Chapter 129 - 115: People Laugh When They’re Awkward
Chapter 129: Chapter 115: People Laugh When They’re Awkward
Zhou Yan glanced at him. "Isn’t this something anyone with hands can do?"
With that, he rinsed the wok, added oil, and scooped in a spoonful of pork cracklings to stir-fry.
There was leftover hand-torn cabbage, and he had prepared a double portion of the aromatic ingredients.
The cabbage was dirt cheap, and there were two baskets of pork cracklings. With his Master here, it was the perfect time to practice.
Besides, this dish looked simple enough. The Fire Control wasn’t that difficult, and the seasoning was even simpler. All he had to do was...
[A slightly burnt Stir-fried Cabbage with Pork Cracklings]
[An undercooked Stir-fried Cabbage with Pork Cracklings]
[A Stir-fried Cabbage with Pork Cracklings where the cracklings are tough]
Zhou Yan glanced at Xiao Lei and gave an embarrassed laugh.
Sometimes, when you’re at a loss for words, all you can do is laugh.
This seemingly ordinary dish of stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings had caused him to fail three times in a row.
Of the three finished dishes, none even qualified as "decent," let alone "good."
"You need more practice, apprentice." Xiao Lei laughed too.
"Master, what’s going on? Is it because you’re standing here? Am I a little nervous?" Zhou Yan looked at him, trying to find an external reason for his failure.
"Should I leave then?" Xiao Lei turned and walked out of the kitchen without the slightest hesitation, refusing to take the blame.
Zhou Yan rinsed the wok again, replaying his Master’s movements when he cooked the cabbage earlier. Then, he reviewed his own three failed attempts.
’My hands are too stiff. I really am a little nervous.’
This was the first dish he had truly learned from his Master, outside of the system.
The cooking methods for Braised Pork Kidney and Stir-fried Pork Liver were quite similar; he could grasp most of it with minor adjustments.
But now that he was alone in the kitchen, his mind gradually calmed, and his wits returned. The Fire Control and seasoning experience he had accumulated recently began to surface.
Zhou Yan knew in his heart that the system was just an aid. To become a true Grandmaster of Sichuan Cuisine, he ultimately had to rely on his own hard work.
He poured oil into the wok, added the pork cracklings and aromatics, then the hand-torn cabbage. A quick stir-fry, seasoning, and plating—all in one smooth motion.
[A good Stir-fried Cabbage with Pork Cracklings]
Seeing the text pop up before his eyes, Zhou Yan’s face lit up. He called out, slightly excited, "Master, I did it!"
Xiao Lei walked in, looked at the cabbage Zhou Yan was holding, and nodded with a smile. "Mm, not bad. The Fire Control is on point."
He picked up a pair of chopsticks, tried a piece of pork crackling, then a piece of cabbage, and said with a smile, "The seasoning is just right, too. There’s still some room for improvement, but it’s good enough to put on the menu and sell."
"A great master produces a brilliant student! Master, it’s all thanks to you." Zhou Yan beamed. "We’re amazing."
"You’re this happy over a simple vegetable dish." Xiao Lei chuckled.
"So, should we make the Stir-fried Pork Liver now?" Zhou Yan looked at him and said, "Come on, the liver is right here. You can prep the ingredients. Now it’s my turn to give you some pointers."
Xiao Lei stopped smiling.
"Master, you’re not still thinking of making me your prep cook, are you?" Zhou Yan’s smile grew wider.
"Come on then. Let Master Zhou give me some pointers on how to make Stir-fried Pork Liver at your level." Xiao Lei cut off about a half-jin piece of liver and began to wash and slice it.
Zhou Yan stood by with his hands behind his back, watching. For a long while, he couldn’t manage a single word of critique.
At some point, his hands came down from behind his back, and he even straightened his posture.
Because he realized his Master’s work was too perfect.
Even judging by the system’s flawless standards, there wasn’t a single thing to criticize.
’What right do I have?’ Zhou Yan thought. He had only gained perfect experience with this dish through a system reward.
His Master, on the other hand, had reached this level through years of hard work, with no tricks or shortcuts.
"Master Zhou, the ingredients are prepped. Will you demonstrate how to make the slurry, or should I cook while you instruct?" Xiao Lei looked back at Zhou Yan and asked with a smile.
"Master, just call me Zhou." Zhou Yan waved his hands dismissively and suggested, "Why don’t you make the slurry and cook a portion first? I’ll see if I can spot anything. If my skill isn’t high enough to notice the difference, then tonight when I’m cooking, you can watch and see if you can get a feel for it. What do you think?"
"Deal, Master Zhou." Xiao Lei nodded, his expression serious. "Your Master once said, ’Every trade has its master,’ and ’When three walk together, one can be my teacher.’ Anyone whose skill is greater than yours can be your master. You make better Stir-fried Pork Liver than I do, so today, you are my master. When I call you Master Zhou, you just accept it. No need to be polite."
"Deal." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.
Xiao Lei started seasoning and making a thin slurry. He heated the wok over high heat, poured in a generous amount of oil, and once the oil was hot enough, he added the pre-seasoned liver, quickly separating the pieces with a ladle.
The hot oil sizzled and bubbled. The liver changed color rapidly, its fragrance rising in the air.
After a dozen seconds, he immediately took it out of the wok and plated it.
[An extremely good Stir-fried Pork Liver]
A line of text popped up before Zhou Yan’s eyes.
Just a tiny bit below perfect.
Whether in color or aroma, it looked no different from the one Zhou Yan made.
"Master Zhou, please give your critique," Xiao Lei said, looking at him.
Zhou Yan picked up a pair of chopsticks, lifted a piece of liver, and put it in his mouth.
