From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Feng Zhengming, Ding Yuan, Gao Yongfu and Hou Dong continued their journey, and the three of them first headed south.

Arrived at Zaocheng, the southernmost city in Qi and Lu.

When you arrive in Zaocheng, you must go to Weishan Lake to take a look.

Feng Zhengming and his team headed straight to Weishan Lake without any delay.

At the lakeside, Feng Zhengming found a small restaurant and prepared to have a good meal.

Especially you should try the big carp from Weishan Lake.

Along the way, Ding Yuan, Gao Yongfu and Hou Dong also listened to Feng Zhengming's introduction.

The most famous fish in Weishan Lake is the big carp with four nostrils.

When we arrived at Weishan Lake, looking at the Weishan Lake in front of us, we were given a completely different scenery from the seaside and the riverside.

After entering the small restaurant, Feng Zhengming did not hesitate to order two main dishes right away.

"Boss, give me a spicy chicken and a big carp with four nostrils."

Even Feng Zhengming's accent when he ordered the food had a hint of the local Zaocheng accent.

When the owner of the small restaurant heard this, he immediately agreed and asked Feng Zhengming and his friends to find a place to sit.

Not long after Feng Zhengming and his friends sat down, groups of people suddenly came into the restaurant.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the small restaurant was full.

There were even tables and chairs placed outside the door, and many people sat around them.

Seeing this scene, Ding Yuan, Gao Yongfu and Hou Dong were all a little surprised.

"Is this restaurant doing so well?"

"Yeah, it looks like it'll fill up soon."

"It feels like the place is almost full. Brother Feng, didn't you find some special restaurant in advance?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and shook his head, "No, I just randomly found a restaurant by the lake. I thought there wouldn't be many people in such a small restaurant by the lake, but I didn't expect there would be so many people."

The other three people were even more incredulous. They always felt that this matter seemed a little strange?
How come Feng Zhengming always finds a restaurant with particularly good business?
Of course, when we were in Taicheng, the restaurant run by that couple was an exception.

Even though it was a small restaurant, my husband's fried chicken still tasted great.

At this time, Gao Yongfu remembered.

"Brother Feng, you said before that Shandong fried chicken has different ways of cooking in several places, and the fried chicken in Zaocheng is also very famous. Is the spicy chicken you ordered just now the fried chicken here?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Yes, the spicy chicken I ordered just now is the way fried chicken is served in Zaocheng."

Hou Dong asked: "Why is it called fried chicken in other places, but spicy chicken in Zaocheng? It sounds like Sichuan cuisine to me."

Feng Zhengming explained with a smile: "In fact, from the taste point of view, the fried chicken in Zaocheng may make you feel that it is indeed Sichuan cuisine."

These words surprised Ding Yuan, Gao Yongfu and Hou Dong.

Qi and Lu are quite far away from Sichuan cuisine.

How come there is a flavor similar to Sichuan cuisine in Qilu?
Feng Zhengming continued to explain: "Although you may think it tastes like Sichuan cuisine, Zaocheng's spicy chicken is definitely not Sichuan cuisine. The cooking method is still the stir-fried chicken method of Shandong cuisine."

After a brief pause, Feng Zhengming noticed that there were a few children at the table next to him. When they heard what he was saying, they came over curiously to listen.

Feng Zhengming smiled at the children and continued speaking.

"In terms of cooking method, Zaocheng spicy chicken is similar to fried chicken in other places. The local rooster is chopped into small pieces, rinsed and drained, and then directly put into the pan to fry until the moisture of the chicken pieces is basically dried.

Afterwards you can add a little sauce and stir-fry to give the chicken some color and flavor.

Add water to cover the chicken, season, cover and simmer.

When the chicken pieces are almost cooked and flavorful, add some potato slices and open the lid to collect the soup.

Finally, we have to add the soul of Zaocheng spicy chicken, which is the thin-skinned green pepper slices and garlic slices from Zaocheng. Stir-fry quickly and evenly, then serve. ”

Just by listening to Feng Zhengming say this, several children who were eavesdropping nearby could not help but drool.

Ding Yuan, Gao Yongfu and Hou Dong were also fascinated by what they heard.

After Feng Zhengming finished talking about putting the chicken nuggets on a plate, he paused for a while and then continued his introduction.

"The thin-skinned green peppers here in Zaocheng are quite special, with a very unique aroma. Although they are indeed a bit spicy, it is the spiciness that makes the spicy chicken taste better."

As they were talking, the spicy chicken ordered by Feng Zhengming and his friends was served, accompanied by a wafting aroma.

