Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

Chapter 72: You Scored 100 Points?

"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."