From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Although Feng Zhengming and Huiquanlou have proved their strength.

However, the place where Hong Kong chefs and Shandong cuisine chefs exchange culinary skills is still held in Jufengde.

This does not mean that I do not approve of Feng Zhengming and Huiquanlou.

This is mainly because Jufengde did make a lot of preparations in advance.

And no matter what, Jufengde is also the most famous old restaurant in Quancheng.

Many famous Shandong cuisine chefs have come out of Jufengde.

Both Master Cui and Master Yan have studied at Jufengdeli.

In addition, the chefs from Hong Kong come to exchange ideas, mainly because they hope to experience traditional authentic classic Shandong cuisine.

So at Jufengde, you can indeed see the most traditional practices.

Since the exchange place was held in Jufengde, Feng Zhengming had to rush to Jufengde every day.

As the national top scholar, he must be present.

After a few days, Feng Zhengming couldn't help but sigh in his heart that it was a very wise decision to bring his eldest senior brother to Huiquan Tower and keep his fifth senior brother.

He now goes to Jufengde every day to participate in exchanges with chefs from Hong Kong.

Naturally, at Huiquan Tower, most of the time I can only rely on my two senior brothers.

Whether it is the eldest brother or the fifth brother, there must be no problem with their cooking skills.

But the one who can strictly implement the rules set by Feng Zhengming is definitely the eldest brother Li Huidong.

With Li Huidong around, he is like the "stabilizing force" of Huiquanlou, and there will absolutely not be any deviation.

Feng Zhengming would bring Luo Qing with him when he went to Jufengde every day.

Of course, he was also joined by the young chef from Huiquanlou.

In this regard, Feng Zhengming takes turns to lead young chefs.

Give young chefs the opportunity to see the skills of chefs outside.

Young chefs can also listen to the explanations of the on-site chefs.

Especially when the old chefs come out and explain various cooking techniques in detail, every chef who participates in the exchange will really benefit a lot.

Every time the masters give explanations at the exchange site, they usually ask Feng Zhengming to demonstrate.

At first, no one quite understood why he had to demonstrate.

But after a few days, the chefs in Quancheng and Gangcheng understood.

The reason why Feng Zhengming was asked to be responsible for the demonstration.

Mainly because what he can do is pretty standard.

All chefs secretly admire this.

Jiang Chengzhe felt even more unbelievable.

Feng Zhengming is already the head chef, but he can still do the most basic things so well.

For example, during a cooking exchange, the master chef pointed out that there are many different ways to cut the kidney.

Feng Zhengming can perform all kinds of flower knife moves quite standardly on the spot.

The key point is that Feng Zhengming's whole process of making flower cuts is quite fast.

It can be said that there is almost nothing wrong with it.

The old master said that the pattern cuts must be made deep enough.

When turning it over, you should be able to clearly see the knife marks on the side where the kidney is attached.

If you turn the pork kidney slices cut by Feng Zhengming over, every knife mark can be clearly seen.

With such knife skills, not to mention the chefs in Hong Kong.

Even several Shandong cuisine chefs were puzzled by what they saw.

"This kid's knife skills are too good."

"Luckily he was the one doing the fancy moves. Someone else might not be able to do it so well."

"Try to avoid competing with Zhengming in swordsmanship in the future."

"Well, I must not show my weakness and let people think that I can't do it."

"It's still good to be young. When I was young, wasn't it just a matter of sprinkling water when I was making a flower knife?"

The master chefs and head cooks were all speechless at the knife skills Feng Zhengming displayed.

They might be able to do it, but it's hard to avoid making mistakes in public.

There is really no one who dares to say that it will succeed like Feng Zhengming.

Faced with Feng Zhengming's knife skills, no one dared to question his ability.

During the cooking exchange, the old masters were responsible for explaining to the chefs from Gangcheng, and Feng Zhengming gave them some demonstrations on the spot.

On this day, during the cooking exchange, Feng Zhengming first made a dish of stir-fried double flowers as required.

This dish is kidney slices paired with squid flowers.

After being cut into pieces, the kidneys and squid will curl up after being stir-fried.

Just like two curled flowers.

When Feng Zhengming was demonstrating this dish on site, Master Cui was explaining it beside him.

"This dish also requires knife skills. You guys in Hong Kong should eat a lot of seafood, right? How do you usually cook squid?"

Hearing Master Cui's question, Li Guansheng from Hong Kong City smiled and replied: "We have many ways to eat squid, including baked squid rings, the simplest blanched and mixed squid rings, and fried squid slices on a large iron plate."

