From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Chapter 244 The dishes are prepared neatly

Seeing Xia Hui and Sun Hai's silver bud tenderloin strips being fried, Feng Zhengming and his third senior brother Yang Bin looked at each other.

Then Yang Bin said with a smile: "Very good, you are relatively qualified for this dish, but you must pay attention to some small details. Don't put too much baking soda, and don't put too much water starch in the bowl of juice, because it is not stir-fried tenderloin." Silk, there shouldn’t be too much soup on the plate at the end, you must pay attention to this.”

After Yang Bin finished speaking, he looked at Feng Zhengming: "Master Feng, do you have anything to say?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Didn't Third Brother already say it very well?"

Yang Bin laughed and said: "I said it was me who encouraged the two of them to participate in the selection, why didn't you say a few words?"

Xia Hui then said, "Yes, Master Feng also gave us some advice."

When Feng Zhengming met Xia Hui and Sun Hai, he also expected him to give advice. He could only give them some advice based on his previous experience in participating in various activities with his master.

"There will be a time limit, so you must not worry about the details, but make the dishes completely to ensure that the color, aroma and taste of the dishes meet the requirements."

After giving this opinion, Feng Zhengming continued: "Okay, the next dish is fried chicken with soy sauce."

Mentioning the sauce-fried chicken, Xia Hui immediately asked: "Uncle, I heard there is a different way to cook the sauce-fried chicken."

Yang Bin suddenly became curious: "Is there another way to make fried chicken with soy sauce?"

Feng Zhengming took over and said: "There are indeed different ways to make fried chicken with sauce. Third brother, you may not know. I went to other places with my master before and saw other versions of fried chicken with sauce."

Yang Bin was even more curious: "How to do it?"

Feng Zhengming explained in detail: "In Beijing, their sauce-fried diced chicken is made with yellow sauce without any side dishes. It is simply diced chicken with walnut kernels. There should be no juice when fried. The surface of the diced chicken needs to be only Part of it is wrapped in sauce, making it look like it’s leaking but not leaking.”

Yang Bin looked at Feng Zhengming: "Why don't you make one for us?"

Feng Zhengming was immediately happy: "How should I make it? We don't have yellow sauce here. We use sweet noodle sauce, so it will definitely be different."

Feng Zhengming said to Xia Hui and Sun Hai: "You don't need to consider other methods, just use the most traditional method."

Yang Bin thought about it and felt that Feng Zhengming was right.

"Then let's use the traditional method. After all, if you get it, there will be a time limit on site, and there won't be that much time for you to study. If you can do the traditional method, it will be no problem."

Although it is a traditional method, Xia Hui and Sun Hai still have to be meticulous if they want to participate in the selection.

Xia Hui and Sun Hai each chose a piece of chicken breast.

Both of them were very serious and first removed the neck membrane from the chicken breast.

Then slice the chicken breast from the middle, then use some flower knife, and then cut it into 1.2 square cubes.

While watching the two people cutting dices, Feng Zhengming reminded: "Don't use any leftovers. You must cut the dices into almost the same size when the time comes. You can't just sell them to customers in a dry rice shop. You can use some leftovers. Ding You can also cut it irregularly, but when you are shortlisted for selection, you must cut it neatly."

Yang Bin also agrees with this point: "It's like when you take the exam, you must be disciplined enough, otherwise it is easy to find faults. Often it is this small detail that may determine whether you can be shortlisted."

After Feng Zhengming and Yang Bin's instructions, Xia Hui and Sun Hai cut the dice very seriously, and they were useless.

All diced chickens are very regular in size of 1.2 squares.

At this point, Feng Zhengming said to the two apprentices: "The chicken has been cut into cubes. You have two choices. One of them is to add some bamboo shoots and peas as garnishes, and the other is to leave out the garnishes, which is also simple. Diced chicken and just add walnuts at the end.”

Yang Bin said: "If you cook it on site, my suggestion is not to add other side dishes, just just diced chicken with walnut kernels, so that the finished dish will be more beautiful."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "You can use the method without adding side dishes, but if you do that, you have to cut the onion and ginger into large pieces, fry them in the pan first to make them fragrant, then fish out the onion and ginger, then make the sauce first, and then Add the diced chicken and stir-fry, then pour in the bowl of juice, add the walnut kernels, stir-fry evenly and serve."

Then, Xia Hui and Sun Hai followed Feng Zhengming's instructions exactly.

First of all, you need to starch the diced chicken.

This step of flavoring and sizing is also the focus of this dish.

You need to give the diced chicken a bottom, and you also need to apply the paste well, otherwise the diced chicken will not remain smooth and tender when it comes out of the pan.

