From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Everyone in the kitchen was surprised to see Feng Zhengming's braised duck heart.

Especially, after pouring Moutai liquor on it and lighting it, the rich aroma of the sauce really filled the entire kitchen.

However, after lighting it, Feng Zhengming covered the plate with a lid.

Then he took the dish, picked up the little bit of wine left in the glass, and quickly walked out of the kitchen to serve the dish.

In the private room, the guests who had taken two bottles of Moutai were also looking forward to Feng Zhengming's dishes.

After tasting the various dishes on the table, they all praised Feng Zhengming and Huiquanlou's kitchen skills.

The older people among them gave a lecture to the young man who had taken out Moutai liquor to show off and forced Feng Zhengming.

"You shouldn't have taken out the wine to show off downstairs today. Fortunately, Chef Feng was generous and didn't argue with you. Otherwise, he would have really kicked us out tonight, and we would have been the ones to be embarrassed."

After hearing this, the young man who took out the Moutai to show off felt a little embarrassed.

"I didn't want to show off, I just wanted to see if Chef Feng could cook."

A woman at the same table also said: "You said it's not showing off, but you took out the wine and wanted to give it to others, isn't that showing off?"

As he was speaking, Feng Zhengming came in with a plate in his hand.

Seeing Feng Zhengming personally serving the dishes, everyone in the private room stood up subconsciously.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "No need to stand up, just sit down and enjoy your meal."

The elderly people present immediately apologized to Feng Zhengming again.

"I'm so sorry. It was our fault for causing trouble for Chef Feng just now downstairs."

Feng Zhengming still smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, it's all over."

He put the plate on the table, looked at the young man who was showing off two bottles of Moutai, and poured the remaining Moutai in the glass in his hand onto the plate.

Then Feng Zhengming poured the Moutai liquor into the plate and lit it.

As the flames rose, the rich aroma of sauce filled the private room.

As the fragrance spread, Feng Zhengming opened the lid of the plate.

"Please enjoy this dish of roasted duck heart."

The moment the lid is opened, the rich aroma of sauce-flavored liquor fills the air again.

Then I saw the duck hearts on the plate, each one looked like a small fan.

It’s really hard to say how good this dish looks.

However, the rich aroma of sauce-flavored liquor can be said to have made up for the shortcomings of the dish's appearance.

Under the surprised gazes of the people in the room, Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Please enjoy your meal."

Then he left the private room.

After Feng Zhengming left, everyone in the private room began to look at the dish carefully.

Older people will quickly remember the origin of this dish.

"It seems that this dish of roasted duck heart was once a dish in the Quanjude all-duck banquet in Beijing. It was said that this dish was made with Maotai liquor."

After the older man said this, everyone in the private room suddenly understood.

Then, everyone sat down and prepared to taste it.

The moment when a young man took out two bottles of Moutai and picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.

The first thing he tasted was the rich aroma of the sauce.

“It really does smell like Moutai.”

The older man didn't say anything, but chewed slowly in his mouth.

Seeing this, the young man could only chew and taste it quietly.

When you bite open the crispy shell, you will find that the inside is still very tender.

The aroma of Moutai's sauce stays with you while you chew.

The texture of being crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, paired with delicious seasoning, especially the sauce flavor of Moutai liquor, really makes the dish taste unique.

Feng Zhengming had already returned to the kitchen and saw many people in the kitchen looking at him.

Obviously everyone is curious about what the roasted duck heart made with Moutai tastes like?
Feng Zhengming guessed that everyone was curious, so he smiled and said, "Actually, the taste is just so-so. If you ask me, the dish is just the aroma of Maotai sauce. It's not a very delicious dish, but it's expensive because it's fancy."

After hearing what Feng Zhengming said, everyone in the kitchen stopped worrying about it.

Feng Zhengming took out the marinade he had prepared earlier and said, "If you want to try it, this marinade can be used several times. When business is over tonight, you can practice your skills in cutting duck hearts and use this to marinate them. Then you can try making your own."

"Okay, thank you, chef."

Feng Zhengming asked everyone to try it themselves, and everyone in the kitchen immediately smiled and thanked the chef.

After looking at it, Luo Qing left the kitchen and went back to tell her grandfather and Master Xia about it.

