Chapter 470: Chapter 463: How Did He Do It?

When they came out of the private room, Luo Rang couldn’t help but ask, "Chef Fu, you said our restaurant has two kinds of sauces that meet his requirements? What flavors are they?"

Even someone as shrewd as Luo Rang was momentarily taken aback by Fu Yu’s words.

Mainly because Fu Yu talked with such certainty.

It made people instinctively want to believe him.

And in just that moment of distraction, Fu Yu had already finished communicating with the customer.

Is that all?

Luo Rang was a bit stunned!

He had already made up his mind to offer a discount or some small gifts and politely decline this order.

Because he could tell that this customer was not easy to please.

The guy’s food critiques didn’t seem like nonsense; he really had a refined palate and a deep understanding of food.

The more knowledgeable a customer is about food, the pickier their taste buds become.

To satisfy him would not be an easy task.

After all, no one in the world can know someone else’s thoughts as if they were a worm in their stomach.

When it comes to individual tastes, it’s both simple and mysterious.

Like this customer, in Luo Rang’s view, clearly had a certain standard for measuring food, and if the food didn’t fully meet his requirements, then it was not good cooking or authentic enough.

This situation was like trying to see flowers in a fog; no one could figure out which sauce would meet his demands.

Plus, the critical issue was that Luo Rang had gone through their dozen or so sauces and didn’t find any that truly fit.

However, Fu Yu wasn’t talking nonsense.

The middle-aged male customer’s description of his taste preferences sparked an idea in Fu Yu’s mind.

In his culinary practice classes, he had personally practiced preparing over a thousand different sauces, and initially, he was unsure.

However, the middle-aged customer preferred garlic and was adamant that lamb spareribs were only authentic when paired with chive flower sauce.

This allowed Fu Yu to almost instantly decide on two sauces.

In terms of flavor and seasoning, they seemed to be closest to what the customer wanted.

However, since this was the Four Seas Banquet, he needed Luo Rang’s assistance.

For grilling the lamb spareribs, Master Sun could handle that.

And preparing the sauce wouldn’t take long.

Fu Yu estimated it would take less than half an hour to complete.

As for the sauce preparation method, it didn’t really matter if it was shared or not.

Mostly because these two sauces were seldom used.

The Four Seas Banquet focused mainly on lamb spareribs, and grilling would definitely stick to the traditional methods.

They wouldn’t change the restaurant’s cooking methods for one customer’s unique request.

Moreover, these two sauces couldn’t be used at either the Qianlima or the music restaurant.

Fu Yu looked at Luo Rang.

Luo Rang was waiting for his answer.

Fu Yu said seriously, "I know of two sauces that should match his taste requirements."

Luo Rang’s eyes lit up, "Really?"

Fu Yu nodded, "Yes, Chef Luo, I need to use your cooking station."

Luo Rang quickly said, "No problem!"

In fact, counting this time, Luo Rang had only met Fu Yu twice, and each time was brief.

But, for some reason, Luo Rang inexplicably felt that Fu Yu was particularly trustworthy.

It was as if anything Fu Yu said he could do, he would certainly accomplish.

Fu Yu gave him a very convincing impression.

Luo Rang hurriedly led Fu Yu to the back kitchen.

He was off work today, and the cooking station was free, so he directly arranged for Fu Yu to use his station.

Luo Rang was always thorough in his actions, instructing a worker to get a new apron from the locker room for Fu Yu and also bringing over his work clothes for Fu Yu to temporarily wear.

Fu Yu listed all the seasonings he needed.

Luo Rang quickly had someone assist with the preparations.

Besides, he specifically called over a helper for Fu Yu.

Once everything was ready, Fu Yu began preparing the sauce.

First, he crushed the garlic with a knife to remove the skins, then chopped it finely.

When it was about to become a paste, he sliced the ginger and mixed it with the garlic to continue mincing.

Adding coriander, he mixed the three ingredients and continued mincing while adding MSG.

Then he added salt, and once the ginger and garlic juices started to flow, he continued mincing.

When these ingredients were minced into a fine paste, the ginger, garlic, and coriander flavors would blend together.

Fu Yu placed the minced mixture into a bowl, added sesame oil, vinegar, and soy sauce, and stirred them thoroughly with the ginger and garlic before turning off the heat and serving it.

This sauce had been tested by Fu Yu during his practice classes. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

In contrast to other strong-flavored sauces, this one was refreshing and could complement the gamey taste of lamb perfectly.

It wouldn’t overwhelm the lamb’s natural flavor and could suitably enhance and alleviate its richness.

Luo Rang’s work clothes were on Fu Yu, while he wore a branded parka, standing in the aisle, avoiding possible splattering oil, looking over as Fu Yu made the sauce.

To his surprise, he really did learn something by watching.

It wasn’t that the method was particularly ingenious, or the ingredients exceptionally rare.

Fu Yu’s knife skills left everyone stunned.