To finish basting the diced chicken, first fry the walnut kernels in cold oil until crispy.

Add oil to the pan and add diced chicken until the diced chicken turns white.

Then according to Feng Zhengming's instructions, cut the onion and ginger into large pieces, pat them, and then stir-fry the onion and ginger until they are slightly brown, then take out all the onion and ginger, and then stir-fry the onion and ginger. You fly sauce.

After the sweet noodle sauce is put in the pot, quickly stir-fry the sauce with a frying spoon. During this process, you even have to remove the pot from the heat to prevent the sweet noodle sauce from scorching the pot.

Fry off the water vapor in the sweet noodle sauce until it is completely cooked. Add the diced chicken to the pot and stir-fry. At the same time, pour the sauce prepared in advance into the pot. Stir-fry quickly so that the sauce and the sauce are evenly coated on each diced chicken. .

Finally, put the walnut kernels into the pot, stir-fry for a while, pour in the oil, turn off the heat and take out a ladle.

After it was plated, there was almost no soup on the plate.

The gravy evenly coats the surface of each diced chicken.

After the two of them loaded their plates, Feng Zhengming used chopsticks to adjust them slightly.

Gather most of the fried chicken cubes on one side of the plate, pick out a few walnut kernels, and place them on the other side of the empty plate.

Such a presentation makes this plate of fried chicken with sauce look quite high-end.

Seeing the dishes that Feng Zhengming had adjusted, Xia Hui, Sun Hai, and even Yang Bin felt their eyes light up.

Xia Hui couldn't help but praise: "Uncle Master, the arrangement looks even more beautiful."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said: "For the final selection, the judges will definitely have a first impression of the presentation. I didn't pay attention to the silver sprout tenderloin in front. I'm just giving you a sample of this plate of fried chicken with sauce."

Yang Bin smiled and said: "Hahaha, the price of your plate of fried chicken with soy sauce will probably double."

Feng Zhengming immediately said: "Third brother, why don't you teach me better? We arrange the dishes so that the guests can enjoy the food before eating. Why do you teach them how to increase the price?"

These words made both Xia Hui and Sun Hai burst into laughter.

Yang Bin added: "Yes, this is not a good idea. Don't learn from it. You still have to cook the food first."

Feng Zhengming said: "Okay, let's start the next dish, braised fish fillets."

The reason why these three dishes are all grade-testing dishes is because all three dishes test the basic skills of the chef.

The first test of braised fish fillet is the chef's knife skills.

Can you remove the fish meat neatly?

Xia Hui and Sun Hai started to remove the fish meat from the whole fish.

After removing it, you also need to remove the fish fillets.

Then remove all the large spines and red fish in the abdominal cavity.

Finally, you get a whole piece of white fish meat.

Then the whole piece of fish needs to be cut into slices.

Here Feng Zhengming gave the two apprentices some experience.

"When filling the fish fillets, don't fill them very thin, and the fish fillets should be cut in the same way as when you cut the tenderloin and chicken. Try to keep it as regular as possible, so that each piece is almost the same thickness and size." Xia Hui and Sun Hai also listened carefully and followed Feng Zhengming's instructions as before.

The fish fillets are all relatively thick and large.

Rinse the filleted fish and wipe off the water on the surface.

Then give the fish fillets a base before basting them.

Fish fillets also need to be sized with egg white and dry starch.

After the sizing is completed, the fish fillets need the same oil as the previously shredded tenderloin and diced chicken.

However, you need to be more careful when lubricating fish fillets.

Because the fish fillets are more tender, and the fish fillets will be crispier when mature.

If you forcefully spread it apart like the tenderloin shreds and diced chicken did before, the fish fillets may be broken into pieces.

Once the fillet is broken into pieces, the dish is considered a failure.

So Xia Hui and Sun Hai are very careful.

First let the fish fillets be dipped and fried in the oil pan to set, and then slowly separate the fish fillets to ensure the integrity of each fish fillet.

After oiling, remove the fish fillets from the pan, leaving a little base oil in the pan, then add the onion and ginger to the pan and saute until fragrant.

Also according to what Feng Zhengming said before, in order to ensure the beauty of the dish, Xia Hui and Sun Hai both use large pieces of onion and ginger to get the aroma, and then fish out all the onion and ginger.

Then add the clear chicken soup into the pot, season the soup, and then return the previously prepared fish fillets to the pot.

Let the fish fillets cook in the pot over high heat for a while, allowing the fish to absorb some of the flavor of the soup.

Next is the most critical step of this dish, thickening.

Potato starch is used to thicken it.

Slowly pour the boiled starch water into the pot, and thicken it slowly and little by little.

When it comes out of the pan, it must be ensured that the gravy is not very thick, and the gravy must be able to hold the fish fillets.

