The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

At this moment, everyone was staring at Fu Yu.

Zhao Meng was about to speak, but was stopped by a look from Yao Shi.

He saw Fu Yu suddenly slow down the speed of his operations, clearly deep in thought!

There’s no other way. Faced with a dish like this, not only Fu Yu, but everyone present would ponder what each step meant and how to complete the dish to perfection.

More than ten seconds passed!

Fu Yu started moving again, and his speed increased.

But this time, he was not using scissors, but a kitchen knife.

The fish slices were laid directly on the chopping board, and with a gentle twist of the kitchen knife, the fish slices were cut into fan shapes.

This step eliminated the action of picking up the fish slices and spreading them flat on the palm with fingers.

Moreover, Fu Yu was clearly more skilled with a kitchen knife.

With a casual wave of his hand, Fu Yu placed the fish slices on the board, and with a slight twist, the fish slices were instantly shaped into a perfect fan.

Fu Yu’s face lit up!

It worked!

Because the position of the fish slices varied, there was a slight size difference. Otherwise, stacking and cutting a few slices together would be even faster.

It took seven to eight minutes to trim all the fish slices into shape.

Fu Yu began to prepare for frying.

The recipe called for frying in hot oil.

And the classic old recipe specified using peanut oil.

Fu Yu chose without hesitation to follow the instructions of the classic old recipe.

He was well aware of the characteristics of various cooking oils.

For instance, when frying, peanut oil is usually preferred.

Because the unsaturated fatty acids in peanut oil are the most stable at high temperatures compared to other cooking oils, it doesn’t denature or decompose as easily, so harmful substances don’t form, making peanut oil the healthiest for frying. Plus, it has a unique peanut aroma that makes fried foods very appealing.

Actually, back in school, teachers had specifically pointed this out, although daily cooking operations often depended on the chef’s habits.

At Qianlima, for instance, corn oil is often used for frying.

No one disagreed with Fu Yu’s choice of peanut oil.

Liu Yunong had used corn oil previously because it gave the fried food a good color, but using peanut oil didn’t make much difference, and the results were also good.

It’s just a matter of personal habit; it doesn’t matter what you use, as long as you choose canola oil, it’s generally fine.

Heat the peanut oil in the pan to seventy percent heat, and add the pounded fish slices for frying.

Because the fish slices need to be fried one by one, and during frying, you must shape them with chopsticks into petal shapes.

This step is very troublesome and tests the chef’s skill.

Firstly, the oil temperature can’t be too high. The fish slices must be fried over low heat until all the moisture is expelled to ensure they are crispy.

So, each slice needs two to three minutes to fry. Frying a whole plate of fish slices takes four to five hours at least.

Secondly, when trying to shape the fish slices with chopsticks during frying, the timing must be precise. You have to set the petal shape when the fish is half-cooked. If the fish exceeds seventy percent doneness, it’s too late to change the shape.

Moreover, the petal shape is not just about making a random curve.

The peony flower is vivid with large petals of varying sizes, so during frying, the specific petal design differs from inner to outer petals.

This tests the chef’s control over oil temperature and their speed during cooking.

When Fu Yu first placed a fish slice into the oil to fry and shape, his actions were meticulous, and his speed was slow, showing some unfamiliarity in applying the curve pressure.

However, once the fish slice was taken out, everyone could see the final shape!

Even a single fish slice could vaguely resemble a petal!

The difficulty of cooking this dish was truly intense!

After all, the fish slices are very thin. Trying to shape a slice into various petal arcs during frying requires absolute skill and speed!

The frying time for the fish cannot be too long, or the color will be affected!

Neither can it be too short, as the shape won’t hold!

At this moment, the cooking difficulty increased proportionately!

Now, when Fu Yu placed another slice of fish into the oil, his movements noticeably quickened, yet everyone could still clearly see him using the tip of the chopstick to press the fish slice into a suitable arc.

The actions seemed simple but were actually very strenuous!

And complicated!

Because the size of the fish slices varies, you can’t use the same shaping method.

Adjustments to the arc must be made based on the specific conditions of each fish slice.

Fu Yu tried frying another fish slice, and after successfully shaping it, he used chopsticks to fish it out.

Next, when he continued adding fish slices, he no longer fried them one by one but maintained a five-second interval, successively adding three slices.

As the slices sizzled in the hot oil, Fu Yu swiftly and deftly shaped them, pressing arcs into each slice with chopsticks, almost as if one was being shaped as the chopsticks moved immediately to the next.