The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

”What he made was this Dongpo pork, and at that time, he won the gold medal. The medal is still displayed in the main hall cabinet at my ancestral home.”

”Today’s dish is the most authentic traditional Dongpo pork. Take a look at this recorded recipe. Let’s follow what’s written here.”

Liu Yunong handled the blowtorch with great skill. As she operated it, she instructed, ”In the kitchen, to deal with the hair on pig skin, it’s usually singed directly over a fire. But actually, using this blowtorch keeps it cleaner. It removes even the deepest hair roots from the pig skin.”

After thoroughly singeing the whole piece of pig skin, Liu Yunong put down the blowtorch and casually instructed, ”Give me the small knife!”

Fu Yu quickly moved closer, ”Let me do it!”

Liu Yunong didn’t stand on ceremony with him. When the assistant handed over the knife, Fu Yu reached out to take it and began to carefully scrape the charred areas on the pig skin.

Liu Yunong casually remarked, ”The blacker it’s charred, the cleaner it is, but generally, no restaurant bothers to be this meticulous because it wastes time.”

In the kitchen, there’s limited time for prep work, and no one takes such meticulous care with a piece of pork.

After all, charring it takes too long and is too delaying.

Especially since it requires repeated washing afterward; the more charred it is, the harder it is to clean.

Any time wasted on this could be used to prepare other ingredients.

Liu Yunong handed the charred pork to the assistant beside her.

The pig skin was already charred; it needed to be washed clean with water.

At this point, Liu Yunong couldn’t help but sigh, ”Actually, only those who are truly skilled understand that the darker the char, the cleaner and easier it is to scrape.”

Fu Yu understood very well; he’d gone over this countless times in practical cooking classes before.

What seemed like a simple operation actually involved great knowledge.

After Fu Yu scraped the pig skin clean, he washed it carefully and placed the pork on the cutting board.

Liu Yuqing took a kitchen knife and scraped the pig skin again, bit by bit.

Fu Yu raised an eyebrow; he hadn’t done this step before.

After burning and scraping, it was already very clean.

He couldn’t help but ask, ”Master, why are you scraping it again?”

While operating, Liu Yuqing said, ”This is meticulous work!”

She stood the pork upright, ”I need to scrape the sides too.”

”Once I’m done, there won’t be any black on the sides.”

”For this dish to be rated as a national banquet dish, it’s all about the craftsmanship.”

As Liu Yuqing scraped the pork, she instructed, ”Boil some water.”

It was time to blanch the meat.

Fu Yu quickly selected a pot, added water, and turned on the heat.

During this cooking session with Liu Yunong, no one else drew near, aside from Fu Yu.

Perhaps it was intentional, as Liu Yunong spoke not so loudly, and some detailed operations were spoken in a voice only the two of them could hear.

At first, Fu Yu didn’t notice, but after once or twice, he quickly caught on and cooperated by using his body to shield the movements from the front of the kitchen counter, speaking even more quietly.

Liu Yunong intended to teach Fu Yu how to make this dish, so she didn’t plan to skimp on the details.

She even brought out her family’s heirloom recipe notes, showing her sincerity.

When the water boiled, Liu Yunong placed the pork into the boiling water.

It’s mainly to tighten the pork, cook it slightly, and get the blood out.

This operation requires the water to be boiling to proceed.

If placed in cold water, it won’t need to be shaped.

But for making Dongpo pork, it’s necessary to quickly shape the skin.

The focus of the blanching is to remove the blood.

When Liu Yunong fished out the pork, Fu Yu didn’t intervene because Liu Yunong used a skimmer; if she had used tongs, Fu Yu would have hurried to help.

Liu Yunong placed the pork under cold water to rinse it carefully, washing away all the scum.

The blanched pork was placed on the cutting board, and Liu Yunong patted the pig skin with a tone akin to a designer admiring their favorite work, ”Look at this pork, how beautiful!”

To an average person, hearing this might certainly seem a bit speechless.

Isn’t it just a piece of pork?

What’s there to discuss about beauty?

But Fu Yu completely understood Liu Yunong’s sentiment.

Because he also thought this piece of pork was truly beautiful, the pig was excellently raised, and the farmer did an amazing job.

No wonder Liu Yunong was willing to sign a long-term contract with them; she truly had a good eye!

After praising, Liu Yunong turned the pork over, with the meat side up, then took a chef’s knife and explained as she sliced it evenly, ”First, slice it even.”

Fu Yu was a bit surprised; when he cooked at the music restaurant, there was no such step.

They used to just put it directly in the pot.

Liu Yunong explained, ”Our family’s recipe is very meticulous, and the meat cubes must be square, neat and square. The meat surface needs to be of uniform thickness first.”

Once the meat surface was sliced, Liu Yunong then began to make cuts.

”According to our family’s standard, the meat cubes must be 4 centimeters square. If you can’t grasp the measurement at first, you might want to measure it before cutting carefully.”

Liu Yunong cut directly, with a certain level of confidence to do so.

Back then, to practice this dish, their family ate Dongpo pork for a month.

If they couldn’t finish it themselves, they’d take it to the restaurant and give it to the staff for extra meals.

Nothing happens overnight; no matter how talented, one needs repeated practice to succeed.

Liu Yunong’s achievement today is closely tied to her diligent practice in her early years.

Of course, she might have had inherent talent, possibly hereditary, making her exceptionally gifted in culinary skills.

Once Liu Yunong had cut the evenly sized pork cubes, she placed the remaining meat pieces aside on a plate.

This national banquet Dongpo pork is so popular that even the employees at the restaurant love it.

Today’s recipe release led to a surge in orders, and it would be impressive to sell all the prepared forty plates.

Those leftover pieces are perfect for letting Fu Yu practice later.

Once it’s cooked, it’ll be used for the staff dinner tonight.

If there’s too much leftover meat, two more dishes like sauerkraut and boiled belly or twice-cooked pork can be made.

Watching Liu Yunong slice, Fu Yu suddenly thought of something and couldn’t help but ask curiously, ”Master, at a national banquet, do they have just one piece of Dongpo pork for each person?”

Liu Yunong paused, thought for a moment, then nodded, ”Of course, but sometimes, when customers order, one piece isn’t enough, and they want to order more. However, we always serve one portion per table; even if they want two, it’s never available.”

”So many people, after eating, start looking forward to coming again next time.”

This, in a way, contributes to returning customers.

Fu Yu chuckled, ”Mainly because the dish is so delicious!”

Liu Yunong laughed, ”Once it’s done, I’ll save you a piece to taste.”

Fu Yu was delighted, ”Great! Master, your cooking is something not easily tasted by just anyone.”

His words brought Liu Yunong great joy.

In one plate, nine pieces of pork were arranged.

As Liu Yunong arranged them, she casually said, ”Actually, if you’re doing it at home, this isn’t necessary. But in our restaurant, the presentation of the plate must be attended to, and cutting the pieces particularly tests the skills of the chef. Cutting it evenly and neatly takes skill.”

”Go, bring over the pressure cooker.”

Fu Yu followed the orders.

Liu Yunong took the washed green onions and laid them at the bottom of the pot while saying, ”To make this dish, you have to use a pressure cooker; regular pots can’t create the same soft, tasty texture.”

The bottom of the pressure cooker was first lined with a layer of bamboo mat with holes, then thickly layered with green onions.

”These green onions at the bottom help release the fragrance.”

Peeking in, Fu Yu commented, ”Master, you’re using small green onions? I use big green onions when cooking.”

Liu Yunong explained, ”The aroma of green onions and big onions is actually different. Really, next time, try each, and taste carefully; the difference is quite significant.”