Chapter 537: Chapter 530: A Comparison Between Past and Present

While Fu Yu was handling the squab meat, Yao Shi kept a close eye on his knife-handling posture and the movement of the blade.

Yao Shi’s gaze held a trace of complexity amidst his surprise.

There’s a saying in the trade: "Thirty percent cooking, seventy percent knife skills." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Undoubtedly, proficient knife skills are a fundamental skill that excellent chefs must possess.

And depending on the cooking method of the ingredients, there will be different cutting techniques.

However, the general requirement is to economize on raw materials and maintain uniform size.

Although the principle is simple, achieving it without several years of practice is difficult to meet the standard.

When cutting squab meat, a push-cut technique must be used first.

This method is suitable for softer materials. Press the material firmly with your left hand, keep the knife vertical to the material, and after cutting into it, immediately push forward to cut through.

Fu Yu’s set of push-cut techniques was already very skillful and experienced.

With speed and precision, the squab meat he cut appeared as if measured with a ruler, visibly uniform in size.

And the crosshatch cutting combines diagonal and straight knife techniques, resulting in a standard wheat ear pattern, while at the end, it incorporates diagonal cuts to achieve a pinecone pattern finish.

Yao Shi could clearly see Fu Yu’s talent in culinary arts, though he hadn’t expected Fu Yu to progress so rapidly.

If he continues like this, he might surpass Yao Shi in just a few years.

Yao Shi thought to himself, uncontrollably saying out loud, "Xiāng refers to fish that is split open and dried, while ’Eggplant Xiāng’ is a dish primarily cooked with eggplant that is sliced and pickled in vinegar."

"So the challenge of this dish lies in knife skills, and then it’s about the combination of various ingredients and the seasoning ratios."

Fu Yu continued making crosshatch cuts while listening carefully to Yao Shi’s words.

He felt a bit embarrassed; when he first learned about this dish at the restaurant, he couldn’t correctly pronounce its name for a while.

The main reason is that the character "xiāng" is rarely used in everyday life, and with his limited education level, he had never heard or seen it before.

Now, listening to Yao Shi’s explanation, he realized it referred to dried fish.

When Fu Yu finished handling the squab meat, Yao Shi instructed, "Peel various nuts and deep-fry them until crispy."

Sun Qingning stepped forward to assist Fu Yu.

The two worked together seamlessly.

Yao Shi nodded as he observed the perfectly fried nuts.

He continued, "Dice the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, tofu, and red and green peppers into small cubes. When dicing, be sure that the tofu and red and green peppers are the same size to achieve a better presentation after cooking."

Fu Yu nodded and followed the instructions.

At that moment, Zhang Jinyu rushed in, and seeing a group of people learning to cook at Yao Shi’s station, quickly squeezed in.

She saw Liu Yuqing standing nearby, watching Fu Yu cut vegetables with amazement.

"Why is Chef Fu cooking?" Zhang Jinyu whispered to Liu Yuqing.

Liu Yuqing replied in a low voice, "Chef Yao told him to; Chef Fu is cooking while Chef Yao provides guidance. Why did you come so late?"

Zhang Jinyu sighed dramatically, "I’ve become Chef Fu’s little assistant. After he finished eating, I went to clear the dishes. I have to serve Chef Fu well to learn from him!"

Liu Yuqing giggled.

Zhang Jinyu chuckled too, then whispered, "I hear you’re going to be in charge of handling takeout orders? Doesn’t that make you part of Chef Fu’s team?"

Liu Yuqing rolled her eyes, "What do you mean part of Chef Fu’s team? Even if I am, I still answer to Sister Jiang."

Arriving late, Zhang Jinyu watched for a while and couldn’t figure out what dish they were making.

She couldn’t help asking, "What dish is Chef Fu making? I came late and didn’t catch it."

Liu Yuqing said, "Eggplant Xiāng."

Zhang Jinyu was stunned, "Oh my! It’s ’Eggplant Xiāng’? Chef Fu can make this dish?"

Liu Yuqing shook her head, "Chef Fu said he can’t make it; Chef Yao asked him to cook while providing verbal instructions."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jinyu’s eyes widened, "You mean to say... Chef Fu can cook this dish just by listening to Chef Yao’s casual instructions? Chef Yao didn’t intervene at all?"

Liu Yuqing also realized, and her eyes widened, "Chef Fu is that amazing?"

Suddenly, they both focused even more intently, determined not to miss a single detail of the cooking process.

Yao Shi always taught cooking methods step-by-step, describing the operational details very carefully.

"Heat the pan over high heat, add chicken fat, and fry the diced eggplant until golden, then remove the oil."

"The use of chicken fat is because its unique flavor enhances the taste of the squab better."

"Actually, for the traditional ’Eggplant Xiāng,’ the squab can be marinated in advance during cooking, offering a different mouthfeel when served."

Fu Yu followed the instructions and began frying the eggplant cubes.

Once done, Yao Shi continued, "Leave a little oil in the pan, add sliced scallions and ginger to bring out the aroma."

"Add the eggplant cubes, rice wine, soy sauce, salt, sugar, vinegar, and clear broth to braise the eggplant until it absorbs the flavors."

"Pay attention to the proportions, especially the ratio of soy sauce to sugar and vinegar; any slight error will affect the overall taste of the dish."

Fu Yu nodded, showcasing his exceptional sense of touch to perfection.

Yao Shi couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

"Add a little starch slurry to thicken, then serve in a bowl."

"In another pan, heat peanut oil to medium, and add the squab cubes to loosen them. Then add fresh mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, red and green peppers, and all kinds of nuts."

"At this point, pay attention to the heat; the dried fruits are already fried, so add them last, or the color will be affected."

Fu Yu was adept at frying, and the ingredients he cooked were bright in color. He listened to Yao Shi’s instructions:

"Leave a little oil in the pan, add sliced scallions and ginger to bring out the aroma, then pour in the loosened main and side ingredients."

"Quickly cook with a sauce made of salt, rice wine, sugar, chicken essence, clear broth, and water starch, flipping it a few times before removing from the pan to cover the eggplant cubes."

The last two steps emphasize speed; be fast and steady, and for the final sauce pour, try to cover all the eggplant cubes completely.

Fu Yu executed this perfectly.

Yao Shi nodded and couldn’t help but add, "Actually, the cooking methods for this dish have been improved many times in the later stages. If we follow the ancient books, the actual cooking process would be much simpler."

"The book says to make this dish, you just need to peel the eggplant, use only the flesh, cut it into small pieces, fry it in chicken oil, then combine it with chicken breast, shiitake, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, five-spice tofu, and various nuts, all cut into small cubes. Simmer them dry in chicken broth, finish with sesame oil, mix with essence oil, store tightly in a porcelain jar, and when it’s time to eat, toss it with sautéed chicken melon before serving."