From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Both plates of shrimps were ready, and Feng Zhengming and Jiang Chengzhe brought them out for everyone to taste.

Feng Zhengming carefully observed the fried prawns in the typhoon shelter.

"It seems that fried golden garlic and bread crumbs are the key?"

Dai Long smiled and said: "Azhe used a more pleasing method. In fact, the traditional way of making this dish is not to add bread crumbs at the beginning, but to stir-fry the prawns with fried golden garlic.

Later, bread crumbs were added. Another way of cooking is that the golden garlic is fried in oil and the bread crumbs are fried in a pan separately.

Add red oil to the breadcrumbs and slowly stir-fry until the breadcrumbs are colored. Finally, add the golden garlic to the breadcrumbs and stir-fry evenly.

Then, scoop it out and you can make a lot at a time. Use some every time you stir-fry prawns.”

Jiang Chengzhe also said: “Yes, in the beginning, bread crumbs were fried separately, and a lot of ingredients were put into the bread crumbs.

My method is more pleasing, and I fry it directly with the golden garlic. "

Feng Zhengming nodded and reached out to pick up some crumbs mixed with golden garlic and breadcrumbs.

"You can't fry bread crumbs and garlic together, right?" Without waiting for Jiang Chengzhe to answer, Feng Zhengming gave his own judgment, "You should fry the garlic until it changes color, then add the bread crumbs in and fry together."

Jiang Chengzhe nodded: "Yes, the bread crumbs cannot be fried for too long, so the moisture of the garlic must be fried first. When the garlic starts to color, put the bread crumbs in for no more than 30 seconds and then remove them together."

Long Kunbao then said: "The key is to wash the garlic with clean water to wash away the mucus and sweetness on the garlic."

Jiang Chengzhe agreed, "That's right, otherwise the fried garlic will taste bitter."

Feng Zhengming asked a lot of questions in great detail.

Noticing that no one had picked up their chopsticks, he quickly said, "Let's eat together and try it first."

Then everyone stopped being polite and picked up their chopsticks to pick up two dishes to eat.

Everyone in Feng Zhengming's family picked up their chopsticks and tasted the fried prawns in the typhoon shelter.

Several chefs from Hong Kong City tasted Feng Zhengming's cabbage and prawns together.

After eating both sides, they both felt very delicious.

Grandpa Feng smiled and said, "It's really delicious. The shrimp shells are already very crispy. When eaten with the garlic and bread crumbs, it's really flavorful and delicious."

Feng Jiandong agreed, "I've always heard about this dish before, and today I got to eat it made by a chef from Gangcheng, and it's really delicious."

Luo Qing also thought that the fried prawns in the typhoon shelter tasted really good.

It has a strong garlic flavor, tastes salty with a little spicy, and then has a sweet taste when you take a look.

This flavor, paired with the prawns that have been fried until crispy even in their shells, is really unique in its flavor.

The taste is completely different from the several ways of cooking prawns in Shandong cuisine.

Hong Kong chefs taste Feng Zhengming's cabbage and prawns together.

First, take a bite of the cabbage and immediately feel the different taste.

The cabbage has a very strong flavor of shrimp oil and has absorbed enough shrimp soup. It has the unique sweet taste of shrimp, plus the sweetness of the cabbage after being stir-fried. It is really addictive.

If you eat the shrimp tail with cabbage, it will add a different texture and flavor.

After eating, Li Guansheng asked, "Chef Feng, this dish should be different from the traditional Chinese cabbage and prawns, right?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "It is indeed different. The traditional dish is stir-fried cabbage with prawns, which are usually stir-fried directly in the pan. I first stir-fry the prawn heads to produce prawn oil, and then add broth to boil out the prawn soup.

After that, the shrimp tails and cabbage are stir-fried in the pot, and then the prepared shrimp soup is added to cook, so that the cabbage can fully absorb the freshness of the shrimp. "

Li Guansheng picked up another piece of cabbage with chopsticks, put it into his mouth and chewed it carefully.

"Great, I like the taste. This shrimp soup is really delicious."

After eating, Dai Long asked, "Chef Feng, you must be very particular about the shrimp you use, right?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Yes, I used large prawns from the Bohai Bay. I chose prawns with thinner shells, and large prawns have a lot of brains."

While eating, Long Kunbao said: "This dish combines the sweetness of shrimp and Chinese cabbage, plus the aroma of shrimp brain and shrimp oil, and chef Feng's seasoning. It may seem like a simple dish, but it tastes really good."

