The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World-Chapter 86 - 85: A Familiar Scene
Fu Yu was oblivious to the eager gazes of Yao Shi and Zhang Zhen.
The cooked flour in the serving container had cooled down enough.
He poured the flour onto the board and started kneading it with his palms while it was still warm.
Once it was completely formed, he divided it equally into 10 small pieces.
First, he rolled them round, then pinched them into peach shapes...
Fu Yu paused in his actions.
How exactly should a peach shape be pinched?
It seemed quite simple when looking at the picture, but holding it in hands was a different story.
Fu Yu kneaded the round ball, took a deep breath, visualizing the pleasing Longevity Peach from the picture, and gently started pinching the shape with his fingers.
Indeed, that feeling of automatically knowing what to do just by thinking about it returned.
An indescribable tactile sensation guided his hands to knead back and forth.
The control of force and speed was perfect.
Coordinating his thumb with his index and middle fingers, he pinched the tip and gently twisted, creating a beautiful peach-shaped prototype.
He then used a presser to imprint peach lines, and dyed the peach tip with red yeast rice, resulting in a soft pink hue that was appetizing.
But this wasn’t the end.
Rose petals were cut into neat little pieces, seemingly random yet meticulously placed at a designed angle on the Longevity Peach.
A uniquely crafted, exquisite Longevity Peach bun was complete.
With the first sample done, it became much smoother to make the rest.
Seven chubby little Longevity Peaches were arranged in the bamboo steamer for takeout.
From the direction of the peach tips to the overall spacing, everything was just right.
The remaining three were placed on a clean plate by Fu Yu, reserved for Yao Shi and Sun Mingze to taste later.
Fu Yu checked over them himself, ensuring there were no issues before announcing, "The Longevity Peach buns are ready."
Yao Shi leaned in for a closer look.
Having already contacted Ren Mingqing, he had also figured out a solution and plan of action.
Customers should never be blamed or offended.
In business, the customer is always right, and finding ways to satisfy them is what they must do.
Offending a customer over a Longevity Peach was certainly not a wise choice.
Yao Shi had prepared for the worst, which was to apologize and provide triple compensation.
However, he also thought of the best and only mutually satisfactory solution.
Which was to make a Longevity Peach that satisfied Sun Mingze.
Additionally, gifting him a VIP card for the restaurant, which would offer him priority service, discounts, and other privileges whenever he visited.
After all, the restaurant regularly held events to give back to both new and loyal customers.
Such VIP cards could be distributed several hundred times a year.
This way, not only would they not offend Sun Mingze, but they could also foster a rapport with him.
Customers who could afford to dine at their restaurant usually had substantial wealth.
Wealthy people tend to have friends who are also wealthy.
Perhaps in the future, they could receive numerous orders for Longevity Peaches.
So maintaining a good relationship with Sun Mingze was undoubtedly beneficial without any downsides.
Right now, the Longevity Peach crafted by Fu Yu had truly put Yao Shi’s mind at ease.
The Longevity Peach was exceptionally well made.
The shape was smooth and full, and the color was fresh and enticing.
Fu Yu handed one Longevity Peach to Yao Shi: "Chef Yao, give it a taste and let me know how it is?"
Yao Shi took it, broke it in half, and handed one half to Zhang Zhen while he brought the remaining half to his mouth.
Taking a bite, he chewed slowly.
It was sticky yet pliant, sweet and soft.
Amidst the sweetness was a faint fragrance unique to rose petals.
Having tasted it, Yao Shi sincerely praised, "Not bad, very delicious!"
Yao Shi genuinely found it delightful.
The custom Longevity Peaches at the music restaurant usually featured fillings like candied fruits and nuts.
Due to the pricing, there couldn’t be simple flour-steamed Longevity Peaches without a filling.
Peaches with filling were certainly richer in texture.
But even the simple ones without filling were fragrant and sweet.
Perhaps it was because he hadn’t had dinner yet, Yao Shi found himself wanting more after finishing the little Longevity Peach in two bites.
He could have eaten two more.
Zhang Zhen, who harbored the same thoughts, smacked his lips silently.
He typically didn’t have a taste for sweets.
But this Longevity Peach made by Fu Yu suited his palate perfectly.
Not overly sweet, it was the kind that slowly released its sweet fragrance with each chew.
Mixed with the unique rose aroma, it was very distinct and delicious.
Prior, he had been engrossed in watching Fu Yu knead the dough, indifferent to the sweet aroma in the kitchen air.
But after eating half a Longevity Peach, he suddenly felt hungry.
Zhang Zhen also chimed in with praise, "Indeed, it’s very tasty. Fu Yu, your dough handling skills are really good!"
Fu Yu watched them, smiling, "That’s good, then. I need to go to the red kitchen and get some spinach."
Yao Shi quickly offered, "How much do you need? You keep busy, I’ll get it!"
Zhang Zhen volunteered, "No need, I’ll get it now. There was some left earlier, and it’s all washed!"
With that, Zhang Zhen turned and jogged away.
Watching Zhang Zhen run off, Fu Yu felt a curious sense of... triumph?
Handsome guy, don’t let it go to your head!
While waiting for the spinach, Fu Yu brought a pot of water to boil.
Zhang Zhen returned with a bunch of spinach, and Fu Yu picked through it as he placed it in the pot, preparing a pot of vibrant vegetable water.
He strained the vegetable water into a bowl for later use.
Then he checked the dough in the fermentation machine.
The dough had finished proofing.
Fu Yu dumped the dough onto the board.
Kneading the dough is different from mixing it.
Fu Yu found that while working, his hands seemed to have a mind of their own, their movements guided by the tactile feedback so that whenever he thought it was time to knead, his hands would automatically start, wrists and all.
It was as if he was born knowing how to knead dough.
Despite not knowing the proper techniques, he naturally performed standard motions of folding, mixing, kneading, pounding, kneading, tossing, and wiping...
Each action was fluid and skillful.
Once the dough reached the right consistency, he covered it with cling wrap.
Let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
He kneaded two batches of dough separately.
The red beans had also finished cooking.
He poured the cooked red beans from the pot into a bowl and added sugar.
Then he mixed them, lightly mashing them with a potato masher.
The filling for the Eight-Filling Longevity Peach involved chopping eight kinds of preserved fruits and nuts, mixing them with red bean paste and adding vegetable oil, then forming them into small balls.
The red beans were ready, so he simply used a blender before simmering in a pan.
Once everything was prepared, the dough was fully proofed.
The proofed dough was kneaded smooth to make the outer shell, and the filling was enclosed to form peach-shaped buns.
Using separate small portions of dough, he added vegetable juice and coffee powder, kneading separately.
Green dough was shaped into leaves and attached to the buns.
Brown dough was rolled into strips to form the word ’Longevity’ and stuck onto the peach body.
The prepared Longevity Peaches were steamed in the steamer for 20 minutes.
Fu Yu finished with the Auspicious Longevity Peach.
He took out the dough and pinched it into appropriately sized dough pieces.
He added red bean filling, shaped it into a Longevity Peach, and used green dough for the leaves.
These too were steamed in the steamer for 20 minutes.
Just as he put the lid on, Ren Mingqing rushed back, slightly out of breath.
"Boss! How’s it going? Is the customer getting impatient...?"
Ren Mingqing had entered through the back door, rushing to the restaurant’s kitchen, thinking the sooner he arrived, the sooner the Longevity Peaches could be made.
When he entered, he saw Yao Shi and Zhang Zhen standing by the dough board, focused intently on the busy figure at the workstation. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Ren Mingqing: "..."
