The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Fu Yu had discovered more than once that ever since he acquired the skill of ingredient selection, all the secret recipes lost their mystery before him.

These secret spice and marinade recipes were painstakingly developed through relentless experimentation by head chefs or master chefs, and sometimes even passed down through generations.

Typically, only the owner and their trusted associates would know the exact recipes.

Outsiders could only smell the aroma and taste the flavor, without knowing what specific spices were used to create them.

Yet now, these closely guarded secrets, once hidden from outsiders, became completely transparent in Fu Yu’s hands.

This was undoubtedly a great boon for Fu Yu.

The reason secret recipes are so valuable is partly because they are difficult to obtain, and partly because they truly can make food taste better.

And Fu Yu could directly see the composition of these secret recipes.

It’s like practicing martial arts and being able to peek into all the martial art manuals in the world.

Aside from achieving twice the result with half the effort, success follows naturally.

Excited, Fu Yu mixed the bowl sauce and set it aside while instructing Sun Qingning, ”Drain the water from the shrimps.”

Sun Qingning hurriedly patted the excess moisture with kitchen paper towels to prevent oil splatter during frying.

”Blanch four asparagus, two long and two short.”

At Fu Yu’s instruction, Sun Qingning turned to pick the asparagus.

Heat oil in the pan.

When the oil is 80% hot, add the shrimps.

For crispy exterior and tender inside, the oil temperature must be high and the process quick.

If the oil is not hot enough, the shrimp meat will turn hard and dry.

Fry until it sets, then remove.

Once the oil temperature rises again, re-fry until the surface turns crispy, then remove and set aside.

Leave a bit of oil in the pan, then add the bowl sauce.

The bowl sauce uses the salty osmanthus from Daoxiangcun, as the floral fragrance is more intense.

Stir constantly over high heat until the sauce thickens.

Add the fried shrimps and julienned scallions and ginger, and quickly stir-fry to coat evenly.

Fu Yu deliberately sped up his hand movements to avoid long cooking, which could soften the shrimp shell.

Once done, serve on a plate.

At this moment, Sun Qingning finally breathed a sigh of relief.

A dish of osmanthus-coated crispy shrimps took eleven minutes.

What speed!

Keep it up...

Next is the final plating.

The blanched asparagus, paired in twos, long covering short, are folded and placed on a rectangular flat white porcelain plate.

Three shrimps are stacked crosswise on the asparagus, with two groups of six shrimps each.

Finally, place three thin scallion strips and two pickled pepper slices on top.

The entire cooking process was incredibly smooth, and Sun Qingning, watching from the side, found it a delight to the eyes.

Seeing the plate being carried away by the server, he remembered to ask, ”Chef Fu, is there anything to be mindful of when making this dish?”

Fu Yu responded casually, ”Mainly pay attention to knife skills, marination, battering, coating with flour, oil sliding, steaming, blanching, drizzling or wrapping the ingredients with sauce, and seasoning. Then practice carrying, and once the technique becomes proficient, it will be fine.”

Sun Qingning: ”...”

Isn’t this just repeating the braising process from the textbook?

Even though he couldn’t quite remember it clearly.

The thought occurred, and Sun Qingning belatedly realized that Fu Yu was able to remember culinary theory so well.

This person not only has remarkable cooking skills but also an incredible memory!

Sun Qingning’s already large eyes widened again.

Is Fu Yu really that amazing?

Originally, I thought he was a bronze, but later I discovered that he was actually a king.

And just as this thought was forming, I realized he was already crowned the king!

Sun Qingning looked at Fu Yu with envy and admiration, sincerely feeling: Chef Fu is incredible!

Two dishes completed, with just one more to go: salt and pepper mantis shrimp.

It’s said that ”Eat what’s in season.”

Now in mid-August, the best mantis shrimp would come half a month later, when the meat retains more moisture.

Therefore, when customers come in now and want to order mantis shrimp, those in the know will opt for frying.

Because the best part of mantis shrimp is its sweet, tender flesh with a special alluring flavor.

Frying better accentuates the freshness and tenderness of the mantis shrimp, while the rich flavor of the salt and pepper compensates for their less fatty flesh at this time of year.

A plate of salt and pepper mantis shrimp uses twelve shrimp.

After purging the sand and cleaning the mantis shrimp, drain them thoroughly of water, add lemon slices, and let them sit aside.

Meanwhile, Fu Yu blanched some broccoli on a whim.

Sun Qingning peeked at the mantis shrimp and noticed how large their shells were.

”What’s the point of eating these mantis shrimps? If it was me, I’d rather spend money on a plate of salt and pepper prawns. At least they have a thin shell, thick flesh, and ample flavor.”

Fu Yu chuckled, pouring oil into the pan, saying, ”You just don’t get it, do you? Though mantis shrimp have thick shells and not much cooking variation, salt and pepper cookery makes it ’the tastiest finger-licking choice’ according to diners. Prawns can’t bring out such a unique flavor.”

Sun Qingning was not convinced: ”These mantis shrimps have little meat and hard shells. If I had the chance to order, I certainly wouldn’t choose them.”

The oil heated up in the pan, and in went the prepared mantis shrimps for a stir-fry.

Watching the mantis shrimp gradually turn pink, Fu Yu suddenly thought of a question.

Could plating alter customer satisfaction with a dish?

The main features of seafood are its fresh and delicious meat. If I put in a little more effort to make it more convenient to eat, would it be more popular?

Thinking this, Fu Yu settled down, continuing to stir-fry the mantis shrimp in the pan while observing closely.

In fact, many people just feel the taste is good but don’t know how to eat it.

Eating mantis shrimp requires learning to distinguish between ”male and female.”

Looking at the shrimp body, a female shrimp has 6 legs and an ”emperor” character on its neck, while a male shrimp has 2 extra small legs below.

Male shrimp have more meat, and female shrimp have more roe.

Once the gender is distinguished, you can judge how much force to use when peeling the mantis shrimp’s shell.

Aside from a few knowledgeable diners, most people don’t actually know this.

The mantis shrimp shell is hard and thick, and peeling without skill won’t work.

Fu Yu took the pink mantis shrimp out from the pan.

He cranked up the heat and, when the oil temperature rose steadily, threw the mantis shrimp back into the oil for repeated frying.

As soon as the crispy shell made a ”crackling” sound, he immediately lifted them, ensuring the shrimp meat wouldn’t be overcooked.

The fried mantis shrimp were placed belly-up, revealing the ”zippers” on both sides.

Fu Yu suddenly realized that often, when salt and pepper mantis shrimps are served, customers have to struggle to peel them and then taste them slowly.

In the process, due to lack of skill, they would often bite directly with their teeth.

This not only affects dining pleasure but also compromises the tasting experience.

If the issue of difficult shell peeling can be resolved directly in plating.

Then when customers are eating, it would be much easier.

Thinking of this, Fu Yu began to ponder.

How can I keep the plating aesthetically pleasing while making it easy for customers to peel off the shell?