This exchange over midnight snack allowed Feng Zhengming and the chef from Gangcheng to learn another way to cook shrimp.

It can be said that both parties were very satisfied with the food and the communication.

Li Guansheng also told Feng Zhengming about the configuration of some high-end restaurants.

“If you want to open a more upscale restaurant in Shanghai, you need more professional staff, and all the service staff must know how to serve customers.

Not only do you serve food to the guests, you are also responsible for changing the plates in front of the guests and introducing your dishes to them.

You also need a sommelier who is dedicated to serving wine to customers, who knows how to taste wine and how to recommend dishes to your customers based on the different dishes. "

After hearing what Li Guansheng said, Feng Jiandong and Luo Qing were both a little confused?

When it comes to providing service to guests and introducing various dishes to them, they understand this.

But the sommelier that Li Guansheng mentioned was very unfamiliar to Feng Jiandong and Luo Qing.

Feng Zhengming actually knew what a sommelier was.

He explained to his grandfather, his third uncle and Luo Qing.

“Sommeliers are usually found in high-end restaurants in Western cuisine. Their main job is to recommend wines to guests, or to open and pour wine for guests who have brought their own wine, and to help guests choose wines that go well with their dishes.

A very good sommelier will also take guests to taste wine and appreciate the characteristics of different wines.”

When the chefs in Gangcheng heard Feng Zhengming's explanation, they were all a little surprised.

Jiang Chengzhe asked: "Brother Ming, you know all this? Have you ever been to those high-end restaurants before?"

Feng Zhengming replied: "As I said, I like food magazines, and these are what I saw in some food magazines."

Mr. Situ said at this time: "Sommeliers are usually only found in foreign restaurants, but they are not necessary in Chinese restaurants."

Li Guansheng smiled and said, "Mr. Situ is right, but if Chef Feng wants to open a distinctive restaurant in Shanghai and also to receive some foreign guests, I'm afraid a sommelier is essential."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "It's not necessary. Some things are governed by foreign rules, and we also have domestic rules in China."

Mr. Situ smiled and agreed: "Zhengming is right. We have our own rules. We don't need to learn other people's rules."

Jiang Chengzhe said: "But having a good sommelier can really help elevate the quality of a restaurant."

“A restaurant is a place for customers to eat and enjoy delicious food, and the service provided should also allow customers to enjoy the food better.

In foreign countries, sommeliers can often provide guests with fine wines to pair with dishes. But in fact, there is an intention to guide consumption. I think guests should be given more freedom in this regard.

There is no set dish that must be paired with a specific wine.”

At this point, Feng Zhengming pointed to the two shrimp dishes for dinner: "These two shrimp dishes can be paired with some white wine, or wine, or even beer. Is that not okay?"

After hearing what Feng Zhengming said, several chefs in Gangcheng also felt that this was the truth.

Li Guansheng laughed: "Hahaha, we are a little too biased towards foreign things. We really don't need to follow foreign standards."

Feng Zhengming went on to say: “Actually, I don’t want to hire a sommelier. Another reason is that it’s hard to find a good sommelier. I don’t want to hire some mediocre sommeliers to make my restaurant in Shanghai look weird.

So I would rather not have a sommelier and keep our Shandong cuisine restaurant as it should be, where we conquer the guests’ taste buds with our craftsmanship.”

Several chefs in Gangcheng nodded, agreeing with Feng Zhengming's idea.

Finally, Feng Zhengming went to find some steamed buns, cut them into slices, fried them with shrimp oil, and then had everyone eat them with the shrimp soup made from cabbage and prawns.

It really made everyone feel quite satisfied with the meal.

Both plates of shrimps were eaten up by everyone.

Even the plate of braised cabbage and prawns was wiped clean by the steamed bread slices.

After a satisfying meal, Li Guansheng said to Feng Zhengming, "I heard from Azhe that you are going to use lobster to make your dish Oolong Xizhu. I hope to see a different dish tomorrow."

Feng Zhengming promised: "Master Li, please rest assured, I will do my best."

Dai Long said bluntly: "Tomorrow is the last dish of this national competition. Chef Feng, you have to work hard. Don't forget that you were one point behind me before. If you want to get the top prize, you must surpass me."

“Hahaha, don’t worry, Chef Dai, my third dish tomorrow will definitely surpass yours.”

Feng Zhengming's words were direct and powerful.

Dai Long didn't expect Feng Zhengming to speak so directly.

After a brief moment of shock, Dai Long laughed and said, "Okay, I'm looking forward to it."

