From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Feng Zhengming asked his apprentices to cut the fish into sweet and sour carp, which was a very difficult test.

You know, even the young chefs present here don't dare to say that they can easily make flower cuts well.

What's more, the assessment is still in progress and Feng Zhengming is still timing the apprentices.

When Master Yan heard Feng Zhengming’s announcement, he whispered to Grandpa Feng beside him.

"Old Feng, your grandson's task is a bit difficult for these apprentices."

Grandpa Feng smiled and said, "Sweet and Sour Carp is your specialty. As your apprentice, he must not make this dish badly. So there is a purpose for using this dish to test the apprentice."

After hearing these words, Master Yan suddenly understood.

The young apprentice always remembers the teachings of his master.

Especially remember him as your master.

Master Yan’s sweet and sour carp dish was once presented at a national cooking competition.

This is a dish that Chef Yan is well-known for.

As Master Yan's apprentice, Feng Zhengming naturally would not allow any mistakes with this dish.

That's why he required his apprentices to practice the art of cutting carp well.

The apprentices first made some preparations, and then stood in front of the table and began to make flower cuts.

The carving process of sweet and sour carp is the key to whether this dish can be really well cooked.

Whether it is a peony flower knife or a corrugated flower knife.

First of all, you have to cut steadily enough, and each cut must first reach the fish bones.

Then push the knife inward along the fish spine.

Especially the first cut must be positioned correctly. Once the first cut is positioned correctly, the subsequent cuts will be easier than the first one.

Feng Zhengming glanced at the stopwatch and then at his apprentices.

Sun Decai is still the most stable among the apprentices.

He has mastered the skills he learned in the kitchen very well.

The first cut was quite accurate. Once the first cut was accurate, the following ones would be smooth.

However, some apprentices encountered some troubles.

Because the first cut was not precise enough, the subsequent cuts also had deviations.

Also, the apprentice's strikes were not fierce enough, and it was obvious that he failed to penetrate the target completely.

This proves that the apprentices lack experience and are afraid to cut.

Feng Zhengming saw everything, but he did not say anything to warn anyone.

When the stopwatch ran out, he said, "Okay, time's up."

As soon as he finished speaking, some apprentices at the scene sighed helplessly.

It was obvious that the apprentices themselves were somewhat aware of their own problems.

Feng Zhengming asked the apprentices to bring their own fish to the judges for review.

The apprentices brought it over and placed it on the table in front of the judges.

Feng Zhengming said, "Lift up the fish by its tail yourself and show it to the judges."

At this moment, some apprentices hesitated.

Sun Decai was the first one. He lifted the whole fish from the plate by the tail, and instantly the cut pieces fell downwards, making the whole fish almost hollow.

The pattern on both sides is quite neat and looks very qualified.

After Sun Decai, the other apprentices picked up the fish one by one.

The contrast between the flower knives is very obvious.

Some apprentices did not dare to cut, so the incision was very shallow.

Some apprentices' cuts were not neat; some fish fillets were large, while others were small.

There were even times when the cut was too harsh, and when the fish tail was lifted, the fish meat seemed to fall off.

After looking at all the apprentices' carp.

Feng Zhengming asked the judges: "What do the judges think of their performance in this event? Can it be considered a pass?"

The five judges looked at each other, and then discussed in a low voice.

Grandpa Feng said: "Some of their fancy moves were passable, while some were not. But after all, it is difficult, so their overall performance was pretty good."

Li Huidong followed up by saying, "This one is indeed a bit too demanding on knife skills. Their overall performance is already very good. Besides, they are still apprentices, so they should be given more time to practice."

Grandpa and the eldest senior brother helped the apprentices save some face.

And according to grandpa and senior brother, we still have to give the apprentices some opportunities.

He Yunqing also felt that apprentices should be given some opportunities.

"We still can't deny their previous performance just because of this one item. Their previous performance was also very good."

Yang Bin and Cao Zhiguo looked at each other, and he smiled and said, "It seems that I have to be the bad guy."

Then Yang Bin bluntly pointed out several particularly bad apprentices.

"You guys are totally unbearable. You guys have ruined the fish."

After hearing what Yang Bin said, several apprentices immediately lowered their heads. They felt that they might not be able to stay any longer.

