The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

The subsequent cooking process made Luo Rang lose any desire to take over the stove!

Because it seemed like Fu Yu had a perfectly calculated workflow while working.

Each time, three dishes were in progress simultaneously, with every step flawlessly connected.

If Luo Rang had thought about vying to take charge before, now that thought was completely dispelled.

He clearly understood that the young chef in front of him had very impressive skills.

Even during cooking, certain details consistently caught him off guard.

There were also operations he never thought of, leaving him amazed and inspired.

But what left Luo Rang utterly incredulous was Fu Yu’s extraordinarily skillful and seasoned cooking technique!

Not only could Luo Rang find no faults or issues, but the standard and elegance of Fu Yu’s technique was like textbook demonstrations, one after another.

Isn’t it natural to be seasoned?

With the experience honed from teaching practical courses, skills gleaned from Zhao Meng and Yao Shi, along with outstanding control over cooking heat, even the kitchen tools possessed high-level attributes!

With so many advantages, it’s hard for Fu Yu not to be skillful.

Nevertheless, Luo Rang could attribute this skillfulness to high talent, diligence, and hard work, as kitchen work always honed skills through experience.

However...

He was intrigued by another matter!

How did this young chef develop such precise control over cooking heat?

And his flexibility with the use of kitchen knives piqued Luo Rang’s curiosity even more!

Mastering heat control is an extremely challenging task.

It requires assessment of ingredients to determine the heat level.

As for the kitchen knife, due to its weight, it is usually used when slicing or chopping.

For fine detailing and decorations, a specialized knife would be more suitable and convenient.

After all, a kitchen knife isn’t flexible enough.

However, Fu Yu used the kitchen knife with precision and agility, exceeding that of a specialized knife.

How strong and controlled must one’s hand be to achieve that?

Luo Rang couldn’t help but carefully observe Fu Yu’s actions while he worked.

Fu Yu paid no attention to Luo Rang’s movements.

He was busy preparing Qianlima’s signature dish, minced sea cucumber.

He cut open the fresh sea cucumber’s belly and removed its insides.

Then, he clipped off the mouthpiece and cleaned the sea cucumber thoroughly.

He placed the prepared sea cucumber in boiling water for 5 minutes, then rinsed it clean again.

Next, he put it into a pressure cooker filled with sea cucumber broth for a 20-minute pressurization.

Taking advantage of this time, Fu Yu swiftly prepared the classic sweet and sour pork and the old-style cucumber flower fried bird shellfish.

With both dishes plated, the sea cucumber was also ready.

Fu Yu removed the sea cucumber and placed it onto a plate.

He mixed lean and fatty mince with salt, essence powder, cooking wine, and wet starch, blending it thoroughly.

Blanched broccoli in oil and salt water was arranged decoratively on the plate.

A spoonful of cooked rice was molded into a cylindrical shape and also placed onto the plate.

Three fresh goji berries adorned the cooked rice.

A small amount of salad oil was added to a pan.

He sautéed shallot mince for aroma, then removed the shallot completely.

He added the seasoned minced meat to the pan, stirring until fragrant, then poured in some sea cucumber soup.

With thick soy sauce, white sugar, and essence powder for seasoning.

He cooked the sea cucumber until the sauce was nearly reduced, then added a thin starch glaze.

Finally, he adjusted the color with dark soy sauce and did the plating.

In the blink of an eye, Fu Yu finished three more dishes!

Luo Rang couldn’t help but exclaim in his heart!

Remarkable!

After all, today’s dishes, whether in terms of difficulty or the intricate detailing process, were all a tremendous test of the chef’s cooking skills.

Without solid culinary skills, it’s impossible to handle them so quickly and perfectly.

And this young chef meticulously handled every detail in the cooking process without wasting a single second.

Particularly when making the pan-fried red perch, Fu Yu’s precise control over the cooking heat made Luo Rang want to applaud him.

Yang Zhifang was completely clueless about the matters of the kitchen.

He followed along, watching Luo Rang standing aside unable to intervene.

And he saw Fu Yu quickly cooking one dish after another.

The weight of his worries suddenly lifted.

Since Elder Yang had just gotten off the plane today, as a son, he certainly couldn’t stay in the kitchen the whole time; he had to go accompany him.

So Yang Zhifang, full of joy, asked, ”Chef Fu, will we be able to start on time?”

Fu Yu smiled, ”Shouldn’t be a problem.”

Yang Zhifang was very pleased, ”Great! Oh, by the way, Chef Fu, let me introduce you. This is a friend of my brother-in-law, the head chef of Four Seas Banquet Restaurant, Luo Rang.”

Luo Rang was in his early forties, not very tall, but sturdy.

Luo Rang smiled and greeted Fu Yu, ”Hello, Chef Fu, I’m Luo Rang.”

Fu Yu also smiled at Luo Rang: ”Hello, Chef Luo, my name is Fu Yu.”

Getting closer and seeing his face clearly, Luo Rang noticed that Fu Yu was quite handsome!

After Yang Zhifang finished the introductions, he hurriedly left.

Luo Rang, however, stayed behind.

Fu Yu didn’t mind this at all, especially when Luo Rang proactively offered to assist him in the kitchen, which he was more than happy to accept.

Preparing such a large table of dishes can indeed be quite exhausting.

Having someone to help with the small tasks and chores was simply ideal.

