was secretly looking forward to the taste of the finished product.

She gently put the fried fish fillets into the pan and let them roll in the sweet and sour sauce for a while, making sure that every piece of fish was fully coated with the rich juice.

Finally, Shen Yan took out a deep bowl, carefully placed the sweet and sour fish in it, poured the remaining sweet and sour sauce on the fish fillets, and garnished it with some chopped green onions and shredded red peppers to add color and beauty.

A sweet and sour fish with attractive color, sweet and sour taste is ready, exuding an enticing aroma.

Shen Yan took a sip and nodded with satisfaction.

"Sister, it smells so good."

Wang Lin stared at the freshly made sweet and sour fish and was almost drooling.

Shen Yan added a piece with chopsticks, put it next to Wang Lin's mouth, and said, "Come on, open your mouth, let Lin'er eat a piece first."

"Delicious!" Wang Lin's eyes lit up.

But it was not time for the New Year's Eve dinner yet, and Wang Lin couldn't keep eating, so she took the initiative to say, "Sister, let me help you light the fire."

"Okay." Shen Yan just needed a little helper. Because of the Chinese New Year, Aunt Zhang had gone home and there was no helper in the kitchen. It was quite tiring for Shen Yan to cook for the whole family by herself. Fortunately, she had these two children to help.

So, Wang Lin started to help add firewood and light the fire.

Wang Lin took the firewood in her little hands and carefully put it into the stove. The flames immediately jumped up and the fire became brighter.

She watched the flames intently, making sure the fire was stable, not letting it go out or become too strong, so that Shen Yan could easily control the temperature.

Shen Yan watched Wang Lin carefully making fire, and was filled with emotion. Although this little girl was young, she was serious and responsible, which made people very happy. She smiled and gently patted Wang Lin's shoulder, indicating that she was doing a good job.

"Lin'er, thank you for your hard work." Shen Yan said gently, looking at Wang Lin with gratitude.

Wang Lin smiled sweetly when she heard this, "Sister, it's not hard. I just want to help you."

Shen Yan felt warm in her heart. She felt Wang Lin's sincerity and kindness. This warm atmosphere made her feel very happy.

She continued to work contentedly, preparing a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner for the family with Wang Lin.

Time passed minute by minute, the fire gradually stabilized, and Shen Yan began to prepare to make fried fish.

These small fish were actually caught by Wang Jun and his friends in the creek before and have been kept in the pond in the yard. They are of a decent size and are just the right size for making fried yellow croakers.

Shen Yan cleaned the small yellow croaker and wiped the surface with clean kitchen paper to make sure the fish skin was dry to avoid oil splashing during frying. She gently cut a few times on each fish to facilitate flavor absorption and even cooking.

In this wide-mouthed iron pot, Shen Yan poured a proper amount of rapeseed oil. When the oil temperature rose to a suitable temperature for frying fish, she put the prepared small yellow croakers into the pot one by one, being careful to avoid the fish sticking to each other.

The oil in the pan was gradually absorbed by the small yellow croaker, which began to make slight crackling sounds, and the fish body gradually became golden and crispy.

Shen Yan kept turning the fish over with a spatula to ensure that each side was fried evenly and golden in color.

While frying the fish, Shen Yan noticed a series of slight explosion sounds coming from the edge of the pot. She knew that this meant that the fish skin had become crispy and the meat inside was cooked.