The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

The dinner ended, and Fu Yu grabbed the souvenir and caught a cab back to Qianlima.

It was said that the souvenirs were distributed by the propaganda department, and everyone was quite curious, so they came over to take a look.

But when it turned out to be a large piece of Jinhua ham and some locally sold red sausages and similar foods, their interest waned quickly.

The kitchen was the last place lacking food.

Since there was still time, Fu Yu simply changed into his work clothes and continued to take orders and work.

As soon as he started the stove, he found out it was broken and couldn’t be ignited no matter what.

Zhao Meng’s cooking station was occupied by Sun Qingning.

Yao Shi still had to cook himself, so finally, it was Gu Yunwu’s side, where Yao Yihang had to leave due to some family matters and took a sudden leave in the afternoon.

Fu Yu could only temporarily take over Yao Yihang’s cooking station.

He tore half an order ticket from Zhao Meng.

This was a small banquet menu; on his side, it was one dish and two soups.

Winter Bamboo Shoots Stir-fried with Chicken Slices, Bamboo Fungus Pork Rib Soup, and Medicinal Pork Knuckles.

All the ingredients the customer ordered were from the health page.

This health set menu was promoted and developed by Yao Shi a few years ago.

They gathered a few dishes that were already considered healthy in the store and listed them separately on a two-page menu.

Customers frequently ordered them, usually in a set like this.

Fu Yu instructed Zhang Jinyu to prepare the ingredients, while he familiarized himself with the arrangement of condiments and kitchenware at Yao Yihang’s station.

Everyone has their habits; if you don’t adjust in advance, you’ll be in chaos during cooking.

Once Zhang Jinyu finished preparing, Fu Yu started cooking the Winter Bamboo Shoots Stir-fried with Chicken Slices.

Peel and clean fresh winter bamboo shoots, slice them, and blanch them in hot water briefly.

Mix chicken slices with salt, cooking wine, and starch, and marinate for half an hour.

During this time, cut green and red peppers into strips.

Then, start preparing the pork ribs needed for the Bamboo Fungus Pork Rib Soup.

Soak the bamboo fungus for 10 minutes, then trim and clean the roots.

Wash and blanch the ribs to remove the blood foam, then clean the soaked bamboo fungus and chop off the head section.

Add ginger slices to the ribs, and simmer over low heat.

Then return to making the Winter Bamboo Shoots Stir-fried with Chicken Slices.

Heat oil in a pan, add the chicken slices, stir-fry until they change color, then set aside.

Add oil again, stir-fry ginger and garlic until fragrant, put in bamboo shoot slices, stir-fry briefly, then add the chicken slices and green and red peppers, and simmer for five minutes.

Zhang Jinyu stood nearby and curiously asked, ”Chef Fu, how is this Winter Bamboo Shoots Stir-fried with Chicken Slices considered a health dish?”

Fu Yu shook his head, ”I don’t know. It’s just on the health page of the menu.”

As he was planning to check the food incompatibility chart, Gu Yunwu, who overheard their conversation, casually said, ”You guys don’t get it! Fresh bamboo shoots have high nutritional value and medicinal properties. When cooked with chicken, it has the effects of nourishing yin and cooling blood, invigorating the spleen and appetite, and nurturing the liver and improving eyesight.”

Fu Yu turned to Gu Yunwu and praised, ”Chef Gu, you really know a lot!”

Zhang Jinyu chimed in, ”That’s so professional!”

Everyone loves to hear compliments, and Gu Yunwu cheerfully replied, ”Not bad. I specifically studied medicinal cooking for a few years under my master back in the day.”

It wasn’t a secret; most of the people in the kitchen knew about it.

Just like Zhao Meng was skilled at stir-frying, Gu Yunwu was quite adept at simmering.

Fu Yu plated the Winter Bamboo Shoots Stir-fried with Chicken Slices, and Zhang Jinyu quickly placed it on the serving counter.

The ribs weren’t done simmering yet.

Fu Yu began preparing the Medicinal Pork Knuckle Soup.

As he was about to segment and slice the cleaned pig’s trotters, suddenly, an electronic prompt sounded in his ear:

[Ding! Kitchen Artisan Title Reward: Opportunity for Exclusive Guidance from Gu Yunwu.]

The next second, while Gu Yunwu was busy shaking his wok, he suddenly turned and said, ”When cutting pig’s trotters, first ensure they’re clean and hairless, lay them flat on the board, and with a sharp knife, cut from between the toes on the back until they’re almost divided in half. Then, with a slight slash, the pig’s trotters will split into halves, and you can set them in a dish.”

”But this cutting method is challenging since the overall cut is thick, so it requires some strength, and the knife must be sharp. Only with a sharp knife and ample force can you cut it into pieces.”

”Once segmented, halve it again and cut the pig’s trotters into small pieces, making it relatively easier.”

Cutting pig’s trotters wasn’t difficult for Fu Yu. With his knife that could slice through iron like mud, he could freely segment them into any shape, but he’d avoid damaging bone for aesthetics.

Gu Yunwu seemed pretty satisfied with Fu Yu’s knife skills.

So he continued, ”Clean and cut the pig’s trotters, submerge them with water, add 10ml of rice wine, boil for 10 minutes, then immediately plunge them into cold water for a fast chill.”

Fu Yu operated while listening to Gu Yunwu’s instructions, ”This step mainly removes impurities and any fishy smell; the fast chill is for adding a chewy texture to the pig’s trotters.”

”In a soup pot, add water to cover the trotters, put in all seasonings except salt, add 20ml of rice wine, and simmer over low heat for one hour.”

With the pig’s trotters on the stove, Gu Yunwu continued to impart his simmering techniques.

”The ancients said: All cuisine is medicine, and food and medicine share the same roots, integrating medicine into food.”

”Sun Simiao said: To cure illness, one must start with food therapy. If food therapy doesn’t work, then use medicine, for all medicine is partly toxic.”

Fu Yu: ”!”

If this isn’t translated, it’s entirely incomprehensible...

”In fact, the most authentic way to make medicinal pig’s trotters is to simmer them for 6 hours, cool them, and skim off the fat to avoid high blood cholesterol.”

”Add 30g of astragalus, simmer for another half hour, then remove the astragalus. It’s inedible as the stomach won’t digest it.”

”Medicinal pig’s trotters soup is particularly beneficial for post-surgery recovery, promoting good healing within a week. It helps with nerve, blood vessel, and soft tissue regeneration, which is excellent.”

”Moreover, astragalus fortifies the surface, reducing excessive sweating suitable for people prone to surface weakness and sweating.”

”Remember, the medicinal pig’s trotters need to be simmered for at least an hour to achieve tender meat and rich broth.”

Fu Yu nodded in acknowledgment.

The two seamlessly continued, one teaching, the other learning, without any wasted words.

Zhang Jinyu watched from the side, utterly dumbfounded.

What the heck!

Am I hallucinating?

Did I just see Gu Yunwu teaching Fu Yu how to simmer medicinal pig’s trotters?

I must be seeing things and hearing things wrong.

Otherwise, why do I remember hearing Gu Yunwu’s cooking methods clearly, and then suddenly, I have no memory of it at all?

Strange!

What just happened?

Why does everything feel weird?

Zhang Jinyu glanced bewilderedly at Fu Yu and Gu Yunwu, both busy cooking, and blinked in confusion.