Master Cui smiled and nodded: "There are many ways to cook Shandong cuisine. Today's fried double flower is a more difficult dish."

Jiang Chengzhe, who was standing by, asked, "Are fried double flowers similar to fried double crisps?"

Master Cui nodded: "Almost the same, just replaced the chicken gizzards with squid."

Long Kunbao then asked Feng Zhengming: "I remember that your Huiquanlou also has a dish called stir-fried shrimp kidneys, which is a combination of shrimp and kidneys. It seems that in Shandong cuisine, there are many other ingredients that go with kidneys."

Feng Zhengming responded as he prepared: "We in Qilu are actually quite rich in products. Not only do we have various things from the inland, but we also have areas near the sea, so there are also many seafood products."

Master Cui nodded and agreed, "That's right, so Shandong cuisine still has a relatively rich selection of ingredients."

This is something that the chefs present all agree with.

These days, Hong Kong chefs have seen the rich variety of ingredients used in Shandong cuisine.

In this regard, many local cuisines may not be comparable.

While Feng Zhengming was talking, he had already cut the pork kidneys into pieces.

The whole process can be said to be clean and neat.

Having seen Feng Zhengming cut all kinds of shapes into pork kidneys, the chefs in Hong Kong were somewhat accustomed to it.

After cutting the pork kidneys into pieces, Feng Zhengming then cut the squid into pieces.

Slice the squid first, then unfold it and cut it into wheat ear-shaped patterns.

The cutting method is almost the same as that of kidney slices.

It’s just that the squid is thinner, so it is more difficult to cut it.

But it is relatively easy in Feng Zhengming's hands.

After making the cuts, Feng Zhengming carved patterns on the bamboo shoots and carrots, and then cut them into thin slices.

In this way, it can be well paired with kidney and squid.

Feng Zhengming also added some black fungus.

After cutting the pork kidneys, you need to make a bottom cut first and season them with salt, onion, pepper and cooking wine.

Finally, apply a thin layer of paste.

Every step Feng Zhengming took was quite accurate.

Marinate kidney and set aside.

First, blanch the side dishes in the pot.

After taking it out of the pot, put the squid in the pot and blanch it. Wait until all the squids are blanched.

Heat the oil in a pan here, and add the kidney when the oil temperature reaches 40%.

Use chopsticks to separate the kidneys and put the squid into the pot.

Then Feng Zhengming picked up the pot and poured the food into the colander.

In just ten seconds, the kidneys and squid are fried without making the kidneys overcooked.

Next, stir-fry the chopped green onion and ginger, followed by adding the kidney squid and side dishes.

Pour the clear soup prepared in advance into the pot and stir-fry quickly over high heat.

Finally, pour in some cooking oil and serve.

This dish of fried double flowers is presented.

It is really amazing to see the bright juice and starch of kidney and squid.

Luo Qing, who came with Feng Zhengming and was standing aside watching, was also very happy for Feng Zhengming.

His double-flower technique was flawless throughout the entire process.

After the dish was ready, Feng Zhengming and Master Cui spent the next few minutes explaining the various details in detail.

For example, how to control the heat and how to season it?
Master Cui’s suggestion is that since it is difficult to control the heat at the beginning, it is better to fry the kidney for a shorter time when it is fried, after all, the kidney will have to be fried again later.

As for seasoning?

Master Cui said with a smile: "I don't want to give a fixed seasoning. I think as long as the knife skills and techniques are fine, how to season it depends on personal preference.

The so-called food that is palatable is the most delicious, and a dish should not have only one fixed taste. "

Hearing what Master Cui said, several chefs in Gangcheng were a little surprised.

The other Shandong cuisine chefs present felt that something was amiss, but since it was Master Cui who said it, they couldn't say anything.

However, the other masters present all agreed with Master Cui's opinion.

Soon, Li Guansheng came back to his senses, nodded and sighed.

"Master Cui, you are not only skilled in cooking, but also have an extraordinary understanding of some cooking techniques. You have a broad vision, and Li Guansheng feels a little inferior to you."

Master Cui smiled and waved his hands when he heard this: "Chef Li, you don't have to be so modest. Your abalone is also very good, and we admire you very much.

As for the pattern you mentioned, I think it has nothing to do with the pattern. As chefs, we should just cook the dishes well.

How to make the dishes delicious and suitable for different tastes is what we should do well. "

Master Cui's words made all the chefs present nod in agreement.

