In order to save time, as soon as Jiang Yu stepped out of the school gate, he hailed a taxi and headed straight for the largest nearby fish market.

As soon as he got into the car, he opened the system's virtual panel, directly clicked into the System Mall, and found the "Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Peppers" dish in the "Xiang Cuisine Series."

A quick scan showed that other dishes in the Xiang Cuisine series, such as Smacked Cucumber with Century Egg, Stir-fried Chicken Giblets with Pickled Long Beans, Bandit Pork Liver, and Money Egg, had relatively low exchange prices, mostly around 3500 wealth points.

But the exchange price for Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Peppers was staggering, a whopping 8800 wealth points!

On reflection, the high exchange price was probably because this dish was the flagship of Xiang Cuisine, its widespread popularity was such that almost every Xiang Cuisine restaurant had it on the menu.

Currently, Jiang Yu wasn't short of wealth points, and he also liked this dish, so he was only slightly surprised before he unhesitatingly clicked to exchange for it and obtained the recipe for Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Peppers.

When making Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Peppers, choosing the right fish head and hot peppers is crucial.

The fish head should be plump and tender, usually selecting the bighead carp, commonly known as "fathead fish" head, although other types of fish heads can also be used.

But using bighead carp is the choice of most people for this dish.

As for the hot peppers, most restaurants make them in-house, not only to save costs but also to flavor them according to the restaurant's own characteristics.

For instance, some restaurants prefer spicier flavors and might choose to use cayenne peppers, while others lean towards milder tastes and generally use Erjingtiao peppers. This type of pepper makes a mildly spicy and fragrant hot pepper relish that is also delicious.

Apart from fish head and hot peppers, some other ingredients like scallions, ginger, and other seasonings are also needed, with different methods requiring different choices of ingredients.

Sitting in the car, Jiang Yu carefully studied the recipe for Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Peppers, noting down all the necessary ingredients. Only after he finished this did he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Lao Jiang, let's buy a big fish later!"

Seeing that Jiang Yu seemed deep in thought earlier, Hu Zhihai tactfully didn't disturb him.

At this moment, when Jiang Yu had come back to his senses, Hu Zhihai quickly spoke up,

"We have quite a few people in our shop, plus Lu Shuwu and his grandpa, I estimate that even two plates of Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Peppers might not be enough. You should buy a big fish, and we can use the fish head for the dish and make some Diced Hot Red Pepper Fish Fillets for everyone to taste!"

"..."

Jiang Yu turned around and suddenly pinched the two "swimming rings" on Hu Zhihai's belly, then gave him a meaningful look without saying a word.

"!!!"

Hu Zhihai was stunned for a moment before he realized what had happened, getting so angry that his hair nearly stood on end.

"What's wrong if I'm a bit fat? Did I eat your rice?!"

Arriving at the fish market, Jiang Yu went straight to Boss Zhao at the fresh food distribution center, where he chose a bighead carp weighing around ten pounds and bought some hot peppers and other ingredients.

Of course, the system's recipe differed from the traditional method, and some seasonings were unavailable at the distribution center. Jiang Yu spent some time searching the market for a place specializing in spices to gather all the ingredients specified in the recipe.

After buying all the necessary ingredients, Jiang Yu and Hu Zhihai, carrying the processed bighead carp and other supplies, hurried back to the shop.

It was unclear whether Lu Jinseng and his group were unfamiliar with the area or for some other reason, but they hadn't returned yet.

Jiang Yu wasn't in a hurry and began to prepare the sauce according to the recipe after cutting off the fish head, cleaning, and drying it. Just as he was about done, Lu Jinseng and the others finally returned.

"The fish head is easy to find, but good hot peppers are indeed not easy to come by."

As soon as he entered, Lu Jinseng couldn't help but shake his head and sigh,

"The soul of Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Peppers lies in the hot peppers. If you pick good ones, the fish head will be brightly colored, fragrant, and delicious, becoming more appetizing the more you eat it.

I just searched a few large supermarkets but couldn't find suitable hot peppers. In the end, I got a small jar of homemade hot peppers from an old friend who runs a Xiang Cuisine restaurant nearby."

As he spoke, he pulled out a small clay jar from a bag held by Lu Chunming behind him, showing it to Jiang Yu,

"Boss Xiao Jiang, if you haven't found satisfactory hot peppers, feel free to use mine. I won't use them all anyway."

"No need, thank you, Grandpa Lu."

Jiang Yu waved his hand with a smile and said, "The hot peppers I found are pretty good, and they're homemade too."

This wasn't a lie; the hot peppers he brought back were homemade by Boss Zhao, using cayenne peppers that were both spicy and fragrant.

Knowing that Jiang Yu intended to make Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Peppers, he generously gave away two small bottles, which he wouldn't ordinarily part with to just anyone.

"Is that so? Then that's great!"

Lu Jinseng smiled upon hearing this. After thoroughly washing his hands next to the vegetable washing sink, he said,

"Let's begin then, it's not early anymore."

With that, he directed Lu Shuwu to place the bighead carp they had been carrying into the sink and started cleaning it.

After washing the fish, Lu Jinseng picked up a knife, descaled and gutted the fish, then cleaned it thoroughly before cutting off the head.

The bighead carp he chose was also large, only slightly smaller than the one Jiang Yu selected, weighing around ten pounds.

The bighead carp's head is enormous; the head of a mature bighead carp can even make up more than half of the body. Such a large fish head couldn't fit in an ordinary dish plate.

Lu Jinseng placed the bighead carp head on a cutting board, cut it down the middle of the lips, and made a few diagonal cuts in the thicker flesh of the head.

He then sprinkled cooking wine, pepper, and salt evenly on the fish head, placed it in a large dish, added a few slices of ginger, and let it marinate to enhance the flavor.

Next, Lu Jinseng ignited the stove, heated the pot, and then poured in some canola oil. Once the oil was hot, he added minced garlic and scallion roots, sautéing them over low heat to release their aroma before adding a few large spoonfuls of the homemade hot peppers from the small clay jar and continued to stir-fry.

Soon, the store was filled with the fragrant and pungent aroma of hot peppers.

The pair of siblings, Lu Chunming and Lu Shuwu, were relatively composed, accustomed to eating Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Peppers and occasionally tasting dishes personally cooked by Lu Jinseng.

But Hu Zhihai and Yan Tongtong, among others, couldn't resist. Each swallowed greedily, feeling that even the hot peppers alone could make them eat three big bowls of rice!

Despite his age, Lu Jinseng worked quickly. Just as the fragrance of the hot peppers filled the air, he poured in some soy sauce and cooking wine into the pot.

Once the mixture boiled over high heat, and the sauce thickened slightly, he turned off the heat and served the fragrant spicy hot peppers onto a plate for later use.

Then, Lu Jinseng turned to handle the marinated fish head.

He took out a special large serving dish, lay a few slices of ginger on the bottom, placed the cut fish head flat on top, and spread the prepared hot pepper mixture evenly over the fish head.

After this step, Lu Jinseng reignited the stove to steam the dish, placing the platter with the fish head over the pot to steam once the water boiled.

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