After thickening, pour in oil before taking it out of the pan, and gently push it on the surface with the back of a spoon.

The braised fish fillet soup cooked in this way is evenly thick and looks very bright.

Xia Hui and Sun Hai's last plate of braised fish fillets had just come out of the pot and been plated.

Coincidentally, Feng Zhengming's senior brother Li Huidong came with two apprentices.

Li Huidong did not lead people into the kitchen rashly, but said hello outside the kitchen.

Feng Zhengming and Yang Bin heard the senior brother's voice outside and went out from the kitchen to greet him.

Li Huidong saw Feng Zhengming and Yang Bin and asked with a smile: "You also want to train apprentices and prepare them to participate in the shortlisting selection?"

Yang Bin said: "Eldest brother is right. The third dish has just been cooked. Can we go in and take a look?"

Li Huidong looked at Feng Zhengming and asked, "Can I go in and take a look?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and nodded: "Okay, senior brother comes to give them guidance, which can also be regarded as improving their level."

Li Huidong then said to Zhang Lei and Yang Peng: "You two should come and have a look together and learn from others. Don't be shortlisted for selection when the time comes. Your loss will be too ugly."

Feng Zhengming and Yang Bin led senior brother Li Huidong and his two apprentices into the back kitchen.

On the table in the back kitchen of the dry rice shop, there are six plates of freshly cooked dishes.

Li Huidong was a little surprised when he saw the six dishes on the counter.

Zhang Lei and Yang Peng, who came in with Li Huidong, also stared at the six dishes in front of them carefully.

The three dishes prepared by Xia Hui and Sun Hai cannot be said to be amazing.

But these six dishes give people a very neat feeling at first glance.

To put it more directly, after seeing these three dishes, no matter whether it was the grade examination or the shortlisting of the provincial young chef cooking exchange competition, there was no excuse for not allowing the chefs with these six dishes to pass.

Li Huidong nodded and said, "There is really nothing wrong with these dishes."

Zhang Lei and Yang Peng also took a closer look.

Yang Peng quickly noticed the difference between these six dishes.

"It seems that there are no side dishes added to the fried chicken and braised fish fillets."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said: "It seems that Xiaopeng's observation skills are still very good. You read that right. I didn't ask them to add side dishes to these two dishes. The fried chicken with soy sauce is simply diced chicken with walnuts and fried fish." There are only fish fillets.”

Zhang Lei and Yang Peng still don't quite understand why Feng Zhengming arranged this?

Li Huidong immediately understood why this arrangement was made.

"Well, it seems that your junior uncle knows how to deal with the judges better. He can cook the dishes more neatly without adding any side dishes, and then when placing the dishes, he can highlight the characteristics of the dishes, which will impress the judges in no time. Good impression, in time-limited cooking, this really saves time and the effect is better.”

Zhang Lei listened and asked: "Master, should we do the same?"

Li Huidong laughed: "Why did I bring you here? Isn't it just to let you come here to learn?"

Zhang Lei and Yang Peng immediately nodded to indicate that they had taken note of it.

Yang Bin said with a smile: "Elder brother is here, let's try it together and see if these three dishes of Xiao Xia and Xiao Sun meet the standard requirements."

Li Huidong tasted three dishes from two people respectively.

Zhang Lei and Yang Peng waited for the master to taste it before they followed suit.

Li Huidong sorted out his thoughts and said: "There is no problem with the three dishes. The color, smell and taste are all done. Maybe we can't say how delicious these three dishes are and how amazing they are to others, but how delicious these three dishes are." It’s very well behaved and that’s enough.”

After giving this high praise, Li Huidong reminded Xia Hui and Sun Hai, and at the same time he was also reminding his two apprentices.

"When you are shortlisted, you must remember that there is a time limit on site. Generally, after you receive the ingredients, you only have fifteen minutes for a dish. You must consider the time allocation and cannot make mistakes, otherwise you will not have time to redo it. ."

Xia Hui, Sun Hai, Yang Peng and Zhang Lei all nodded seriously and took notes.

In the following time, Feng Zhengming, Li Huidong and Yang Bin explained some details to the four apprentices.

This is to consolidate the four people's understanding of each dish and break down the specific steps of each dish.

It can be said that I helped the four apprentices who were going to participate in the shortlisting selection to thoroughly eat the three dishes.

After teaching the apprentices, Li Huidong looked at Feng Zhengming and asked, "How are you preparing? What are you going to cook then? Are you sure you will be in the top ten first?"

Feng Zhengming replied confidently: "We are basically ready. The rest depends on the performance on the spot."

Seeing that Feng Zhengming was confident, the two senior brothers felt relieved.

(End of this chapter)