Chapter 430: Chapter 394: I Told You to Imitate, Not to Surpass

The clock gently turned back to the moment when Jiang Shuihan and Lv Pengfei finished tasting the "Cute Tiger Snow Mochi" and were urged by Aunt Li to go to the filming area...

"Uh... We were only promised one, and we really got just one..."

With an expression of lingering taste, Jiang Shuihan watched as Aunt Li and the caregivers pushed the cart loaded with "Cute Tiger Snow Mochi" farther away, eyes filled with a longing for the delicious treat.

"Who wouldn’t agree..." Lv Pengfei also couldn’t help but express the same sentiment, his face full of desire for this delicious pastry: "Not even one more, sigh..."

Jiang Shuihan shook his head helplessly, trying to dispel the feeling of disappointment, then turned to Lv Pengfei and said, "Don’t be sad, let’s save some space for lunch. Today’s lunch is bound to be sumptuous too, we can really enjoy it."

Upon hearing this, Lv Pengfei displayed a bit of a relieved smile: "That’s true... Save some room for a hearty lunch, Chef Huang’s lunch today will surely be as delicious as always."

Thinking this way...

He eagerly wanted to finish filming early and enjoy the lunch meticulously prepared by Huang Jun.

Just imagining it feels quite wonderful...

At this moment.

Aunt Lin smiled as she walked over and reminded, "Jiang, Mr. Lv, please sterilize yourselves, and wear aprons, hats, and masks before entering the filming area."

As she spoke, she pointed to the disinfection facilities and the neatly arranged aprons, hats, and masks on the wall, reminding them of the kitchen’s sanitation regulations.

In the kindergarten kitchen, safety and hygiene are paramount. Each regulation ensures that children can enjoy food in a clean, sanitary environment, a responsibility toward their healthy growth.

"Okay! We understand!"

Jiang Shuihan and Lv Pengfei responded in unison.

Then, under Aunt Lin’s guidance, they completed the disinfection process seriously and put on the aprons, hats, and masks.

"Hmm..." Lv Pengfei adjusted his mask to fit snugly against his face, then looked at Jiang Shuihan and laughed: "Do we look a bit like kitchen assistants with these outfits?"

"Haha, don’t say, you really do look like one..." Jiang Shuihan’s gaze wandered over Lu Pengfei, then turned to look at Aunt Lin, nodded with a smile, and couldn’t help but jokingly ask Aunt Lin: "Aunt Lin, with these outfits, can we officially join your kitchen assistant team?"

Aunt Lin was amused by their humorous dialogue, covered her mouth with a laugh, and shook her head while replying, "I can’t make that decision, you have to ask Director Liang."

"Oh~" Lv Pengfei deliberately exaggerated his tone with a smile of resignation: "Ask Director Liang? That’s definitely not going to work!"

He could see with his toes that Liang Yinqiu would surely reject them in her usual official tone.

Consequently...

He couldn’t help but mimic Liang Yinqiu’s voice: "Jiang, much appreciated, but our kitchen staff is sufficient. If you’re interested, please pay attention to our upcoming recruitment information."

Can’t deny, it’s quite a good imitation!

Jiang Shuihan joked: "I asked you to emulate, not surpass... Thankfully Director Liang isn’t here, else she’d roll her eyes at you."

"As long as I get to eat, what does a glaring mean, I’d still be willing to get a good beating!" Lv Pengfei quipped indifferently.

"Stop kidding, let’s head inside..."

Jiang Shuihan suited up and followed Aunt Lin into the filming area.

Lv Pengfei followed closely behind.

Upon entering the area...

They excitedly greeted the busy Huang Jun and Qian Guoxiang: "Chef Huang, Assistant Chef Qian, how are you..."

"Jiang, Mr. Lv, you’re here..." Qian Guoxiang nodded slightly, with a polite smile on his face,

"Hey, alright~"

Huang Jun lifted his head upon hearing their greetings, returned their greeting, and promptly reminded: "Get yourselves prepared, we’ll start filming soon!"

"Okay..." Jiang Shuihan nodded, feeling a bit awkwardly toward Huang Jun, saying: "Chef Huang, this is my first time filming a food video, if there’s anything lacking, please bear with me."

"No worries!" Huang Jun smiled: "Jiang, everyone has a first time. Relax, just film as you see fit, it’s only for parents to learn, as long as you’re not overly shaky and the image is clear, it’s all fine."

Qian Guoxiang also chimed in: "Yes, Jiang, don’t be nervous. We trust you, and even if there are small flaws, it’s okay, practice makes perfect! Everyone has a first time."

Lv Pengfei spoke while handing over the filming equipment to Jiang Shuihan: "Exactly, it’s part of our growth. Don’t worry; everyone here is supporting you, let’s shoot this food video well to showcase Chef Huang’s cooking skills to the parents. Plus, I’m here too! I’ll help you with the editing."

Jiang Shuihan exclaimed in surprise: "Oh, Peng bro, you know how to edit?"

Lv Pengfei responded confidently: "Yeah, I’ve read some related books and watched online videos at home, my level is about equal to those photo bloggers!"