Li Guansheng looked at the chefs in Gangcheng and asked, "Who among you can come and make a dish with squid for the Shandong chefs?"

Dai Long stepped forward with a smile and said, "I'll make a great dish for the Shandong cuisine chefs."

As he spoke, Dai Long went to get the squid and quickly cleaned it.

Process each part of the squid differently.

The squid body is the same as Feng Zhengming's, after being sliced, it is cut into wheat ear patterns and then cut into relatively thin small pieces.

The front part of the squid head was cut into small pieces by Dai Long in a relatively simple manner.

Finally, it’s the squid tentacles. Dai Long cuts them off one by one.

Then cut the longer squid tentacles into shorter pieces diagonally.

Process all the squids in this way and wash them carefully several times.

After washing, wipe all the squids dry with a clean dry towel.

Then marinate the squid.

Then add an egg yolk, mix well, and then coat with flour and starch.

After it is done, put it aside, chop the garlic and shallots into dices, and also chop some green and red peppers into fine pieces.

Everything is ready.

Dai Long heats oil in a pan.

When the oil is hot, fry the squid.

Fry the crust once, then take it out and fry it a second time after the oil temperature rises.

Deep fry the squid until the shell is crispy.

Then take out the squid and drain the oil, add minced garlic, chopped shallot, and chopped green and red pepper into the pan and stir-fry until fragrant.

Add some cooking wine and put all the crispy fried squid into the pan.

During the stir-frying process, add ground pepper to the pot and stir-fry quickly.

Evenly coat the fried squid with minced garlic, chopped shallot, chopped green and red pepper, and Sichuan pepper powder.

Then remove from the pan and serve.

This completes a plate of salt and pepper squid.

The whole dish of squid is golden yellow, and paired with minced garlic, chopped shallots, and chopped green and red peppers, it is really appetizing to look at.

The key is the aroma of garlic and shallots, combined with the aroma of pepper and salt, and the aroma of fried squid.

It smells really tempting.

Dai Long smiled and held up the plate to show everyone.

“It’s not a very difficult dish, and it certainly can’t be compared to Feng Zhuangyuan’s fried double flower, but this dish is definitely a very popular one in Cantonese cuisine, and I recommend it to everyone.

In your restaurants and hotels, if there are customers who need a side dish, you can recommend this dish to them. It is very simple to prepare in the kitchen. "

Dai Long’s words are very true. This dish is indeed very simple to make in the kitchen.

Squid can be fried in advance.

When a customer orders this dish, it can be quickly stir-fried in the kitchen and served.

And this dish does look very tempting.

When you taste it, you can also taste the crispness of the squid shell.

The outer shell is crispy and the squid inside retains its toughness. It is indeed a great dish to go with wine.

Li Guansheng felt somewhat embarrassed when he saw Dai Long making such a dish.

"Dai Long, you are such a fool. The dishes that people taught you all require some skills. How did you make such a simple dish?"

Dai Long was somewhat helpless: "Master Li, this is not my fault. I feel that in front of Feng Zhuangyuan, no matter what dish I cook, it seems a bit like showing off my skills in front of an expert."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present laughed.

Feng Zhengming smiled bitterly: "Is this still my fault?"

Dai Long smiled broadly: "It's not your fault, it's just that we really can't cook any dishes that require any skill in front of you."

These words were not only what Dai Long was thinking, but also what the other chefs present were thinking.

After communicating with each other these days, I feel that Feng Zhengming is indeed a bit too strong.

In the past few days, everyone also exchanged some dishes that require very specific cooking techniques.

But most of the time, Feng Zhengming would just look at it once and then he could make it.

Moreover, Feng Zhengming can also give some ideas for improving the details.

The chefs in Hong Kong feel as if they are here to learn from Feng Zhengming.

It can be said that after a few days of communication, the Shandong cuisine chefs and the Hong Kong cuisine chefs all seemed to be learning from Feng Zhengming.

Many of his ideas gave the chefs a sense of sudden enlightenment.

Feng Zhengming looked at everyone and roughly understood what everyone meant.

He smiled helplessly and spread his hands: "I can't help it. I don't want to show off. I just want to discuss more with you and explore some cooking details of the dishes together."

Li Guansheng smiled and said, "Zhengming, your idea is very good. We have learned a lot from our exchanges these days. I hope we can have more exchanges like this in the future."

This statement was unanimously agreed by all the chefs. (End of this chapter)