From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

When Feng Zhengming mentioned that the ingredients were too expensive, the first thing he thought of was to reduce the cost so that more ordinary diners could also taste it.

Jiang Chengzhe looked surprised when he heard this and stared at Feng Zhengming for a while.

He still couldn't help but ask, "Are you really going to cook the dishes from the competition for your guests in the future?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and nodded: "Why not?"

Jiang Chengzhe hesitated for a moment and said, "It's not impossible, but no matter how you cut costs, if you want to make the dishes taste like those in the competition, the cost will be very high."

After a short pause, Jiang Chengzhe asked, "Are you sure that there are people in China who can afford it?"

Obviously, when Jiang Chengzhe came to participate in the national competition, he saw many relatively backward areas in domestic development.

Even here on the east side of the Hucheng River, which is currently being developed intensively.

Apart from the towering Oriental Pearl Tower, this place still seems a bit empty and backward.

Even the Yellow River Road in Shanghai where Jiang Chengzhe and Feng Zhengming had been together.

In Jiang Chengzhe's opinion, that road may seem to be full of lights and wine, but it is still not possible to afford many of the dishes they cook in the national competition.

And this is Shanghai, which is the fastest-growing place in the country today.

Jiang Chengzhe feels that if even Shanghai is like this, other places in the country may be even more unaffordable.

Feng Zhengming stared at Jiang Chengzhe and saw that Jiang Chengzhe was aware of the current economic backwardness of the country.

He smiled and said to Jiang Chengzhe: "Our economy will not remain like this forever, and we will not lag behind forever. Soon we will usher in an economic boom, and everyone's wallets will become fatter and fatter.

By then, more people will be able to taste the dishes from our national competition.”

Jiang Chengzhe was a little surprised after hearing what Feng Zhengming said.

He didn't know where Feng Zhengming got his confidence from?
I actually feel that sooner or later more people will be able to afford the dishes served in the competition.

But from Feng Zhengming's determined expression, Jiang Chengzhe felt that he was not a joke.

After a brief silence, Jiang Chengzhe could only say: "I hope we can see that moment."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Yes, we won't wait too long."

At this time, Zhang Quande came up to the two of them.

"The dishes you two cooked are really luxurious. You are indeed young people who dare to think and do. Compared with your third dish today, my dish seems a bit ordinary."

Seeing Zhang Quande, Feng Zhengming greeted him with a smile.

Hearing what the other party said, Feng Zhengming immediately said: "Chef Zhang is so polite. The Rouge Goose Breast you made today is very famous and is a dish with a strong cultural flavor."

Jiang Chengzhe was curious and asked, "Rouge goose breast is very famous? Is it a dish with a cultural flavor?"

Seeing that Jiang Chengzhe didn't understand, Feng Zhengming knew that the other party probably had never read or studied "Dream of the Red Chamber".

He smiled and explained: "This dish comes from Dream of the Red Chamber. It is a very delicious dish. It is said that it is a dish that the girls in Jia Baoyu's room would like."

"Dream of the Red Chamber? What kind of dishes would the girls in Jia Baoyu's room like?"

Jiang Chengzhe was obviously a little confused. He had obviously heard of the name of Dream of Red Mansions, but had never read its content.

Zhang Quande was also a little surprised after listening to Feng Zhengming's explanation.

"It turns out that Chef Feng also studies Red Mansion cuisine?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and responded: "After I became a little famous, food lovers from all over the country began to communicate with me. They would send me some recipes, and I also saw them from some old cookbooks."

Then Feng Zhengming added: "Actually, the way to prepare this dish is very Western."

Jiang Chengzhe asked curiously, "Is it very Western in method?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "First, take two pieces of goose breast meat, then clean the meat and marinate it. When marinating, you need to put some apples in it."

Jiang Chengzhe immediately became interested when he heard this. This method of pickling fruits was indeed very Western.

Zhang Quande was even more surprised when he heard this.

"Chef Feng, it looks like you actually have a recipe?"

Feng Zhengming quickly said, "Oh, by the way, Chef Zhang is here. Let Chef Zhang handle the rest. He is more professional."

