The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Yao Yihang was prying about, asking around for information.

Fu Yu ignored him, focusing on cooking!

Because Zhao Meng suddenly felt unwell and almost fainted in front of the cooking station, if word got out, Zhao Meng would be finished.

Fu Yu had to handle this round of orders smoothly, without letting outsiders notice.

The situation was urgent!

The kitchen master was unwell and collapsed; if this news reached others, it would become fodder for gossip.

After all, being the head chef, rumors could be dangerous, and if any unsavory news spread, it would surely affect Zhao Meng’s reputation in the future.

Zhao Meng was just in his early forties, a time of strength and experience, with a promising future.

There should be no room for even the slightest handle.

Especially with Gu Yunwu and his team watching eagerly from the side.

Annoyed by Yao Yihang’s dithering, Fu Yu looked up and said, ”Chef Zhao is fine, it’s just that he didn’t sleep well last night and has a bit of low blood sugar. He’s back in his room resting for a bit, and he’ll be back soon. Please inform Chef Gu, no need to worry!”

After sending Yao Yihang away, Fu Yu turned and instructed Zhang Jinyu, ”Today, you can assist me in the kitchen. Start by handling the crabs the customer selected.”

This order was for eight dishes.

Two stir-fried, two steamed, one special sweet and sour pork, one innovative great harvest stew, one papaya with hashima, and a summer seafood soup.

The meat slices for the sweet and sour pork were ready, just need to thicken, season, and they could be plated.

Fu Yu efficiently prepared the sweet and sour sauce.

Left some oil in the pan, poured in the sweet and sour sauce, and water starch.

Simmered over medium-low heat until thick.

Added spring onions and ginger slices, poured in the meat slices, stir-fried for half a minute, and removed from heat.

Fu Yu was now quite skilled at plating, using the spatula to scoop the golden sweet and sour pork onto the plate, stacking them into a tower-like pile, forming a small hill.

Garnished with hair-thin carrot shreds and sections of cilantro leaves, it was visually appealing and smelled inviting with the aroma of vinegar.

After plating, Fu Yu turned to instruct Zhang Jinyu, ”Alright, take it out.”

Zhang Jinyu nodded quickly, reaching out to take it.

Fu Yu handled the two steamed dishes, marinating one, and putting the other directly in the steamer.

Once arranged, he turned to start stir-frying.

For the oil-exploded scallops, Fu Yu took eight minutes.

After plating, he called Zhang Jinyu to hand it to the waiter.

Then took out the steamed seafood and served it while hot.

Took a new steamer and started steaming the marinated seafood.

The spicy crayfish had already been cleaned thoroughly.

Fu Yu checked once, instructing Zhang Jinyu, ”Weigh the hashima and bring it over. Select a papaya with an intact outer skin, cut it in half, seed one half, and put the other half in the cold storage.”

Through this collaboration, he also realized that although Zhang Jinyu lacked quick wit and was slow to react, he was meticulous with his work.

Whatever task was given to him, he would complete it clearly and meticulously, without leaving any room for error.

Just one thing, when instructing him, it was essential to explain things clearly and thoroughly.

Zhao Meng was impatient and couldn’t stand those who needed constant prodding to move along.

Fu Yu was quite satisfied with Zhang Jinyu.

He didn’t mind explaining things a bit more to Zhang Jinyu, as long as the final work met his standards.

The spicy crayfish went into the pan, and this time Fu Yu took eight minutes.

For this order, there were still half the dishes left to be done, and a new round of orders came in.

Fu Yu took a quick glance; fortunately, it was a six-dish small set.

First, he made a stir-fried clam dish, then a seafood medley stir-fry.

After serving both dishes, the steamed seafood was also done.

After a simple plating, Fu Yu instructed Zhang Jinyu to hand it to the waiter.

He then began with the papaya hashima.

This dish was a traditional specialty of the restaurant, with papaya and hashima as the main ingredients, offering a sweet taste, skin-nourishing benefit, and rich nutrition.

The hashima oil was ready-made, directly soaked in water until white and semi-transparent, then cooked in boiling water.

When it seemed about done, he scooped it out and drained the water.

Cleaned the papaya’s outer skin, cut off 2/5 from the top as a lid, cut the papaya cup into a serrated shape, and scooped out the seeds and pulp, placing the papaya into a stew pot.

Cooked rock sugar and water until dissolved.

Then added the hashima and cooked for half an hour.

Added fresh milk.

When the milk started to boil, poured it into the papaya cup and covered it.

Secured the papaya lid with a toothpick, then steamed it over water.

During this time, Fu Yu quickly made the innovative great harvest stew.

Since the innovative dish included flatbreads and used fewer ingredients for plating, the amount of ingredients for cooking was nearly half of the original old-style harvest stew, but the price was significantly higher.

Customers enjoyed trying new things, so they didn’t mind, and the innovative dish received great reviews when introduced.

To save on plating time, the flatbreads were pre-made by the white kitchen and sent over upon request.

”Come, watch how I do it.”

When plating, Fu Yu called Zhang Jinyu over and slowly rolled a flatbread.

”Did you understand?”

Zhang Jinyu nodded blankly, ”I understood.”

Fu Yu stepped aside, ”Alright, you do the next ones.”

Zhang Jinyu: ”!”

Was this letting him practice plating?

Considering he had been assisting Zhao Meng for so long without a chance to plate, this was unexpected.

Normally, he did miscellaneous tasks, similar to before, even though he wasn’t constantly cutting and chopping.

He thought it would take him another three to five months to get this opportunity, but Fu Yu was already letting him plate now.

After arranging everything, Fu Yu began preparing the summer seafood soup.

So he didn’t notice Zhang Jinyu’s look of delighted gratitude.

Zhang Jinyu watched Fu Yu’s cooking process intently.

Fu Yu’s technique and smooth operation were, in Zhang Jinyu’s eyes, on par with Zhao Meng.

The key was Fu Yu’s great attitude, giving instructions without any condescension.

This was unexpectedly pleasant for Zhang Jinyu, who had endured Zhao Meng’s yelling for almost half a month.

Zhang Jinyu almost forgot that not long ago, Fu Yu was just an ordinary kitchen worker like him.

In such a short time, Fu Yu had become someone he admired, like Zhao Meng.

As Zhang Jinyu cautiously rolled the flatbread, he thought to himself: previously, he couldn’t understand Sun Qingning’s bootlicking behavior, thinking Sun Qingning was too fake, deliberately currying favor with Fu Yu.

It wasn’t until he worked alongside Fu Yu in the kitchen that he realized that, regardless of the culinary skills, Fu Yu’s demeanor indeed deserved respect.