Free Web NovelChapter 596: Chapter 589: Sounds Like the Real Deal
Fu Yu hurriedly said, "Chef Zhao, let me give it a try. When I was learning cooking with Chef Liu, I made this dish before. The cooking method is quite similar to what the customer described."
Zhao Meng was taken aback, "Does Shangshi Private Kitchen have this dish too?"
Fu Yu casually lied, "Yes, it’s even a signature dish over there, but the method is indeed a bit different from ours."
After saying this, afraid that Zhao Meng wouldn’t believe him, he added, "I also think that this customer probably didn’t dine at our restaurant before and just misremembered the place. Crab imitation isn’t an uncommon dish, and everyone has their own way of making it. Since ours isn’t working, why not try the cooking method from Shangshi Private Kitchen? It might just be the kind the customer wants to eat."
Zhao Meng hadn’t considered that Shangshi Private Kitchen might also have this dish.
So he asked carefully, "How do they cook it over there?"
Fu Yu explained honestly, "The methods are similar, but the ingredients are different. We use fresh shrimp here, but they use small yellow croaker. I found it fascinating at the time, so I learned it carefully."
"In terms of taste, I tried it back then. It indeed tastes like crab meat and is very fresh. However, the presentation is a bit different from what the customer mentioned, but we can arrange the garnish as they described."
Upon hearing that it was a signature dish at Shangshi Private Kitchen, Zhao Meng felt relieved.
If we’re speaking about authentic old brands, not even Qianlima, let alone anyone else in the country, can compare to Liu Family Cuisine.
It is, after all, the descendants of Lady Liu, with cooking methods passed down from generation to generation.
If it wasn’t authentic enough to be called a classic old taste, it wouldn’t be a real venerable brand.
Thus, Zhao Meng immediately decided, "Alright, let’s use the method from Shangshi Private Kitchen, and you’ll be responsible for this dish."
Then he reminded, "Since Chef Liu taught you, when cooking, you handle it yourself, and don’t let anyone assist you."
Everyone in the circle knows that Shangshi Private Kitchen is different from ordinary restaurants outside.
The chefs in the back kitchen inherit internally, and their cooking skills are always passed down internally and not externally.
That’s why it’s called private kitchen cuisine.
Since there’s such a rule, it can’t be easily broken.
Liu Yunong willing to teach Fu Yu cooking was Fu Yu’s opportunity.
Once mastered, he can use it however he wishes in the future.
As for others, they shouldn’t see what they shouldn’t see or learn what they shouldn’t learn.
So when Fu Yu was cooking, Zhao Meng directly sent Zhang Jinyu to the barbecue area to help Sun Qingning, taking over the barbecue takeaway orders together.
Fu Yu then handled everything from tackling fish to preparing ingredients by himself, not relying on anyone else.
It was the busiest time in the kitchen, and everyone was working quietly, so no one really noticed what Fu Yu was doing.
Handling fresh fish was a task Fu Yu used to do often when he was a helper before, and now taking it up again, he was still very skilled at it.
The ingredients used in the classic old taste recipe were small yellow croaker. The tender fish meat, paired with egg and salted egg yolk, could be cooked into a dish similar in texture to crab.
And small yellow croaker is closer to crab meat in both taste and texture.
With a bit of cooking, making a dish resembling crab meat is not a hard task.
Before cooking, Fu Yu first took out the classic old taste recipe, studied it thoroughly, and then began cooking only after memorizing all the steps.
The small yellow croakers at Qianlima were delivered fresh, with tender and plump meat.
Fu Yu cleaned the small yellow croaker, dried it with kitchen paper, and removed the skin.
He deboned the fish and cut it into small granules with a knife.
To make it look better in color, he discarded the parts near the fish skin and only took the middle meat.
After taking out the fish meat, he also carefully removed any fish bones.
Yellow croaker is among the fish with fewer bones, but not completely bone-free.
If not thoroughly cleaned, customers could easily get hurt when dining.
Good tools are essential to good work; Fu Yu was very meticulous when picking out the bones.
After removing the small bones, he cut the fish meat into granules, making sure not to cut them too finely, as the texture of yellow croaker is close to crab meat, so keeping it granular is more realistic.
This is a special note in the classic old taste recipe.
Fu Yu fully agrees with this.
If it weren’t for this tip, when cooking for the first time, he might have only minced the yellow croaker meat into paste, not taking these into account.
While cooking this dish, the classic old taste recipe clearly marks the steps.
The so-called, three steps ensure success!
Step one: imitate crab meat: egg white and yellow croaker granules.
Step two: imitate crab roe: egg yolk and salted egg yolk.
Step three: simulate authentic flavor bowl sauce preparation.
As long as these three steps are followed, the taste and texture of this dish can be almost indistinguishable from real crab meat.
It shares a unique similarity with Qianlima’s cooking technique.
The only difference is the use of shrimp meat and yellow croaker meat respectively.
Fu Yu, following the notes in the recipe, began to prepare the bowl sauce.
Shaoxing wine, white vinegar, white sugar, minced ginger, and salt; Fu Yu has always handled the proportions very precisely.
He mixed all the seasonings evenly and set them aside.
He crushed the salted egg yolk with a spoon.
The salted egg yolk has to be crushed thoroughly, so it can blend better with the egg yolk.
Fu Yu always pays attention to such details.
Breaking a fresh egg, he separated the egg white, and directly cracked the egg yolk into the bowl with the salted egg yolk.
He stirred the yellow croaker meat evenly in the egg white and set it aside.
The egg yolk and salted egg yolk were also stirred evenly and set aside.
Heated the wok with oil.
Normally, a non-stick pan is definitely needed for this.
A sticky iron pan that sticks when frying fish and dishes can’t be used for this dish as it will stick to the bottom.
However, Fu Yu had no such concerns.
He still used his usual black-handled iron pan.
Fu Yu poured the egg white liquid into the pan, stirring with chopsticks over medium-low heat.
When frying egg whites and yolks, it needs attention; stir with chopsticks until shaped into strands.
At this time, avoid using a spatula, as it will shape into blocks if a spatula is used.
This is a small trick.
Until the egg white liquid was slightly solidified, pour in the bowl sauce and continue stirring in circles.
The timing to add the bowl sauce is when the egg white and egg yolk slightly condense. After adding, continue stirring in circles until the liquid is absorbed; the dish’s characteristic is being dry and fluffy, not watery. If the bottom of the plate has water, it’s a failure as it affects the taste.
Once the egg white consolidated, took it out and spread it on the bottom of the plate.
For plating, Fu Yu specifically chose a large white round porcelain plate with ridged grooves like a scallop shell, following the customer’s memory.
At this time, the fragrant aroma started wafting out.
Indeed, it did smell a bit like crab meat.
Fu Yu cleaned the wok, heated it with oil, and poured in the egg yolk liquid, stirring with chopsticks over medium-low heat.
Added the bowl sauce, stirred evenly, and dished out, arranging it on top of the egg white.
