"To make Braised Silver Carp Head, you must use a large gray carp. Compared to the white carp, the meat of the large gray carp is more tender. Everyone can take a closer look at this dish before anyone starts; did you notice? Even though the Braised Silver Carp Head is presented with its head shape intact, there isn’t a single bone left."
"The core of this dish is to pull out every single bone from the carp head while maintaining the shape, without breaking or falling apart, avoiding a fragmented mess."
"I’ve seen some food critics describe Braised Silver Carp Head as a showy knife skills dish, but I disagree. Admittedly, the dish requires excellent knife skills, but if knife skills alone could make it the main dish of the Three Heads Banquet, then Wensi Tofu should also be in it."
"Usually, the meat on the fish face is the most tender, but in Braised Silver Carp Head, you’ll find every piece of meat is as tender as the fish face!"
"The milky white broth used to braise the fish head is a stock my father prepared a day in advance. It includes chicken soup, winter bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and ham. What you taste is the freshness, the tenderness, and the first impression when eating it is smoothness."
"Removing the fish bones is not just to show off skills, but because without them, the head can better absorb the flavors when braised in the broth, resulting in a significantly more tender dish, and you don’t have to worry about fish bones while eating."
"Every step of this dish is essential, intended to enhance the guests’ tasting experience."
Unable to resist, Huang An Yao reached out with his chopsticks to grab a bite of the good meat, showing it to everyone as he picked it up.
"Did you see that? Even though this fish head looks soft and collapsed, it doesn’t break off while picking, nor does it fall apart in the air. This is the best demonstration of the chef’s fire control when preparing this dish."
"Gulp." Ouyang swallowed a mouthful of saliva uncontrollably.
"Gulp." Wang Gen Sheng followed with a swallow.
"Such a good dish, how come Master Jing never made it when he was in the State-owned Restaurant?" Wang Gen Sheng stared at the fish on Huang An Yao’s chopsticks, eyes fixed.
"If made, it was for the leaders, of course, a mere accountant wouldn’t know." Chen Juan also watched the fish on Huang An Yao’s chopsticks, eagerly, without reaching for her own chopsticks.
Everyone thought that Huang An Yao picked it up to show them how well-cooked the fish was, completely unaware that he couldn’t resist having another bite.
Seeing everyone’s reaction, Qin Huai thought he should invite everyone more when there’s a feast in the future.
Such refined mannerisms, being able to resist not touching the chopsticks with such a fragrant dish in front.
Of course, Qin Huai didn’t move either.
He wasn’t that greedy; he had Braised Silver Carp Head during a private meal. Since no one else was reaching for it, he wouldn’t be the first to try it.
Huang An Yao satisfyingly took a full bite, about to let out the highest praise for the food with an "mmm" sound, but remembered he was the lead explainer and swallowed the interjection back.
Huang An Yao picked up another bite: "Everyone, try it, this dish should be eaten while hot, best with the broth under it."
"There isn’t any rice now, but when I was young, my favorite was to soak rice in the leftover broth after eating Braised Silver Carp Head."
With Huang An Yao’s words, everyone dared to move their chopsticks; one bite from each soon cleared the entire Braised Silver Carp Head dish. Huang An Yao, having been the first to eat the fish head, took two extra bites and enjoyed four mouthfuls in total.
No one wasted the remaining broth either; Ouyang asked a server for some rice, and together with Xu Tuqiang, Chen Huixi, and Director Liu’s daughter, they mixed the broth with rice to eat.
If the Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns were served already, Ouyang would have used a bun to soak up the remaining broth, leaving a spotless plate for the kitchen.
After eating the Braised Silver Carp Head, Director Liu’s daughter couldn’t resist reaching for other dishes, only to be stopped by Director Liu.
"Listen to Brother Xiao Huang; we’ll eat whatever he says next, in order."
Huang An Yao:... That’s not necessary.
"Most of the dishes have been served; you can eat whatever you like. There’s no particular order in eating the Three Heads Banquet."
Everyone nodded in agreement, half an eye on the Crab Meat Meatballs, half an eye on Huang An Yao.
Huang An Yao had to continue his introduction.
"I think everyone’s familiar with Crab Meat Meatballs; you should have at least tried them or something similar."
"The Crab Meat Meatballs in the Three Heads Banquet differ in two ways from the regular versions sold outside restaurants. First, there is no starch in the meatballs; water chestnuts are used to enhance texture. Pure meat filling can sometimes feel too tight, but with water chestnuts, the texture becomes more relaxed and slightly crisp.
"Second, the meat used for Crab Meat Meatballs requires a finely chopped and roughly minced preparation. When cutting the meat into strips and chunks, use multiple delicate cuts; when mincing them into a puree, use rough, hefty chops."
"The resulting meatballs have a chewier texture than those made solely with a meat grinder. Each head in the Three Heads Banquet offers a different texture: Braised Silver Carp Head is tender, while Crab Meat Meatballs must not be mushy or loose; instead, the meat must be firm, the broth well absorbed."
"Such meatballs that scatter with a gentle spooning are not the Crab Meat Meatballs of the Three Heads Banquet."
"Additionally, the ingredients for the meatballs in the Three Heads Banquet change with the seasons; fresh river ingredients in spring, crab meat in autumn, and often sprout and chicken meatballs traditionally in winter. However, different establishments have their signature dishes. Our Huang Ji is best known for Crab Meat Meatballs, so we serve them year-round."