In the areas he excelled at, Zhang Zhen was always quite confident.

Actually, cooking is just like other kinds of artistic activities, it also requires one to be in the right state of mind.

When a chef is in good spirits, they’re more likely to perform at their best while cooking.

Zhang Zhen noticed that his mood particularly brightened when he saw Fu Yu standing by, intently learning the marinating techniques.

With a good mood, his methods became even more proficient.

In a moment of instinct, Zhang Zhen couldn’t help but showcase a technique while marinating.

He pounded the fish with a remarkably rhythmic tempo.

This made Chef Lin, standing nearby, raise an eyebrow, casting a glance filled with a complex mix of emotions at Zhang Zhen.

With a hint of respect and understanding.

As expected of the boss!

To have the keen eye to appoint Zhang Zhen as the head chef!

Impressive!

Fu Yu watched from the side for a while, and had to sincerely admit that Zhang Zhen was indeed very skilled, and his marinating technique was truly excellent!

The simpler a technique seems, the more effort it often requires, needing a solid accumulation of experience and repeated practice to grasp all the details and perform the skill well.

Fu Yu genuinely felt that Zhang Zhen’s marinating technique had a very personal touch, and his methods were very intricate.

However, there were parts he didn’t quite understand, so he couldn’t help but ask, "Chef Zhang, are we not done marinating the Jiangji fish yet?"

Zhang Zhen used entirely different techniques to marinate different river fish.

Fu Yu observed very carefully, almost immediately spotting the issue.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhen’s eyes lit up, and he earnestly said, "Indeed, it’s not fully marinated yet!"

The next second, Fu Yu’s ear was greeted by an electronic notification sound:

[Ding! Back Kitchen Artisan Title Reward: Congratulations on receiving the heartfelt guidance of NPC Head Chef Zhang Zhen: Personal Skill ’Marinating’]

Fu Yu: "!"

Wow.

The Back Kitchen Artisan title hadn’t been triggered in a long time.

Unexpectedly, now it came with a big surprise!

Fu Yu quickly focused his attention, earnestly learning the marinating techniques from Zhang Zhen.

Zhang Zhen said, "To summarize, marinating can be divided into two types, dry marinating and wet marinating."

"When dry marinating, you first need to rub sauce onto the surface of the ingredient thoroughly, but the thoroughness needs to be adjusted according to the different ingredients. There’s no shortcut to this; you can only understand it through practice and gradually accumulate experience."

"However, after marinating, various supplementary techniques are needed to help the flavor penetrate evenly into the ingredient."

Zhang Zhen slowed down his marinating method, showing it to Fu Yu step by step.

"When pressing with the ball of your thumb, pay attention to the pressure... For this kind of dry marinating, the hardest part is often achieving even marination without losing weight..."

Fu Yu committed to memory every word Zhang Zhen said and every action he made during the marinating process.

These were the marinating insights Zhang Zhen had accumulated over many years!

Priceless!

...

[Ding! Back Kitchen Artisan Title Reward Completed, Reward Received: Personal Skill Marinating (Advanced)]

Fu Yu’s face lit up with joy!

The personal skill of marinating is really very useful!

...

He hadn’t realized what he’d just said.

Having completed the marination task at hand, Zhang Zhen couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Finally!

Finally showcasing a technique in front of Fu Yu!

Thinking carefully.

Since getting to know Fu Yu, it seemed like every time he was the one being surprised by Fu Yu’s sudden display of techniques, again and again refreshing his worldview.

Over time, he’d almost forgotten that he was at least the head chef of a music restaurant, a veteran with over twenty years of experience!

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhen couldn’t help but glance at Fu Yu again.

Because his attention was all on Fu Yu, he hadn’t noticed the looks of disbelief on the faces of Chef Lin and Chef Liu.

Good gracious!

What was Zhang Zhen doing just now?

Teaching?

Educating!

Chef Lin and Chef Liu exchanged glances.

Actions speak louder than words.

No wonder Zhang Zhen had such an unusual attitude when talking about Fu Yu before.

It turned out he had developed a fondness for talent...

Chef Lin was the first to come back to his senses, naturally throwing a compliment, "Chef Zhang, your marinating technique is truly superb! It feels like it’s improved even further from before!"

Zhang Zhen looked at Fu Yu and earnestly said, "It’s just that I’m in good form, Xiaofu. The Jiang fish we marinated earlier is ready, you can start cooking."

This time, Fu Yu did not refuse, he knew that the next task was crucial.

Marination took only a little while, and it wouldn’t affect the whole Kaijiang Banquet cooking process.

The live fish required had been fully prepared according to Fu Yu’s instructions, and the four stoves on the cooking station were all ready, just waiting to start cooking.

Zhang Zhen and the two chefs looked at the Jiang fish laid out on the cooking station.

They had already reviewed the Kaijiang Banquet menu Fu Yu compiled.

Indeed, there were a few dishes that looked familiar, yet seemed different from what they remembered, not matching up perfectly.

The Kaijiang Banquet was clearly a specialty banquet in Bei’an, but for various reasons, it seemed like the concept of authenticity had faded over time.

To enjoy river fish, any restaurant could cook it.

Nobody insisted on ceremony, demanding a full-course fish banquet.

At most, people might order a table’s worth of fish courses at a live fish restaurant, and that would be adequate.

Cooking nineteen consecutive river fish dishes was actually not a big deal for chefs accustomed to wielding the ladle for years.

However, due to the large quantity, and the many detailed aspects to be mindful of when cooking river fish, it actually became quite tedious.

In Bei’an, people generally preferred to stew river fish.

Stewing fish brings out the original flavors, needing neither blanching nor pre-frying; it’s directly placed into the soup to simmer slowly, releasing fish oil and aroma. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

If blanched, the fish would lose its fresh flavor, and if fried, the texture would harden.

Besides stewing, common methods for cooking river fish include pan-frying and smoking.

These two techniques require the chef to add plenty of seasoning to the fish in advance, marinating it thoroughly for flavor.

But regardless of the method, it requires the chef to have extremely precise control over the seasoning proportions and cooking temperature to best bring out the fresh and tender taste of the river fish.

Before experiencing this practical teaching session, Fu Yu might have lacked confidence in his culinary skills.

But now, having breezed through the ’whole fish banquet,’

Fu Yu was quite confident in cooking river fish.

Moreover, Fu Yu found that while cooking, his sense of touch regarding the tenderness of the fish seemed more sensitive and precise.

With just a touch, he could tell how to balance the seasoning and control the cooking temperature.

Performing the task was surprisingly simple.

Of course, given the number of dishes, it was still fairly laborious to cook them all.