On top of a large plate of spicy chicken are white chicken kidneys.

This made Ding Yuan, Gao Yongfu and Hou Dong look a little strange?
Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "This is a unique way of plating in Zaocheng. Come on, try it."

At this moment, I smell the pungent smell of the green peppers on the spicy chicken on the table.

In fact, several people have already started drooling like crazy.

But Gao Yongfu was a little resistant.

He is from the south and can't eat spicy food, so he doesn't dare to try this dish.

Feng Zhengming, Ding Yuan and Hou Dong were the first to pick up their chopsticks.

Pick up a piece and put it in your mouth, the hotness and spiciness instantly stimulate your tongue.

But this kind of stimulation actually speeds up the secretion of saliva.

While Gao Yongfu was still hesitating, he watched Feng Zhengming, Ding Yuan and Hou Dong eating the food piece by piece.

Finally, Hou Dong was the first to give in and quickly poured himself a glass of water.

Then Ding Yuan couldn't stand it anymore and poured himself some water.

In the end, Feng Zhengming ate a few pieces left.

"Well, this spicy taste is indeed interesting. Although it is very spicy, it makes you unable to stop eating it."

As he spoke, he picked out some potato chips from the soup and ate them.

"This potato is delicious. After the potato slices are roasted, they absorb the juice and are really delicious."

I saw Gao Yongfu still didn't pick up his chopsticks.

Feng Zhengming could only persuade her: "It's okay, try it, it's a little spicy, but I think you can still bear it."

On the one hand, Gao Yongfu himself really wanted to try it, despite Feng Zhengming's advice.

He picked up a piece of chicken from the plate and put it into his mouth very carefully.

The spicy taste made Gao Yongfu feel his tongue and lips burning as he took a bite.

However, Gao Yongfu still tried hard to eat this piece.

After eating, Gao Yongfu quickly grabbed the water cup and tried to drink it.

When the children at the table next to him saw Gao Yongfu's expression, they couldn't help laughing.

"Hahaha, uncle, why can't you eat any chili?"

"Yeah, uncle, you look so funny like this."

Gao Yongfu felt helpless when being laughed at by the children.

Fortunately, the parents called the child over and also apologized to Gao Yongfu.

Gao Yongfu said: "It doesn't matter, I really can't eat spicy food, the kids don't understand, I don't blame them."

At this time, Feng Zhengming had already gone to the kitchen and told the boss.

Ask the boss not to put local chili peppers when braising the carp later.

Feng Zhengming knew something about it and knew that the locals liked thin-skinned green peppers very much.

So if he didn't say it, I'm afraid green peppers would be put in the braised fish on the table.

The boss can understand.

"Is your friend from the south?" Feng Zhengming nodded: "Yes, he is from the south, so he can't eat spicy food."

The boss responded with a smile: "Among our Shandong cuisine, it seems that only our Zaocheng area is spicier. Shandong cuisine from other places is basically not spicy at all."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Customs vary from place to place. The chili here tastes really good."

This made the boss very happy: "Yeah, in fact, once you get used to it, you will really like our local peppers. Even though they are green peppers, they are just as spicy as red peppers."

Feng Zhengming followed with a smile and agreed: "Yes, it feels even spicier than Sichuan peppers."

The boss immediately admitted: "That's right. A friend of mine went on a business trip to Sichuan and Chongqing. He came back and said that he felt that the peppers there were not as spicy as the legend said. He was not satisfied at all. The green peppers in Zaocheng were more satisfying."

Feng Zhengming laughed out loud and thought it was indeed a very interesting story.

“In fact, not all Sichuan dishes are spicy, and many Sichuan and Chongqing dishes are mainly spicy, not just hot and spicy.

On the contrary, many Jiangxi and Hunan cuisines are spicier.

Of course, after eating your spicy chicken today, I think Zaocheng is comparable to them."

This made the boss very happy, and he even said that he would give Feng Zhengming and his friends a discount on their dishes.

Feng Zhengming naturally did not ask the boss for a discount, but just chatted with the boss again.

The more the boss talked with Feng Zhengming, the more he felt that he knew how to cook.

"You really know how to cook, don't you? A lot of the things you said sound very professional."

Feng Zhengming quickly responded: "I'm not too professional, I'm just a foodie, I like to eat and I like to research, so this time I came here, I just wanted to find some delicious food.

I didn't expect that I would find an expert here. I think your business is really good."

The boss was a little proud: "My business is indeed good, mainly because we use solid ingredients. For example, the spicy chicken is made from live chickens that are freshly killed, and they are all free-range here. After the chickens are killed, we even cook the chicken blood in the dish.

