SETH: Peter.

PETER: Hi.

Hi.

SETH: Lydia.

Nice to meet you.

LYDIA: Hi, Seth.

Welcome.

SETH: Thank you so much for having me.

I'm so excited.

I'm thrilled to be here.

And I know that you are a master of Szechuan cooking, but I see these peppers here that I'm pretty sure are not Szechuan peppers.

So what are you preparing today?

LYDIA: You're right.

We are preparing our signature dish, which is steamed branzino with fresh chopped chili peppers.

It's actually a longtime family recipe that has been made by his grandma, my grandma; and my mom continues to make them.

SETH: That sounds really good.

A recipe that's been handed down from generation to generation.

And so Peter, tell me about these chilies here.

SETH: That's where all the heat is found?

LYDIA: The flavors.

SETH: The flavors.

LYDIA: That precisely goes to why there is a perfect season to harvest.

You want to get enough sun exposure.

You also don't want it to retain too much moisture where it loses all the brightness and the sharpness.

So we are pickling this fresh chili.

Typically, we like to make a jar of chili paste.

And it helps to preserve the product that we only harvest once a year.

SETH: Peter, you don't mess around with that garlic.

SETH: Okay.

LYDIA: Are you ready to taste it?

SETH: I'm willing to try it.

I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into here.

SETH: Lydia, am I going to come to regret this?

LYDIA: No, it will be very balanced.

SETH: That is a delicious paste, and amazing from so few such simple ingredients as well.

And so are you going to steam the fish along with the peppers?

LYDIA: Seth, while my dad finishes steaming up the fish, we should do a classic toast.

And we always treat the guest with some Chinese Baiju.

SETH: All right.

LYDIA: It helps with spicy food.

It also helps you relax, helps you enjoy most importantly.

SETH: Oh, I know I'm going to enjoy it.

But I say Cheers.

LYDIA: Ganbei.

SETH: Ganbei.

LYDIA: Ganbei.

SETH: That is... LYDIA: It's good.

SETH: That's a powerful way to start the meal.

PETER: Hello, hello.

SETH: Oh my goodness.

Chef, I don't think anything could have prepared me for that.

LYDIA: Look at the color.

SETH: I was already excited, but now it's just through the roof.

Should we dig in?

LYDIA: Of course.

SETH: Yeah.

LYDIA: Now, what we like to do is ask a guest, "Which part of the fish would you prefer?"

There are different parts of the fish offers different texture.

SETH: Ooh, which part should I start with?

I know that... LYDIA: I'll say the best starts with the belly.

SETH: Belly it is.

(speaking native language).

LYDIA: And Dad is reminding me to give you plenty of peppers.

(speaking native language).

LYDIA: And that's "the soul of the dish."

SETH: Excited is an understatement for how I feel right now.

PETER: Very spicy?

SETH: It's spicy.

LYDIA: Or shall we say is this spicy enough for you?

SETH: It's spicy, but in no way does it overwhelm the fish.

Oh, so rich.

And the oils and the scallions and the way it all plays together.

I mean, it's one of the most beautiful dishes I've ever seen.

This is a real, real privilege to eat this.

LYDIA: And the point of this is also for you to want to drink more.

So are you thirsty?

Is it spicy enough?

SETH: Well, it's making me thirsty.

It's also making me hungry for all these other beautiful dishes.

LYDIA: Yeah.

Well, essentially we order everything so that everyone on the table can try a little bit of everything.

It normally involves with some dim sum, we have bubble pancake, we have some dumplings, and we have some green veg so that nothing you taste is overly overwhelming, too intense.

It's supposed to be a very balanced meal.

SETH: Well, I like that.

Like, yeah, if the spice gets a little too much, go for some green beans, have a dumpling.

And then when you're ready, come back because it does have some heat to it for sure.

But yeah, it makes me want to eat more.

It's made me want to drink more.

LYDIA: Yeah.

We need to Ganbei again.

SETH: Yeah.

That's intense.

And Peter, I'm glad you've put down roots here in this area.

I'm glad you're sticking around.

I can't wait to come back and try this again, and hopefully bring some friends and family over here to share this with them as well.

So Ganbei.

LYDIA: Ganbei.

SETH: Ganbei.

PETER: Ganbei.