Chapter 370: Golden Dragon Spine
The Dragon Serpent Soup had a silky-smooth texture with no graininess whatsoever. Its slightly thick consistency didn't detract from the mouthfeel—instead, it added a sense of fullness and satisfaction.
The unique flavor of the Feather-Crested Serpent Dragon, combined with the chicken broth simmered from Five-Colored Brocade Chicken, created a savory richness that continuously stimulated Yue Lengxin's taste buds, offering her an entirely new culinary experience.
To be honest, when Qi Han first created this dish, he had originally wanted to name it Dragon-Phoenix Broth.
The Feather-Crested Serpent Dragon stood in for the "dragon," and the Five-Colored Brocade Chicken served as the "phoenix." In that sense, the name was fitting.
However, since this was only a 2 Star dish, he figured giving it such a grandiose name was a bit much. Otherwise… given his poor talent for naming things, he might not be able to come up with a better name for future 3 Star or 4 Star dishes.
So in the end, he simply settled on calling it Dragon Serpent Soup.
As for whether a real Dragon-Phoenix Soup would appear in the future…
Well, that was a matter for another day.
The tableware used for serving the Dragon Serpent Soup was quite refined, but the actual portion size was about that of a cup of coffee. Even with Yue Lengxin's relatively small appetite, the dish alone only left her about 30–40% full. Combined with the Dinghu Shangsu, she was maybe half full at best.
Fortunately, Yue Lengxin knew her own appetite well and had ordered an additional dish—Golden Dragon Spine.
Carefully pulling the plate of Golden Dragon Spine closer, her eyes lit up in anticipation.
This dish reminded her of another—Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish.
The two shared the same rich, alluring aroma, both belonging to the category of deep-fried dishes, and thus had a similar base scent.
Golden yellow slices of dragon spine meat, though lacking the tomato-red glaze of the Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish, were no less mouthwatering.
On the plate, over ten palm-sized slices of dragon spine were arranged neatly around the edge, each piece slightly overlapping the previous and the next, forming a continuous circle.
It was a simple change, but it made the dish appear far more refined.
At the center of the plate stood a lotus-shaped container, with a wide mouth, slightly elevated above the plate itself.
The lotus base was fused with the plate, clearly crafted as part of it.
Within the opened lotus petals, a golden-colored thick fruit sauce was brimming to the top.
'This was…'
Yue Lengxin leaned in, curious. The aroma of the sauce—previously overwhelmed by the rich scent of the fried dragon spine—now became distinct: a fragrant blend of citrus and Qinan fruit, sweet and tangy.
The moment the smell hit her nose, Yue Lengxin instinctively understood how to eat this dish.
She picked up a piece of dragon spine, dipped it lightly in the golden sauce, and with a crisp "crack," took a bite.
Both in preparation and taste, the Golden Dragon Spine shared similarities with the Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish.
But the differences were just as numerous.
For instance, the Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish was coated with a layer of egg wash before being dusted with starch. This wasn't the standard deep-frying method, but a specialized technique tailored for the dish.
The egg wash made the fish more tender while helping the starch adhere more evenly and tightly. Once fried, the dense and sealed starch coating acted like a pressure cooker, trapping heat inside and producing incredibly juicy, tender fish.
In contrast, the Golden Dragon Spine used a more traditional deep-frying approach.
Before being coated with the standard "three-piece fry set" (flour, egg, breadcrumbs/starch), the dragon spine was first marinated and seasoned.
This step served two purposes: one was to eliminate any gamey or fishy odor; the other was to help bring out the dragon spine's innate umami flavors more completely.
After marination, the surface of the dragon spine was coated with a slightly thick layer of marinade. With that, the flour could be firmly pressed onto the surface with ease.
Once the flour coating dried the surface of the dragon spine slightly, it was rolled through an egg wash. The previously dry flour now soaked up the moisture from the eggs, forming a thin batter coating on the dragon spine. The egg wash not only gave the crust a better color after frying but also added a richer, more fragrant egg flavor to the final product.
Next came a coating of breadcrumbs.
The breadcrumbs created a crispy crust that was slightly thicker than the one on Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish, but because of their porous texture and unique aroma, combined with the egg and flour layers, they maintained a crisp crunch without compromising mouthfeel.
The difference in crust was only one of the distinctions between the two dishes. The ingredients themselves also made a big difference.
The umami of mandarin fish and that of the Mang Armor Dragon were completely different.
After chewing a few bites, Yue Lengxin's face lit up in delight.
The sweet-and-sour Citrus-Qinan Fruit Sauce melded perfectly with the slightly thick and crispy crust and the tender, juicy dragon spine meat during the chewing process. The resulting taste was so unique that it was by no means inferior to the Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish.
…
She picked up the final piece of Golden Dragon Spine, dipped up the last bit of sauce from the lotus container, and popped it into her mouth with a slightly wistful expression.
Was that it?
She kind of wanted more…
'Forget it. I'll come back this afternoon.'
Receiving the recommendation ticket from Fu Ya, Yue Lengxin didn't hesitate and walked over to the voting box, casting her vote for the Dinghu Shangsu.
While all the dishes were delicious, it was still the Dinghu Shangsu, with its rich variety of ingredients and unique textures and flavors, that won her heart.
Not long after she left, Yun Qing also slowly approached the voting box.
He had only just learned that Han Shi had this recommendation vote tradition. It hadn't come up during his earlier inquiries.
So, holding his one precious vote with a bit of excitement, Yun Qing was a little moved.
As for which dish to vote for?
Of course, the Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish!
Although the white rice had also surprised him greatly, the Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish was still the one that impressed him the most.
'What should I eat this afternoon…'
As he stepped out of Han Shi, Yun Qing looked at the still-crowded line outside the restaurant and fell into deep thought.
'Maybe… I'll try the Spicy Fish Head with Chopped Peppers?'
Yun Qing didn't mind spicy food, so he was curious how spicy it could really be.
…
The lunchtime service ended quickly. With the expanded space, the restaurant could now serve more diners, which was a good thing for the customers, but for the staff, it meant they were even busier than usual.
Even Qi Han found himself spinning in circles from the workload for the first time in a long while.
'Hmm… Hopefully, Ye Lingqing will finish his training soon. That way, I can finally take it a bit easier.'
After the lunch rush, the four servers each left for the afternoon. Qi Han walked to the bulletin board beside the entrance and added a third job posting below the existing two notices—this one for recruiting a new waiter.
'Hopefully, the new hire will arrive soon.'
Looking over the neat handwriting on the board, Qi Han nodded in satisfaction and headed back inside.
"Lingqing, keep practicing."
"Yes, teacher!"
<+>
if you want to see more chapters of this story and don't mind playing $5 per month to see my latest update, please go to my Patreon[1]
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/collection/67255?view=condensed[2]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 405: How Embarrassing[3]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-141635754[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/67255?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/collection/67255?view=condensed
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-141635754
[4] https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-141635754