The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Chapter 61: Chapter 60: Obtained Personal Skill ”Stir-Fry” (Intermediate)

It’s not difficult for a chef to cook delicacies and rare dishes well.

If they can make vegetables and radishes taste delicious.

That’s the mark of a truly skilled chef.

Spicy crayfish, as a classic snack at street beer stalls, is famous for its spicy and savory taste.

Because it’s easy to make and simple to cook, making this dish with your own unique style is not an easy task.

The special method of cooking that was painstakingly developed back then has been steadily used until now.

Then suddenly someone had a different opinion and pointed out the hidden problems with precision.

This instantly enlightened Yao Shi, and he suddenly thought, perhaps it’s possible to innovate a brand-new spicy crayfish.

In dish innovation, besides breakthroughs in ingredients, seasonings, seasoning methods, as well as name, shape, taste, and utensils, one must also consider what currently interests customers.

This alone is worth a thorough study.

Once the innovative dish is developed, it can be added to the banquet menu of the music restaurant.

With this thought, Yao Shi couldn’t help but show joy and clapped his hands excitedly.

Zhao Meng was staring at Fu Yu with a speechless look, when suddenly he heard a crisp ”snap” sound!

Zhao Meng turned around and saw Yao Shi looking at Fu Yu with a curious expression...

Amidst his excitement, Yao Shi suddenly realized, how could Fu Yu make such a comment?

He could even accurately point out some small errors Zhao Meng made during the cooking process.

This kid is not simple!

Yao Shi looked at Fu Yu with an increasingly meaningful gaze.

Zhao Meng glanced at Yao Shi, then at Fu Yu, and directly put his hand on Yao Shi’s shoulder, saying with a helpless look, ”Chef Yao, did you see that? This kid is no good at anything but is a master at talking nonsense. I think I haven’t made him cook enough; he has too much energy to vent. Later, let’s just have him cook everything.”

Fu Yu was dumbfounded!

He had given such a sincere critique, but Zhao Meng thought he was just being cheeky...

Fu Yu was speechless to the extreme.

He couldn’t help but sigh in his heart: There really is a gap between people! If you don’t have the talent, you’ll never measure up.

...

The second dish of spicy crayfish, Zhao Meng assigned Fu Yu to handle it.

All the talk, but was it just empty bravado?

Whether it’s a mule or a horse has to be taken out for a walk to show what it’s made of.

Fu Yu reached out and held the handle of the frying pan.

The next second, he froze.

[Ding! Back Kitchen Rising Star Title Reward: Congratulations on acquiring NPC Head Chef Zhao Meng’s personal skill: Stir-frying (Intermediate)]

Whoa!

Unexpectedly, he inadvertently got Zhao Meng’s personal skill.

And it came at an intermediate level!

The previous dough kneading and handling skill was the same.

It seems that with the Back Kitchen Rising Star title reward, as long as there is a chance to acquire people’s personal skills from around you, it basically starts at the intermediate level.

Fu Yu’s action stalled as he suddenly received the reward.

From Zhao Meng and Yao Shi’s perspective, it looked like he was staring blankly at the frying pan.

Zhao Meng frowned, not knowing what this kid was up to, being in a daze at such a time.

He was about to give a reminder when, in the next second, Fu Yu suddenly started moving.

He poured oil into the frying pan, one ladle after another.

Finally, with a full ladle of oil, he only used about a third and stopped, pouring the remaining oil back.

Zhao Meng shook his head in disapproval.

Still hasn’t cooked enough, lacking experience, and doesn’t grasp the ratio of seasonings well.

When the oil is hot, add dried chili peppers, chili paste, Sichuan peppercorns, green onions, ginger, and garlic to sauté until fragrant.

Zhao Meng, watching Fu Yu’s actions, slowly widened his eyes, this technique...

Due to his extra focus this time, he noticed a pattern.

While Fu Yu was adding seasonings, he would grab them casually, but would noticeably do a weighing gesture.

This was using tactile sensation to measure the amount of seasonings.

Usually, only veterans would have this gesture.

Zhao Meng’s eyes widened in disbelief, this...is not bad at all.

