The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Since it’s a three-turn banquet, we must first prepare the tea table, then the wine table, and finally arrange the dinner table.

Considering the limited time, Yao Shi decided to do whatever he could by himself and directly got to work.

Looking at the various prepped dishes covering the chef’s counter quickly, Yao Shi felt a heavy heart. The variety of dishes was too vast and complicated, definitely not an easy task!

Meanwhile, Fu Yu was multitasking, swiftly arranging the prepared dishes while flipping through a special family banquet recipe book to learn about the three-turn banquet.

The issue is not the number of dishes, but the overly complex styles.

This three-turn banquet requires attention from cooking to plating. A rough estimate suggests that it takes at least two hours to complete the entire spread.

After studying for a while, Fu Yu couldn’t help but look at the busy Yao Shi.

Since the task was given to him to make this banquet.

It indicated that Yao Shi couldn’t complete it.

But looking at Yao Shi’s calm demeanor, he didn’t seem like someone who couldn’t finish the job!

At this moment, Zhang Jinyu, who was sent to the pastry section, returned.

”Chef Yao, Chef Wang said they can’t make these few items over there, never even heard of them.”

Upon hearing this, Yao Shi got anxious immediately: ”If their pastry team can’t do it, we surely can’t make it either!”

Yao Shi looked over the dishes on the tea table, and sure enough, they were all pastries!

The first turn was already messed up!

Shall we move on to the second turn directly, the wine table?

Then this three-turn banquet would lose its authenticity altogether.

Thinking of this, Yao Shi couldn’t help but curse in his heart, why is this banquet so hard to make!

What should we do?

To turn the three into a banquet, not a single mini feast can be omitted.

And starting with a water of pastries.

Yao Shi felt his brain starting to hurt.

At this time, Zhang Jinyu added, ”Chef Wang initially said they could take up the twisted dough sticks order, but the front hall just sent over several more orders, they are swamped and said we have to wait. The fastest would be an hour.”

Yao Shi’s expression changed: ”An hour? The first course of this three-turn banquet is the tea table!”

With time tight and tasks heavy, we can’t afford to wait for an hour!

He just focused on arranging the main cooking tasks, completely forgetting that the pastry section also needed early notice and coordination.

Mainly because the restaurant’s ordering system always sends orders separately, with the pastry and main cooking sections handling orders independently.

Yao Shi looked at the order slip stuck on the kitchen wall, like looking at a mess with no starting point.

He really couldn’t handle the pastry tasks!

Different fields as different worlds.

Since entering this industry, he basically never touched any pastry tasks.

If the tea table can’t be made, the three-turn banquet can’t begin.

Fu Yu and Zhang Jinyu kept silent.

One was busy flipping through the special family banquet recipe book to learn cooking methods.

The other had no idea what to do.

Yao Shi glanced at the time, it was really running out.

He turned and instructed Zhang Jinyu: ”Later, for those dishes that need pre-frying, can you handle them with a second fry?”

Zhang Jinyu remained silent. He had only done basic first fry before, grasping the control of heat for a second fry was tricky, what if the dish was overcooked or not crispy enough?

Suddenly, Yao Shi turned around, looking at Fu Yu: ”For pastry tasks, if you know the cooking methods, can you make them?”

Fu Yu felt relieved, indeed it came to this.

He nodded: ”There shouldn’t be any problem!”

Yao Shi decisively said: ”Okay, then you’ll handle these dishes on the tea table.”

Yao Shi no longer hoped to complete the three-turn banquet.

It was more like giving up, whatever he can make, he makes.

He deliberately gave the cooking methods he organized in the afternoon to Fu Yu for reference.

Fu Yu took it, appearing to seriously flip through it, while actually memorizing the cooking methods for the tea table dishes from the special family banquet recipe book.

After reading through it from beginning to end, Fu Yu instructed Zhang Jinyu to go to the pastry section to borrow materials.

Once all materials were ready, Fu Yu occupied the chef’s counter and began cooking the tea table dishes.

According to the sequence in the special family banquet recipe book, the first dish should be fried sesame leaves.

This dish wasn’t too difficult, the name sounded unfamiliar, but it’s actually just fried dough pieces.

Fu Yu felt, if at the time Yao Shi brought the cooking methods to Chef Wang, these tea table dishes could certainly be made.

Fu Yu strictly followed the cooking methods from the special family banquet recipe book.

Take a suitable amount of flour and sesame and put them into a bowl.

Add an egg, put in salt and thirteen-spice.

Gradually add water, slowly knead the dough into a clump.

The finished dough needs to rest for about ten minutes to enhance elasticity, making it easier to roll out.

While the dough is resting, Fu Yu nimbly began making crispy dumplings.

He was now completely adept at handling pastry tasks.

Following the recipe’s cooking methods directly like this posed no problem at all.

Put flour, egg, and cooking wine into a bowl, add water to knead into a smooth dough, let it rest for half an hour.

Fu Yu’s kneading technique was adept, with wrist rotations precise and graceful.

Yao Shi glanced over, admiring secretly, Fu Yu indeed had very dexterous hands.

Once the dough began resting, Fu Yu proceeded to make the filling.

Roast peanuts until done, crush them, roast sesame seeds, then mix the crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, and sugar together.

This is when the filling needs to be well combined.

Fu Yu was getting ready to do it himself, when Zhang Jinyu suddenly chimed in: ”Chef Fu, is there anything I can help with?”

Fu Yu raised his head, realizing that Yao Shi had also called Sun Qingning over.

Zhang Jinyu awkwardly said: ”Chef Yao wanted me to do a second fry, but I fear I can’t control the heat well, creating more trouble...”

Fu Yu nodded in understanding, handing over the mixture to Zhang Jinyu: ”No worries, with time you’ll get more practice.”

Zhang Jinyu flashed a grateful smile.

[Ding! Gained 5 favor points from Assistant Zhang Jinyu]

Fu Yu couldn’t help but take another look at Zhang Jinyu.

Usually, his relationship with Zhang Jinyu wasn’t particularly close.

Mainly because Zhang Jinyu didn’t stay in the dormitory, so they only interacted during work, and went their separate ways afterward.

However, recently, with Sun Qingning starting to handle pans independently, Zhang Jinyu assisting him—they’ve gradually become closer.

Fu Yu’s impression of Zhang Jinyu was pretty good.

Although Zhang Jinyu was straightforward and sometimes offended people with his words, he was quite diligent.

His personality was quite nice as well, not prone to anger, and very warm-hearted.

However, Zhao Meng once mentioned, that Zhang Jinyu lacked talent in culinary skills; at most he could be an assistant, and it’d take at least three to five years before he could handle pans independently.

With that, Fu Yu couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for Zhang Jinyu.

In the kitchen, needing three to five years to go from an assistant to independently handling pans, it could be a long journey for any assistant.

If there’s a chance later, he’d strive to mentor him a bit.

Fu Yu decided to help Zhang Jinyu as much as he could since he himself had risen from an assistant, understanding the hardships of being one.