The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Fu Yu chuckled, ”Got it, don’t worry, I won’t hold back!”

After they finished talking, they checked on the pickled vegetables and left the storage room one after the other.

Just as they returned to the Red Case District, Yao Shi quickly walked in from outside.

Seeing Zhao Meng and Fu Yu together, he immediately laughed, ”Oh! Everyone’s here!”

Zhao Meng was a little surprised, ”Why are you here at this time? Have you had lunch?”

Yao Shi nodded with a bit of resignation, ”Don’t even start, I rushed over right from the dining table. I did finish my meal, but it’s a pity for that good bottle of wine, didn’t get a chance to taste it! If I knew, I would have had a drink first.”

Yao Shi’s stomach isn’t great, so he always needs to have some food first before he slowly enjoys his wine.

The better the wine, the less you can rush to drink it.

Zhao Meng rolled his eyes, ”Even if you didn’t drink, you definitely have a bottle stashed, so you won’t miss tasting it!”

Yao Shi laughed, ”Absolutely, it’s in my trunk.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Meng’s eyes lit up, ”Great, just in time since Xiaofu is planning to invite us for dinner tonight, and I’ll be counting on your bottle of wine to go with the meal.”

Yao Shi also laughed, ”I knew that wine wouldn’t stay untouched!”

They exchanged a few lighthearted words and confirmed the dinner plans for the evening.

Zhao Meng then turned to ask about official matters, ”What’s up? Why did you rush back like that?”

Yao Shi mentioned a name and explained, ”Their kid’s back from studying abroad and wants to have some hometown dishes, so specifically brought them over to our restaurant. We’ve scheduled to dine here at three in the afternoon.”

Zhao Meng got serious, ”Oh, we better let Wen Jing know, this can’t be done through the main entrance.”

Yao Shi nodded, ”Of course, let’s set it up in room 104.”

At this point, Yao Shi smiled and gave Fu Yu a glance, ”I’m cooking today. Xiaofu, got nothing on your hands, right? How about helping me out?”

Fu Yu quickly agreed, ”Sure thing!”

Yao Shi looked at Fu Yu, ”Xiaofu, today I’ll show you some skills, let you see what top-tier braising techniques are! Get a taste of the most authentic seafood stew!”

Fu Yu grew curious, ”The most authentic seafood stew? Is it different from what we’ve cooked in the restaurant before?”

Yao Shi smiled and said, ”What we cook now is with modified sauce methods. Originally, the flavor wasn’t like this at all.”

Fu Yu was instantly intrigued.

The seafood stew at Qianlima is quite popular with the customers, especially in the cold winter. A steaming seafood stew, rich in ingredients, diverse in taste, goes perfectly with both sides and noodles.

It’s a highly versatile dish.

But the old-style cooking method Yao Shi mentioned, he hadn’t seen it before and found himself anticipating it.

As they talked, Fu Yu followed Yao Shi to the cooking station.

Yao Shi first instructed Fu Yu to prepare ingredients, while he made a phone call to Gao Wenjing to explain the arrangement for when the guests arrive.

Fu Yu, taking advantage of the preparation time, called Liu Yunong to take the evening off.

Tonight, he wants to invite Yao Shi and Zhao Meng for dinner.

Liu Yunong quickly approved the request.

After hanging up, Fu Yu couldn’t help but think a bit.

This was perhaps the advantage of working with close friends, he mused.

Reflecting on Liu Yunong’s consistent attitude toward him, she probably was quite satisfied with him.

After finishing the conversation with Zhao Meng, Fu Yu also pondered.

He spends his days under Liu Yunong’s guidance and knows the ropes well.

Besides, he’s always been a reliable and steady person, and as a dependable and ambitious boyfriend, he indeed fits the role perfectly.

Seeing it this way, the future seems like a bright, wide avenue for him!

Fu Yu couldn’t help but feel a bit smug.

After finishing the preparation, Fu Yu stood beside Yao Shi, listening to his instructions on the specifics of the seafood stew cooking method.

Scenes like these hadn’t happened for quite a while.

Thinking carefully, it seems since National Day, Yao Shi’s visits to Qianlima have become less frequent, not to mention cooking.

