Chapter 497: Chapter 490: The Master Leads the Way
Although the blue fish used by Qianlima is artificially bred, it is ensured to be freshly killed to maximize the freshness of the blue fish’s flesh.
After cleaning the fish scales and removing the innards, Fu Yu used the knife to remove the fish bones.
First, he cut off the fish head, then positioned the knife against the backbone and sliced inward, with the fish belly facing out and the back facing in. Holding the upper half of the fish belly with his left hand, he flipped the fish and used the same method to remove the meat from the other half.
Upon reaching the fish tail, it needed to be sliced piece by piece.
After preparing the blue fish, he cracked an egg into a bowl and beat it thoroughly.
The outer hard crust of the bread was removed, floured, and grated into crumbs.
With the fish skin facing down on the chopping board, he scored the fish flesh using a sloped knife at intervals of 2.5 centimeters, and then horizontally every 1.5 centimeters, cutting down to the skin.
The bones were removed, and the fish meat was re-sliced.
The entire operation was executed by Fu Yu with seamless proficiency.
His advanced deboning skills allowed him to easily remove every tiny fish bone without damaging any extra meat.
Fu Yu placed the cut fish into a bowl and added scallions, ginger, salt, and soy sauce for marination.
After handling the fish, he proceeded with cooking the Spicy Fragrant Fish Cubes.
The marinated fish pieces were directly placed into a frying pan and fried until both sides were golden brown.
The fish meat was sprinkled with minced Sichuan peppercorns and prickly ash, imparting a rich, tingling aroma upon entry, with a fresh and tender taste.
After frying the fish cubes, Fu Yu swiftly shredded some carrots, ensuring each piece was distinct and fine as a hair.
The shredded carrot was then placed directly into the pan, stir-fried without oil, resulting in crispy carrots.
The stir-fried carrot shreds had a sweeter taste, with a texture that was just right—crisp and tender.
For plate decoration, the tender green scallion leaves were taken and sliced into fine strips.
A trapezoidal white porcelain plate with a slight rim of colorful glaze pattern was used, where the fish cubes were intricately stacked. The stir-fried shredded carrots were gently gathered into a ball and placed on the fish.
The scallion strips were placed on the side as garnish.
The entire dish, from plating to flavor, was impeccable and quite perfect.
The Spicy Fragrant Fish Cubes were taken away by the server.
Fu Yu picked up the marinated fish and began cooking the Grape Fish.
Removing the ginger and scallion from the bowl, he coated the fish evenly in egg batter, then sprinkled a layer of bread crumbs so that they adhered to the fish meat and within the cuts.
Placing the pot on high heat, he added oil and heated it to five-tenths done before adding the fish.
After frying for about 3 minutes, the fish skin shrank, turned pale yellow, and the fish meat opened like grape particles. He then fished it out and placed it on a plate.
Normally, grapevine leaves are used as decorative materials when plating.
However, this season, it was hard to find even tender green tree leaves, let alone vine leaves.
Fu Yu blanched prepared green vegetable leaves, cut them into shapes resembling grape leaves and stems, and arranged them by the fish, forming a pattern akin to pickled branched grapes.
Separately, he placed another pot on high heat, added grape juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and salt, brought it to a boil, thickened it with cornstarch water, and drizzled in sesame oil before pouring it over the fish on the plate.
The whole plate of fish was arranged to resemble a bunch of grapes.
The plating was intricate, the frying exquisite, with clean lines.
The taste was rich with a sweet and sour grape aroma, crispy on the outside, tender inside, with a sweet and sour flavor overall.
The Grape Fish completed its final plating.
Even Zhao Meng peeked over and sincerely praised, "Not bad, this Grape Fish is quite authentic, you kid, your knife skills have improved again!"
Fu Yu smiled and placed the plate on the serving table.
This dish was indeed a bit niche, rarely made in the back kitchen for a while, so when Zhao Meng praised it, others also gathered around to take a look.
Looking at the uniquely shaped Grape Fish, Liu Junrong gave Sun Weixing a knowing look: "Awesome!"
Sun Weixing nodded, looking at Fu Yu with envy.
If only someday, he could reach Fu Yu’s level.
No wonder he managed to be officially confirmed within less than a year of internship and even earned Zhao Meng’s special attention.
To establish oneself in the back kitchen, the only path is to improve culinary skills; everything else is just a waste of time.
When the server arrived, Fu Yu quickly greeted Zhao Meng and followed them to the front hall.
In the private room.
The girl saw the dishes in front of her and her eyes immediately lit up.
If Fu Yu were there at that moment, he would have noticed that the originally blurred dishes on the dining table in the video reflected in the girl’s mind suddenly became clear.
The dish yet to be portioned was indeed the Spicy Fragrant Fish Cubes.
It was said that this dish matched perfectly.
The girl’s parents were overjoyed.
As long as one dish was right, there was no rush for the other.
And when Fu Yu followed the server to bring the Grape Fish to the table, the girl clapped her hands excitedly, "It’s this dish! It’s perfect!"
Having confirmed the two dishes, the girl’s parents hurriedly placed their orders on the spot.
With things settled in the front hall, Fu Yu turned and returned to the back kitchen.
After work in the evening, Fu Yu clocked out, changed his clothes, and took a cab to Shangshi Private Kitchen.
Today marked the start of his learning how to make Gourd Chicken with Liu Zhangpeng.
Although Liu Yunong didn’t set exact office hours, Fu Yu always arrived at the back kitchen before six o’clock.
This was the busiest time in the back kitchen.
Fu Yu changed his attire and proactively went to assist Liu Yunong.
After working together for a few days, they developed a bit of a rapport.
Many times, even before Liu Yunong gave instructions, Fu Yu had already prepared everything that needed to be done in advance.
This made Liu Yunong increasingly content with Fu Yu.
After 8:30 PM, apart from the dishes ordered by customers for the table, everything else was prepared, ready for immediate cooking.
At this point, Liu Yunong said to Fu Yu, "Xiaofu, it’s not busy now; why don’t you practice making Gourd Chicken with Chef Liu, it will come in handy tomorrow."
Fu Yu responded affirmatively, went to the storeroom, and selected two processed tender hens.
Liu Zhangpeng quickly stepped forward to take them, smiling, "Chef Fu, you sure picked two fat hens, going for the big ones, huh?"
Fu Yu smiled, "The task given by Chef Liu, naturally must be done well, plump hens are better for practicing deboning!"
Liu Zhangpeng chuckled, took one of the hens, and followed Fu Yu back to the cooking stall.
For opportunities to learn culinary skills without spending money, Fu Yu cherished them greatly.
After all, back when he was in school, the annual fees were not low.
Hearing about their practice with Gourd Chicken, Wang Yulong and several helpers joined in.
Gourd Chicken is a specialty of the restaurant; it’s not difficult to cook, what’s hard is the swift and complete deboning.
Whether the bones are cleanly removed and if the chicken remains intact are crucial for the dish’s texture and plating presentation.
Liu Yunong was keen on instructing Fu Yu, so she thoroughly explained the specific steps and precautions of chicken deboning.
Her explanations were detailed, and Fu Yu listened intently.
In fact, for such deboning tasks, hands-on demonstration yields the most effective teaching results.
However, Liu Yunong intended to test Fu Yu, so she only instructed verbally without demonstration, relying entirely on Fu Yu’s own understanding and comprehension.