Moreover, Luo Rang was quite perceptive and quick with his work, making it very easy for Fu Yu to collaborate with him.

Hence, Fu Yu’s attitude became increasingly friendly.

The two of them cooperated to complete the remaining dishes, and the atmosphere between them became more and more harmonious without them even realizing it.

Desiring to befriend Fu Yu, Luo Rang spoke up while setting the table: ”Chef Fu, you don’t have to be so formal with me. We’re both in the same trade, and I’m a bit older. If you don’t mind, just call me Brother Luo.”

Fu Yu quickly smiled and agreed, ”Sure, Brother Luo, then you can just call me Fu Yu.”

Luo Rang was quite pleased and sincerely praised, ”Fu Yu, you’re truly young and promising! To be honest, just seeing those two dishes you prepared earlier, I felt I learned a lot!”

The back kitchen isn’t like other positions; besides the internal competition within one’s own restaurant, there’s actually very little competition with chefs from other restaurants.

After all, as long as the types of cuisine a restaurant serves are different, the duties in the kitchen can vary drastically.

Luo Rang’s Four Seas Banquet Restaurant specializes in Huimin dishes with lamb spine hot pot as the main attraction.

Compared with places like Qianlima Restaurant, which focuses on traditional flavors, they don’t exactly compete, at least not significantly.

In this line of work, as long as there’s no competitive relationship, interactions tend to be smooth as long as no secret recipes are involved.

In Luo Rang’s view, Fu Yu is definitely an up-and-coming talent in the industry.

Although he’s not well-known yet, his rise is only a matter of time.

Understanding this, Luo Rang was particularly enthusiastic towards Fu Yu.

After all the dishes were set up, Luo Rang also proactively exchanged contact information with Fu Yu.

His actions clearly showed a sense of mutual appreciation.

At this time in the Yang Family Dining Room.

Elder Yang was slowly savoring each dish one after another.

”Dad, how is it?”

Yang Zhifang asked with some anticipation.

Elder Yang picked up another piece of fragrant pan-fried red mullet and only after eating it did he say, ”Delicious! This is the taste!”

After speaking, he couldn’t resist taking another bite, and after savoring it, he smiled and said, ”Maybe because I’ve missed it too much, it tastes even more delicious than I remember! Their dishes are becoming more and more authentic!”

Hearing Elder Yang’s assessment, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Father Xu smiled at Elder Yang and said, ”In-law, your younger son is truly filial! This time, he specially invited the chef from Qianlima to your home so you could enjoy your favorite hometown dishes on your first day back!”

Father Xu’s words were half genuine, half meant to flatter Elder Yang.

The intention was simply to hope that Elder Yang would lend more support to his son-in-law, Yang Zhifang, as only with Yang Zhifang’s success could their whole family benefit.

Li Anning, her mouth still full, couldn’t help but say, ”Grandpa, my little uncle is truly thoughtful! This dish is so delicious! I’ve never tasted such fragrant fried fish before!”

Elder Yang couldn’t stop smiling. This homecoming not only let him see his beloved younger son but also to taste the delightful hometown cuisine.

The whole family gathered noisily for a meal together.

This genuinely gave him a sense of belonging.

Elder Yang turned to Yang Zhifang and said, ”Zhifang, thank you for your thoughtfulness, I really appreciate it! Today’s dishes are indeed very authentic, the chef’s skills are quite impressive!”

Yang Zhifang smiled, ”Dad, as long as you enjoy it, that’s what’s important!”

After the family finished their meal,

Fu Yu in the kitchen had also packed up and was ready to leave.

He had just finished packing up the kitchen utensils when he suddenly heard an electronic notification in his ear:

[Ding! NPC Chef Yao Shi’s task: Successfully complete the welcome banquet ordered by Yang Zhifang, has been successfully completed, reward: 100 RMB, task experience +20, a classic old flavor recipe]

Fu Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.

He got his hands on the classic old flavor recipe!

At this time, the Xu Family was also about to take their leave and offered to give the two chefs a ride.

Inside the car.

Xu Xu quickly pulled out the service fees prepared by his brother-in-law, Yang Zhifang, two exquisite red envelopes, and handed them to Fu Yu and Luo Rang.

Luo Rang refused to take his share and insisted on giving it to Fu Yu.

In response to the Xu Family’s surprised inquiries, Luo Rang explained, ”Today’s dishes were completed entirely by Chef Fu independently. From start to finish, I was merely helping to pass some plates, not even requiring me to chop vegetables.”

”Chef Fu’s culinary skills surpass mine! So if you want to express gratitude, you should thank Chef Fu!”

Luo Rang’s words left the Xu Family dumbfounded.

So the entire meal was prepared by this young chef.

With that explanation, the Xu Family no longer insisted and even actively helped to give the red envelope to Fu Yu.

After all, without Fu Yu, today’s meal wouldn’t have gone so smoothly or pleased Elder Yang so greatly.

Seeing that the car was cramped, Fu Yu couldn’t refuse any longer and simply decided to accept the envelope first.

Once off the car, quick as lightning, he took advantage of the moment when Luo Rang rolled down the window to say goodbye and threw the envelope directly back into the car.

Then he ran off without looking back.

When Luo Rang realized what happened, he only saw Fu Yu’s carefree silhouette, perfectly finishing what he started!

Luo Rang looked at the red envelope and couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile, thinking: This guy really knows his etiquette!