But then Yang Bin said, "When you guys go back to the kitchen of the dry rice shop, I will train you well and won't let you waste things like this."

The apprentices who were already dejected suddenly became energetic when they heard what Yang Bin said.

Cao Zhiguo couldn't help laughing and said, "Third brother, are you interested in these apprentices?"

"It seems that they don't like it very much, but they are good at killing fish and cutting fish in front. I think they can continue to use them in the dry rice shop. It is better than hiring some new people who know nothing and teaching them from scratch."

Feng Zhengming then said with a smile: "You should thank Master Yang. He is willing to let you work in the restaurant. You will go to the kitchen after the Chinese New Year."

Several apprentices immediately perked up and bowed to Yang Bin to express their gratitude.

Yang Bin quickly stood up and said, "Don't bow to me. In the end, it was the chef who had the final say in letting you stay. My master, senior brother, and grandpa chef are sitting here today. I can't let you bow to me."

When Master Yan saw the look on his third apprentice's face, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, Third Brother, if you want to help them, just say so. They really chopped the fish into pieces, especially that one, who cut off all the fish meat. It was really a waste."

Master Yan's words made the apprentice who cut the knife a little harshly lower his head and apologize quickly.

"No need to apologize. Next year when you go to the kitchen of the dry rice shop, you must learn well and be more serious. When I teach you how to do something, you must remember to do it according to the instructions. Don't always do things according to your own ideas."

Master Yan's words were not only meant for the apprentices, but also for the young chefs.

Feng Zhengming continued speaking along the lines of his master's words.

"Master is right. You all should remember this. Don't always think about doing something fancy. Since you are going to learn something in the kitchen, you should study it seriously. You should follow the way the chefs in the kitchen do it.

The most important thing is that you cannot change it casually.

If you take a traditional classic dish and you change it, and he changes it, then the dish that is passed down becomes distorted.”

The assessment of the apprentices is over. Basically, all the apprentices have passed and can stay.

Of course, some personnel adjustments will have to be made afterwards.

Some apprentices will be transferred to the kitchen of the restaurant.

Some basic skills still need to be practiced at the dry rice shop. The key is that the third brother Yang Bin is there at the dry rice shop.

After observing for a year, Feng Zhengming found that his third senior brother was more experienced in teaching apprentices.

Yang Bin has always been a friendly person and never puts on airs. He is willing to get along with everyone, whether it is his apprentices or other young chefs in the kitchen.

We usually joke around with everyone, and the atmosphere in the kitchen of the dry rice shop can be said to be very good.

Of course, although Yang Bin is a kind person, he is very serious when teaching.

What’s more, he is very patient and can teach step by step slowly.

This is really helpful for apprentices to lay the foundation.

Therefore, it is indeed a very good idea to let apprentices work in restaurants to practice basic skills.

Next up is the competition among young chefs.

The young chefs participating in the competition are: Gu Zhicheng, Qi Jiale, Bao Feng, Guan Wei, Yao Zhenhui, Sun Hai, Xia Hui, Shen Rongsen, and Lu Chongshan.

In fact, Lu Chongshan didn't have to participate in the competition originally.

Because now in Huiquan Tower, Lu Chongshan is the only one who has no guilt.

Especially when Huiquanlou holds wedding banquets, Lu Chongshan’s flower cakes are almost always needed.

It can be said that Huiquanlou is now inseparable from Lu Chongshan.

However, Lu Chongshan took the initiative to ask to participate in the competition.

Lu Chongshan felt that he had been in the kitchen for so long and had learned a lot from Feng Zhengming. He wanted to try whether he, a rookie chef, could compete with the young chefs in cooking.

Since Lu Chongshan wanted to participate, Feng Zhengming let him take part in the competition.

Several people stood in line, and Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "So, divide into three groups. Lao Gu, Sun Hai, and Qi Jiale are in the first group, Bao Feng, Lao Yao, and Xia Hui are in the second group, and Guan Wei, Lao Shen, and Chongshan are in the third group."

Everyone agreed to this grouping.

After the groups were divided, Feng Zhengming looked at his master: "Master, you gave the question? What traditional classic dish do you want them to make as the first dish?"