Master Xia laughed after hearing this: "Zhengming is still more flexible."

Xia Mingye asked curiously, "Master, is that roasted duck heart really a dish from Quanjude in Beijing?"

When his grandson asked, Master Xia told him about it.

"It is said that this dish was inspired by a master chef of Quanjude by chance. After several improvements, it became a dish in the whole duck banquet.

It can be said that this dish is a bit similar to our stir-fried pork.

First, cut open the duck heart, then make cuts inside the duck heart to make it look like an open fan.

Then marinate it with strong liquor and various seasonings.

Finally, heat the oil to a near-burning temperature, then put the duck hearts into the pot and let the oil surface burn instantly.

Just like roasting meat, the duck heart is cooked in an instant using the high temperature of fire and oil.”

After Master Xia finished his introduction, he did not forget to praise Feng Zhengming's design.

"After Zhengming arranges the dish, he pours Moutai liquor on it, lights it, and covers it to smoke it. When serving, he pours Moutai liquor around the dish and lights it. He does this several times to add fragrance and ensures that the guests can taste the sauce aroma of Moutai liquor. He is very attentive."

Xia Mingye was a little surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect that Uncle Feng had so many little designs.

"Master Feng has quite a few little designs that always add flavor to the dishes."

After listening, Master Xia said, "These are some of the key points in cooking. The strength of chefs like your Uncle Feng is that they are good at using what they have on hand to make some small details to better enhance the flavor of the dishes."

Xia Mingye felt as if he had learned something again.

In the back kitchen, Feng Zhengming was about to go to the stove and got the prepared ingredients.

He immediately frowned and asked, "Who prepared these cabbages and prawns today?"

Although Feng Zhengming only asked this question calmly, it sounded very powerful in the kitchen, making everyone nervous and looking at him.

Soon, an apprentice stood up and said, "I prepared these." Feng Zhengming handed them to him directly and said, "Take a look for yourself."

After the apprentice took it, he only took a glance and immediately understood the problem.

"I'm sorry chef."

Feng Zhengming did not blame him, but asked the apprentice to quickly prepare new materials.

Then he stressed to everyone: "I want to stress one point. Huiquanlou's current reputation is hard-earned, so everyone must cherish it and be serious when preparing the ingredients."

This made everyone in the kitchen serious.

The apprentice took the prepared materials from Feng Zhengming and carefully re-screened them.

Pick out all the cabbage leaves that were originally mixed in and are not tender enough.

And the shrimps in the ingredients were also cleaned again.

Especially some shrimp shells that were not removed cleanly were all cleaned carefully, and the shrimp threads were also carefully picked out.

After everything was done, the materials were sent to Feng Zhengming again.

Feng Zhengming took it and was quite satisfied this time.

"It's okay this way. You must be careful next time. After you are ready, you must check again to make sure there are no problems."

The apprentice accepted the education with an open mind and earnestly promised not to make such a mistake again in the future.

Feng Zhengming first put the cabbage into the pan and stir-fried it until it was soft and water was released, then served it.

Then peel off most of the shell, leaving only a little bit of the tail, and cut off the tip of the tail, and trim the shrimp tail part.

First, fry the shrimp in oil in a pan until the color changes, then add onion and ginger to bring out the aroma, allowing the aroma of the fried shrimp to blend with the aroma of onion and ginger.

Then pour the rich shrimp soup prepared in advance and cooked with shrimp heads into the pot.

Then put the stir-fried cabbage back into the wok, season it, and then slowly simmer the cabbage and prawns over high heat.

Basically, after the cabbage has absorbed the soup, add a thin starch and serve.

The cabbage absorbed enough soup and became almost the same red color as the shrimp.

Coupled with the rich aroma it exudes, this dish is so delicious just by smelling it.

After Feng Zhengming finally served the dish, he placed the fried shrimp heads on top as a garnish.

This dish was specially made by Feng Zhengming for Master Xia's table, so of course he had to serve the dish himself.

Of course, Huiquanlou’s fried cabbage and prawns are basically made in the same way, and the presentation is equally exquisite.

And because many people order this dish every day, a lot of shrimp soup and shrimp oil that are cooked in advance need to be used up every day.

