Chapter 58: Clash of Culinary Philosophies
Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Clash of Culinary Philosophies
Su Chen worked methodically, but since he was on his own, his pace was still a little slow.
The old man’s cravings were starting to get the better of him. He just wanted to see these dishes finished and served as soon as possible. After all, even he couldn’t be bothered to make such complicated food at home.
"Young man, how about I wash my hands and help out?"
Su Chen shook his head, the memory of the employees’ "help" that morning still vivid in his mind. "No, thanks. Other people just get in the way. Besides, you’re a VIP. How could I let you cook?"
"Er." Lu Yongliang hadn’t expected such a simple reason for refusal. In all his years, this was the first time someone had turned down his offer to cook...
Usually, people were begging him to step into the kitchen. ’So this kid has no idea who I am?’
’Now this is interesting.’
"Young man." Lu Yongliang leaned in closer. Perhaps he’d been watching too many of his old buddies’ TikTok videos lately, but seeing Su Chen’s pure, traditional culinary skills truly made his own fingers itch to get to work. He decided to lay his cards on the table.
"Actually, I’m a chef, too."
"Huh?" Su Chen, who was in the middle of stirring the minced red fish, slowed his movements. He couldn’t quite figure out what the old gentleman was getting at.
"From the looks of all these ingredients you’ve prepped, you must be making at least a dozen dishes. I’m hungry and want to eat sooner, so let me help you out. While we’re at it, we can see whose cooking tastes better. What do you say?"
Su Chen shook his head, his hands stopping as well.
In the short time the old man had been in the kitchen, Su Chen had sized him up. This man knew his stuff. The few questions he’d asked had been sharp and insightful, getting right to the heart of each dish.
Whether or not he could cook, he was definitely a man who knew how to eat.
’But a competition? I’m really not interested. It’s not like he’s paying me for it!’
"Sir, I believe taste is a very personal thing. Take these fish cake meatballs, for example. To someone from Sha City, they might be the most delicious thing in the world. But for..." Su Chen gestured toward the door.
"There’s a young woman at the company I’m catering for who hasn’t been able to eat greasy food since she was a little girl. To her, this dish would probably be impossible to stomach."
This was Su Chen’s philosophy.
If you don’t like a certain food, you’ll never like it, no matter how it’s prepared. It’s a primal, instinctual rejection from your own body.
The job of a good chef is to take something a person already loves and make it even more delicious!
Lu Yongliang understood this principle, but he’d always believed that when it came to food, something was either delicious or it wasn’t!
’Why overcomplicate things?’
But hearing Su Chen say this actually got Lu Yongliang’s back up a little.
’What is a chef’s job? It’s to combine ingredients and seasonings to create flavors that far surpass the ingredients on their own.’
’If someone doesn’t like meat, you have to cook it in a way that makes them love it. That’s what makes a real chef.’
"How about this, then." Lu Yongliang pointed to the fish tank. "I’ll help you with the other dishes, but for this one, you and I will each make our own version. We’ll let Shang Mingke taste them and see who’s is better!"
Su Chen was getting a little bewildered by the old man’s relentless proposals.
’This old gentleman is one of Ling Shuyu’s VIPs. If I refuse, I’ll probably offend him. But if I agree... I’ve never heard of a VIP coming to a restaurant and insisting on cooking themselves. Isn’t this just absurd?’
His hands moved a little faster. He placed the minced red fish and lean pork into a basin, adding water, a cornstarch slurry, egg yolk, minced ginger, MSG, and fine salt, then mixed it all into a smooth fish paste.
Su Chen quickly washed his hands. "Sir, please give me a moment."
’I’m not sure what to do about this.’
’Ling Shuyu is my primary client; I should probably check with her first.’
Su Chen stepped out of the kitchen and opened his WeChat conversation with Ling Shuyu. He typed a few words, then deleted them.
’Ling Shuyu is busy right now; she probably won’t see her phone. Zhang Li went into the conference room and hasn’t come out yet, so I definitely can’t reach her either.’
