Taking Liu Yifei back to Northeast China for the Chinese New Year has sent the entire internet into

In front of the stove.

Fang Yu looked at the "tofu pudding" in the pot, which had almost solidified, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He turned his head, glanced at Liu Yifei beside him whose eyes were shining and who was unconsciously swallowing saliva, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"How is it, fairy sister? Doesn't it look much more delicious now?"

Liu Yifei nodded, still staring blankly at the pot, muttering to herself:

"But...why did it turn out like this?"

"Just a moment ago it was a basin... a basin of muddy water!"

"Good question."

Fang Yu cleared his throat and, in an extremely pretentious tone, loudly revealed the answer to Liu Yifei and the camera in the live stream.

"Look closely! This is the legendary top-tier dish from Northeast China—crab tofu!"

"Although it's called tofu, the entire production process doesn't use a single soybean, nor does it add any coagulant!"

"Its ability to solidify from a liquid is entirely due to the crayfish meat itself!"

Fang Yu raised his chin, a smug look on his lips.

"As mentioned before, crayfish can only survive in the purest mountain spring water. This extreme growing environment results in their meat being extremely rich in high-quality protein!"

"Just now, when I used a pestle to smash the crayfish and filtered it with gauze, I was actually completely destroying the crayfish's muscle fiber structure, releasing all the proteins inside into the water!"

"Proteins undergo a physical change when exposed to high temperatures, called thermal denaturation!"

"Simply put, proteins coagulate when heated! It's like when you crack an egg into boiling water, it becomes a poached egg!"

"So what you see in this pot isn't tofu pudding at all, but rather a protein gel naturally formed from the protein of top-quality river seafood!"

"This stuff is a true gift from nature, a pure, natural delicacy that technology and hard work simply cannot replicate!"

Fang Yu's easy-to-understand popular science lecture left everyone speechless.

[Holy crap! It was just coagulated protein! I thought it was bodily fluids! I was wondering about that!]

[Haha! They're all the same! Calling it corpse water isn't wrong either!]

[But it's better to call it protein gel! It sounds more sophisticated!]

In front of the stove.

Fang Yu picked up the small bowl filled with crayfish roe.

With a flick of the wrist.

Whoosh!

A full bowl of viscous substance, rich in shrimp roe essence, was poured into a boiling pot.

The originally pink crayfish tofu was instantly coated with a layer of golden luster.

The combination of red and gold is quite beautiful.

The already powerful umami flavor takes on an even greater quality after the addition of shrimp roe, as if it has been infused with a soul!

The originally crisp and refreshing river flavor is now infused with a rich and mellow aroma of oil.

This complex and overpowering aroma hits the nasal cavity, causing the stomach to spasm uncontrollably.

"Is that all?" Liu Yifei stared longingly at the iron pot, feeling like she was about to grab the spoon.

"What's the rush? There are still two final, crucial steps to complete."

Fang Yu chuckled and scooped a spoonful of the most ordinary refined salt from the spice box next to him, sprinkling it evenly into the boiling soup.

"The finest ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods."

"These wild crayfish are already incredibly fresh; they don't need any MSG, chicken bouillon, or thirteen-spice powder!"

"Just a little salt to enhance the base flavor will bring out all that freshness and vitality."

Immediately afterwards, Fang Yu reached out his hand without turning his head.

Fang Daqiang, who had been quietly tending the fire and helping out, handed over a small basin with perfect understanding. The basin was filled with freshly washed and chopped bright green chives.

"Thanks, Lao Fang."

Fang Yu took the small basin and flicked his wrist.

Whoosh!

A basin full of fresh, green chives was poured into the boiling iron pot.

When eating river delicacies in Northeast China, chives are definitely an indispensable "perfect match"!

The moment the bright green chives touched the scalding hot broth, a unique, slightly spicy, herbal aroma burst forth.

Not only did it perfectly suppress the last trace of the crayfish's fishy smell, but it also instantly elevated the originally domineering freshness to a whole new level!

At this point, the crayfish tofu is finally ready.

Fang Yu gently stirred the soup in the pot with a ladle, and just scooped up half a spoonful to taste the saltiness.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Liu Yifei's beautiful big eyes were staring intently at the soup spoon in his hand.

With a slight twitch of her fair neck, a very clear "gulp" sound came from her throat.

Fang Yu paused in his actions, almost bursting out laughing.

He smoothly held the spoon level, blew away the rising steam, and gently flicked his wrist to bring the spoon directly to Liu Yifei's lips.

"Come on, fairy sister, give us your opinion on this pot of braised meat."

At this moment, Liu Yifei no longer had any of her usual reserved demeanor.

Without the slightest hesitation, she parted her red lips slightly, leaned forward, and slurped up the entire spoonful of crayfish tofu, soup and all, into her mouth.

The moment it entered her mouth, its soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture instantly won over her taste buds.

The shrimp roe is soft and rich, the tofu is fresh and smooth, and the piping hot soup is filled with an extremely domineering umami flavor that explodes on the tip of your tongue!

Liu Yifei squinted her eyes in satisfaction, gave a thumbs-up, and generously offered the most direct evaluation: "Bright and vibrant!"

Seeing her completely assimilated, Fang Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"Wow, you've really mastered the Northeastern dialect."

Having said that, he turned and shouted at the top of his lungs toward the cutting board:

"Mom! The fairy sister has already stamped and approved it, can we cook the noodles now?"

"It's been prepared for a long time!" Zhao Guifang replied from the other end.

In front of the cutting board, the snow-white noodles, each one of uniform thickness and distinct, were neatly stacked.

In another large iron pot, clear water was bubbling and boiling.

Zhao Guifang picked up the work surface, deftly gathered the noodles with her hands, and neatly tossed them into the boiling water.

The white noodles tumbled and danced in the boiling water, and in no time they all floated to the surface.

"All done!"

Zhao Guifang picked up a large strainer, scooped out the cooked hot noodles, and poured them directly into a large basin of cold water that had been prepared beforehand.

The hot noodles, fresh out of the pot, shrink instantly upon cooling, washing away the stickiness on the surface and fully unleashing the gluten's elasticity, resulting in an extremely chewy and smooth texture.

Then, she deftly took four large blue-and-white porcelain bowls and divided the noodles that had been rinsed in cold water into them one by one.

The snow-white noodles piled at the bottom of the bowl exuded an enticing yet simple wheat aroma.

Everything is ready, except for the last and most crucial step – pouring the braising liquid!

Fang Yu picked up the large iron ladle, plunged it deep into the bottom of the iron pot, and scooped up a large spoonful of bright red and tempting crayfish tofu.

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The scalding hot and rich topping was poured over the snow-white, chewy hand-pulled noodles.

The bright red broth and dazzling golden color intertwine perfectly against the pure base, while enticing steam rises into the air.

One bowl, two bowls, three bowls, four bowls.

After finishing the portioning, Fang Yu deftly retrieved the iron spoon and tapped it on the edge of the iron pot with a "clang".

"Dinner's ready!"

At this moment.

The chat in the live stream room has gone completely crazy.

[Help! Is this food made by carbon-based life forms?! Red and white, the colors are so appetizing!]

Why did you have to show me this in the middle of the day! My freshly made pickled cabbage and beef noodles suddenly lost their appeal!

I hate it! I hate myself for not being from Northeast China! I hate myself for not being at Fang Yu's house! My life is incomplete without ever having eaten a bowl of noodles like this!

[I've reported it! I have to report it! The streamer is suspected of launching a large-scale psychological attack during lunchtime! My stomach is starting to rebel!]