Zhang Quande was stunned at first, and then realized that Feng Zhengming probably didn't want to steal his limelight.

Because he heard Feng Zhengming directly say that he wanted to add apples to the marinated goose breast, it can be seen that Feng Zhengming should indeed know how to cook this dish.

Zhang Quande then continued to talk about the following steps.

After the rouged goose breast is marinated, it is first grilled on a charcoal stove to roast off some of the fat.

Then put it into the prepared soup and cook.

The original soup for cooking goose breast should be colored with red yeast rice.

When Zhang Quande was cooking in this competition, he also borrowed some Western cooking methods.

He added some red wine and apples to the soup, which made the whole dish more fruity.

After the goose breast is out of the pot, Zhang Quande adds some lemon juice to the thickened soup.

This gives the roux goose breast soup a slightly citric and fruity taste.

The goose breast meat on the plate is really full of fruity aroma, and at the same time has a very unique sweet and sour taste.

After listening to Zhang Quande's narration, Jiang Chengzhe was also a little surprised.

“The cooking method is very Western, but all the ingredients and seasonings are also very Chinese.”

After a pause, Jiang Chengzhe said, "It is recorded in the book Dream of the Red Chamber. If so, this dish should have been around a long time ago. So it seems that our domestic cuisine has had this kind of fruit-flavored dishes for a long time, right?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and nodded: "That's right, many traditional dishes in the past were seasoned with fruits."

Jiang Chengzhe couldn't help but sigh: "It seems that my vision is too narrow and I underestimated our Chinese cuisine."

Feng Zhengming patted Jiang Chengzhe, who seemed to feel a little guilty about looking down on domestic delicacies.

“In fact, we should not underestimate the cooking of any place, whether it is the cooking and food from all over the country or the various foreign foods, since they have been passed down to this day and are recognized and sought after by many people.

Then they must have their own unique features. I think we should read and learn more so that we can make continuous progress.

For example, for my third dish today, didn’t I also learn from you how to bake lobster in soup before I thought of adding lobster balls to the dish?
I feel that this trip to the national competition has really brought me a lot of gains, and I have learned many cooking techniques from all over your country.

Thank you all for sharing your cooking skills.”

Feng Zhengming's words made Jiang Chengzhe, Zhang Quande and some of the chefs who heard it feel that they were very reasonable.

Perhaps for many diners, they have their own taste preferences.

Or maybe it's due to national sentiment that one would have a resistance to food from different places. But as a chef, one cannot look at food from other places with arrogance.

Chefs need to be able to humble themselves and accept cuisines from different places.

Then go and see and learn about the food culture of different places.

This way, we can keep pace with the times, integrate different cooking techniques from all over the world, and constantly improve our skills.

Soon other chefs spoke up and said similar things as Feng Zhengming.

"Chef Feng is right. I gained a lot from this national competition."

“Seeing you excellent chefs, I realized that I have many shortcomings.”

“Thank you so much, everyone is willing to share their cooking skills and experiences.”

"Yes, I believe that if we all communicate with each other, it will promote the development of food in our various regions."

"Hahaha, this time when I go back, I will also try to incorporate more fruit elements into my cooking and strive to create more dishes."

"Yes, adding fruits and using spices from various other regions should be able to improve ours."

“The key is to make more delicious food so that everyone can enjoy more delicious food.”

"Hahaha, I hope that in the future, I can have another chance to compete with you all and discuss more about food."

"Yes, I hope we will have the opportunity to compete with each other in the future. Then we can each bring our own new dishes and compete again."

"I heard that Chef Feng is going to open a restaurant in Shanghai. If I have the chance in the future, I will also open a restaurant in Shanghai. Then I will really have a face-to-face fight with Chef Feng."

"Hahaha, that's right. We all have to run the restaurant well. Let's compete with each other and make better dishes."

All the chefs who participated in the national competition expressed their joy at the results of this national competition.

The chefs were discussing on the other side.

In the banquet hall, the invited audience were tasting every dish.

The on-site TV station also broadcast the event live, with CCTV, Shanghai and Hong Kong TV stations conducting interviews separately.

