"Sizzle."
A generous ladle of hot oil seeped down through the tower of chilies and Sichuan pepper into the creamy yellow Pickled Cabbage Fish, instantly releasing a fierce aroma that stung the nose slightly.
Yang Ge turned with his ladle to scoop more hot oil from the smoking wok. In that brief moment, Zhao Cha appeared from who knew where and leaned over the steaming bowl of Pickled Cabbage Fish, wrinkling her smooth nose as she sniffed eagerly. "Hah, hah..."
"Eww... don't drool into the bowl."
Yang Ge pushed her aside in disgust and poured the second ladle of oil over another serving of Pickled Cabbage Fish in a clay pot. "Get some chopsticks if you want to eat!"
Zhao Cha's eyes lit up. She produced the chopsticks she had already prepared from behind her back, picked up a slice of snowy white fish, and stuffed it into her mouth. It was so hot she kept sticking out her tongue. "Ah, delicious! So, so delicious..."
Before she had even swallowed the fish in her mouth, her chopsticks were reaching into the bowl for another piece.
"Slow down. Watch out for bones..."
Yang Ge gently fussed over her while deftly covering the clay pot and placing it in a bamboo basket. Then he leisurely untied his apron, picked up his chopsticks, and put a piece of fish into his mouth to savor it.
"The chilies aren't right. It's still missing something..."
He set down his chopsticks, shook his head regretfully, and sighed.
Authentic Sichuan-Chongqing fish with pickled mustard greens called for fine dried Guizhou chili segments and Sichuan pepper to remove the fishiness, add fragrance, and enhance the flavor.
But the chili powder he had brought back from Brother Zhang's rice noodle stall was made from chilies roasted over charcoal beforehand.