Chapter 743 - 689: This Dish Is Quite Interesting
When Fu Yu learned that Liu Yunong had come to the restaurant, he was attempting to independently cook the secret dish of the day.
Wang Yulong stood by his side, carefully explaining the key points of creating this secret dish.
"When cooking this vegetable with crab meat lion’s head, it is crucial to select the right old hen for making the broth; only then can you create a fragrant broth."
"The sauce should neither be too thick nor too thin, otherwise it will affect the quality of the dish."
"When serving, the plate should be pre-heated to maintain the dish’s temperature. Additionally, try to place the mustard greens underneath when plating, and let the shrimp balls, crab yolk, and crab meat float on top for a more visually appealing dish."
These are insights Wang Yulong had accumulated through years of cooking experience.
The fact that he was willing to share these in detail showed his high regard for Fu Yu.
Fu Yu was moved, even though he knew that Wang Yulong treated him this way entirely out of respect for his mentor Liu Yunong, he still appreciated this kindness.
After carefully noting down the few key steps, Fu Yu prepared the ingredients and began cooking.
The chicken broth had already been prepared in advance.
The chicken broth at Shangshi Private Kitchen is made by blanching old hens with yellow fat, lean meat, and fat together in water.
After cleaning, they are placed in a container, with clear water added. The mixture is brought to a boil, then simmered to make broth, and the sediment is filtered out.
Only through this method can one achieve a broth with a fresh, fragrant taste.
When Fu Yu cooked, he only needed to blend the lean meat and chicken breast with water into a paste, then pour it into the prepared broth to make clear chicken soup.
The shrimp were placed in a basin, mixed with salt and baking soda, marinated, rinsed in running water, and then patted dry with a towel to remove excess moisture from the surface.
The shrimp was pre-prepared, reportedly rinsed continuously under running water for three hours before it could be used.
This shows how Liu Family Cuisine pays great attention to detail in cooking and the high standards for ingredient texture.
Fu Yu directly smashed the shrimp with equipment, vigorously mixed it, added finely chopped water chestnuts, and then mixed in salt, sugar, pepper, egg white, and corn starch until even.
After refrigerating it, he formed 12 uniform shrimp balls and gently placed them into boiling water to cook.
He removed the leaves from the small mustard greens, diced them, and blanched them in boiling water before scooping them out.
The pot was then filled with clear chicken soup, brought to a boil, seasoned, thickened slightly, and then the cooked shrimp balls, diced mustard greens, shrimp oil, wild rice, crab meat, and crab yolk were mixed in.
Twelve shrimp balls, with only four placed in each bowl, cooked at once, directly producing three servings of the dish.
When plating, in a white porcelain bowl with two handles, the four shrimp balls floated neatly on the chicken soup, with green mustard greens, orange crab yolk, and brown wild rice floating in the broth, making it look especially refreshing and appetizing.
Fu Yu completed the dish smoothly, Wang Yulong saw it and praised it twice, secretly marveling to himself.
Fu Yu’s culinary skills likely already far exceeded his own.
Fu Yu, slightly inflated by Wang Yulong’s compliments, was about to modestly say a few words when someone from the front reported that the boss Liu Yunong had arrived at the restaurant.
The back-kitchen staff quickly perked up and prepared themselves.
In fact, it wasn’t that they were particularly relaxed when Liu Yunong wasn’t around.
They still did their jobs and took orders as required.
However, there was a difference in their mood when the boss was in or out of the restaurant.
While working, even though they were still doing their jobs, the atmosphere was noticeably more relaxed. Perhaps the way they flipped a pan was overly casual, or they might casually grab a carrot stick and chew on it while chopping vegetables.
But when Liu Yunong was there, although everyone worked as usual, these little unofficial moves were certainly avoided if possible.
Soon, Liu Yunong came over to the back kitchen, accompanied by two other people.
These two were also wearing chef’s uniforms, but their stature immediately showed they were not from the restaurant.
Liu Zhangpeng, sharp-eyed, saw the newcomers first, was taken aback, and quickly signaled to his mentor Wang Yulong: The boss is here!
Fu Yu, hearing the noise, turned his head and was immediately surprised.
Wang Yulong greeted Liu Yunong with a smile, but his gaze turned to the two people following her.
Who are they?
Why are they wearing the restaurant’s chef’s uniforms?
They looked unfamiliar and definitely weren’t temporary support from the main branch.
Fu Yu was already surprised and called out: "Chef Zhao! Chef Yao?"
Liu Yunong smiled and introduced, "These two are head chefs at Qianlima Restaurant. I specifically invited them over to help research the dish’s cooking. You all carry on with your work. Fu Yu, come over here, you can take a look as well."
Yao Shi and Zhao Meng simply greeted Wang Yulong and others, didn’t engage much in conversation, and went directly to Liu Yunong’s cooking station.
Fu Yu, following closely beside Zhao Meng, quietly asked, "Chef Zhao, why are you here?"
Zhao Meng truthfully replied, "Your mentor invited us for a meal."
Fu Yu understood then why Zhao Meng and Yao Shi left together after work.
"Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"
Even though they met at the end of the workday, Zhao Meng hadn’t mentioned it.
Zhao Meng, always unfazed, didn’t respond directly.
Can everything be clearly explained to you, kid?
However, thinking about the cooking later, Zhao Meng seized a moment to quietly tell Fu Yu: "Your mentor wants to try cooking Peony Fish Slices. By then, you’ll probably need to personally get involved in the process, so be ready."
Upon hearing Zhao Meng’s advice, an electronic prompt immediately rang in Fu Yu’s ear:
[Ding! Task from NPC Head Chef Zhao Meng, successfully getting Zhao Meng out of trouble. Task completion reward: Zhao Meng’s favorability +5]