Feng Yi, the trial-cooking utility man, was always trustworthy. Xiangling used him with confidence and ease.
"Actually, I know a thing or two about cooking abalone myself..."
After finishing a plate of braised abalone, Feng Yi recalled a state banquet-level dish from his memory.
"What? What? Feng Yi, do you actually know how to make Liyue dishes?"
Xiangling was astonished. Feng Yi seemed to know everything, even Liyue cuisine.
"Not Liyue's Moon Cuisine from the New Moon Inn, but a state banquet-level seafood dish from my hometown! Xiangling, if you want to learn, I can teach you!"
Feng Yi smiled. How could he know how to make Liyue dishes?
"State... state banquet? Such a precious recipe, can I really learn it? Tell me, what's the reward? I won't feel at ease otherwise!"
Xiangling looked at Feng Yi in shock and pinched herself hard, confirming she wasn't dreaming.
She never expected to have the opportunity to learn a state banquet-level dish.
"We're good friends, don't be so formal with me, Xiangling. If you want to repay me, just cook a few more delicious dishes for me to eat!"
Feng Yi waved his hand, signaling Xiangling to be at ease.
He wasn't a full-time chef guarding recipes not to be passed down; there was no great meaning in that.
"Feng Yi, what state banquet-level seafood dish is it? I wonder if I'm included?"
Beidou, hearing Xiangling's exclamation, was also drawn to their conversation.
"If there are enough ingredients, of course it's not a problem!"
Feng Yi nodded as he saw Kazuha being drawn over.
He considered it the fare for the voyage.
His trip to Inazuma was essentially free, and Beidou even provided him with free meals. Feng Yi, being modest, felt a little embarrassed.
"Tell me, my 'Crux Fleet,' we have plenty of seafood ingredients, among other things!"
Beidou waved her hand grandly, indicating that her fleet would cover all the necessary ingredients.
"The ingredients for this dish are not ordinary. I need dried abalone, as well as old hen, old duck, and old pigeon as auxiliary ingredients..."
Feng Yi mused.
"Dried abalone is easy, we have quite a bit on the ship, and I remember there are a few top-grade ones. But old hen, old duck, and old pigeon are really difficult. This isn't land, you can't even buy them here!"
Beidou said with regret.
"Top-grade dried abalone is fine. Leave the old hen, old duck, and old pigeon to me, I have some!"
Feng Yi, to enrich species diversity, had also raised some chickens, ducks, geese, and pigeons in his Serenitea Pot to vary Yuanbao's diet.
After all, even the most delicious roasted rabbit could become tiresome.
"Alright, I'll go get them now!"
Beidou, upon hearing that the dish was still possible, chuckled and went to the ship's cabin to fetch the abalone.
Meanwhile, Feng Yi went to the kitchen, found a steamer, and made some temporary modifications.
He attached a hook to the top of the steamer to hang the chickens, ducks, and pigeons upside down.
Then, he hollowed out the steamer and placed it over a pot.
He slaughtered the chickens, ducks, and pigeons, cleaned them, and prepared them.
Once all the preparations were complete, he just had to wait for Beidou to bring the dried abalone.
Beidou did not disappoint him, bringing several top-grade twin-headed abalones.
First, the abalone needed to be softened on the surface with cold water before the dry steaming process.
If this step were to be followed strictly according to standard, it would require constantly changing the cold water and soaking for a full three days to be considered acceptable.
Feng Yi didn't have that much time and directly used his divine power to accelerate the process.
Even so, these preparations took him three hours.
Afterwards, it was clearly visible that the dried abalone had expanded by a full circle.
However, at this point, the rehydrated abalone was only soft on the surface; the inside was still quite firm. Next, dry steaming was needed to continue the rehydration.
Feng Yi hung the old duck, which had been blanched to remove its gamey flavor, from the hook at the top of the steamer.
He filled the pot halfway with water, added a ginseng root, then placed the abalone above it, and steamed it on high heat.
As the steam condensed at the top, the essence of the old duck would be fully extracted and drip onto the dried abalone. The same applied to the old hen and old pigeon.
Because the abalone was in a dehydrated state during the dry steaming process, it would quickly absorb the essence dripping onto it. This achieved the dual effect of rehydrating the abalone while simultaneously enhancing its flavor.
The first broth was ginseng and old duck soup.
The second broth was Ganoderma lucidum and chicken soup.
The third broth was velvet antler and pigeon soup.
Each broth required simmering on high heat for a day and a night to fully develop its efficacy.
The difficulty of this dish lay in the continuous cooking without interruption, as seafood, once left overnight, becomes inedible.
Therefore, once the steaming began, it could not stop for the next three days. One had to constantly guard the pot, adding water to prevent it from boiling dry.
The normal cooking time for this dish was about seven days. Without a partner to take turns, one could easily collapse from exhaustion.
The cost of one dish was too high for a single chef, hence its limited circulation, primarily among royalty and nobility, with little known among common folk.
Feng Yi and Xiangling took turns, each resting for one day.
There was a minor incident during a shift change that nearly led to the loss of the entire ship.
It happened when some sailors discovered the carcass of a giant sea monster floating in the distance. Beidou even planned to scavenge it.
Feng Yi flew up to take a look and saw that the sea monster was the corpse of a giant whale, larger than their ship, the Alcor.
If a whale explosion were to occur, wouldn't the entire ship be blown away?
(Readers who don't understand whale explosions can search on Baidu; I won't be explaining marine phenomena here.)
Feng Yi desperately persuaded her, and only then did he manage to stop Beidou.
Beidou initially didn't believe Feng Yi about whale explosions. After all, compared to Feng Yi the traveler, she was a true fisherwoman who had lived at sea her whole life.
She had hunted many sea beasts, including whales, though none were as large as this. She had never encountered the whale explosion phenomenon Feng Yi described.
Feng Yi: "You killed them fresh, so there were no gases from rotting food fermenting inside. But who knows how long this whale has been dead? If you dare to touch it, it could explode at any moment."
Beidou, to save face for Feng Yi, abandoned the free bounty and had the fleet detour.
As a result, about half an hour later, a world-shattering explosion suddenly sounded in the distance.
The waves caused by the explosion were like a small tsunami, bringing considerable impact to the Crux Fleet.
The foul odor wafting across the sea instantly made Beidou realize that the whale carcass had exploded.
Beidou looked back with lingering fear, realizing how fortunate they were to have listened to Feng Yi's advice; otherwise, the entire fleet would have been doomed.
Feng Yi exclaimed how close they came to disaster, saving a golden talent card and avoiding the tragic fate of having rotten flesh smeared on his face.