Lei Peng sat frozen in his place as he listened to the diners’ opinion over Oriental Bliss’s Drunken Chicken. He’d never thought that the students of a prestigious culinary school like Silver Leaf Academy could really produce such promising and talented chefs like Huang Shenghao and Tian Lingyu.

Watching the two cook in their kitchen station, one wouldn’t think that they were just merely students and would assume that they were professionals with how they worked efficiency.

Again, the diners were at the loss of which dish surpassed the other. Both entrees were delicious in their own way and difficult to criticize. Still, they would have no other choice but to vote only one.

“I’ve tasted Oriental Bliss’s Drunken Chicken before, and I must admit that this is really delicious and better from the previous one I’ve eaten.”

“Yes. I remember my brother and I used to dine at Oriental Bliss every weekend. This Drunken Chicken… I could never get tired of it.”

While discussing their opinions on low voice, the next entrees were served at the same time. La Reverie presented their famous Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce while Oriental Bliss’s Poached Fish was cooked by Tian Lingyu.

“Whoa, the fresh salmon has been baked just right! It nearly melts in my mouth. The sour cream dill sauce is subtly seasoned with horseradish so that it doesn’t overpower the delicate salmon flavor,” a man in his late fifties commented. He wasn’t a typical local tourist as it seemed by the way he dressed and spoke.

“The salmon is exceptional, and the dill sauce is just exactly the way I like it,” his companion commented.

The diners were really raving about la Reverie’s salmon dish that it took some time before they realized that the stunning fish fillet poached in seasoned water and topped with spices was waiting for them.

This poached fish was heavy on the oil, peppercorns, and dried red chili peppers; all used to flavor the delicate fresh fish fillets in the center of this dish. However, once they tasted it, all their opinions and praises for la Reverie were forgotten and thrown at the wind.

Infused with dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and chili bean sauce; it’s a tingly, vermilion bath loaded with slivered vegetables like cabbage and celery, flavors melding. Moreover, its stew-like consistency made it perfect for winter—or anytime when one needed a good kick in the seat of heat.

Poached fish was a superb dish because of all the intriguing flavors and textural contrast, and there’s a ton of umami, too. The marinated fish slices were poached briefly in seasoned water. They tasted very tender, succulent, and packed with flavor.

“This is surprisingly tasty, pungent, and super addictive,” Lu Xinyi told her brother as she and Huang Shenghao ate their share of the poached fish. It wasn’t their first time trying Shui zhu, which was the special cooking technique used on pork, fish, and beef dishes.

Shui zhu meant water-cooked, but it wasn’t the verb to boil. The whole idea was to keep the meat tender by not cooking it too much. Instead of frying it in a wok with all the oil and fat, they’re basically boiling it in a broth and pouring the oil on after.

The fish was likely prepped ahead of time—perhaps it sat in a marinade until the dish was ordered. It would take less than a minute to cook it. Tian Lingyu boiled a stock in a wok and then threw the fish slices in, letting it cook for just a couple of minutes. Then, he removed it from the heat and topped it with dried chilies and Hua jiao, the Sichuan peppercorn.

Finally, he poured hot oil on it, which cooked the hot peppers and the Sichuan peppers a little. This was the concept behind Shui zhu.

The beauty of this dish was one could load it up with vegetables. It’s an intense one-dish meal. For this dish, the Lu Siblings opt to use soybean sprouts which tend to be a little crunchier than mung bean sprouts. Wood ear or shiitake would be good, too, to add contrasting textures and refreshing flavors.

Generally, water-boiled fish was matched with one of several types of vegetables or mushrooms in order to get a better balance and richness in the finished dish. The most traditional one was the bean sprout or mushroom. However, the vegetables should be cooked in clean boiling water and lay in the bottom of the container or the bowl.

“Lingyu, what kind of fish did you use?” Huang Shenghao asked as he stuffed his mouth with fish despite its mouth-numbing spiciness.

“Ask Xinxin. I only followed the recipe she gave me earlier. She did the marinating and prep for this dish,” Tian Lingyu replied with a bored expression on his face. He didn’t have a keen taste bud like his sister and his father, but his cooking skills didn’t fall short behind them as he excelled and mastered most cooking techniques Lu Sibai taught him.

Huang Shenghao stopped his chopstick midair as he gave the two a good look. Ay, these two siblings would be a deadly pair if they decided to compete as a team. The older brother had excellent cooking skills while the younger sibling had a profound ability to discern and balance flavors with her Absolute Tongue.

“Usually, the fish used in this dish is snakehead, carp, or catfish—all species that are pretty boney.” The lone woman in their group started explaining. “I chose catfish and petrale sole filet because they’d cook up on the firm side and had a good flavor to stand up to the bean paste. No wimpy fish for this dish. You could use fish steaks or fillets, I suppose, as long as it’s not frozen and fresh to achieve the best results.”

This dish was actually much simpler to cook than its beef counterpart. They only needed to boil everything, and then hot oil sizzled over the dish in a heatproof bowl. The real key was in the marinade. Once they seasoned the fish correctly, the next process would be easy. This was why Tian Lingyu wasn’t overwhelmed by the number of servings he had to prepare.

The active cooking time took less than ten minutes so the rest of the ingredients were prepped while the fish was marinating. It was ready to eat right afterward because this dish was best served immediately.

Just know that this fish recipe was pretty heavy on the chili and Sichuan peppercorns… not just Sichuan peppercorns. They were using the green Sichuan peppercorns, which were different from the red Sichuan peppercorns, in color, taste, and smell. They were much more numbing and a bit more floral and herbal than their red counterparts.

“It’s really spicy, but I can’t seem to stop myself from eating more. Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies are really a good pair you can’t ignore easily.”

They really went for it with the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies. When paired together, these two spices create a “numbing-hot” or ma-la effect. To develop the flavor of both these ingredients, each was first lightly toasted in a dry pan or wok. As soon as their fragrances filled the air, they were taken out and crushed coarsely.