"Squirrel and Fish? Is it delicious to cook them together?" Kushina expressed her doubts.
"It's probably not about cooking squirrel and fish together. Maybe it just looks like the finished dish resembles a squirrel," Minato, who had finished washing the vegetables, said.
Because he hadn't encountered any squirrels while washing, there shouldn't be any in the dish.
"Minato is right; there are no squirrels in this dish." Mutsuki washed the fish, removing scales and internal organs, and explained.
Squirrel Fish is a classic dish in Suzhou cuisine, known for its excellent color, fragrance, and taste.
Mutsuki had watched numerous videos of this dish in his previous life and had even tried making it himself, but due to inadequate knife skills, the final product could only be described as not resembling the original dish.
But now, with the cooking skill, when Mutsuki picked up the fish, he had already prepared it mentally; he just hadn't started yet.
Mutsuki first used a knife to cut off the fish bones from the back of the fish, leaving about 1 centimeter of the spine near the tail. Next, he spread the fish skin downwards and skillfully cut it into a floral pattern with a diagonal knife, going three-quarters deep into the flesh.
This step is crucial; any mistake could jeopardize the final presentation.
Blessed with his culinary skills, Mutsuki perfectly replicated the Squirrel Fish dish from his memory. The golden, crispy fish meat resembled a squirrel, and it was drizzled with the well-prepared sweet and sour sauce. Not only did it look aesthetically pleasing, but it also emitted a delightful fragrance.
(This is a real dish, google it lol)
"Huh? How did the fish turn into this while I was just chatting with Minato?" Kushina stared in amazement at the Squirrel Fish on the dining table.
To put it mildly, she had never seen such a visually appealing dish before.
In her impression, food served two primary purposes: filling the stomach and tasting delicious.
Minato stood up and walked to the dining table to closely inspect the just-cooked fish. He, too, was greatly surprised, realizing that there could be such a visually stunning dish.
"This is the first time I've found a dish visually appealing," Minato praised. Mutsuki's Squirrel Fish was truly pleasing to the eye.
"Don't just admire it, give it a taste," Mutsuki said with a smile.
Kushina and Minato didn't hesitate; they picked up their chopsticks and each grabbed a piece of fish.
The moment the fish entered their mouths, Minato first experienced the sweet and sour flavors. Following that was the crispy exterior and tender interior of the fish, accompanied by the lingering taste of sweetness and sourness within the meat.
After savoring the dish, Minato quickly served himself a bowl of rice to fully enjoy the appetizing sweet and sour taste.
"No, one of us, either Minato or I, must master this dish!" Kushina declared seriously after finishing her meal.
Although she still preferred braised pork belly, the visual appeal of the Squirrel Fish won her over.
"No problem, I'll teach you," Mutsuki said with a smile.
"But be prepared; this dish is much more challenging than braised pork belly," Mutsuki reminded them.
"Braised pork doesn't require much consideration for aesthetics. If the steps are right, the final product won't be too bad. But Squirrel Fish are different. The appearance is the soul of this dish, and once the appearance goes wrong, it's essentially a failure."
"I refuse to believe that this dish is more difficult than those advanced Sealing Jutsu," Kushina confidently expressed her faith in herself and Minato.
"Mutsuki, how far have you progressed with your Three Fingers Seal, and have you encountered any issues in your Sealing Jutsu training?" Minato inquired about Mutsuki's progress in Sealing Jutsu.
"It feels much more challenging than the previous One Finger Seal. I've been practicing for ten days and still don't have a clue," Mutsuki sighed lightly.
Although he had mastered it in six days, Kushina estimated he would take a month, so Mutsuki planned to announce his completion after twenty-seven days.
Following that, Mutsuki shared the problems he encountered on the first day, presenting a novice and eager-to-learn demeanor.
Both Kushina and Minato enthusiastically provided answers to Mutsuki's questions.
Mutsuki didn't waste this opportunity; aside from some questions disguising his training progress, he also inquired about Sealing Jutsu knowledge that he genuinely didn't understand.
With the guidance of Sealing Jutsu experts Minato and Kushina, Mutsuki gained a lot, feeling that the Chef skill came in handy at just the right time.
If it weren't for the Chef skill, the progress of the friendship plan would be much slower.
...
Two days after the final exams, Kotetsu, Izumo, and Anko agreed to check their scores together.
After reaching the agreed-upon location, the three went to school together.
"I got second place in practical combat again. If my theoretical score is a bit higher, I can ask Yumi-sensei for more rewards," Anko's mood today was very good.
"Anko, didn't you think the questions were pretty easy when you finished the exam? You must have a high score," Kotetsu said with a smile.
"Yeah, we're in trouble. We weren't sure about many questions," Izumo said with a worried expression.
"It's okay. I'll treat you to breakfast when we see the results," Anko said confidently.
"Anko, is that for real?" Kotetsu asked with anticipation.
"When have I ever lied to you guys?" Anko asked with her hands on her hips.
Kotetsu and Izumo glanced at each other, shook their heads, wondering who could be deceived by Anko.
As they approached the school, Anko remembered something and looked suspiciously at the two, asking, "Last time, you both did so well. You're not tricking me about not doing well this time, are you?"
"No way, last time was just good luck," Kotetsu refused to admit.
"Yeah, we probably won't be that lucky this time," Izumo sighed.
For final exams, they could check the results on the bulletin board or directly in the classroom. The three went straight back to the classroom, and Mutsuki had already distributed the exam papers to the respective student positions.
After a quick greeting with Mutsuki, they returned to their seats to review the papers.
"Huh, why only seventy-eight points? That's two points less than last time," Anko put down the paper and ran her hand through her hair, feeling surprised. It was different from what she expected; eighty-seven points were more like it.
"Kotetsu, Izumo, what about you?" Anko asked with a worried expression, wondering how she could still ask Yumi-sensei for rewards.
"It seems like we had good luck this time, slightly higher than yours," Kotetsu placed his paper face up on the desk and said with a smile.
"Same here, a bit higher than Anko," Izumo smiled upon seeing his grade.
"A bit higher?" Anko explosively grabbed their papers.
"Do you call one hundred compared to seventy-eight 'a bit higher'?" Anko gritted her teeth, looking at the scores on their papers.
"Kotetsu got one hundred too?"
"Izumo got one hundred too?"
Kotetsu and Izumo both showed shocked expressions. They had agreed not to study, so how did they get one hundred?
"Izumo, did you deceive me two weeks before the exam? Were you actually not playing games and was instead diligently studying?" Kotetsu couldn't help but ask.
"Kotetsu, you too! Still reading novels, were you actually studying every day?" Izumo retorted.
"You two!" Anko stared in disbelief at the two of them. It turns out these two scoundrels were saying they didn't study, but secretly, they were hitting the books.
Unable to hold back, Anko chased after the two and started hitting them.
"You two scoundrels ruined me! No breakfast for you, take a punch from me first!"
Watching the energetic trio, Mutsuki smiled and looked at the rewards the system had popped up. He felt that the harvest at the end of this term was quite good.
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