The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

In the whole chicken cooking teaching practice class, the fermented tofu steamed chicken being learned is prepared using a whole chicken.

At Shangshi Private Kitchen, however, it is cut up before being steamed.

The fermented tofu steamed chicken in Liu Family Cuisine is very popular with customers because of its authentic and delicious taste, making it a bestseller in the restaurant.

Many regular customers even call in advance to inquire about the specific date this dish will be served so they can come and enjoy it on the day.

Shangshi Private Kitchen uses free-range chicken for this dish.

Free-range chicken has tender meat and a delicious flavor, which makes it very suitable for steaming as a cooking method.

Liu Yunong, while cutting the whole chicken, instructed Fu Yu, ”This dish isn’t a rare specialty, but the way we make it here is different from others. In other places, to save effort, they mostly use chicken legs for this dish. But we use the whole chicken. For dishes like this that are steamed, after the whole chicken is cut up, the ratio of marinade and the steaming time require precise control by the chef.”

”Of course, this isn’t something that can be achieved overnight; it requires repeated cooking to master. Simply put, it all relies on experience.”

Fu Yu nodded, standing beside Liu Yunong, watching her cook intently.

”Dishes like this are actually best scheduled for autumn.”

Liu Yunong’s technique in cutting the whole chicken was very skilled; every cut precisely separated the meat from the spine without any unnecessary actions.

Fu Yu admired Liu Yunong’s knife skills, listening attentively to what she said.

”They say you need to gain some weight in autumn, but eating too much meat can cause heatiness. By adjusting the cooking method and using steaming, you retain the chicken’s original flavor without the heatiness.”

”That’s why generally in autumn, I schedule this dish twice a month.”

”However, in winter, this dish can also be scheduled. Here, we use savory Cantonese fermented tofu for seasoning, which is very distinctive. This kind of Cantonese flavor is fresh, smooth, and complements rice dishes well, paired with the very good textured Wuchang long-grain rice.”

After Liu Yunong cut up the whole chicken, she began to cook.

She chopped scallions into pieces, minced ginger, and garlic.

She cut shiitake mushrooms into pieces.

She crushed Cantonese fermented tofu in a small bowl.

Added soy sauce and cooking wine and mixed well.

Put all the seasonings into the bowl with the chicken pieces.

Added some pepper, minced ginger, minced garlic, dried chili strips, and a little sugar.

Added the prepared fermented tofu sauce and a bit of sesame oil.

At this moment, Liu Yunong suddenly said, ”This dish is slightly different in each branch.”

Fu Yu was taken aback, somewhat surprised, ”Is the cooking method different?”

Liu Yunong nodded and said with a smile, ”Yes, except for a few best-selling dishes, the rest will be adjusted according to local conditions. Whether it’s the taste or the use of ingredients, it will be more aligned with the local people’s eating habits.”

”Just like this dish, at the main store, we use potatoes as a side dish instead of shiitake mushrooms. At the first branch, they also add more fermented black beans for marination. If local people like spicy food, they will also add some bird’s eye chili.”

”These things require field investigations and then be used flexibly.”

Fu Yu learned something!

This is the way of doing business in the catering industry!

Liu Yunong continued to cook.

She added shiitake mushrooms to the bowl, mixed well, and started marinating.

”These are freshly made and need to be marinated for an hour.”

Liu Yunong put aside the marinated chicken pieces and took the already pre-marinated chicken pieces, placing them in the steaming bowl.

”High heat, steam for 20 minutes.”

”The specific time has to be judged by the doneness of the chicken.”

Fu Yu nodded.

It means that judging requires a sense of touch and experience to accurately control the steaming time.

If all the ingredients are not steamed long enough or the heat is insufficient, the flavor will be compromised.

If oversteamed, it will likewise affect the texture.

Luckily, Fu Yu has excellent skills in touch and heat control, making this dish seem tailor-made for him.

And taking advantage of the steaming time, Fu Yu also started to learn how to cook.

Cooking is just one word, practice!

Through repetitive cooking over and over again, practice makes perfect, and experience is accumulated bit by bit through exploration.

Fu Yu learned quickly and did well. During the entire marinating process, Liu Yunong stood by his side, watching.

Liu Yunong initially wanted to give some guidance since she is an experienced cook and knows where the difficulties and potential problems lie in cooking this dish.

But when Fu Yu cooked, he completed everything in one go.

Whether in cutting up the whole chicken, the ratio of the seasonings, or even the marinating technique, there was not a single mistake.

This left Liu Yunong with a perplexing sense of loss.

It was as if she had prepared a stomach full of criticisms but ended up not saying a word, feeling not only suffocated but also a little embarrassed.

She had planned to guide him, but the disciple succeeded just by watching once.

What was she dragging herself here for all this time?

Wouldn’t it make more sense to directly have Liu Zhangpeng and Wang Yulong take the lead while Fu Yu followed to learn?

”Chef Liu? Master!”

Liu Yunong was quietly grumbling when she heard Fu Yu calling her.

She was first taken aback, then realized what Fu Yu had called her.

Master?!

That simple statement instantly improved Liu Yunong’s mood from feeling somewhat lost.

Thinking carefully, it seems that since accepting her as a master, Fu Yu only called her master jokingly twice, and usually called her Chef Liu.

It’s not that there was anything wrong with this address, but it certainly wasn’t as endearing as ’Master.’

Liu Yunong tried to restrain the corners of her mouth from curling up, attempting to look calm as she asked, ”What’s up?”

Fu Yu asked curiously, ”I have had fermented tofu steamed chicken before, but it was made with Kedong fermented tofu. I’ve never used the Cantonese one, and it seems like this fermented tofu isn’t something sold locally, right?”

Liu Yunong laughed, ”This fermented tofu is directly shipped from Guangdong. It’s an old brand that our restaurant has been collaborating with for years, very authentic in taste.”

Fu Yu nodded, tasting it and realizing it was indeed slightly different from Qianlima’s.

Liu Yunong thought of something and casually said, ”Do you know how this dish was originally developed?”

Fu Yu’s interest was immediately piqued, ”I don’t know.”

Liu Yunong said, ”’Compendium of Materia Medica Addendum’ records that fermented tofu ’is salty, sweet, and neutral, it nourishes the stomach and harmonizes the center.’ The sweet, salty flavor helps to stimulate the appetite. Years ago, there was an old chef skilled in pharmacology who said that the characteristics of fermented tofu paired with chicken meat, known for its warm, nourishing effects, are beneficial for those who overthink while studying for exams or those who are weak after childbirth, surgery, or serious illness, and for those troubled by continuous heavy rain, feeling tired, lacking appetite, and becoming full after a few bites.”