The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Taking advantage of Sun Qingning’s skill in deep-frying meat, Fu Yu first started to make honey-glazed crispy shrimp.

This dish wasn’t particularly difficult; Fu Yu had made it before.

At the time, Zhao Meng had even specifically guided him through it.

But since then, he hadn’t had any customers who specifically ordered this dish, so he hadn’t had the chance to practice it repeatedly.

Zhao Meng, feeling uneasy, focused on his own tasks while keeping an eye on Fu Yu’s operations.

Meanwhile, at the restaurant front, a server received news that there were customers who had placed orders yesterday and were coming in to dine again.

A waitress led them to a private room on the other side.

The server reported to the supervisor, ”Sister Gao, Chef Zhao just asked me to relay a message. He wants us to communicate with the customers who made the orders to see if they could come another day because the kitchen is really too busy right now.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Wenjing immediately became anxious, ”How could that be possible! Look at the time now! Even if the customers hadn’t arrived yet, they’re probably on their way already.”

The server quickly added, ”That’s exactly what I told Chef Zhao...”

Gao Wenjing hurried to the back kitchen.

As she entered, she saw everyone in the kitchen busy with their tasks.

Zhao Meng, in particular, was working side by side with Fu Yu, both stoves firing at once.

She approached Zhao Meng’s station and whispered, ”Chef Zhao, Xiaowang just told me you want to postpone some orders? What’s happening?”

Zhao Meng sighed helplessly, ”I’m really swamped here. Having a lot of orders is usually a good thing, but the problem is, they all came at once! Just look at how busy it is!”

Hearing Zhao Meng’s tone, Gao Wenjing did not persist in suggesting the postponement, feeling relieved. She consoled, ”Right now, we’ve only just started, and it’s just a coincidence that two tables came at the same time. For the few that haven’t arrived later, maybe things will spread out a bit by then. Besides, I see Chef Fu is already able to team up with you? If you both pick up the pace, it should be manageable.”

Zhao Meng became anxious upon hearing this, ”Another table? Which one?”

Gao Wenjing said, ”Table 117, the one with twelve dishes.”

Zhao Meng quickly grabbed the order slip, lowered his head, and saw that it was filled with stir-fried dishes.

It was impossible to handle all this work simultaneously. The main reason was his excellent skill in stir-frying; customers who enjoyed it once would always remember it for their next visit.

Meanwhile, Fu Yu had just finished another dish, placed it on a plate, and handed it to the food runner.

He turned to Zhao Meng and said, ”Chef Zhao, isn’t there a fresh jellyfish soup for this table? I know how to make it, let me handle it!”

Zhao Meng did not stand on ceremony; the jellyfish soup was not difficult. As long as the seasoning proportions were right, the soup would turn out delicious no matter how it was cooked.

”And any dishes that need glazing, just give them to me, I’ll do them quickly!”

Zhao Meng rolled his eyes and tore off a few strips from the order, sticking them on the wall in front of himself, while handing the rest to Fu Yu.

He couldn’t be bothered to counter Fu Yu’s boasting.

Watching this, Gao Wenjing widened her eyes in surprise.

Was Fu Yu really this good?

And not only was he faster than Zhao Meng, but he also picked the dishes to work on first.

This kind of privilege was usually reserved only for the head chef, wasn’t it?

Looking at the current situation, it seemed like Fu Yu was the head chef and Zhao Meng was assisting him!

When she looked at Fu Yu again, her gaze was different.

Fu Yu prepared to make the fresh jellyfish soup first.

In the midsummer, fresh jellyfish soup needed to be refrigerated before being served.

This soup was quick and easy to make, with no difficulty.

Sun Qingning skillfully scooped out the jellyfish, drained it, and placed it on a plate.

He often did this work.

During the hot weather, jellyfish dishes were ordered frequently.

Especially those customers who loved spicy stir-fried flavors, they almost always order a refreshing jellyfish soup to cool the palate.

