The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

Looking at the large, golden-yellow croaker in front of him, weighing a full pound, Shen Cao once again marveled at the Zhou family's strength.

It's not yet the season for large yellow croakers, so finding such a large wild yellow croaker must have taken a lot of effort.

Even the unassuming clams are of the highest quality.

This is also why Shen Cao bothered Steward Zhou, because it's not the season for these two types of seafood.

If Shen Cao were to buy seafood at the market, she would only be able to rely on luck, and the quality could not be guaranteed.

If, as I suspect, Grandma Zhou's recent loss of appetite is due to some reason, then this carefully prepared main dish might be able to awaken her taste buds and allow her to enjoy the pleasure of food again.

So she decided to make a main dish so that Grandma Zhou could eat something after her appetite was stimulated.

Her personal concern was that Old Mrs. Zhou wouldn't have any serious problems.

So she stood up and carefully took out the pickled mustard greens she had brought from home from her basket.

This pickled mustard greens are her absolute favorite!

I remember last winter, snowflakes fell thick and fast, and the earth was covered in white.

During that cold season, she enthusiastically pickled a whole vat of pickled mustard greens.

At that time, she happily selected fresh and tender pickled mustard greens, carefully washed them, and then layered them with salt and pickled mustard greens in a large vat. She then pressed them down with stones, sealed the vat, and waited for the magic of time to slowly work its magic.

Today, these pickled mustard greens have an enticing aroma.

Whether used to stir-fry minced meat to make fragrant pickled mustard greens stir-fried with minced meat, cooked into smooth and chewy mustard green noodles, or wrapped in thin-skinned and generously filled mustard green buns, they are all mouthwatering.

Especially for Shen Cao, these are all her favorite delicacies!

Whenever I make these dishes, my family always eats them with great relish and praises them endlessly.

That's why she specially marinated more so that her family could enjoy this unique delicacy anytime.

She carefully carried the basin of pickled mustard greens to the sink, meticulously rubbing each green with her hands to ensure they were thoroughly cleaned and the salt adhering to their surface was washed away bit by bit.

After washing, she didn't stop immediately. Instead, she found a large bowl, put the pickled mustard greens in it, and slowly poured in an appropriate amount of water to completely submerge the pickled mustard greens.

She silently thought of Old Mrs. Zhou, who was currently unwell and whose spleen and stomach must be very weak, so it was really not advisable for her to consume too much salt.

Therefore, soaking the pickled mustard greens in water is crucial. This effectively dilutes some of the salt that has seeped into the mustard greens during pickling, thus reducing the burden on Mrs. Zhou's stomach.

While the pickled mustard greens were soaking, Shen Cao quickly began to process the large yellow croaker.

This large yellow croaker had already been gutted and carefully cleaned, so it looked exceptionally clean now.

Shen Cao took a clean, dry kitchen cloth and gently and meticulously wiped the surface of the large yellow croaker and the excess moisture remaining inside its abdomen.

After drying off, she took a sharp cleaver and precisely cut into the belly of the large yellow croaker.

The blade slid slowly down the already cut half of the fish's belly, and with a soft "hiss," the large yellow croaker was instantly split in two.

Immediately afterward, Shen Cao did not stop what she was doing and continued to cut along the half of the fish's belly with the spine.

She handled the cleaver with care, each cut precise, ensuring no fish meat was wasted while effectively removing the backbone of the large yellow croaker.

The entire process was as smooth and natural as flowing water, showcasing her skillful and superb culinary techniques.

The plump body of the large yellow croaker lay on the cutting board. It didn't have many bones; they were mainly concentrated in the belly and spine.

These fish bones are relatively rare and quite large compared to those of other fish.

Shen Cao held a sharp kitchen knife and carefully began to process the large yellow croaker.

She stared intently at the fish in her hand, as if it were an extremely precious treasure.

First, she skillfully unfolded the cut fish belly and meticulously removed the hidden bones one by one.

Every movement was so gentle and precise, as if afraid of damaging the tender fish meat.

After deboning the fish belly, Shen Cao didn't stop. She then cut the spine and fish head into evenly sized pieces.

With each swift cut, the fish bones separated smoothly from the flesh, producing a crisp sound.