CCTV interviewed Mr. Situ and asked him about his views on the holding of this national competition?
Mr. Situ smiled and expressed his surprise at the holding of this national cooking competition.

"This year's national cooking competition really surprised me. I didn't expect you to do it so well."

The reporter then asked, "Mr. Situ, is there any dish in this competition that left a deep impression on you?"

Mr. Situ kept smiling and answered: "The first dish that impressed me most was definitely the one fish dish made by Chef Feng on the first day, followed by the Huaiyang dish Wensi tofu and the Peony Bird's Nest.

What impressed me most today was probably Chef Feng’s Oolong Xizhu. He added more elements and used techniques from other places. It was really amazing.”

When the reporter heard what Mr. Situ said, he couldn't help but feel curious.

"Oh? Mr. Situ, you also know cooking techniques?"

Mr. Situ smiled and nodded: "I do have a little understanding, because when I first went abroad, I worked as an apprentice in a Chinese restaurant, so I learned a little bit."

The reporter then asked: "So Mr. Situ, do you appreciate Chef Feng more?"

Mr. Situ did not evade any question and gave a straightforward answer.

“Chef Feng and I have known each other for a long time. I really admire him. Although he is young, he is very good at cooking. Most importantly, he is a very humble child and knows how to learn from others.

Maybe at his age, there are not many people who are as humble as him, so he really makes me feel very special.

I really admire him and hope he can win the first place in this national competition."

Facing the TV camera, Mr. Situ really expressed his expectations without any reservation.

At this moment, many people watching the live broadcast in front of the TV were also a little surprised.

I was surprised that Mr. Situ actually directly and publicly supported Feng Zhengming.

But after being surprised, many people actually agreed with Mr. Situ.

"The old man is quite straightforward."

"Yes, they make no secret of their support for Chef Feng."

"I think it's right to support Chef Feng. Chef Feng is young and his cooking skills are not inferior to anyone else. We should support Chef Feng to become the number one."

"It seems that Chef Feng's performance in this national competition was really impeccable."

"Support Chef Feng. Let Chef Feng become the top scholar."

After watching the live broadcast for a few days, many people in front of the TV were impressed by Feng Zhengming.

Especially in the dry rice shop, many people saw the third dish and expressed their support for Feng Zhengming, hoping that Feng Zhengming could win the top prize this year.

Xia Mingye secretly watched the live broadcast, ran back to the kitchen and said excitedly: "It's done, it's done. This time, Master Uncle will get the top prize."

Xia Hui asked curiously: "How did you know?"

Xia Mingye told his sister what he saw on live TV.

"Sister, look, even Mr. Situ supports Uncle Master to win the first prize, so Uncle Master will definitely win the first prize."

After hearing what her brother said, Xia Hui remained relatively calm.

"Grandpa Situ is not a judge. Whether Uncle Master can win the top prize this year still depends on how many points the judges give Uncle Master, and whether Uncle Master's dishes can win over the judges."

Xia Mingye still insisted: "I think with Mr. Situ's words, it will definitely work."

Seeing that her brother insisted, Xia Hui was too lazy to talk to him: "Hurry up and work."

Xia Mingye didn't dare to contradict his sister, so he had to go to work obediently, but he still muttered: "Master uncle must be the top scholar, he must be."

At the scene, when facing the camera, the reporter saw that Mr. Situ did not hide his support for Feng Zhengming.

They all felt a sense of both laughter and tears, but remained calm out of professional ethics.

"Okay, thank you for your answer, Mr. Situ. Let's wait and see whether Chef Feng can become the top scholar this year."

At the same time, reporters from Shanghai TV and Hong Kong TV were also conducting interviews separately.

The reporter from Shanghai TV interviewed Mr. Cai from Gangcheng.

Reporters from Gangcheng TV interviewed several professional judges.

Judging from interviews with both sides, it seems that the judges are a little bit biased towards Feng Zhengming.

This also made the reporters from the three TV stations more or less guess that the top scorer in this national competition might really be Feng Zhengming.

So the three TV stations also made some arrangements. (End of this chapter)