Luo Rang had seen Fu Yu cooking before.

The first time they met was while doing catering service at the Yang Family’s home.

Luo Rang, assisting Fu Yu up close, had witnessed his knife skills then.

Even back then, Fu Yu’s knife skills were solid, but now it was clear he had improved significantly.

With a simple chop, Fu Yu used different techniques: vertical slice, pull slice, push slice, and chop slice.

His cuts were crisp and clean, with no bits of food sticking to one another.

Slicing, julienning, and dicing—each piece was clearly separated, with no strands connecting them, completely clean.

What impressed Luo Rang the most was Fu Yu’s mastery over the properties of the ingredients.

When cutting, Fu Yu accurately chose the knife technique based on the texture and grain of each ingredient.

Another aspect was Fu Yu’s precise control over ingredient proportions.

In the kitchen, there’s generally not much focus on optimal use of ingredients to prevent waste.

When things get busy, these details can be easily overlooked.

Furthermore, specific tasks for handling ingredients and seasoning are typically assigned to dedicated assistants.

However, during morning meetings, the accountants would specifically address the monthly purchasing lists.

They insisted that in the kitchen, when cutting ingredients, the principle of utilizing materials properly should be observed.

Really, it boils down to not wasting food; everything is purchased with money, not given by the wind, so it should be cherished.

Luo Rang was more than willing to cooperate with this and often used this principle to instruct and guide his team.

But his objective was to ensure the prep assistants honed their knife skills, shaping the final product to better aesthetic standards for presentation.

Thus, for Luo Rang, the proper use of ingredients was an essential skill in culinary technique.

Fu Yu excelled remarkably in this aspect.

He could take any ingredient and reserve the precise amount needed.

After cooking, nothing would be wasted.

As Luo Rang watched Fu Yu prepare the sauce, he was quietly impressed and intensely curious.

How was he doing it?

To manage ingredient portions so accurately, how sensitive must his sense be?

Is he a human measuring instrument?

Additionally, as Luo Rang observed the small bowl of sauce being prepared,

he didn’t need a closer look to know that every ingredient inside the bowl was finely minced to a degree that wouldn’t be the least bit gritty in texture.

A juicer couldn’t achieve better results.

Luo Rang was in complete awe of Fu Yu’s knife skills, sincerely convinced and impressed.

Unconsciously, Luo Rang stepped closer to the kitchen counter.

Previously, he had been mindful of not letting oil splatter on his expensive outerwear, but now he had completely forgotten about it.

He focused intently, watching Fu Yu make the sauce.

It was his first time realizing that watching someone else cook could be such an enjoyable experience.

Like a visual feast unfolding before his eyes, it was breathtaking and exhilarating.

Fu Yu, unaware of any of this, was fully absorbed in preparing another sauce.

He placed two pieces of Kedong Fermented Tofu into sesame paste, then added Four Seas Banquet’s special leek flower, with some sugar, salt, and MSG.

As he mixed, Fu Yu’s movements were skillful, stirring clockwise with remarkable speed.

He heated oil in a wok, added Sichuan peppercorns to fry until fragrant, then left it to cool.

The middle-aged male customer had clearly expressed his preference for fried Sichuan peppercorns, so Fu Yu kept them all intact.

As Fu Yu stirred, Luo Rang watched, noting that despite Fu Yu’s seemingly exaggerated movements, not a drop of oil spilled from the bowl.

It demonstrated how accurate his handling was.

Meanwhile, the chef next to him, similarly making sesame paste, appeared like Nezha stirring the sea, with the sesame paste splattering everywhere.

Luo Rang shook his head, unable to watch.

The disparity between people is truly... sigh...

Fu Yu quickly finished preparing the sauces, and finally garnished with sesame seeds.

Both sauces were successfully completed.

Luo Rang breathed a sigh of relief, quickly taking Fu Yu to the roasting area to check on how Master Sun’s freshly roasted lamb chops were doing.

The business at the restaurant was indeed booming today, with a thick stack of order slips pinned to the wall near Master Sun.

All three ovens in the roasting area were fired up, with Master Sun and two assistants working in a sweat.

"Chef Sun, are the freshly roasted lamb chops ready? The sauces are all prepared here."

Luo Rang confidently placed the prepared sauces on the pass.

To him, the challenge of the lamb dish lay in the sauce because as for roasting, that was hardly an issue.

Master Sun took a tissue to wipe the sweat off his forehead: "Not on the rack yet; as soon as this batch is done, we’ll roast."

Luo Rang nodded; this was not something to rush.

As Master Sun talked to Luo Rang, he glanced at the young chef standing beside him and was taken aback.

In his haste earlier, he hadn’t looked closely; this guy wasn’t part of their kitchen team!

Master Sun inquired, "And who is this?"

Luo Rang introduced with a smile, "Chef Sun, this is the chef from Qianlima, Fu Yu."

Master Sun: "!"