The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Chapter 634: Chapter 627: Risking Life for Pufferfish

In the kitchen, besides the head chef Zhao Meng, Liu Junrong and Sun Weixing regarded Fu Yu as their direct supervisor.

After all, Head Chef Yao Shi rarely came to the back kitchen.

Compared to Yao Yihang over by Gu Yunwu’s side, Fu Yu was not only energetic and had a good personality but also possessed exceptional culinary skills.

Most importantly,

Fu Yu had no airs at all.

He took good care of those below him.

Whenever there was a chance to observe his cooking, Fu Yu never hesitated to offer tips on cooking techniques.

In a back kitchen like this, it’s generally impossible to get advice from the chef in charge.

Unlike other industries, the culinary field is extremely competitive; every chef has their own set of secrets that they rarely pass on to outsiders.

After all, these are hard-earned experiences; if you teach your apprentice everything, the master might starve.

However, Fu Yu never kept his knowledge to himself; whenever asked, he kindly provided guidance.

This made Liu Junrong and Sun Weixing’s impression of Fu Yu get better over time, and they respected him from the bottom of their hearts.

Unconsciously, Fu Yu’s status in their eyes was beginning to surpass that of Zhao Meng.

When something happened, their first reaction was to ask Fu Yu for help.

They didn’t know when it happened, but in their minds, Fu Yu became an omnipotent presence.

As long as it was related to cooking, there was nothing Fu Yu couldn’t do or solve.

This morning’s breakfast was prepared by Fu Yu, and each person on Zhao Meng’s side had two pieces of very special fermented tofu steamed chicken in their bowl.

This was a delicacy that the people over by Gu Yunwu couldn’t enjoy.

The few people shared a knowing smile and quietly finished the food in their bowls.

They knew that the steamed chicken was something Fu Yu paid for out of his own pocket to give everyone a special treat.

There’s an old saying that goes, "If you eat someone’s food, you can’t badmouth them," and their gratitude toward Fu Yu was beyond expression.

In the afternoon, a server from the front hall came over with an order slip.

Included was an order from one of Fu Yu’s regular customers.

Fu Yu glanced at the slip and was somewhat surprised to see it was an order for a small banquet.

Four dishes, with the main course being the restaurant’s specialty seafood porridge.

What surprised Fu Yu was that the customer ordered the rarely requested red braised pufferfish.

It wasn’t that the dish didn’t taste good or was expensive; rather, pufferfish are poisonous, and a minor slip in the kitchen could easily lead to customer poisoning.

Qianlima hadn’t sold this dish for a long time.

It was popular for a while, but due to a small oversight, a customer who smoked after eating the pufferfish was taken away by an ambulance.

Although doctors concluded that the pufferfish was well-prepared and the cooking method wasn’t the issue,

the main reason was that the customer, who had never eaten pufferfish before, had a sensitive constitution.

Indeed, after eating pufferfish, smoking in moderation might lead to poisoning.

This customer was just particularly unlucky.

Regardless of the reason, this food poisoning incident garnered significant attention.

First, the Food Inspection Bureau thoroughly investigated the entire affair.

Secondly, all local restaurants serving pufferfish were monitored and required to make corrections.

Lastly, on TV, online, and in other widely influential places, there were extensive campaigns warning about the dangers of pufferfish, advising against consumption.

For a time, people’s love for the delicious pufferfish noticeably waned.

The restaurant industry faced the headache of regulatory crackdowns, and pufferfish dishes were gradually taken off menus.

To this day, the excitement is no longer what it once was.

Qianlima did retain its signature dish, red braised pufferfish.

But the ones who ordered it were usually long-time older customers.

Pufferfish, something one eats with trepidation but remembers with fondness afterward.

There’s an old saying, "Risk life to taste pufferfish."

Old sayings always have truth to them.

Thinking back, Fu Yu had never dealt with this dish.

The restaurant’s old customers always preferred trusted chefs like Zhao Meng and Gu Yunwu.

When ordering a risky dish, they would undoubtedly choose the more reliable chefs.

Yet this order came to Fu Yu.

It wasn’t clear whether the customer truly appreciated Fu Yu’s skills or if a newcomer, naive to the risks, was experimenting.

No matter what, since the dish was ordered, it had to be cooked.

Fu Yu had made red braised pufferfish during teaching and practice classes.

But in reality, he never had the chance to practice it.

For a moment, he was quite excited.

While cooking the dish at hand, Fu Yu casually instructed a kitchen helper to bring over three pufferfish.

Specifically reminding, "Bring them alive, I’ll handle them myself."

Zhang Jinyu responded and turned to fetch the fish, but Liu Junrong, who had just finished chopping vegetables, quickly interjected, "Brother Zhang, I’ll go. I need to stretch my legs."

Zhang Jinyu nodded, happy to stay and assist Fu Yu.

Liu Junrong was excited.

He had never seen how pufferfish were prepared.

The main reason was that in this kitchen, it was rare to encounter a customer ordering this dish.

He walked briskly to fetch the fish, eager to observe and learn the cooking process.

Other kitchen helpers shared Liu Junrong’s curiosity.

Even Zhang Jinyu was intrigued.

The thing about pufferfish is that they are highly toxic, and improper handling can lead to incidents.

Whenever chefs cooked this dish, they never trusted helpers to handle it themselves; they would slaughter and clean it personally.

Soon, Liu Junrong returned with the pufferfish.

Fu Yu took over and began the processing.

Thanks to countless practice sessions in teaching classes, Fu Yu accumulated deep experience with seafood like pufferfish.

First is fresh fish processing,

second is controlling the cooking temperature,

third is using separate utensils.

These three key operations are all aimed at detoxification and preventing toxin spread.

Among them, the pufferfish slaughtering process is very important.

Zhang Jinyu, with quick understanding, prepared all the necessary tools ahead of time.

Fu Yu picked up a pair of scissors with a pointed tip, first cutting off the fins and then the eyes.

The eyes had to be removed whole, without puncturing them.

Next, he opened the belly and removed all the internal organs except the liver.

He cut the red tendons, used salt to scrub off the surface slime, and cleaned it carefully.

Using his thumb, he broke the intestines to remove dirt, scrubbed with salt or alum to remove slime, cleaned thoroughly, and wrapped the intestines around the gills.

The ovaries were tied with string, hung in the air to dry, reserved for special preparation later; fresh ovaries must never be consumed.

The leftover liver was trimmed at the edges, membranes scraped off, cut into 5mm slices, blood stains washed away and placed in a dedicated container.

Then he repeatedly washed his hands with soap to remove impurities, preventing toxin contamination of other food and utensils.