With a mouthful of the soup, it was as though the coolness of the jellyfish calmed the heat of the stomach.

However, throughout the shift, Sun Qingning felt anxious and short of breath, with inexplicable restlessness.

Having to handle six large-table orders in one evening was enough to make even Zhao Meng falter and consider pushing back orders; for a junior cook like him, it was frankly intimidating.

After all, cooking is unlike other jobs where if you’re late, it’s no big deal as long as the work is completed eventually.

Customers come to dine, and if you’re slow, they start urging for their orders.

Not a single moment can be wasted.

As Sun Qingning handed the plate of fresh jellyfish to Fu Yu, he felt a bit worried.

Taking a deep breath, how did it feel like the kitchen was especially stuffy today, with even the air seeming thin!

Seeing this, Fu Yu smiled and said, ”Chef Sun, don’t worry! I’ll prepare an extra helping of jellyfish soup later for us to enjoy as a late-night snack; you can take it and chill it whenever you get a chance.”

Sun Qingning’s eyes lit up at the thought of having jellyfish soup!

Alright then, no matter what, Zhao Meng would still be there to fall back on!

As a probationary cook, a bit of panic was only to be expected!

Sun Qingning adjusted his state and quietly encouraged, ”Chef Fu, keep it up!”

Jellyfish was cut into strips, washed again, soaked, and then drained.

Garlic was mashed into a paste, with a pinch of salt, vinegar, and some secret chicken essence added to create a dressing.

Parsley was chopped finely.

The jellyfish strips were mixed with the dressing, parsley, roasted sesame seeds, and sesame oil.

After mixing well, Fu Yu entrusted two large glass bowls of fresh jellyfish soup to Sun Qingning to chill.

He then proceeded to cook the osmanthus-glazed crispy shrimp.

Qianlima always maintained strict standards when it came to ingredients.

The sea shrimp had tender meat and excellent texture.

Thus, sea shrimp was usually chosen for crispy shrimp dishes.

Fu Yu selected six large sea shrimp from the prepared ingredients bowl.

[Sea Shrimp: Freshness: 90%]

[One shrimp with a greenish, translucent shell, tightly connected head and body, half-year maturity, 100%]

...

As Fu Yu picked up the sea shrimp, information suddenly appeared in his mind.

[Sea shrimp is rich in nutrients, delicious, and can be used for food or medicine. It tastes sweet, salty, and is slightly warm in nature. It can tonify the kidneys, enhance yang, and benefit the spleen and stomach. People with chronic conditions, or those currently experiencing excessive internal heat, should not eat shrimp. Elderly individuals with allergic rhinitis, bronchitis, or recurring allergic dermatitis should avoid eating shrimp...]

Fu Yu gradually realized that ever since he acquired the exhaustive food compatibility table, the feedback he received about ingredient information became increasingly detailed and comprehensive.

Fu Yu placed the sea shrimp into a large bowl and said to Sun Qingning, ”Bring a bottle of shrimp marinating sauce.”

Sun Qingning fetched the shrimp marinating sauce, ”Chef Fu, do you think you could show me how much to use, and I’ll handle the marinating?”

Sun Qingning was indeed in a hurry; the shrimp marinating wasn’t difficult — it just took up time.

There were still four tables of guests not yet arrived, and if they picked up the pace now, they could save time later on.

Fu Yu nodded, uncapped the shrimp marinating sauce bottle, scooped out two-thirds of a spoonful, and poured it into the large bowl, watching as the prompt dialog box stood straight above the bowl, he hurriedly scooped a bit back.

In the midst of this motion, his finger accidentally brushed against the rim of the bottle, picking up a bit of shrimp marinade.

Immediately, a series of prompt dialog boxes popped up in front of him.

[80 grams of cornstarch]

[20 grams of salt]

[100 ml of onion ginger water]

[25 grams of pepper]

...

Fu Yu: ”!”

Amazing!