Master Yan laughed: "Oh? Let me ask a question?"

The eight chefs participating in the competition all looked at Master Yan, waiting for him to give the questions.

Master Yan thought for a moment and said, "Let's start with a simple dish, which is also a classic Shandong dish, stir-fried shrimp waist."

Hearing that they were going to make stir-fried shrimp waists, the young chefs were a little nervous.

Stir-fried shrimp waist is not an easy dish.

This dish is considered a traditional Shandong dish.

Many restaurants in Quancheng no longer serve this dish.

But because Feng Zhengming cooked this dish in his dry rice shop, this dish was gradually promoted, and many restaurants are now learning to make it again.

Nowadays, this stir-fried shrimp kidneys is one of the most ordered dishes in Fengjia Rice Shop and Huiquanlou.

The reason why this dish is ordered by many diners is because it has beautiful colors and a very good nutritional combination.

The most important thing is that this dish will be very popular with some children.

Of course, it is not an easy task to make this dish well.

Whether it is cutting the kidneys or processing, marinating and starching the shrimps.

There are also auspicious pieces carved out of the side dishes.

The subsequent stir-frying process is also a test of the chef's skills.

So Master Yan asked young chefs to make this dish.

It is obvious that this is to comprehensively test the abilities of the young chefs.

I saw that the young chefs were a little hesitant.

Feng Zhengming asked jokingly: "What's wrong? Do you think this dish is difficult?"

As soon as this was said, the young chefs immediately said no.

Then Gu Zhicheng, Sun Hai and Qi Jiale were the first group to take action.

As they began to prepare, Master Yan said, "This dish isn't that difficult. Let your chef time you. From selecting ingredients to preparing them to cooking them, half an hour should be enough, right?"

Hearing that they had to count the time and were only given half an hour, the young chefs became a little nervous.

Half an hour seemed like plenty of time.

But in fact, it takes all the time from selecting ingredients, preparing ingredients to cooking this dish.

The key here is that each young chef needs to peel the shrimps, process the kidneys, and carve the carrots and lettuce into auspicious pieces by himself.

Then the peeled shrimps need to be cleaned, marinated and coated with starch.

The kidneys also need to be cleaned. The kidneys must be sliced ​​off, and then the kidneys must be cut into pieces of similar size to the shrimps.

The final cooking process may be the simplest step of the whole dish.

If this dish is usually made in the kitchen, an apprentice would definitely help.

During the process of preparing materials, the apprentices have to prepare everything.

Most of the time, young chefs just stir-fry and season at the end.

Now you need to do everything step by step.

This is a great test of the basic skills of every young chef.

When everyone thought of this, the judges all looked at Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming looked at everyone, smiled and said, "Don't look at me. If I were to make this dish, it would only take about ten minutes."

These words instantly silenced the three senior brothers, the apprentices, and the young chef who had not yet started cooking.

Then only Master Yan said with a smile: "Ten minutes is indeed enough. If you were to compete with me on this dish today, I would give you eight minutes at most."

These words made everyone completely speechless.

It was obvious that the master and disciple did this on purpose.

Tell the young chefs that the half hour given to them is already a great favor to them.

Moreover, Feng Zhengming started timing the first group only after they had chosen their shrimps and kidneys, and obtained the accompanying ingredients of carrots and lettuce, and placed them all on the table in front of them.

In the following time, Gu Zhicheng, Sun Hai and Qi Jiale from the first group took action almost at the same time.

The three people stood side by side, and their hand movements were almost identical.

First, peel the shrimp.

In order to save time, the three of them directly pulled the shrimp heads, then quickly peeled off the shells of the shrimp tails, pressed them on the chopping board, opened the backs and picked out the shrimp threads, and then threw them into the prepared basin next to them.

Three people doing this can save the time of peeling shrimps to the greatest extent.

And almost all three of them kept the shrimp heads.

The three of them quickly peeled the shrimps, and after rinsing them, they began to marinate and coat them with starch.

Feed the shrimps with batter and set aside.

The next step is to clean the kidneys, slice off the loose parts, cut them into small pieces, rinse them, and marinate them in the same way.

The shrimp and kidneys are ready, and the next step is to carve the auspicious pieces, which is a bit time-consuming. (End of this chapter)