The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Fu Yu stared intently at the zipper-like sides of the mantis shrimp.

Soon, he came up with a simple, practical solution.

Actually, peeling a mantis shrimp is quite simple. Use scissors to cut along both sides, then gently lift up, and the entire shell comes off.

Complete shrimp meat is presented before you, without hurting your hands or wasting any meat.

However, if you use scissors directly, you might damage the shrimp legs, which could affect the presentation on the plate.

By switching to a knife, combined with the sharpness of a razor-sharp kitchen knife and absolute control, you can precisely score the shell in a way that makes it easy to remove.

When the customer eats it, since the shell has become crispy, they can bite into it directly without noticing the score marks, causing the shell to crack open.

Thinking of this, Fu Yu said to Sun Qingning, ”Get me a clean kitchen knife.”

Sun Qingning had already seen Fu Yu staring at the fried mantis shrimp for quite some time.

Was he getting himself hungry while talking about it?

Sun Qingning sniffed.

No doubt.

The fried mantis shrimp indeed smelled wonderful!

But when he heard Fu Yu wanting a knife, Sun Qingning was startled: ”A kitchen knife? Is there any other ingredient to chop?”

While pouring off the excess oil and leaving only a little, Fu Yu said, ”No, I’m just preparing for the plating later.”

Saying so, he tossed the chopped onions, ginger, and garlic into the pan to stir-fry for fragrance.

Sun Qingning was bewildered!

Why does plating need a kitchen knife?

Could it be another creative plating?

He had improved the ”Great Harvest” dish before, is he planning to innovate the salt and pepper mantis shrimp too?

Sun Qingning stared at the pink fried mantis shrimp.

If he modifies the plating, is he planning to chop them up?

It’s said that eating fresh shrimp shells and fish scales can supplement calcium.

The mantis shrimp shell shouldn’t be bad either...with good teeth, maybe one could chew the meat along with the shell, just like eating cicada pupae?

Fu Yu was completely unaware that because of a kitchen knife, Sun Qingning’s mind had completely wandered.

He turned the heat to low, poured in the mantis shrimp, and sprinkled some salt and pepper and black pepper powder.

After adding a suitable amount of cooking wine and stir-frying evenly.

Then, instead of sprinkling the garnish, he used chopsticks to take the mantis shrimp out one by one from the pan, placed them on a clean cutting board, and neatly scored the ”zipper” position on each side of the mantis shrimp with the kitchen knife.

Sun Qingning was dumbfounded watching on the side.

Is this... opening the shell?

But isn’t a kitchen knife unnecessary?

Anyway, the dish is done, no matter what he does with the plating, Sun Qingning isn’t worried.

Fu Yu swiftly began the shell-scoring task.

Holding the kitchen knife, he continuously scored slits on the mantis shrimp shells. It didn’t take long to handle twelve mantis shrimp.

Then he put the mantis shrimp back into the pan, sprinkled scallions and red chili pieces as garnish.

Sun Qingning handed over a plate, planning to take the opportunity during plating to persuade Fu Yu, when suddenly he was shocked!

Twelve mantis shrimp, grouped six on each row, laid in two rows on a white oval plate, with blanched broccoli arranged in front of the mantis shrimp heads.

But there wasn’t a single trace of the scoring on their backs.

Huh?

Where did the spots he just scored go?

Sun Qingning was astonished and looked closely, only to find two faint score marks on both sides of the mantis shrimp.

He was immediately stunned!

This... how could this be?

He clearly saw Fu Yu just now hacking away with the knife!

Yet it’s even better than scissors.

The lines were thin, the length precise, isn’t this... too amazing!

But this makes it easier for the customer to remove the shell while eating.

Though it’s convenient... executing it like this must be incredibly difficult, right?

He managed to turn an ordinary plating into an advanced version that I surely couldn’t handle...

Suddenly, Sun Qingning realized that Fu Yu, like himself, had just been on the job for less than a year.

But he has improved so much.

How long has he been really holding the wok?

Images of Fu Yu’s series of cooking moves kept replaying in his mind.

Smooth!

Swift!

Skilled!

Like the cooking techniques of a seasoned chef.

Even Zhao Meng might not be able to do it so confidently and perfectly, right?

Though Sun Qingning had never truly held the wok, he’s been in the kitchen long enough. He might never have seen a pig run, but he’s definitely handled pork, right?

Fu Yu truly is not simple!

Thinking of this, Sun Qingning couldn’t help but feel amazed in his heart.

No wonder he dared to persuade Zhao Meng to take orders before, turns out he had confidence all along.

With his skills, it’s almost like having Gu Yunwu come to help.

It’s just six tables of banquet reservations.

Like he said before, moving swiftly, clarifying tasks, adjusting the serving order, squeezing some time, it really can be handled smoothly.

Thinking of this, Sun Qingning felt a sense of relief.

Fu Yu truly had the skills, and as an assisting chef, he would have plenty of opportunities to learn from him in the future.

At this moment, Sun Qingning looked at Fu Yu with a newfound warmth in his eyes.

”Chef Fu, your technique for dismantling mantis shrimp shells is really so skilled, did you learn it from Chef Zhao?”

Fu Yu glanced at Sun Qingning, chuckled, and glossed over it: ”Mm, yes.”

Did Zhao Meng ever guide Fu Yu on plating techniques?

Yes, he had!

He taught Fu Yu first-hand that for a dish to have perfect color, smell, and taste, besides superb cooking skills, plating is also very important.

The existing plating techniques in the shop were innovatively researched by several generations of kitchen chefs. It seems easy to imitate, but if you aren’t careful with the details, it’s easy to go wrong.

Since you lack experience now, just do your best to replicate what’s been done before.

After hearing that, Sun Qingning smiled: ”Chef Fu, teach me this dismantling technique next time. In the future, if there’s a job like this, I can take over for you.”

Fu Yu smiled lightly: ”Sure, when there’s time. When I’m busy working, I might not pay attention. If you have any questions, just ask me directly. If I know it, I will definitely share it with you.”

Sun Qingning quickly said, ”Okay, Chef Fu, with your amazing skills, there’s so much I can learn from you, I’ll have to trouble you in the future.”

Fu Yu nodded: ”Sure thing!”

”You have a solid foundation, and you’re smart, I think you have a lot of potential. With good practice in cooking, you’ll surely progress!”

After a round of mutual admiration, they reached a preliminary mutual assistance working relationship.

Thinking about it, it was indeed a mutually beneficial arrangement!

Meanwhile, in the private room upstairs, several customers were eating while chatting.

Brother Pang, with a bulging belly, pointed his chopsticks at the salt and pepper mantis shrimp in front, and said with a smile: ”We are really led by the craving bug, eating this thing, the first bite of seafood in autumn is always the most shocking.”

His old friends sitting next to him laughed listening to him talk.

One of them turned to his young daughter beside him and said, ”Your Uncle Fatty’s hometown is by the sea.”

The little girl nodded at these words, seriously listening to Uncle Fatty speak.