The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World-Chapter 95 - 94: Thankfully, Diligence Makes Up for Limitations
Fu Yu prepared the plating for the cold mixed braised pig trotters.
The already separated trotters were placed back together by him.
Two large, clean lettuce leaves were laid at the bottom of the bowl in advance.
Two pig trotters were placed in a round bowl, with a few pieces of broccoli on each side.
The pig trotters were glossy brown-red, contrasting with the tender green, making them look appetizing.
After taking care of the trotters, the pork and cabbage stew in the pot was almost done.
Once the liquid was reduced, adding the right amount of salt and secret chicken essence would complete it.
However, the New Year’s pig stew, unlike other dishes, didn’t offer much room for innovation in plating.
In the end, it was Zhang Zhen who came up with an idea,
He procured a plate of crystal-clear glutinous rice dumplings from the pastry department.
The dumplings were exquisitely crafted, each pinched into a rounded shell with curled edges.
The cooked fillings inside were vaguely visible through the glutinous rice skin.
The large bowl was half-filled with the New Year’s pig stew, with a circle of dumplings lining the rim.
The once ordinary stew instantly gained a touch of elegance.
But that wasn’t all.
Zhang Zhen meticulously carved a few thumb-sized pink flowers and green leaves from a beauty heart radish and fruit cucumber.
They were scattered as decorations amid the dumplings.
At first glance, the visual effect was surprisingly beautiful.
Fu Yu admired the plating of the New Year’s pig stew for a moment and sincerely praised, "Chef Zhang, your carving skills are amazing!"
Fu Yu’s words were genuinely heartfelt.
Such petals, thin and continuous, arranged in layers like blooming flowers, can’t be achieved without years of practice.
Zhang Zhen, who had worked in the kitchen for many years, had heard plenty of praise and flattery.
But, somehow, Fu Yu’s casual compliment felt refreshing and uplifting.
The previous sense of being overwhelmed by the younger generation suddenly faded significantly.
The sense of crisis still lingered, but he felt surprisingly at ease.
Zhang Zhen smiled mysteriously, "Oh, it’s just twenty years of practice, getting better with time." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Fu Yu was visibly surprised, "More than twenty years of practice?"
Zhang Zhen nodded proudly, "Yes."
Thinking to himself: Now you realize how skilled I am, huh? Want to surpass me? First, practice your knife skills for twenty years!
Fu Yu couldn’t help but look at Zhang Zhen with a touch of sympathy.
It turned out Chef Zhang’s success today was all due to diligence and effort!
Well, as they say, if one has no talent, there’s really no other way.
Luckily, hard work can make up for lack of talent.
Meanwhile, Ah Ma’s Sacred Pork ingredients in the pot were also almost done cooking.
Fu Yu checked to confirm the meat was tender enough before adding salt and taking out the meat to cool.
Once it was cool enough to handle, he sliced it into ear-shaped pieces and arranged them neatly in a bowl.
Zhang Zhen stood by, watching Fu Yu skillfully slice the meat with ease.
The technique of holding the knife, the angle of cutting, and the cutting speed were simply perfect.
For chefs, it’s perhaps an occupational hazard.
Doing the work oneself might feel tiring, but watching someone else, especially someone with great skills, becomes invigorating.
Like watching a good movie, it’s engrossing.
Yao Shi wandered around the VIP room.
Seeing the two customers chatting enthusiastically, he took the opportunity to hold a meeting with the order staff.
He mainly emphasized the issues with the Longevity Peach last night and put forward some specific requirements.
After finishing, he hurried back to the kitchen to see how Fu Yu’s preparations were going.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, he saw Fu Yu slicing meat rapidly while Zhang Zhen watched intently.
The texture of the cooked pig head meat and organs must feel resistant when cutting.
Typically, one applies a steady hand when cutting, applying more force at the end to separate the pieces completely.
However, Fu Yu sliced it as effortlessly as slicing cucumbers, maintaining a consistent strength from start to finish.
Oddly enough, the pork didn’t resist the cut, appearing not to need much effort.
Were it not for Yao Shi being a chef, having sliced plenty of meat himself, he might have thought the pork was just tender and easy to cut.
"How’s the preparation going?"
Since Yao Shi had already discussed transferring the Eight Dishes and Eight Bowls method with Fu Yu, he wasn’t in a rush to learn cooking at that moment.
Fu Yu quickly reported his progress.
Upon hearing that the four most time-consuming dishes were almost complete, Yao Shi felt relieved, knowing the rest would be easier.
With a lightened heart, he began to call the buyers, urging them to swiftly procure the missing ingredients while reminding them to give vendors a heads-up to reserve stock for the actual banquet day.
Fu Yu continued with the plating.
After finishing with the meat, he prepared the dipping sauce.
The dipping sauce was mixed according to a signature family banquet recipe.
Soy sauce, vinegar, Chinese chive flower paste, garlic paste, mustard, and chili oil were blended into the sauce.
With these condiments, once well-proportioned, it seems like even a shoe sole would taste fresh and tasty when dipped in it!
As Fu Yu wrapped things up, the buyers returned.
Dishes like red-braised fish, stir-fried large intestines, and cabbage stir-fried with wood ear fungus, all that Zhang Zhen could make, were transferred over.
Fu Yu focused on more uncommon dishes such as stir-fried snow vegetable with tofu dots.
The two cooperated, quickly setting up a table for the Eight Dishes and Eight Bowls banquet.
Fu Yu shared his insights with Yao Shi: "For the Eight Dishes and Eight Bowls banquet, when setting the table, you should alternate a dish and a bowl, hot and cold..."
Fu Yu explained in detail while Yao Shi noted down carefully, mentally reviewing the process before instructing the servers responsible for serving the dishes.
Once the servers with dishes left.
The entire kitchen staff breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Yao Shi followed to take a quick look and quickly returned.
"The customers are very satisfied and want the engagement banquet to maintain this standard," he announced.
Everyone felt a sense of relief.
Yao Shi then privately instructed Fu Yu: "If there’s nothing else today, start teaching them how to make balloon noodles. Not everyone needs to know, just Chef Zhang, Chef Lin, and Chef Liu should learn too."
The music restaurant also employs a head chef and two main chefs.
However, there are more chefs capable of cooking, totaling six in all.
Since the music restaurant caters to large order banquets, fewer staff in the kitchen wouldn’t be enough.
Initially, Fu Yu thought Yao Shi only wanted him to teach the main chefs and head chef to make balloon noodles, worried about having nobody in the kitchen.
But hearing this, Yao Shi laughed, helplessly stating: "Actually, the main concern is the high turnover among kitchen staff. Given our big name, many places outside are trying to poach talented chefs. Here, only the head chefs and main chefs have long-term contracts, so there’s no worry about unexpected changes, while the others have only short-term contracts, one or two years at most, and who knows what will happen after they end."
Fu Yu suddenly understood.
Apparently, being a chef is indeed a hot profession, and those excelling naturally attract headhunters.