People in the store were quietly discussing that perhaps Yao Shi had seen to other arrangements.

As for what that arrangement is, everyone unanimously felt that the kitchen might indeed soon have a new head chef.

Fu Yu had also heard this news, but he hadn’t gone to gossip with Zhao Meng.

After all, with Zhao Meng’s information channels, he likely knew long ago.

And since it hadn’t been mentioned to him, it probably hadn’t been formally scheduled yet.

So Fu Yu didn’t ask further.

He’s always been very rational; in the past, because of limited exposure, his view was somewhat narrow.

He once thought that following Zhao Meng to the music restaurant was a rare opportunity, and if grasped, it would mark the start of his career.

But now, he suddenly realized that perhaps he could aim higher, start from a broader platform.

Yao Shi stood at the cooking station, first checking on the preparation status.

With Fu Yu handling tasks, he had complete confidence. Before cooking, he couldn’t help but remind, ”Watch closely, my braising specialty isn’t shown casually!”

Yao Shi said jokingly, but Fu Yu immediately became focused.

He remembered all too well Yao Shi’s upscale cooking skills.

Now that he had a chance to learn, he definitely wanted to remember every detail.

As there weren’t other orders that afternoon, Zhao Meng, with some free time, instructed the helpers to start preparing for the night and brought Sun Qingning over to watch as Yao Shi cooked.

Zhao Meng’s attitude toward Sun Qingning had noticeably changed.

It was no longer the previous cold indifference of being disappointed. He was now officially teaching Sun Qingning cooking-related skills, just like he had done with Fu Yu in the past.

Sun Qingning had long shifted from being preoccupied with his girlfriend and lazy habits to a more dedicated attitude.

Often, even Fu Yu felt like he could see a reflection of himself back when he diligently apprenticed alongside Zhao Meng.

Zhao Meng always appreciated those who were hardworking and willing to endure hardships, so it was only natural for him to mentor Sun Qingning.

And Yao Shi clearly approved of Zhao Meng’s actions.

He was also quite satisfied with Sun Qingning, thinking that if he proved capable, he might just promote him to head chef to fill the vacancy in the kitchen.

Sun Qingning was a chatterbox, and as he followed Zhao Meng to watch, he couldn’t keep quiet. He first peeked at the prepared ingredients, then asked, ”Oh? Are you making seafood stew?”

Yao Shi smiled, ”This isn’t just any seafood stew.”

Sun Qingning’s eyes brightened, ”Chef Yao, are you planning on making an improved version?”

”Not an improved version, but the traditional seafood stew.”

Yao Shi said and then turned to Zhao Meng, ”Come to think of it, it’s been years since I made it this way.”

Zhao Meng chuckled, ”Hasn’t it? It’s been officially off-menu for four years, right?”

Behind them, Sun Qingning was dumbfounded... the dish was off-menu, so how could anyone order it?

Originally, it was adjusted to suit customer tastes, going through much hassle to modify it.

Yet now, nostalgia was bringing it back.

...

The feature of seafood stew lies in its rich ingredients and simple cooking method.

It focuses on grandeur and presentation, using a variety of seafood to cover, with the proud and noble little abalone and tender and delicious sea prawns being indispensable main ingredients.

Paired with assorted vegetables as fillers and special sauce for flavor, the stew is braised until done. Diners can gather around one pot to eat, often leaving no broth behind, it’s incredibly tasty.

Due to its rich main ingredients and sides, ingredient preparation can be quite a hassle.

For such a pot of ingredients, at least two people simultaneously prepare the ingredients.

The head chef handles the main ingredients, while the assistant cuts all the sides.

Even though the actual cooking time isn’t long, the process requires high skill from the chef.

Because directly braising the seafood stew can lead to ”flavors not melding well.”

During cooking, attention must be paid that main ingredients and side ingredients are not braised directly, or it will lead to a blend of meat and vegetable flavors.

Fu Yu had previously cooked this dish, so he was familiar with the specific procedure.

But after Yao Shi had specifically pointed out the cooking steps, Fu Yu realized the critical point of the modification was indeed the sauce’s taste profile.