The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World-Chapter 60 - 59: Yao Clan’s Classic Spicy Crawfish
Zhao Meng estimated as he casually tossed dried chili peppers, chili paste, Sichuan peppercorns, onion, ginger, and garlic into the oil pan to fry until fragrant.
Then he added the cleaned crayfish, stir-frying evenly.
"See that? When stir-frying, pay attention to the strength, don’t end up with a pile of shrimp legs at the bottom of the pot after cooking."
Zhao Meng, while tossing the pan, verbally guided Fu Yu.
"White wine!"
Fu Yu quickly handed it over.
"Light soy sauce!"
...
Zhao Meng chanted the ingredients, and Fu Yu efficiently handed them up in coordination.
Watching as the crayfish curled up, he added bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon, and other spices.
Then he poured in 200ml of clear water, covered the pan, and let it simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes.
Finally, he added salt and homemade five-spice chicken powder.
Turning up the heat to slightly reduce the sauce.
Zhao Meng commanded, "Fu Yu, plate it!"
Fu Yu stepped forward to handle the pan, picking out the crayfish for plating.
Zhao Meng watched Fu Yu work while continuing to guide, "Smell that aroma, how is it? Let me tell you, just this ratio of seasonings, back in the day, Chef Yao and I tried it with over three hundred pounds of crayfish..."
Yao Shi just happened to pass by, heard this, stopped, and asked with a smile, "What are you saying about me?"
Zhao Meng turned and said, "I was telling him that when we researched this dish back then, we used nearly over three hundred pounds of crayfish!"
Yao Shi laughed upon hearing this, "Indeed, back then, a few people in the kitchen indulged, eating it every day."
Then, looking at Fu Yu, "Chef Zhao’s spicy crayfish is absolutely top-notch! The precise control needed for stir-frying like this is beyond ordinary people, plus the seasoning, though it’s all proportionate, no one can replicate this flavor even if they follow the recipe!"
Yao Shi highly acknowledged Zhao Meng’s culinary skills in stir-frying, especially for this spicy crayfish dish.
Fu Yu held the pan, looking at the green lines inside, feeling like his OCD was about to flare up.
But with Yao Shi present and Zhao Meng watching, he really didn’t dare to make a move and could only muster a forced agreement: "Right, right, right!"
Luckily, he could take charge of the plating.
Fu Yu tried to ignore the green lines in the pan, picking out the crayfish one by one and placing them into a large white porcelain bowl with a wide brim.
Zhao Meng stood by watching, nodding in satisfaction.
Look at how these crayfish turned out, simply perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
After the server took the dish away, Zhao Meng looked at Fu Yu’s complicated expression and comforted him, "Don’t be too impatient, culinary skills aren’t like other things; just watching with your eyes isn’t enough, you need to practice."
Fu Yu nodded.
Yao Shi glanced at Gu Yunwu’s side, where Yao Yihang was tossing the pan, clearly urging him to practice diligently.
Yao Shi prompted, "Xiaofu, now that you’ve seen Chef Zhao finish, do you have any insights?"
Fu Shou, due to Zhao Meng and Yao Shi’s close relationship, didn’t feel too nervous facing Yao Shi.
Not wanting to embarrass Zhao Meng, he gently said, "Chef Zhao’s skills are beyond question. I think this spicy crayfish dish could rank in the top five in our city."
Zhao Meng chuckled upon hearing this comment, this cheeky rascal always has something to say!
He was confident about his stir-frying skills, especially with this spicy crayfish cooking technique.
In his mind, if Bei’an City were to rank the chefs making delicious and authentic spicy crayfish,
He was sure he’d rank second, with no one taking the first spot.
Even Yao Shi couldn’t top him in this aspect.
Zhao Meng and Yao Shi exchanged a glance, sharing a slight smile.
Despite Fu Yu’s potential, he was still a kitchen assistant with limited insight.
Culinary skills are a craft where outsiders see the commotion, while insiders understand the art.
It was understandable that Fu Yu couldn’t grasp it.
Zhao Meng teased, "I thought I’d at least be in the top three. Hey! Fu Yu, tell me where I’m lacking to rank so low?"
Fu Yu had casually said top five.
He actually felt Zhao Meng’s cooking was somewhat too casual.
But now being asked directly, he was slightly hesitant.
Zhao Meng smiled and said, "No worries, there’s no outsider here, go ahead and tell me so I can know where I need improvement."
Fu Yu understood Zhao Meng, knowing he was the type with a sharp tongue but a soft heart, always moving past things without lingering resentment.
So he honestly said, "First, the oil in the pan is a bit insufficient, actually an extra spoonful would be ideal, considering the amount of oil should match the weight of the crayfish. Secondly, heating the oil to 30% was a bit rushed, adding a ten-second pause before putting in dried chili would best bring out the flavor. Also, the ratio of the seasoning was not precise, the taste got a bit heavy. Lastly, when reducing the sauce with high heat, it was half a minute early, it could actually stew a bit longer. These crayfish pincers are quite large, so with more time, the marinade would be more ample..."
After holding back for a while, he finally let it all out, even spilling some of his frustrated complaints.
"And about the plating, don’t you find it uncomfortable? Those shrimp legs are all sticking out, anyone with OCD would have to reach out and press them back in!"
After Fu Yu finished speaking, the atmosphere instantly sank into silence...
The noisy sound of cooking and shouting erupted here and there in the kitchen, yet this triangular corner they occupied seemed to have a soundproof effect, isolating all outside distraction.
Zhao Meng opened his mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Meanwhile, Yao Shi’s brows furrowed, his gaze at Fu Yu growing unfocused due to deep thought.
Initially there to watch the fun, he was surprised as Fu Yu itemized every flaw in Zhao Meng’s cooking, hitting as hard as a sudden ground-shaking bolt of lightning.
Because every point Fu Yu mentioned wasn’t aimlessly made.
He had offered opinions based on the weight of the ingredients and corresponding ratios.
Cooking is just that, everyone has their insights and habits when making dishes.
Old chefs have such superb skills because years of accumulated experience have honed their exquisite touch, allowing them to instinctively judge how much ingredient weight corresponds to seasoning.
The ratios are in their minds and hands.
Yet precisely because of their overconfidence, they often become somewhat blind, letting their ideas be subjected to habits.
This is why the same dish cooked by different chefs can taste different.
This issue didn’t only exist with Zhao Meng; even he himself had overlooked this matter.
How to better adjust the seasoning based on the exact weight of the ingredients?
This thought spun around Yao Shi’s mind constantly...
Suddenly!
An epiphany flooded over him, releasing a torrent of inspiration.
And just at that moment, an electronic notification sounded in Fu Yu’s ear:
[Ding! NPC Chef Yao Shi has been inspired by you and is about to create a classic Yao’s Spicy Crayfish. Reward increased favor with Yao Shi by +10 and gained +1 skill point]
Fu Yu was dumbfounded!
What was this?
An unexpected success?!
He was merely pointing out Zhao Meng’s shortcomings, but Yao Shi was the one inspired!
How could this be!
Fu Yu looked at the dumbfounded Zhao Meng, silently sighed, and ruefully thought: Chef Zhao, this is the difference, why can Chef Yao open restaurants and be a head chef while you can only be a chef!
Talent, what a thing, there’s simply no way to reason it out!