Finally, she turned her attention to the remaining yellow croaker meat and, without hesitation, cut it into neat cubes. The whole process was smooth and seamless.

Watching Shen Cao's skillful movements, Aunt Ma thought that if she were to handle this large yellow croaker, her movements would certainly not be as skillful and efficient as Shen Cao's.

Looking at the little girl in front of her, who was about the same age as her daughter, she felt a touch of admiration. Such skill could not be acquired overnight.

After the fish was prepared, Shen Cao took out the pickled mustard greens that had been soaking, washed them twice, and then chopped them into small pieces.

I prepared a clay pot and placed it on the small stove. After cooking, I poured in a spoonful of lard.

The salted pork and ribs in the braised pork and bamboo shoot soup had lard in them, so she used rapeseed oil.

This yellow croaker noodle soup contains no fat other than yellow croaker, so she used animal fat to make it.

After the lard melted, she added ginger slices to the pot.

Then pour the backbone and head of the large yellow croaker into the pot.

The oil temperature turned the translucent fish meat remaining on the yellow croaker's spine and head into a snow-white color. This perfect protein denaturation reaction is the key to the success of the yellow croaker noodle soup later.

The fish meat on the bones first turned snow-white, and then, through the Maillard reaction, turned brownish-yellow.

Once the Maillard reaction has occurred on both sides of all the meat and bones, the yellow croaker noodles are almost halfway to success.

At this moment, taking advantage of the high temperature, Shen Cao poured enough boiling water into the pot.

High temperatures allow proteins, fats, and water to undergo reactions that would not occur at room temperature.

The contents of the pot are the product of their reaction, a pale white fish soup.

At this point, the delicious food hasn't been tempered by time and high temperatures, so it can only be considered a semi-finished product.

After 15 minutes, having undergone the dual baptism of time and high temperature, the fish soup had turned milky white. If it weren't for the oil floating on the surface and the fish bones in the soup, one would think that milk was being cooked in the pot.

Seeing that the soup base was almost ready, Shen Cao used a strainer to remove the fish bones from the pot.

They also poured in freshly chopped pickled mustard greens and cleaned clams.

It must be said that the person who first discovered pickled mustard greens was a genius.

Pickled mustard greens can be cooked alone or added as a side dish to various kinds of meat. They won't overpower the meat; instead, they can add a delicious flavor to the whole dish.

The pickled mustard greens in yellow croaker noodles are an example. With the addition of pickled mustard greens, the already incredibly delicious fish soup becomes even more flavorful.

Fifteen minutes later, when Shen Cao lifted the lid again, the fish soup, which had already turned milky white, had become even whiter and looked even richer.

The milky white fish soup was filled with brownish-green pickled mustard greens, and the aroma alone was much richer than before.

Not to mention how delicious it tastes; just thinking about it makes my eyebrows fall off.

This fish soup is so delicious that it doesn't need any other seasonings; just a little salt is enough to enhance the flavor.

After adding salt, she poured the previously chopped fish and clams into the pot and cooked them.

With the addition of clams, the already incredibly delicious fish soup is elevated to another level of umami, reaching the pinnacle of deliciousness.

Finally, add a small bowl of pre-cooked noodles and sprinkle with chopped green onions, and a delicious yellow croaker noodle dish is ready.

The moment the people in the kitchen saw the yellow croaker noodles again, they all gained a concrete understanding of Shen Cao's culinary skills once more.

Li Xiaoyu, in particular, thought that her master had already passed on all his cooking skills to her, but she never expected that her master's cooking skills were simply unfathomable.

Every time she felt she had learned all the dishes, her master would always easily make one or two more delicious dishes that she had never seen before.

Aunt Ma, standing to the side, was so astonished that her jaw almost dropped. She had already been incredibly impressed by the previous dish of pickled bamboo shoots and pork, but in all her life, this was the first time she had ever known that the broth could be made so rich and flavorful.

This yellow croaker noodle soup was an eye-opener for her; she realized that not only pork, but also fish could be used to make such a rich and flavorful broth.

Just looking at these two dishes made her feel as if she could already taste their delicious flavor.

However, the dish looks rather bland. The old lady's taste has always been more robust, so she probably wouldn't even need to taste it; just looking at it would make her feel it's tasteless.

She couldn't help but worry about Shen Cao.