Chapter 517: Chapter 510: When Did I Ever Care About You?

Fu Yu held the hemp string, attempting to tie the crucian carp.

According to the cooking tutorial in the classic old recipe, tying is a crucial step in this dish.

Because when the chicken soup boils and the steam starts to infuse the crucian carp, the fish meat will gently fall off as it becomes tender. Therefore, when tying, it’s necessary to skillfully secure the entire fish skeleton to ensure the fish bones remain intact when the meat falls off.

However, the surface of the crucian carp is very slippery, making it difficult for the hemp string to wrap and knot successfully.

Fu Yu turned to Zhou Yesheng beside him, "Xiaozhou, help me secure the crucian carp, incline it a little if you can."

Zhou Yesheng quickly nodded and began assisting with the tying.

Feng Hai watched Fu Yu tie the string, frowning slightly: "Chef Fu, this tying method won’t work. I’ve tried it before. With this method, after steaming, you’ll find only the fish head hanging on the string, with the whole fish body falling into the chicken soup."

Fu Yu paused his actions.

The tying method he used was entirely based on the step-by-step operation from the tutorial in the classic old recipe.

Logically, there shouldn’t be any issues.

But after examining the tied crucian carp closely, he discovered that because the hemp string is quite thin, when securing the fish head and wrapping clockwise, the hemp string could become wet during steaming and potentially slip.

If it happens to slip to the gill position, the situation Feng Hai mentioned could indeed occur.

It seems necessary to find a way to better secure the fish head and body.

Before Fu Yu could figure out how to improve the tying method, Feng Hai continued, "I also tried the cross-binding method, but after nearly two hours of waiting, this time not even the fish head remained, just a small piece of fish bone hanging on the cotton string."

When binding, Feng Hai specifically chose cotton string, which is sturdy, non-slip, and very useful.

He truthfully shared his past experiences not only to provide reference for Fu Yu but also to make this young man understand that cooking the celestial fish isn’t as straightforward and easy as it seems.

The cooking method itself isn’t difficult. The challenge lies in ensuring the completeness of the fish bones after finishing the dish.

This entire process is the key to cooking celestial fish.

Customers with no experience might not taste the difference, but from an expert chef specializing in Hunan cuisine, every operational detail deserves attention and scrutiny.

As they say, outsiders see the excitement, insiders see the nuances.

When Feng Hai watches Fu Yu cook, he mainly focuses on his techniques in the detailed operations. As long as the technique is fine, the quality of the dish shouldn’t be lacking.

After hearing Feng Hai’s words, Fu Yu came up with an idea.

If clockwise doesn’t work, how about cross-binding? Fixing the square position under the fish belly, and the area under the gills can be entirely encased, without worrying about falling off.

Moreover, to ensure the binding looks appealing and the fish meat can fall off quickly, he can first use cotton string for cross-binding, then use the flat knot method learned from Liu Yunong to do secondary binding with hemp string.

Fu Yu nodded at Feng Hai, "Thank you, Chef Feng, for your concern, I’ll pay attention."

Feng Hai was momentarily stunned and at a loss for words.

When the hell did I care about you?

Feng Hai shook his head, "I’m reminding you that during cooking, not only should the presentation on the plate be attractive, but every detail in the process must also be handled well."

The implication being, don’t cut corners just because customers can’t see the cooking process.

The uniqueness of the celestial fish dish lies in the skillful guarantee of the entire fish skeleton’s integrity after cooking.

Fu Yu nodded, "I know, after all, the fish bones will be served on the plate in the end."

When preparing celestial fish, the rack hanging above the pot, along with the complete fish bones, is also part of the plating design.

Feng Hai’s expression shifted, uncertain: "Fine, I’ll wait to see the final product."

Before Fu Yu could say anything, someone suddenly walked into the kitchen.

"Oh wow, this morning kept me busy, everyone working hard!"

Zhang Zhen, who had just returned from finishing some tasks and canceling his leave, walked in wearing his chef’s uniform.

Everyone in the kitchen greeted Zhang Zhen.

In Zhang Zhen’s absence, the kitchen was temporarily managed by Chef Liu and Chef Lin.

Before Zhang Zhen could inquire, the two quickly explained the morning’s affairs, including a customer ordering celestial fish, which Fu Yu was now handling.

Hearing that Fu Yu had taken over, Zhang Zhen felt relieved: "It’s good that it’s resolved! The reservation is for tonight’s opening, we still have time."

Feng Hai also came over to greet Zhang Zhen, "Chef Zhang!"

Zhang Zhen nodded but bypassed Feng Hai to walk over to Fu Yu directly.

"Chef Fu, are you preparing to cook celestial fish now?"

Fu Yu looked up at Zhang Zhen and nodded, "Yes, just getting started. Chef Zhang, you arrived just in time, come, help me with the fish."

Zhou Yesheng was quite handy, but while Fu Yu was doing the binding, he always struggled with the angle, preventing Fu Yu’s slip knot from slipping through.

If it were someone else, Fu Yu might hesitate to instruct them, but having worked with Zhang Zhen twice before, they had quite a good rapport.

Everyone in the kitchen was used to this by now.

After all, Zhang Zhen had previously taken the initiative to assist Fu Yu.

But Feng Hai, hearing this, felt... a bit strange.

He looked at Fu Yu incredulously; this guy... really has a personality, daring to boss around the head chef? Doesn’t he know the difference between heaven and earth!

However, what happened next was even more shocking.

Zhang Zhen nodded happily, promptly stepping forward to replace Zhou Yesheng’s position, reaching out to hold the crucian carp steady.

"Alright, Chef Fu, we can start now."

Fu Yu adjusted the angle at which Zhang Zhen held the fish, "Chef Zhang, hold this angle steady, I’ll thread the line through."

Zhang Zhen nodded, quickly understanding Fu Yu’s intention.

Fu Yu successfully used the cotton string to tie the crucian carp, then picked up the hemp string, ready for the second tying.

Feng Hai couldn’t help but lean closer to watch.

Upon close inspection, he really did notice something noteworthy.

Fu Yu’s tying technique seemed slightly different!

It looked like a flat knot tying method but was clearly modified.

Feng Hai wanted to see clearly, so he moved closer and closer...

Even though he watched very carefully, Fu Yu’s tying speed was just too fast.

It seemed that in the blink of an eye, Fu Yu had already started knotting, making it hard to see how the lines were wrapped.

And the hemp string was very thin, blending with the cotton string, the two threads practically merged instantly.

Feng Hai was taken aback, damn!

Is this speed for real?

And just as he was marveling at these two sentences, Fu Yu had already completed the tying and continued cooking.