The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Chapter 353: Chapter 352: Silently Gave a Thumbs Up

The camera switched to Fu Yu.

Chen Xinwei, standing below the stage, suddenly brightened up.

To be honest, among all the standby chefs today, the one he really thought highly of was Fu Yu.

However, after Qiu Jingxiu took the stage, she obviously appreciated Gao Chao more.

Moreover, from the beginning of cooking, Fu Yu had been silently busy working, leaving Chen Xinwei at a loss for words.

And Principal Li He also showed more preference and admiration for Gao Chao.

After all, he was Che Yuhang’s outstanding student and also the manager of a Zhongxiang Restaurant branch.

Achieving such success just three years after graduation indicates that Gao Chao’s cooking skills are of a high standard, and he is truly gifted, which is undeniable.

On any stage, there will definitely be the most watched contestants. When two people are cooking the same dish at the same time, the audience’s attention naturally shifts to the side they are more interested in watching.

From the beginning, all the audience’s attention was on Qiu Jingxiu, so when she stood by Gao Chao’s cooking station to watch, they all admired Gao Chao’s skilled cooking techniques.

Fu Yu was well aware of this and showed no intention of stealing the spotlight, as he simply focused on completing the task at hand.

But now, as Qiu Jingxiu’s focus shifted to Fu Yu, the audience naturally followed suit with their attention.

Even if there was no real competitiveness, when two people cook on the same stage, one will definitely be more popular.

When the cooking is halfway through, the one who can capture the viewers’ attention is definitely the one with more exquisite skills and eye-catching cooking methods.

Gao Chao originally thought that this person would surely be himself.

But now, he was scrambling through the cooking of the third type of crispy meat, while hearing the low murmurs of admiration from the host and Qiu Jingxiu.

Fu Yu, on the other hand, had already started to complete the three kinds of crispy meat, with the other two already steaming, now just waiting for the meat to cook.

At this moment, without pausing for a bit, Fu Yu immediately began mixing dough to make walnut buns.

Melting red sugar in hot water, filtering it, adding two drops of dark soy sauce, and letting it cool to warm temperature before stirring in dry yeast.

This was the exact wording in the cooking tutorial from Qiu Jingxiu’s recipe book.

If it had been before, Fu Yu would have complained about it.

How warm is ”warm”?

Now he knew; it requires using your hands to measure, and with a touch, he could determine the suitable temperature.

Such things depend entirely on experience.

It is something that can only be understood but not explained.

Add flour and stir it a bit with chopsticks.

Start kneading the dough.

It is often said that an expert shows his skills immediately upon taking action.

As Fu Yu started his kneading technique, Qiu Jingxiu was surprised.

The main technique of kneading is actually rubbing.

Rubbing from the inside out.

The rubbed-out dough is folded back, then rubbed outwards again.

Repeat this rubbing and folding action.

Fu Yu completed this set of procedures smoothly and with ease.

And when he naturally took a bowl of water, moistened his hands and gently tapped the dough with his wet hand.

Seeing this action, Qiu Jingxiu couldn’t help but ask in surprise, ”Fu Yu, have you studied pastry?”

While kneading, Fu Yu replied, ”Sort of.”

Watching Fu Yu, Qiu Jingxiu said nothing, but thought to herself that this kid was probably being modest on purpose.

With such technique, how could he do it so precisely and professionally without specifically studying pastry?

As she was speculating, she saw Fu Yu grab one end of the dough and throw it outwards.

Wow!

This method of checking the dough’s elasticity is something newbies wouldn’t know.

Qiu Jingxiu became more certain of her thoughts.

After smoothing the dough, let it ferment.

Fu Yu proceeded systematically and in an orderly manner.

Meanwhile, Gao Chao was clearly starting to become overwhelmed.

Both pots at his station were occupied, and he had finished all the prep work he could do.

If possible, he should be like Fu Yu, taking the opportunity to knead dough and make walnut buns.

But he suddenly realized that having a professional match really matters.

At Zhongxiang Restaurant, he could easily complete a whole table banquet and cook complex dishes while calmly handling all kinds of endless customer requests.

But now, facing a bunch of pastry utensils and cooking ingredients, he suddenly found himself not as omnipotent, far from being as remarkable as he thought.

Especially when he couldn’t help but glance at the big screen behind him, where it happened to be showing Fu Yu’s skilled dough kneading and filling preparation, Gao Chao panicked for the first time.

At this moment, hearing Fu Yu’s answer, Gao Chao suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of hope.

Perhaps Fu Yu could actually make walnut buns?

In this scenario, nothing is more important than successfully completing the cooking performance!

Moreover, for some reason, hearing Fu Yu casually mention having studied pastry before, his heart immediately calmed down.

Qiu Jingxiu was now obviously more interested in Fu Yu.

She watched as Fu Yu let the dough rise, then turned his attention to taking the steamed meat out of the pot to continue the final touches.

Admiring as she was, she couldn’t help but ask, ”Do you know what details need attention during the making of walnut buns?”

Thinking she wanted to impart knowledge, Fu Yu smiled and said, ”Not really sure.”

But Qiu Jingxiu wasn’t quick to reveal the answer, instead encouraging him, ”Based on your past experience, what do you think should be considered?”

Fu Yu realized Qiu Jingxiu was trying to test him, so he said, ”I think the dough should be slightly firmer than regular risen dough. If it’s too soft, it won’t hold up when steamed. When imprinting patterns, a bit more force is needed. If the lines are shallow, they’ll become indistinct after rising. Most importantly, don’t over-rise it, as it could affect the appearance.”

At these words, Qiu Jingxiu’s eyes lit up as she watched Fu Yu plate the cooked crispy meat.

Smiling, she asked, ”How about this golden crispy meat? How do you think its texture is when it’s cooked?”

Fu Yu replied, ”I haven’t tasted it, but after cooking, I can roughly judge its texture.”

While speaking, Fu Yu began to arrange the five types of crispy meat on a special platter.

He casually pointed to the Henan-style large crispy meat among them.

”In this dish, made from a whole piece of pork belly with skin, the meat is chopped while egg liquid is added, eventually blending together indistinguishably, then fried and steamed into a dish.”

”According to the standard, the skin of the milky pork should remain unbroken, and the texture should be tender and crumbly, melting in the mouth with a soft fragrance without being greasy and a bright yellow color.”

”While this mushroom small crispy meat, replacing traditional pork belly with pork neck meat, reduces greasiness, making it more refreshing.”

”Added with mushrooms, it enriches the dish’s taste, is nutritious and healthy, with a fresh and savory taste, smooth yet not greasy.”

...

Qiu Jingxiu remained silent.

Listening to Fu Yu’s commentary, she silently gave him a mental thumbs-up.

Fu Yu’s grasp on cooking techniques was incredibly proficient.

Only truly experienced chefs can accurately predict a dish’s optimal texture just from the cooking process without tasting it.