Chapter 59: What Exactly Does the Streamer’s Wife Want to Do?

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: What Exactly Does the Streamer’s Wife Want to Do?

[Going against the grain! This new streamer, I admire your courage!]

[What’s with this streamer? Doesn’t she know white minnows are so common now that nobody even bothers eating them?!]

[Using a banned ingredient to get attention. Newcomers these days are really crazy to get famous!]

...

The vast majority of comments in the stream were unfriendly.

Chief Dan, however, was fine.

He had a feeling he’d bet on the right horse this time. Full of anticipation, he sat watching the stream, waiting to virtually taste the food made by this new streamer he was following.

He noticed that the streamer wasn’t affected by the trolls in the slightest and was completely focused on what she was doing.

Shu Yao had figured out the basic functions of the streaming room. But when it was time to turn on the stove and start cooking, she got a little flustered.

"Please hang on a moment, everyone. I need to figure out how this stove works, and this pot..."

As soon as she said that, a large number of viewers in the chat started making fun of her.

[No way, no way! A food streamer in this day and age who doesn’t know how to use a pot?]

[This isn’t a food stream, it’s a comedy show!]

[Could this streamer be any more amateur?!]

The kitchen equipment was all new, especially the stove in front of Shu Yao. It wasn’t just high-end and impressive, but also extremely smart—nothing like the old antiques she was used to.

She followed the instructions provided by her Light Brain and spent two or three minutes figuring it out. She even tested the heat control with a pot of water.

"...That should do it."

When Chief Dan, a long-time veteran of the food channel, saw Shu Yao heat oil in the pot, he was taken aback for a moment.

[Aren’t you making steamed fish?]

Shu Yao replied, "I never said I was going to steam it. Steamed fish is delicious, of course, but the white minnow has tender flesh and a lot of bones. The bones are its biggest drawback. If you steam it, it’s a real hassle to eat, and it’s easy to get one stuck in your throat."

Noticed by the streamer, Chief Dan felt an inexplicable flutter of joy.

He immediately replied: [Yes, yes! One time I was eating a white minnow and got a bone stuck right in my throat. It was awful for days. I had to go to the hospital, and the doctor used these super long tweezers to reach down my throat and pull it out. My throat even got inflamed afterward!]

Shu Yao said conservatively to the stream, "I can’t say this method is tastier than steaming, but it’s also very delicious. And basically, aside from the guts I’ve removed, you can eat every other part of the fish."

[I’ll just sit here quietly and listen to the streamer brag!]

[Waiting for the streamer to crash and burn!]

[I bet 1 Star Coin that the pot will be burnt in ten minutes!]

[I’ll bet 2 Star Coins!]

[I’ll bet 3 Star Coins!]

[10,000 Star Coins!]

...

Once the oil was hot, Shu Yao placed all ten prepared white minnows into the pot.

SZZZZZZLE.

The sound of frying filled the air from the pot. It was vivid, and it sounded like the heat was perfectly controlled.

At that moment, Chief Dan couldn’t help but suggest: [Streamer, why don’t you try turning on the smell-sharing function?]

Shu Yao gave a command to her Light Brain: "Turn on smell-sharing."

The moment smell-sharing was activated, all the viewers in the stream felt as if they were there in person, smelling a fragrant, frying aroma through synthesized data.

There wasn’t a trace of fishiness.

If they weren’t watching the streamer cook fish on screen, the viewers would have had a hard time guessing what she was making based on the scent alone.

[WTF, that smells amazing! What’s going on? Is there something wrong with my nose?!]

[When did white minnows start smelling this good?]

[Don’t tell me they went through a fish plague and just evolved. Is the meat better than before?]

[Streamer, can you tell us why your white minnows don’t have any fishy smell at all?]

Shu Yao patiently explained to the impressed-but-confused viewers, "Before I decided to start streaming, I did a lot of research. I discovered that many streamers don’t really prep the white minnows when they cook them; they just throw the whole thing in the pot.

I can’t say that’s the wrong way to do it, but for foodies or chefs who are aiming for high quality, that approach is unacceptable. If you don’t clean out the guts and remove the sinew, the fishy smell will overpower the delicious flavor of the meat.

Especially the gallbladder—the fish gallbladder is toxic. That part absolutely must be removed."

As she spoke, Shu Yao freed a hand to pick up a clump of fish gallbladders she had removed but hadn’t thrown away yet.

The purplish-black clump of flesh looked very unhealthy.

"So, if you want to maximize the delicious flavor of the fish, you must prep the entire fish properly using a scientific method before you start cooking." Shu Yao began to flip the white minnows in the pot.

Her unadorned hands were fair and slender, captivatingly beautiful. She held the pot with one hand and a pair of chopsticks with the other.

Even though her movements were gentle, the moment the chopsticks touched the fish, they poked right through the delicate meat, tearing it.

She gave up on the chopsticks. With a skillful flick of her wrist, she tossed the pot, and the white minnows inside flipped a full 180 degrees, their golden-brown fried sides now facing up.

Shu Yao: "Hehe, I just wanted to show off a little."

’Thank goodness that didn’t end in disaster.’

’This pot my younger uncle bought is pretty good, too. Completely non-stick.’

The aroma of fried fish filled the stream, making the viewers’ mouths water.

[Ah, that smell! I can’t take it anymore!]

[Streamer, please designate me for a taste-test spot!]

[The person who said the pot would be burnt, please step forward voluntarily!]

[What’s the rush? It hasn’t even been ten minutes yet!]

Seeing the tide of opinion in the chat begin to turn, Shu Yao immediately used her second free promotional push.

The smell of the frying fish kept a batch of new fans hooked.

In just ten minutes after she started cooking, the viewer count for the "Mom’s Private Kitchen" stream had already climbed into the four digits.

Over two thousand viewers were watching simultaneously. For a new streamer, this was already a substantial number.

Many new streamers could never achieve such results on their first broadcast.

The popularity of "Mom’s Private Kitchen" was still rising. What was even more terrifying was the stream’s incredible viewer retention. The vast majority of new arrivals were captivated by the aroma and stayed.

After both sides were fried, Shu Yao poured a pot of boiling water directly into the pan with the fish.

This move left all the viewers completely stunned.

[!!!]

[!!!!!!!]

[!!!!!!!!!!!]

[I thought you were making fried fish!????]

Shu Yao: "Who told you I was making fried fish?"

[What on earth is the streamer making?]

"With this one pot of ingredients, I can make at least three dishes. You’ll see if you watch until the end." Shu Yao kept them in suspense before explaining, "This method isn’t actually that difficult. As long as you’re careful and patient, you can learn it. I wonder if anyone noticed that I just added hot water to the pot.

Adding hot water allows the fish to heat up quickly, causing the proteins in the meat to denature, contract, and solidify. This prevents the fish from stewing into a mush. At the same time, once the proteins on the surface have solidified, the soluble nutrients within the fish won’t leech out, which effectively preserves its nutritional value and also results in a great texture.

Of course, using cold water isn’t out of the question, but the texture and consistency of the fish will be affected to some degree."

As she spoke, Shu Yao added a spoonful of salt, two slices of ginger, and a knot of scallions to the pot. The salt was for flavor, and the latter two were to remove any fishiness.