From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

After four cold dishes, there was a proper soup dish.

This is also Feng Zhengming's specialty: stir-fried snail slices in vinegar and pepper fish soup. This time, however, he added some Chinese yam to the soup.

The fish soup was completely milky white, but there was no fish meat in it; instead, there were thin slices of conch clinging to the edge of the bowl.

When it was served, the server brought out a pot of piping hot fish soup.

First, place the delicate little bowl with snail slices attached to the rim, then pour the boiling hot vinegar and pepper fish soup into it.

Use the boiling broth to blanch the thin slices of conch, then add a piece of Chinese yam, and garnish with chopped cilantro according to the guest's preference.

When the thin slices of conch stuck to the rim of the bowl are cooked, they will float to the surface of the soup.

Paired with a piece of Chinese yam and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, it's truly quite beautiful.

Wow, so beautiful.

This is the gasp of almost everyone who sees this bowl of soup.

The old man from Shanghai smiled and said, "This dish is a classic old dish in Shandong cuisine. Nowadays, apart from Feng Zhuangyuan's restaurant, it is almost impossible to find it in other restaurants."

Upon hearing what the old man said, a seasoned gourmand from Shanghai leaned in and chatted for a few moments.

"Uncle, you really know your stuff. I had the vinegar and pepper fish here once, and when I went to other restaurants, I couldn't find another place that made this dish."

The old man smiled and said, "Because this seasoning is difficult to control. The ratio of vinegar to pepper is crucial. If there is too much vinegar, the soup will become very sour, and if there is too much pepper, the soup will become very spicy."

Therefore, the key to making this dish well is to balance the sourness and spiciness, making the soup smooth and palatable.

Seeing that the uncle seemed to be in a good mood today and was willing to chat a bit more, the other gourmets from Shanghai also chimed in.

"Uncle, I heard that this dish was made by Scholar Feng when he first competed in a cooking competition in Jinan. At that time, he made a dish called stir-fried snail slices in vinegar and pepper fish soup."

The old man nodded: "Yes, I asked him. I heard that when he first started doing it, it was different from now. The way he did it in Jinan was also different from how we do it in Shanghai."

An elderly woman sitting at the same table as the uncle remarked, "This tastes somewhat like pickled bamboo shoots and pork soup."

The old man smiled and nodded: "Yes, it is very similar to pickled bamboo shoots and pork soup."

Another elderly woman whispered even more softly, "Even fresher."

The old man responded, "Even more delicious."

This is what Uncle Ye was referring to: the changes Feng Zhengming made to the dish after arriving in Shanghai.

To cater to a wider range of tastes, he drew inspiration from the flavor of Shanghai-style pickled bamboo shoots and pork stew.

Through continuous experimentation, I finally created this unique flavor.

Locals in Shanghai might think it tastes like pickled bamboo shoots and pork soup, but it's not quite the same flavor, and it's also acceptable to people from other places.

In particular, the combination of sour, spicy and salty flavors, along with the unique sweet aftertaste of the fish soup, makes it a truly delicious dish.

This is served after the four cold dishes to help cut through the richness and whet the appetite.

After this soup, we'll have one of today's main dishes: catfish.

Feng Zhengming's method can be considered braising, but it's not the typical Shanghai-style braising with its rich, dark sauce. He modified the scallion braising technique from Shandong cuisine and incorporated some of the rich, dark sauce braising methods from Shanghai cuisine.

First, there's the technique of braising with scallions, specifically Feng Zhengming's method for braising sea cucumber with scallions.

Cut the scallions into pieces, deep-fry them until golden brown, and then steam them together with the oil.

Then, braise the catfish with scallion oil and scallions.

During the firing process, Feng Zhengming prefers a slightly sweeter flavor.

That is, the soup should have a sweet taste.

The selected catfish parts are all from the middle section, where the meat is of the best quality. All bones and thorns have been removed, leaving only the delicious fish meat to be braised with scallions.

The presentation is somewhat similar to braised sea cucumber with scallions, with catfish segments served with scallion segments and sprinkled with some crispy fried shallots.

You can ask the waiter to help you divide it; it will be served on a plate with a piece of scallion.

Seeing this dish once again amazed the old man.

"It seems that Scholar Feng really has a lot of ideas."

After tasting it, the two elderly ladies couldn't help but agree that the dish was truly delicious.