The fish we use are all big carps from Weishan Lake, and they taste absolutely delicious.”

After introducing all this, the boss said seriously: "Customers come to eat to eat real food, right? So we have to be worthy of our customers and let them eat well."

Feng Zhengming agreed very much: "Boss, you are absolutely right. A chef should make the customers satisfied with the food.

If the ingredients are not good enough and the food you make is not tasty and not made with real ingredients, then you are really letting down your customers and they will also scold you behind your back.”

The boss laughed and nodded repeatedly.

Feng Zhengming chatted with the boss for a while and then returned to the restaurant.

I saw Ding Yuan and Hou Dong continuing to eat spicy chicken.

Gao Yongfu sat aside with an embarrassed look on his face.

He really wanted to eat it, but he really couldn't stand the spicy taste.

Feng Zhengming walked over with a smile, sat down and comforted her.

"It's okay. If you think it's spicy, don't eat it. Wait until the carp is served and you can eat the fish."

Gao Yongfu was a little worried: "Could it be that carp is also made with this kind of pepper?"

Ding Yuan and Hou Dong couldn't help laughing when they heard this.

"Hahaha, why are you so cowardly?"

"Yeah, that's not the case, is it? Lao Gao, you should learn to be patient."

Although Feng Zhengming also felt that Gao Yongfu's performance was a bit exaggerated, he still told him with a smile.

"Don't worry, I just told the boss not to put chili in the carp."

These words immediately made Gao Yongfu feel relieved.

Sure enough, when the boss served the braised carp, there was no local thin-skinned green pepper in it.

The boss also served Feng Zhengming and his friends some Zaocheng pancakes.

Feng Zhengming did not hesitate to take the cake from Dabin, and directly broke it into the spicy chicken soup and soaked it in it.

When Gao Yongfu saw the braised carp, he finally had a dish to eat.

He carefully picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks.

After taking a bite, Gao Yongfu was a little surprised: "This fish is so fresh, and there is no fishy smell at all."

Feng Zhengming smiled and responded: "Because it is a local specialty, the big carp from Weishan Lake certainly doesn't have a fishy smell."

Hou Dong also took a bite and praised: "This fish is really delicious."

Feng Zhengming continued to eat the spicy chicken.

He quite likes this unique spicy flavor.

Especially the pancake after soaking, it tastes really different.

As the chicken nuggets cool down, they taste different.

For this meal, Feng Zhengming and his three friends only ordered two dishes.

If there weren't four people, the appetite would be okay.

It might not be possible for the four of them to finish such a big plate of spicy chicken and big carp.

After I paid and left, I was still sighing on the road that the portion was really large.

"I didn't expect such a big plate of spicy chicken."

"Yeah, and that carp is really big too."

"We almost didn't finish both dishes in this meal."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "This is also a local specialty. I'll try to buy some peppers from here and maybe we can come up with some new dishes."

The group stayed in Zaocheng for a few days and also went to Tengzhou to visit Lu Chongshan's home.

When he arrived at Lu Chongshan's home, Feng Zhengming found out that Lu Chongshan had run away from home to learn cooking from him, and his family had no idea about it.

It was also during the Chinese New Year that Lu Chongshan returned home and told his family that he was learning cooking in Quancheng.

Now everyone in the family knows that Lu Chongshan is the top scholar in the country, and they are all very happy.

Especially Lu Chongshan’s parents, would they show off to their neighbors?

So when Feng Zhengming and his friends arrived at their home, Lu Chongshan's parents and his brothers and sisters all treated him warmly.

Just having another meal of spicy chicken made Gao Yongfu feel a little sad.

Feng Zhengming politely declined the invitation of Lu Chongshan's family.

He also left the phone number of Huiquanlou to Lu Chongshan's family.

Tell your family that if they miss Lu Chongshan, they can call him.

Anyway, no matter how much money was spent, he could ask Lu Chongshan to tell him when the time comes.

After visiting Lu Chongshan, Feng Zhengming and his team changed their route from land to water.

Take a boat from Weishan Lake all the way north.

We crossed several lakes and finally returned to the city of Jeju.

Traveling by boat, especially on a large lake, was somewhat novel to Feng Zhengming and his friends.

Feng Zhengming and his team returned and went back to Jeju.

As a result, this time they had just arrived in the city not long ago.

People from Jeju City came to our door.

Several city leaders wanted to express their gratitude to Feng Zhengming for supporting and rectifying Qufu Confucius cuisine.

Feng Zhengming declined their invitation and did not stay for long. He left two days later to continue his journey. (End of this chapter)