"Hey, you!" Su Chen called out to the man in black-framed glasses standing next to He Shuting. "Come over here for a second."
Wang Rui, who was huddled over a phone with He Shuting, pointed to himself uncertainly. "Me?"
Su Chen nodded. When Wang Rui came over, he asked, "One of your company’s clients is insisting on cooking in the kitchen himself and even wants to challenge me to a cook-off. Can you go ask your President Ling what I should do?"
’This... Wang Rui had no idea what to do, either.’
’Normally, in the general administration office, his superiors would just give him tasks to complete. President Ling was in the conference room now; who would dare to interrupt her?’
’But, if he were to follow standard procedure...’
Wang Rui stated confidently, "President Ling has said before that when dealing with clients, we must do everything in our power to satisfy their demands!"
"So, that’s a yes?" Su Chen asked again to confirm.
"It shouldn’t be a problem. After all, it’s the client’s request."
Su Chen nodded. ’Good, as long as someone else is taking the heat for it.’
He immediately turned and went back to the kitchen. "Alright, sir, I’ll take you up on your offer!"
Lu Yongliang had already washed his hands and put on a kitchen apron. "Hah! It’s no trouble at all. I was getting anxious just watching you work all by yourself. Let’s pick up the pace!"
With that, the old man got right to work, pouring the sesame oil Su Chen had already prepared into a wok.
With a single glance, Su Chen knew this old gentleman was a true expert. Anyone else would have likely used regular vegetable oil to fry the Wanzi.
But the old man had chosen the sesame oil without even asking, which proved that he, at the very least, knew this particular dish inside and out.
Sesame oil has a lower smoke point than other vegetable oils, which means it’s gentler on the minced meat. Frying with it yields a light, fluffy texture that is crispy and fragrant. Plus, it helps the final product stay crisp for a long time without getting soggy.
Steaming the fish cake took a while, and now that the old man had taken over frying the Wanzi, Su Chen certainly couldn’t let himself be outdone.
Strips of pork, about an inch-and-a-half long and an inch wide, had already been marinating in various seasonings for five minutes.
Now it was time to start the second time-consuming dish: Steamed Pork with Rice Flour.
The Steamed Pork with Rice Flour from E Province is slightly different from versions made elsewhere.
Gan Province, the dish’s place of origin, still prepares it the ancient way, using a bed of vegetable leaves. But in E Province, they line the plate with lotus root. Beyond just the meat, the lotus root itself is a brilliant accompaniment!
Su Chen had already stir-fried some rice until it was golden-yellow and ground it into coarse particles the size of fish roe. He’d then scraped and washed a mature lotus root, cut it into strips, and mixed it with the rice flour in an earthen bowl.
He did the same with the marinated pork, coating it evenly with rice flour before arranging it neatly in a separate bowl, skin-side down. He then placed both the pork bowl and the lotus root bowl into a steamer basket and set it in the pot.
This dish needed to steam for nearly an hour. Originally, its total prep and cook time was about the same as the fish cake and meatballs, but with the old man’s help, their completion times would likely be staggered.
But that wasn’t a problem.
Steamed dishes are comparatively time-consuming. In E Province, there’s a popular saying: "Three steamed dishes, nine inverted bowls, ten large platters; if it doesn’t come from a steamer, you’re not a real host."
Although he couldn’t prepare a feast of that scale, serving three steamed dishes was a sign of respect for an honored guest. In fact, if he had served a dozen stir-fries instead, a discerning local from E Province might have been offended enough to flip the table!
While the old man began to fry the Wanzi, Su Chen immediately started prepping the third dish.
Eight-Treasure Pumpkin Stuffed with Rice! This was the third steamed dish Su Chen had planned!
Seeing Su Chen take out a hollowed-out pumpkin, Lu Yongliang’s pace in frying the Wanzi slowed considerably.
’Well, I’ll be. He’s making this, too? Another traditional dish!’
’Just who in the world is this young man?’