The key point is that the sweet flavor of the scallion sauce perfectly suits the taste preferences of Shanghai residents.

At the same time, even those who are not locals in Shanghai will not find this taste offensive.

Those people from the overseas food association also clearly liked this flavor.

This dish is also marked on the menu as having a sweet flavor, and guests can choose the level of sweetness according to their own taste.

Therefore, some people from other places may not be used to the taste of food that is too sweet.

When ordering, you can tell the staff in advance.

The dish they served had almost no sweetness, and its flavor was also rich with the aroma of scallions. Paired with the firm and delicious catfish meat, it was truly a unique flavor.

Following the braised catfish with scallions is a clear broth with radish and beef brisket.

The beef brisket is stewed until tender, served with slices of white radish and a delicious, clear broth.

It's perfect for cutting through the greasiness of the braised catfish with scallions that followed.

The old man immediately tasted the flavor of the beef brisket the moment he took a bite.

"This beef has a strong flavor; it must be from the Black King Kong beef from Wudi, Shandong."

After hearing the uncle's introduction, the several Shanghai gourmets savored the food again and were all amazed.

"No wonder, this beef is so flavorful."

"Yes, I can tell the taste is different."

"Now that you mention it, it's true that only Black King Kong beef can taste like this."

"And this white radish must have been carefully selected. When I first ate it, I thought it was a potato. It didn't have any fibers at all, and it didn't have the taste of a radish."

The old man nodded in agreement: "The radishes have also undergone special treatment, and the white radishes selected are indeed of very good quality."

Next up was braised pigeon with chestnuts, which was also one of Feng Zhengming's signature dishes.

This dish wasn't particularly amazing, but it's a dish that many Shanghai gourmets often order when they come to the restaurant.

Next comes the staple food, which offers several different options.

The most traditional dish is braised sea cucumber with scallions served with rice.

There's also fried rice with fish maw and abalone sauce.

There's also a lighter option: chicken broth noodles.

And donkey meat sandwiches, which are popular in northern China.

The old man saw the donkey meat sandwich and ordered one.

The two elderly ladies still stuck to their usual habit and ordered plain chicken soup noodles.

Other gourmets in Shanghai can order any kind of staple food.

After these main courses, we will serve some fruit and desserts.

Among the fruits, there are several that are unique to Shandong province.

For example, the unique Shandong-style golden thread jujube is not very big and is not very red. It looks unremarkable with its green and red color, but it tastes quite sweet and even has a candied jujube flavor.

The meal left all the guests quite satisfied.

Regular diners felt this was just Feng Zhuangyuan's usual standard. Because whenever Feng Zhuangyuan was in the kitchen, there were bound to be all sorts of surprises waiting for them.

The first-time customers were completely won over by all the dishes served that evening.

This combination of various cuisines, along with a range of flavors including sour, sweet, bitter, salty, spicy, and umami, is truly flawless.

The key is that although the dishes are served one by one, they actually fully reflect the characteristics of Chinese cuisine.

Whether in terms of portion size, cooking method, or plating, it can be said to be very Chinese.

There aren't many customers like the Shanghai gourmets and old men at a table.

Feng Zhengming would still serve them individual dishes.

Each dish will be adjusted according to the number of guests.

The overall taste of the dishes will not be affected, and by reducing the quantity, guests will be able to try more dishes.

After finishing his meal, the old man stared at the three tables of people from the Overseas Food Association.

Although they didn't talk to each other, it was easy to tell from their expressions that they were indeed impressed by the dishes Feng Zhengming had prepared that evening.

This might be true for these individuals from overseas food associations.

In the past, whether abroad or in the port cities and Macao they had visited, they had never tasted such dishes.

Many restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau offer Chinese dishes prepared in a Western style to cater to overseas diners.

Both the preparation method and the plating look very similar to Western style.

However, Feng Zhengming completely abandons Western methods in his cooking. He prepares each dish using very Chinese methods and plates it in the way that is customary in Chinese cuisine.

It wouldn't be about using a huge plate with lots of blank space and only a tiny bit of food.

For tables with fewer people, he would change the dishes to smaller, more delicate plates based on the number of people.

When serving dishes to a large table of customers, Feng Zhengming would serve a whole plate of food at once using a large platter.

