pjbooks Chapter 51: [Say Your Lines]
Chapter 51: [Say Your Lines]
"Just so you know, I'm going to use this Boston lobster to cook you a delicious meal."
"This process will involve pasta, eggs, a small amount of wine, and... many other ingredients as supplements, so I'm confirming with you again."
"You don't have any allergies to these ingredients, right?"
Liu Zhuohao's voice was recorded through a microphone clipped to his clothes.
The four stoves that used to hold iron plates on the food cart in front of us have been moved away and replaced with a large, smooth iron plate placed directly on top.
Before me, two selected customers were sitting somewhat nervously on two raised chairs in front of the stall, while the area where the ingredients used to be placed had been cleared out and turned into their dining table.
"Yes, right..."
The boy replied, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards the two cameras on the stands on either side.
These two cameras were used by Huang Weixiong and Li Zekai to adjust the camera positions, and several large lights were set up next to them for supplemental lighting.
And Liu Zhuohao had a camera pinned to his head.
Three cameras and several fill lights covered the entire stall and two customers.
"It looks quite formal. This is the first time I've ever seen someone else make a movie."
"This isn't filming a movie; filming a movie is far more professional than this."
"What's the point of filming this? Are we going to post it on the local news livestream?"
"No, I heard it's hosted on some... crappy website? Yeah, yeah, crappy website!"
"That's a small, run-down website!"
Outside this "cover," it was clearly past midnight, yet there were still quite a few customers in the night market who hadn't left yet. They were gathered around the area, their curious eyes scanning the entire filming location, and occasionally someone would make a comment.
"Let's begin."
Liu Zhuohao took a deep breath, the camera closely following his two hands.
He didn't point the computer screen above his head at the two customers in front of him.
They are not the main characters in the video.
At least not now.
At this moment, the main focus is on the side of the iron plate, on the wooden shelf piled with ice.
A Boston lobster weighing just over a pound had a dark blue-black shell that gleamed with a dull sheen under the light. Its two large claws were loosely bound by rubber bands, and its barbels were still trembling slightly.
It is alive.
It was specially delivered by a familiar boss from the wholesale market who had just finished setting up his stall.
Having set up both a breakfast stall and a night market stall, Liu Zhuohao is now quite well-known in the wholesale market. Almost everyone knows him as the "Little Boss Liu who has already made two business deals right after graduation."
The camera captured him grabbing the lobster, holding its body down with his left hand, and using his right hand to wield a long iron shovel, quickly, accurately, and steadily piercing it through the lobster's tail segment—
This is urinating.
A stream of clear water seeped out, and the lobster struggled violently before being firmly held down.
"This lobster looks quite fresh."
"Isn't that obvious? You can tell the lobster is alive."
"This is Boston lobster, it costs over 150 yuan per pound!"
Liu Zhuohao didn't speak, nor did the two customers in front of him. Even the other onlookers around them unconsciously lowered their voices, but they were still discussing and commenting.
Kitchen scissors were picked up and used to cut open the shrimp's belly, making a crisp "snip" sound.
Liu Zhuohao's hands, like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox, precisely dissected the lobster into three pieces: the huge claws, the legs, the body with the head attached, and the plump tail was completely removed, the pinkish-white, translucent meat trembling slightly under the light.
He tapped the shrimp claw shells a few times with the back of his knife, creating even cracks in the shells. His movements were rough but very measured.
The hot plate was already scorching hot. He poured a spoonful of mixed oil on it, and the flames shot up half a foot high with a "whoosh," illuminating his focused profile.
The shrimp heads and shrimp roe were the first to be pushed onto the hot iron plate. The shrimp heads quickly turned red in the hot oil. Liu Zhuohao pressed them hard with a spatula and squeezed out the orange-red shrimp paste.
"This is the essence..."
He scooped up a spoonful and poured it into the prepared bowl of egg mixture, sprinkled on a few chopped green onions, placed the small bowl on the low-temperature edge of the hot plate, and murmured softly, "Using the residual heat of the hot plate, let it slowly cook. This is called 'Steamed Egg with Shrimp Brains.' As for the taste, you'll have to try it yourselves later..."
Liu Zhuohao didn't look up, but he could hear two "gulp" swallowing sounds that seemed to follow his murmurs.
The shrimp claws and legs were pushed onto the hot plate along with several pieces of butter, which sizzled and melted.
Liu Zhuohao arranged the shrimp claws neatly, patiently poured melted butter over them, and then, with a "whoosh," sprinkled wine over them as the flames rose, instantly bringing out the ultimate sweetness of the seafood.
He covered it with a small stainless steel bowl and let it simmer.
"The claws are thick, so you have to simmer them from the inside with alcohol and steam to lock in the juices."
Liu Zhuohao continued speaking, but it was unclear whether he was addressing the two customers in front of him or the audience watching on the screen.
He removed all the hard shells from the remaining shrimp tails and body meat, gently placed them on a hot plate, sprinkled them with golden minced garlic and snow-white cheese, and then pushed them to a slightly cooler place to slowly bake. The cheese melted and stretched, and the aroma of milk and garlic burst forth.
"Would you like some staple food?"
Liu Zhuohao suddenly asked, and at that moment, the noisy environment suddenly became quiet.
"what?"
The couple in front of them seemed not to have reacted yet. After a while, they finally spoke up, dazed, "Eat, eat."
"Okay, then I'll make you a bowl of fried rice."
Liu Zhuohao then pushed the shrimp oil, butter, and sauce from the hot plate together and quickly stir-fried it with a bowl of leftover rice, eggs, and chopped green onions on the hot plate.
The steamed egg with shrimp brains in the small porcelain bowl was a tender yellow, like pudding.
The butter-braised shrimp claws are served, their shells already open, revealing plump, white claw meat, making it easy for guests to pick them up, and the aroma of wine is irresistible.
Garlic and cheese baked shrimp, golden and rich, with an irresistible aroma.
There were also two small bowls of shrimp oil fried rice.
Please have a meal.
Liu Zhuohao wiped his hands with a towel, took off his mask, and smiled, "Don't mess up the order. First, have a bite of the fresh egg before the meal, then taste the rich flavor of the claw meat, and finally, you can mix the rice with the cheese-baked shrimp to absorb all the flavors."
The two people stood there, stunned.
Under his watchful gaze, the two hesitantly raised their arms, picked up the warm soup spoons, scooped a spoonful of steamed egg from the small porcelain bowl, blew on it a few times, and put it in their mouths.
"Hissing—"
The two of them inhaled the cold air while hurriedly eating the steamed eggs in their mouths.
After a while, the two swallowed, and then couldn't wait to pick up their chopsticks and pick up the shrimp claw meat with the shrimp shells slightly open, one piece, two pieces, then cheese-baked shrimp, and fried rice.
In the blink of an eye, all the delicacies on the table had been tasted.
But the two seemed not to be satisfied yet, so they picked up their chopsticks, grabbed a few pieces of shrimp claw meat, and mixed them with fried rice.
"No, I mean, the script!"
"Is it actually good or not?"
"That lobster meat looks delicious!"
"Boss Liu has this trick up his sleeve, huh? How much would it cost to cook you a meal when he's in such a hurry?"
Neither of them spoke. Liu Zhuohao was not in a hurry; he simply took notes.
The onlookers, however, were already impatient and were asking loudly what it tasted like.
Only after being reminded by other diners did the two realize they should leave a review, but when they looked up, they were both stunned and couldn't find the words.