Feng Zhengming also thought of a way to turn waste into treasure, picking out the shrimp heads after refining and using them as the final garnish on the dish.

He carried the dish out of the kitchen and served it to Master Xia and his team personally.

"Master Xia, please try this dish of braised cabbage with prawns. These prawns are from Bohai Bay and were just delivered this morning."

The moment Xia Mingye saw the dish presentation, he couldn't help but exclaim.

"Wow, this is so beautiful and exquisite, isn't it?"

Master Xia looked at the dish arrangement and raised his head to look at Feng Zhengming.

"Zhengming, you really put a lot of effort into the presentation of the dishes. I find that the exquisite presentation of some of your dishes is worth learning from."

Xia Mingye also echoed, "Yes, yes, Master, Master Feng's plating design is really beautiful."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "I'm sorry to make you laugh, Master Xia. This is also a way of turning waste into treasure. After all, it would be a pity to throw away the shrimp heads used to make shrimp oil and shrimp soup, so I designed it this way."

"Hahaha." Master Xia laughed after hearing this, "You really turned waste into treasure."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Master Xia, please try it first. I won't accompany you."

Master Xia nodded: "Okay, go ahead."

When Feng Zhengming served this dish of braised shrimps and cabbage to Master Xia, he also served this dish to all the private rooms that ordered it.

Because when Feng Zhengming cooks this dish, he makes a large amount in the pot at one time and then divides it into each plate.

After the final plating is completed, it can be served to different guests.

The guest who had just tasted Feng Zhengming's braised duck heart made with Maotai liquor was also pleasantly surprised when he saw the dish of braised prawns and cabbage on the table.

"Oh, I forgot to bring my camera. This dish is so beautiful."

"Not only is this dish beautiful, but every dish we eat here today is actually beautiful."

"Yes, Chef Feng's cooking skills are indeed amazing, and the presentation of each dish has been carefully designed."

"This is what a great chef is. He not only makes the dishes delicious, but also gives the guests a visual enjoyment."

"In the past, I didn't have a clear understanding of the importance of having good color, aroma and taste in cooking. After coming to Huiquanlou, I have a clearer understanding. The dishes they cook are really good in color, aroma and taste."

Master Xia downstairs had already picked up the cabbage from the plate and started eating.

After putting it in his mouth, Master Xia tasted it carefully.

"The cabbage used is very good, the tender part in the middle, and almost only the leaves are used. You can't eat any stems or strings at all. Zhengming is really particular about the selection of ingredients. The shrimp is also very good, and the shrimp soup is so fresh."

After eating it, Xia Mingye exclaimed: "It's so delicious, this cabbage doesn't even taste like cabbage."

Grandpa Feng also smiled as he ate and said, "Zhengming really has unique ideas when it comes to cooking shrimp."

Xia Hui nodded: "Yes, Master Uncle is very good at cooking prawns."

Master Xia smiled and said, "It's not surprising. After all, prawns are a specialty of our Bohai Sea, and eating more shrimps is good for people."

Xia Hui said: "This dish of braised cabbage with prawns is now considered the signature dish of Huiquanlou."

"Sister, will the dry rice restaurant have this dish?" Xia Mingye asked curiously.

Xia Hui nodded and said, "Yes, there are also shrimps and cabbage dishes at the dry rice shop, but we don't use such good ingredients there."

Xia Mingye asked curiously: "Don't use such good ingredients? Then how will the dry rice shop cook it?"

Seeing that her brother was very curious, Xia Hui told him how to make the dry rice shop.

“Dry rice shops usually use the leaves and stems together, and when my uncle designed this dish at the dry rice shop, he would slice the stems thinly so that they could be cooked almost at the same time as the leaves, and also allow the stems to absorb the flavor of the shrimp soup.

The other cooking methods are similar to Huiquanlou, except that the shrimps are not as good as those in Huiquanlou.

Generally, Huiquanlou selects the best shrimps, and the rest are given to the dry rice shop.”

Hearing this, Master Xia couldn't help but ask: "So, the shrimps used in the dry rice shop are also live shrimps?"

Xia Hui nodded: "Yes, we use live shrimps to make this dish in our dry rice shop."

This made Master Xia sigh: "Zhengming's success really has a reason. He really didn't skimp on the materials he used." (End of this chapter)