Moreover, none of Feng Zhengming's dishes are made with lavish ingredients.

He prepares all his dishes using traditional Chinese methods.

The ingredients used are also those used in domestic cooking.

These things are full of novelty for people from so-called food associations overseas.

Combined with the ambiance of Feng Zhengming's old-style restaurant, it was quite a shock to these overseas gourmets.

After all the dishes for the evening were served, Feng Zhengming led his two senior apprentices and two assistants out of the kitchen.

"Thank you all for coming tonight. All the dishes tonight were prepared with the help of my two senior brothers and my two junior brothers. I hope you are all satisfied with the dishes we have presented to you tonight."

Upon hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the guests for the evening applauded them.

Some young people even shouted directly.

"Feng Zhuangyuan's dishes tonight are really great."

"Very good, we are very satisfied."

"This is the first time I've ever had such delicious food."

"Thank you, Scholar Feng, and thank you to the several excellent chefs as well."

For Li Huidong and Zhang Minghai, this scene didn't seem particularly special.

Although their individual stores do not have such a procedure.

However, the two of them had participated in state banquets with Feng Zhengming.

The important figures you meet at the end of a state banquet are far more important than the customers in the restaurant.

However, Fu Jun and Cai Tao were still somewhat excited in the face of such a scene.

Especially when Feng Zhengming first introduced her to the restaurant guests.

This made the two of them feel that they had gained recognition from their junior uncle.

Next, some diners raised some questions to Feng Zhengming and his team.

For example, are there any special ingredients used in some dishes?
Some customers also ask about the specific cooking methods for certain dishes.

Feng Zhengming held nothing back; he would explain the general methods for making each dish.

In fact, all the diners present knew that even if they knew how to do it, they probably couldn't do it like Feng Zhengming.

During the Q&A session, the guests from the three tables of overseas food associations also raised questions.

One of the questions raised was rather unusual.

"Chef Feng, we noticed that almost all the ingredients for the dishes we ate tonight were from your country. As a top-notch restaurant, don't you think that your ingredients aren't very good?"

Hearing such a question, not only Feng Zhengming, but many of the domestic diners present felt very unhappy.

Why is it that using domestic ingredients is not good enough?

Does that mean domestically sourced ingredients are absolutely unusable?

Feng Zhengming wasn't angry at all; instead, he smiled at the other person.

"This guest must be from abroad? I imagine you've never been outside of Shanghai, have you?"

The other party immediately nodded.

However, after nodding in agreement, he added, "I don't think any other place can have such a good environment as Shanghai."

Feng Zhengming: "Then I can only say that you may be a little ignorant. Oh, in your words, you are looking at us with tinted glasses. In fact, there are many beautiful places in China besides Shanghai."

Don't you countries always advocate for environmental protection? But we in China have been doing it all along, and we've preserved many beautiful places.

I think the ingredients produced in those places are among the best in our country.

Since we have such good ingredients in our country, why can't I use them?

Before the other person could speak again, Feng Zhengming asked first, "Did you and your friends enjoy the food tonight?"

The question left the other person speechless, and the people at his table all lowered their heads.

Feng Zhengming: "Please tell me your true feelings. Don't say anything against your conscience. Is it delicious?"

The person who asked the question could only nod and say, "It's delicious, I admit it's really delicious."

Feng Zhengming: "Deliciousness is our most basic standard for food. No matter where the ingredients come from, making them delicious is what a chef should do most."

The person who asked the question could only nod: "You're right, perhaps we don't understand you."

Feng Zhengming: "You are welcome to come often. I also hope that you can go out of Shanghai and travel to other parts of the country. Our country is beginning to enter a period of accelerated development."

I believe that many places in our country will become increasingly better in the future, and that will change your past impressions.

As soon as Feng Zhengming finished speaking, all the Chinese people in the restaurant applauded and cheered.

The old man and the two old ladies also applauded for him.

Feng Zhengming's dignified and unyielding demeanor in the face of foreigners was very inspiring.

In particular, he asked the other person if they thought the food was good that night.

That unquestionable tone exerted a pressure on the other party, forcing them to tell the truth.

This made many domestic customers feel very happy tonight.

The old man stared at Feng Zhengming, and couldn't help but think that perhaps starting with him, the country would gradually gain confidence and stop groveling and pandering to foreign things. (End of Chapter)