Long Kunbao also said: "I look forward to Chef Feng's Oolong Xizhu."

Finally, Jiang Chengzhe was even more curious: "I really want to try it, what does your Oolong Xizhu taste like?
I heard that scallion-fried sea cucumber is the most classic dish of Shandong cuisine, and your master is one of the best Shandong chefs. I must try it tomorrow."

Jiang Chengzhe's words made Feng Zhengming and his family laugh.

Mr. Situ said: "Scallion-fried sea cucumber is indeed the most representative dish of Shandong cuisine, but in fact, the taste of scallion-fried sea cucumber made by the best chefs in Shandong cuisine will be different.

You can only experience this by eating it, and it should shock you deeply tomorrow."

Feng Jiandong said: "Scallion-fried sea cucumber is one of our representative dishes of Shandong cuisine. If you eat Zhengming's dish, you will understand how good it is."

Luo Qing also agreed: "Yes, Zhengming's cooking is definitely one of the best among Shandong cuisine chefs."

Grandpa Feng finally said: "You are welcome to go to Quancheng to try the scallion-fried sea cucumber made by each chef when you have the chance."

In response to Grandpa Feng’s invitation, the chefs in Hong Kong also expressed that they would definitely go if they had the chance.

After the midnight snack, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.

Feng Zhengming returned to the room and saw that Lin Bosheng and Li Zhifeng were not asleep, obviously waiting for him to come back.

Seeing him coming back, Li Zhifeng asked directly: "Zhengming, did you go to communicate with the chef in Gangcheng again?"

Feng Zhengming was a little excited: "Yes, they made a dish of fried prawns in the typhoon shelter tonight, and it tasted really good."

Lin Bosheng immediately responded, "Typhoon Shelter Fried Prawns? That's a very popular dish in Hong Kong. When I was in Beijing, I ate some Cantonese chefs cooking it. It was really delicious."

Li Zhifeng asked: "Have you learned it?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "I have learned it."

Lin Bosheng smiled and said, "Then your midnight snack is worth it. The cooking method of Bifengtang is really suitable for bringing back to Quancheng. Adding it to the menu of your Huiquanlou is really a relatively simple dish."

Feng Zhengming thought for a moment and responded: "I don't plan to put it on the Huiquanlou menu, I plan to put it on the Ganfanpu menu."

These words surprised both Li Zhifeng and Lin Bosheng.

Lin Bosheng was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Are you sure? You want to put a dish like that in a dry rice shop?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Because Huiquanlou already has enough shrimps, there is no need to add a dish of fried prawns in the typhoon shelter. After eating it tonight, I think it is more appropriate to cook it in a dry rice shop."

Li Zhifeng and Lin Bosheng looked at each other again. At this moment, they really found it difficult to understand Feng Zhengming's thoughts.

Seeing that the two people didn't quite understand, Feng Zhengming explained his thoughts.

"Typhoon Shelter Fried Prawns is a dish that is very characteristic of Hong Kong. I think since it is so characteristic of Hong Kong, more people in Quanzhou should try it, so making it in a dry rice shop will allow more people to eat it."

At this moment, Li Zhifeng and Lin Bosheng were completely speechless by what Feng Zhengming said.

Perhaps from other chefs, if they learn new dishes from other places, they will definitely increase the price and launch them, so as to take advantage of some people's curiosity and make some money.

Anyway, it is a classic dish from other places, and the cooking method is very novel. It is definitely not available in Quancheng.

If it is a unique business, the price will definitely be higher.

But Feng Zhengming's idea was obviously not to make money from a foreign dish.

He hopes that most people can taste it.

In Feng Zhengming's opinion, a dish introduced from other places can only be considered successfully introduced if most people have tasted it and like it from the bottom of their hearts.

After understanding Feng Zhengming's thoughts, Li Zhifeng and Lin Bosheng felt helpless.

At this time, the two realized why so many old chefs said that Feng Zhengming was a person obsessed with cooking.

Now, in the eyes of Li Zhifeng and Lin Bosheng, Feng Zhengming is even a little crazy.

Li Zhifeng and Lin Bosheng did not try to persuade Feng Zhengming again.

Because both of them also understood that every industry needs a crazy master like Feng Zhengming.

They have a pure heart and are obsessed with the iteration of techniques and what they are pursuing.

Only with the existence of such people can an industry be truly pushed to its peak.

Li Zhifeng and Lin Bosheng are still looking forward to Feng Zhengming leading Shandong cuisine to create a prosperous road for it. (End of this chapter)