Chapter 19: The Cuisine of Dongying and Xiying (5)

  Yamaguchi Momoe: "Now look over here! This is Chen Aiguo, the chef from Yokohama Chinatown's Zhonghua Yifan!"

  "Hello everyone! Chinese hot pot has many different styles, including Cantonese hot pot, Taiwanese hot pot, Sichuan hot pot and Chongqing hot pot. Today, we're going to introduce the Cantonese style of seafood hot pot!"

  Yamaguchi Baishi: "Oh~ I didn't know there were so many schools of thought!"

  Chen Aiguo: "Yes! Currently, the seafood pots circulating in Japan are mostly Cantonese pots and Sichuan pots, while Chongqing pots and Taiwanese pots are relatively rare!"

  Yamaguchi Baishi: "So, is there a difference?"

  Chen Aiguo: "The main difference is still in taste! Now, we need to start making the basic broth for hot pot!"

  Yamaguchi Momoe: "Are the main flavors of Tonkotsu Ramen and Shoyu Ramen the same?"

  Chen Aiguo: "All the same!"

  Yamaguchi Baoyue: "It's really too exciting!"

  Miyazaki Rie suddenly shouted, "I've never seen such a hot pot before! Excuse me, Chef Chen, this time it's still mainly two kinds of soup bases, right?"

  Chen Aiguo: "Yes!"

  "Alright, so let's have the chefs from both sides start preparing our dinner for tonight. Next, let's continue watching a VCR to find out what ingredients are in store for both kitchens today!"

  The lights in the front two rows dimmed again.

  "Sumo hot pot ingredients: Chicken thigh meat from Binemachi, Akita Prefecture, with a moderate amount of fat and rich flavor; early winter cabbage from Omaezaki Village, Shizuoka Prefecture, which absorbs the broth well without becoming overcooked; black pork loin from Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, with no peculiar smell and perfect for hot pot enjoyment; scallops from Kawaguchi Town, Aomori Prefecture, sweet in taste and crispy in texture, adding flavor to the broth; and the indispensable supporting actor of sumo hot pot... fried tofu skin!"

  "Recommended by Mr. Takashi Takaeda, the master of fried tofu skin! Ueno's 'Tofuya' is a store that insists on traditional cooking methods for their fried tofu skin. The tofu used as an ingredient is actually made from soy milk with a richer flavor than regular tofu! Look at how tender it is! They cut the tofu into 1.5cm thick slices, remove excess water, and then fry it in low-temperature oil until it expands to its best state, before finishing it off with high-temperature oil to make it crispy on the outside and soft on the inside - a true skill of fried tofu skin masters! Compared to regular fried tofu skin, it's clear which one is superior. The golden-colored fried tofu skin bends when picked up with chopsticks, revealing its thick yet soft interior... isn't it delicious?! Hey, Mr. Takaeda, you can't just tempt us like that! At least prepare a serving for us! That's the strict selection of Sumo Hot Pot materials!"

  "Chinese Mandarin Duck Hot Pot ingredients: Hokkaido Rishiri-produced king crab, simmered to enhance flavor; Fenghua sea-produced natural white shrimp, tender and sweet; Kutchan-produced scallops, soft flesh that requires slight cooking to enjoy; Chiba Prefecture Kashiwa-produced green onions, still crispy after being cooked in the pot; Chinese Mandarin Duck Hot Pot broth and the indispensable... dipping sauce!"

  "Sauce master, Lu Zongting, head chef of Chinese restaurant!"

  "If you want to find a suitable dipping sauce for Chinese hot pot, I'll take the responsibility and introduce you to the best one! China has many kinds of hot pot dipping sauces, including authentic Sichuan sauce, oyster oil sauce, red chili garlic sauce, strange flavor sauce, milk curd juice sauce, sesame sauce, ginger juice sauce, mala oil sauce, satay sauce, etc. The most suitable dipping sauce for seafood is definitely the satay sauce! Look, it's this one!"

  "Huh? Satay sauce, with its unique flavor and white granular substance, what exactly is this stuff?"

  "Actually, satay sauce is made from ingredients such as peanuts, white sesame seeds, fish, shrimp, coconut flakes, garlic, onions, mustard, chili peppers, ginger, herbs, cloves, dried tangerine peel, and black pepper powder. After being deep-fried and ground into a paste, it's then mixed with oil, salt, and other seasonings to create a finished condiment. The production process is very complicated, but when done well, the satay sauce has a golden color and a complex flavor profile that combines freshness, saltiness, sweetness, and spiciness. It's truly a top-notch dipping sauce for seafood! You probably don't know what I'm talking about, so let me show you how to make it yourself..."

  "That's it! These are the carefully selected ingredients for Zhonghua Mandarin Duck Seafood Hot Pot!"

  The lights came back on!

  Sakai Noriko held her cheeks and shook them from side to side: "Oh no, what can I do? My favorite Matsuba crab and abalone!"

  Yamaguchi Momoe watched Chen Aiguo prepare the soup while answering her, "Well, then, Miss Fa, you can only choose my side! Hmm? Chef Chen, what's in this pot?"

  Chen Aiguo lifted a lid on the side, and the overflowing fragrance filled the room. "This is stewed for white soup!"

  Yamaguchi Momoe: "Is it white soup?"

  Chen Aiguo: "Yes, inside there are chicken, duck, fish... um, it's been stewed for eight hours now, still need about half an hour!"

  "Kowareta na! Konna ni watashi o yūwaku suru nante! Hyakkimaru-san, watashi wa kōgi shimasu!"

  Translation: "How could you do this?! How could you tempt me like this?! Miss Hyakki, I strongly protest!"

  Yamaguchi Momoe smiled and said, "So, Takakura-kun, why don't you just come over to my side?"

  Takao Kawamura's gloomy face!

  "What's going on?! What's going on?!" Rie Miyazaki looked worried!

  Yamaguchi Baishi: "So, what's next?"

  Chen Aiguo: "The hot pot broth is still simmering, now we're going to start making the dipping sauce. We'll stir-fry the chili peppers, scallions, garlic and other seasonings together, then add in the satay sauce and dilute it with either white broth or red broth. Once the water boils, look! Now we can serve the hot pot dipping sauce!"

  Yamaguchi Momoe: "Is that all?"

  Chen Aiguo: "Yes, it's just that simple, Miss Baihui, would you like to try some?"

  Yamaguchi Momoe: "That's a matter of course, it's the host's duty!"

  The black wooden pupil on the side shouted, "Let me take this duty!"

  Yoshiyuki Sayuri: "Kuroki Hitomi-san, you'd better sit back and relax. You're a member of the Sumo Hot Pot team now!"

  Hei Mu's eyes widened in anger, and everyone burst out laughing!

  Yamaguchi Momoe stuck out her small tongue and licked the dipping sauce on the spoon, closed her eyes, and showed a look of enjoyment.

  Nishizaki Mei from Team Mahjong Legend of China suddenly jumped up, "How's that? How's that?"

  Yamaguchi Momoe: "The taste of chicken and fish intertwined with each other, under the contrast of spiciness and sweetness, I feel as if they are dueling with swords in my mouth, it's truly unbelievable!"

  Suzuki Bonami: "And then? And then?"

  Yamaguchi Momoe licked her mouth and said, "Want to know? Just try it yourself!"

  "Suzuki Bonami was about to go crazy: 'Ah~ Baihui Miss, how can you do this~ You're the host, you can't do this~'"

  Everyone laughed so hard they almost cried!

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