The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World-Chapter 226 - 225: We’ll Take This Dish

Fu Yu had just sent Zhang Jinyu over to the white kitchen to fetch chicken oil when the server came over with an order slip.

According to the rotation schedule, this order should be handled by Gu Yunwu.

However, the server headed straight for Fu Yu, calling out, "Chef Fu, your order!"

Since Yao Shi mentioned in a provincial TV interview that Fu Yu was the R&D chef for Qianlima's innovative dishes, Fu Yu had noticeably more personal orders.

He took a glance at the order; it was for a small table, featuring four of the restaurant's specialty dishes.

Innovative Harvest Stew, Improved Salt & Pepper Prawns, Squirrel Mandarin Fish, Garlic Vermicelli Steamed Scallops, and a serving of Seafood Porridge.

This was clearly a customer coming specifically to check in and try the restaurant's signature improved dishes.

Fu Yu glanced at the orders pinned on the wall and saw there were still four banquet dishes unfinished.

If he alternated them, he'd need to make the Garlic Vermicelli Steamed Scallops first for this small table order to serve it quicker.

He arranged everything accordingly, and soon Zhang Jinyu returned with the chicken oil.

"Chef Wang said if there's not enough chicken oil, you can fetch more anytime. They're making chicken oil pancakes today and made quite a lot in advance!"

Fu Yu suddenly realized.

Right!

Qianlima has a main dish of chicken oil pancakes too!

Since the red kitchen doesn't handle white kitchen tasks, Fu Yu hadn't ever tasted those pancakes, though he heard about them in passing, he hadn't really recalled them.

With chicken oil ready, the chicken oil mushroom stir-fry wouldn't be an issue.

Fu Yu followed the classic recipe book, cooking step by step.

Slice the mushrooms.

Fu Yu held the knife and sliced the mushrooms swiftly and neatly, the pieces falling cleanly.

Zhang Jinyu watched intently, eager to learn, and when he saw this, his mouth formed an "O"!

These mushrooms aren't like other veggies; slicing them requires patience, you can't rush it!

Usually, the chefs would call for them, and the kitchen assistants would prep them.

This time, Fu Yu did it himself, opening Zhang Jinyu's eyes.

Watching the pile of mushrooms transform into neat thin slices, Zhang Jinyu thought to himself: Chef Fu is awesome!

Slice the garlic, chop the green onions.

The chicken oil from the white kitchen was stored in the fridge, ready to use; Fu Yu scooped out a piece with a spoon and placed it in the pan.

Zhang Jinyu looked at the small spoonful and roughly estimated, perhaps due to psychological effect, it seemed exactly 10 grams.

Once the chicken oil hit the pan, it soon started releasing a fragrant aroma, bringing a slight smile to Fu Yu's face.

No wonder the classic recipe stresses using a mature hen; this chicken oil really is excellent!

It truly smells delicious!

Fu Yu slid the chicken oil around with a spatula, waiting for it to melt completely.

At this moment, the server rushed over hurriedly.

"Chef Fu! A new customer wants to see you!"

Fu Yu blinked, turning to ask, "See me?"

The server replied, "Yes! They said they've eaten your dishes before, were very satisfied, and hope you'd be the chef again."

Fu Yu frowned, "Then they should just place their order and pass the slip here."

The server said, "She mentioned her son has an eating disorder, doesn't want regular dishes, and hopes you'd come to see if you could make something he might eat."

Hearing this, Fu Yu did remember two people.

A mother and son, she was in her early forties, he was around sixteen or seventeen.

Previously, due to the eating disorder, they insisted on meeting the chef, and he'd made a dessert to help them make do.

Now they're satisfied and became returning customers?

Fu Yu was quite pleased.

But he had an order to complete and really no time to go over, so he told the server, "Please explain to them; the kitchen's busy at the moment, I can't step away right now."

The server was in a bit of a bind, sensing earlier that this duo wasn't easy to deal with, and didn't want to upset them by refusing bluntly.

Thinking it over, the server specifically grabbed a jug of the restaurant's complimentary sour plum soup.

In this scorching weather, a chilled, sweet-sour sour plum soup could refresh and hopefully ease the customers' impatience while waiting.

The chicken oil in the pan had melted.

Fu Yu added the garlic slices, sautéed them briefly, then poured in the mushroom slices, continuing to stir-fry.

Add some salt, a ladle of broth.

Fu Yu always realized that adding some broth when stir-frying mushrooms enhances the flavor.

But only after reviewing the classic recipe did he understand that adding broth makes the mushrooms release moisture quickly.

With the broth's stimulus, the mushrooms soon started releasing moisture and rapidly shrank.

When the broth and mushroom moisture almost evaporate, add green onions and turn off the heat.

Then, continue stir-frying with residual heat to lightly cook the onions before plating.

The classic recipe wasn't particular about presentation, unlike the specialty banquet ones.

A plate of chicken oil mushrooms was simply piled into a mound.

Fu Yu hesitated, then quickly blanched two broccoli florets, coating them with clear sauce for decoration around the dish's edges.

Unknowingly, influenced by the specialty banquet recipe, his aesthetic for presentation gradually improved.

He couldn't stand a dish's disorderly plating; even as his technique became nuanced, those once dense green lines were now much clearer.

The chicken oil mushrooms were done.

Just then, the server arrived, paused surprisedly as they picked up the plate, casually asking, "Whoa, isn't this the chicken oil mushroom stir-fry? They actually ordered this dish?"

Fu Yu's chicken oil mushroom stir-fry had such a rich aroma that the server recognized it instantly.

As she voiced her surprise, she thought of those three customers, flashing a knowing look.

Those three didn't appear wealthy, ordering who knows how many dishes, and as soon as one was served, the plate emptied, indicating they'd be dining whole-heartedly.

The server carried the dish over to private room 212, meeting a fellow server escorting guests outside.

She quickly stepped aside.

As they brushed past, the young man following the server stopped and turned, eyeing the plate in her hands.

"What dish is this? Smells terrific."

The young man's voice wasn't loud, yet his enunciation was clear.

The server casually replied, "Chicken oil mushroom stir-fry."

The young man nodded, suddenly saying, "I want this dish."

The woman ahead, upon hearing this, turned in surprise and delight, "Really!"

Seeing him nod, she quickly told the server, "We'll take this dish!"

Server: "!"