Fu Yu was now completely engrossed in the cooking process.

He placed the clean crayfish into the pan to stir-fry.

He gripped the panhandle with his left hand and sharply pulled it backward, allowing the ingredients to naturally slide forward.

Then pushed the panhandle forward and then sharply pulled it back again.

The crayfish in the pan were flipped out and slid back in.

Fu Yu’s movements were agile and adept, completing a toss with the pan.

That wasn’t all; he lifted the pan again, keeping the pan surface parallel and rotating it clockwise, waiting for the contents to rotate along, then gently shaking it.

He completed a perfect pan shake.

Zhao Meng was somewhat dumbfounded.

He was surprised to see Fu Yu’s flipping technique exceptionally standard and adept today, from the position of his grip on the panhandle, the force applied by his palm when flipping, even to the height and degree of the ingredient’s flip, it was practically a textbook example.

How could a kitchen novice showcase such pan flipping skills?

This was totally like a top-ranked player flaunting moves in a lower-tier match.

Zhao Meng had extensive experience with stir-frying; otherwise, customers wouldn’t specifically request that he handle the orders for stir-fried dishes.

A professional knows right away.

As someone who is practically an expert himself, watching Fu Yu’s operation allowed Zhao Meng to recognize the craftsmanship and proficiency in his smooth actions and crisp pan flipping.

As Zhao Meng observed Fu Yu’s swift stir-frying, he even felt that Fu Yu’s pan flipping skills were on the verge of reaching his own level.

He added white wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce.

Added sugar to sauté for aroma.

Seeing the crayfish curling up, he put in bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon, and other spices.

Poured in clear water.

Fu Yu’s movement obviously slowed down.

From Zhao Meng and Yao Shi’s angle, it looked like the frying pan had a scale mark and he was pouring water according to the scale line.

Zhao Meng shook his head again, this kid, he’s cooking a dish like it’s a work of art!

Put the lid on to simmer until cooked.

When Fu Yu adjusted the flame, Zhao Meng noticed it was too high, but didn’t remind him.

He had already noticed that Fu Yu didn’t pay much attention to controlling the heat.

He would casually adjust it up or down.

When he made congee earlier, it was just luck that it didn’t burn to the bottom.

This time the crayfish’s heat wasn’t adjusted properly again.

Just wait and see if he can handle it when it’s time to reduce the sauce.

In a standard cooking process, it should be simmered over medium heat for 8 minutes.

But clearly, after eight minutes, Fu Yu didn’t move, sticking till nine minutes before lifting the lid.

It’s over!

It’s certainly going to dry out!

The heat was already high, and now the timing was off.

Zhao Meng sighed inwardly, thinking he’d need to cook another batch himself.

He rolled up his sleeves, ready to step in to deal with it, but before he could take a step, he saw Fu Yu sprinkling some salt and the restaurant’s homemade MSG into the pot, then notably turning up the heat, looking like he was preparing to reduce the sauce.

Zhao Meng was shocked.

With things like this, is there still any sauce?

Even Yao Shi had a dumbfounded expression.

They had both watched with their own eyes how much water Fu Yu added to the pot!

By his method, it certainly should have dried out.

But now, there was not the slightest burnt smell from the bottom, and it didn’t look like it lacked sauce from the rising steam.

Could it be that Fu Yu really knew what he was doing, deliberately timing it this way?

Thinking of this, Zhao Meng fully concentrated, seriously watching every move Fu Yu made.

Sun Qingning, knowing that this supposed assessment had nothing to do with him, usually followed suit to cut or prepare vegetables unless Zhao Meng requested him otherwise.

But just now, while delivering washed kitchen utensils, he happened to see Fu Yu flipping the pan, and subconsciously stopped, not leaving immediately.

Fu Yu’s pan flipping was just too standard, too elegant!

Even knowing that Fu Yu definitely wasn’t as skilled as Chef Zhao, in terms of the aesthetics and spectacle of the action, it seemed Fu Yu had an edge.

No wonder Chef Zhao appreciates him so much, Fu Yu is truly impressive!