"You just boast!"

Jiang Shuihan remained somewhat skeptical, but the nervousness eased a bit thanks to everyone’s words.

She took the assembled filming equipment and aimed the lens at the fresh ingredients.

The ingredients appear especially enticing under the camera lens, colorful and dripping with freshness.

She carefully adjusts the angle and lighting to ensure that each frame perfectly presents the freshness of the ingredients and the professionalism of the kitchen.

"Look at these tomatoes, how enticingly red they are, and these leafy greens, shining with vivid green..." She enthusiastically introduces while filming: "All of these are the ingredients we will use today, each carefully selected to guarantee nutrition and health..."

After finishing her introduction, she turns the camera to Huang Jun, smilingly asks, "Chef Huang, what dish are we preparing for lunch today?"

"Today, we are preparing braised lion’s head, soup with baby cabbage, minced meat steamed egg, and tofu fish soup." Huang Jun smiles slightly, pauses, and continues, "Now, I want to share with everyone the recipe for braised lion’s head. The challenge lies in seasoning and shaping it to cook thoroughly. Now, let’s start the process."

"Alright, let’s get started."

Jiang Shuihan nods, quickly adjusts the shooting angle, and quietly films from the side.

Huang Jun begins cooking.

Braised lion’s head, a famous Huaiyang dish, is renowned for its delicious taste and rich nutrition. It is not only loved by diners but is also sure to be favored by children.

While operating, Huang Jun lifts the pork belly towards the camera, explaining in detail: "Everyone, look. For braised lion’s head, it’s crucial to choose pork belly. I recommend a ratio of three parts fat to seven parts lean. This way, the lion’s head turns out fat but not greasy, lean but not dry, with an exceptional texture."

As his fingers gently slide, the layers of fat and lean in the pork belly are distinctly clear, with the three-fat-seven-lean ratio being apparent.

"When cutting, we first cut a piece from the middle but don’t cut through the skin, then remove the skin."

"If you’re not very adept, you can ask the seller to handle it when purchasing the meat."

As he speaks, he places the pork belly on the cutting board, lightly presses the meat with his left hand, firmly grips the divine kitchen knife with his right hand, and begins to peel.

The knife blade lightly touches the meat texture, and with a flick of his wrist, the blade glides through the meat like a swimming dragon, with ease.

In the blink of an eye...

The skin and meat are perfectly separated.

He gently lifts, and the skin is peeled off completely, revealing the distinct layers of fat and lean.

After skinning, Huang Jun lays the meat flat on the cutting board, continuing to explain:

"After skinning, we need to cut it into slices about the thickness of two coins."

He pauses slightly, emphasizing: "It’s best not to use minced meat, as that would lack the delicate texture of the lion’s head."

"After slicing, we need to further cut it into strips, then into dice."

"Of course, if you must use a meat grinder, I suggest grinding it into slightly larger particles. This way, the lion’s head would be closer to the texture of hand-cut meat, similar to the meat granules we use for making fried sauce."

As he speaks, Huang Jun flicks his wrist, the knife blade swiftly cuts across the pork belly, accompanied by the crisp "crack, crack, crack", slices of uniform thickness quickly appear, each piece emitting a gleaming luster.

Then, he switches technique, gently lifting a slice with the knife tip, flipping his wrist, the blade slices the meat into hair-thin strands instantaneously.

Each strand is clearly visible, uniform in length.

Afterwards, he stacks the meat strands, the divine kitchen knife swings up again, chop, chop, chop, and with a rhythmic motion, the meat strands quickly become evenly sized meat dice.

Jiang Shuihan and Lv Pengfei watch the scene, their eyes widening unconsciously.

Indeed!

They are deeply captivated and impressed by Huang Jun’s lightning-fast knife skills, feeling like watching a visual feast, further sensing their eyes cannot keep up with Huang Jun’s speed.

The filming equipment in Jiang Shuihan’s hand nearly shakes out of excitement, luckily she steadies her hand to avoid blurring the shot.

Otherwise...

The filmed footage would be unsightly, wasting the exquisite knife skills!

After stabilizing, she cannot help but exclaim, "Wow, such fast knife skills! Truly mesmerizing!"

"Indeed, the knife skills are truly incredible! I feel like my eyes can barely keep up." Lv Pengfei nods in agreement, also staring intently at the kitchen knife in Huang Jun’s hands, trying to decipher the secrets of this swift knife technique through observation.

Unfortunately!

No matter how hard he tries, he cannot match Huang Jun’s pace.

Jiang Shuihan cannot help but ask Huang Jun a question, "Chef Huang, can I interview you? How do you achieve such knife skills?"

Huang Jun smiles slightly, the kitchen knife draws a graceful arc in the air before landing steadily on the board, calmly responds, "One word, practice!"

Indeed!

Behind this exquisite skill is countless practice and a persistent pursuit of perfection. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Each intimate contact between the knife blade and ingredients, each precise control over taste and heat, bears witness to Huang Jun’s infinite exploration of culinary art.

This persistence and effort earn admiration and touches hearts.