The liver was smooth and tender with an excellent texture. It was numbing, spicy, savory, and fresh, full of "wok hei."
An absolutely superb Stir-fried Pork Liver!
As expected of his Master’s signature dish. It was definitely a showstopper.
The average diner would likely have a hard time tasting the difference between this and the one he cooked.
Except for a regular gourmand like Zhao Dong, who was so familiar with the dish and truly loved it that he would magnify even the slightest difference.
"Master Zhou, what’s the verdict?" Xiao Lei looked at him with an expectant expression.
Zhou Yan picked up another piece, examined it carefully against the light, then put it in his mouth and savored it for a moment before speaking. "The Fire Control and seasoning are already quite perfect. If I had to find a fault, I’d say the slight difference lies in the slurry and the heat."
"The slurry and the heat?" Xiao Lei frowned.
"The slurry was just a tiny bit too thick. While this ensures the liver is absolutely smooth and tender, it also creates a slight difference in texture." Zhou Yan nodded. "Your Fire Control is very precise, but if you could increase the heat just a little, the higher oil temperature would create a slightly charred crust in the same cooking time. Both the aroma and the texture would change slightly."
Xiao Lei grew thoughtful upon hearing this. He had actually been adjusting and experimenting over the years, but he rarely changed the slurry and heat once he found a stable method. He nodded. "Alright, I’ll watch you cook tonight and see."
For the staff meal that evening, there was more stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings than they could eat.
Just as the slightly burnt batch was about to be tossed into the slop bucket, Zhao Hong stopped it. She took a bite and decisively packed it to go.
"It has a nice, toasty char. Much better than my cooking. I’ll take it home and heat it up. The two kids will definitely love it," Zhao Hong said with a smile.
"Sure," Zhou Yan nodded. Although it was slightly burnt, it was just a little. Besides the poor presentation, the taste was still decent.
After dinner, the factory workers started getting off, and the restaurant immediately got busy.
Zhou Yan was in the back kitchen, going full throttle, swamped with work.
Xiao Lei didn’t just stand by and watch; he took the initiative to assist Zhou Yan.
Having been a head Chef for over a decade, he was proficient in plating, prep, and cooking. Even though it was their first time working together like this, he coordinated perfectly with Zhou Yan, greatly reducing his workload.
"Master, watch my technique for the slurry. For a six-liang portion of liver, I use this much starch. I mix it quickly and evenly. The technique is no different from yours, but the amount of starch I use is about ten percent less."
"Before it goes into the wok, make sure the heat is high enough and the oil temperature is right. Only then do you add the liver. This oil temperature is a bit higher than when you cook it, and the cooking time is also shorter. This creates a slightly charred exterior while the inside remains exceptionally tender."
"Plate it!"
"See? How’s that?"
Zhou Yan handed over a clean pair of chopsticks and said with a smile, "Why don’t you taste it for the customer first?"
Xiao Lei picked up a piece of liver. He first held it up to the light. The slightly curled piece of liver, coated in a thin slurry, indeed had a slightly charred crust. It was glistening with oil and had a faint toasty aroma. He put it in his mouth, chewed slowly, and nodded. "It is indeed more fragrant, and it doesn’t affect the tenderness of the inside at all."
This was the perfect Stir-fried Pork Liver he had been searching for.
Zhou Yan wasn’t just lucky; he could guarantee that every single portion came out at this level.
"Master, this wok is yours. There are six more orders of Stir-fried Pork Liver. You cook them." Zhou Yan took a step to the side, freeing up a wok for his Master.
He had checked; Zhao Dong wasn’t here today.
His Master’s Stir-fried Pork Liver had a guaranteed high standard. In all of Suji, if his Master’s was called second-best, only he would dare to claim the top spot.
The customers would have a hard time telling the difference.
It was still an exceptionally delicious and excellent Stir-fried Pork Liver.
Besides, if the Stir-fried Pork Liver didn’t reach the [extremely good] standard, Zhou Yan wouldn’t let it be served.
"Deal." Xiao Lei was a veteran chef, after all. Stage fright was not something he experienced.
He increased the heat, added a generous amount of oil to the hot wok, and once the oil was hot enough, he added the liver...
[A slightly burnt Stir-fried Pork Liver]
Zhou Yan and Xiao Lei stared at each other.
Xiao Lei gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well... um... the heat seems a bit too high. I didn’t control the oil temperature well. This one doesn’t look great, so let’s not serve it to the customer."
"Master, it’s no big deal. Keep going. We have extra liver today." Zhou Yan waved his hand dismissively.
When Zhou first started learning to cook, he’d had far more and far crazier failures than this.
The disadvantage of a wood-fired stove was the difficulty in controlling the heat. Tossing in an extra piece of wood or pulling the bellows a couple more times could cause sudden changes in heat that were hard to manage.
After all, it was his Master’s first time using this specific stove; it was normal for him to not have perfect control.
Xiao Lei didn’t dwell on it and immediately rinsed the wok to start over.
The second portion of Stir-fried Pork Liver was done.
[An extremely good Stir-fried Pork Liver]
Zhou Yan glanced at it and nodded with a smile. "This one’s good."
"I’m starting to get the feel for it. The oil temperature could go even a little higher." Xiao Lei also nodded, rinsing the wok to start the next batch.
[An extremely good Stir-fried Pork Liver]
...
Portion after portion of liver was sent out of the kitchen, and Xiao Lei grew more and more confident and composed.
The Identification result before Zhou Yan’s eyes didn’t change, but the liver he cooked showed a visible difference.
The sixth portion of liver was done.
Xiao Lei picked up a piece, tasted it, and after savoring it carefully, nodded. "Still a little bit off."
"Master, how about coming back to learn for another day tomorrow?" Zhou Yan grinned.
’This free labor is just too good.’
...