Chapter 71: Chapter 70: Beyond Expectations

But grumbling was just grumbling.

The attention of the judges unconsciously focused entirely on Fu Yu.

The time was about right, and Fu Yu casually added some Sichuan pepper powder to the pan and stirred it well.

His movements were smooth and decisive.

He poured in an appropriate amount of soy sauce and continued to stir-fry.

Added cooking wine and started tossing the wok.

Added the blanched ribs and a large spoonful of Doubanjiang, stirring well.

At this moment, Fu Yu made a move.

If the judges hadn’t been watching attentively, they might have missed it.

Fu Yu began to pour hot water into the pan.

He did it very cautiously.

As if the edge of the pot had markings, carefully observing the water level.

He stopped only when the hot water completely submerged the ingredients.

Gao Chongbo was a bit surprised: “Hey! What’s he doing… It looks like he’s measuring the water level?”

Li He: “Indeed, but if he wanted to add water proportionally, wouldn’t it be more accurate to measure it in a ladle first and then pour it into the pot?”

That’s right!

Said like this, it does seem quite puzzling.

Yao Shi then said: “He probably has confidence in his control skills, so he judges based on how much the ingredients are submerged.”

Everyone looked puzzled.

Yao Shi continued: “Look closely, all the ingredients in the pan are evenly covered by the water, it’s almost as if… during the tossing process, he had already plated in the wok, controlling the spacing between the ingredients very well.”

As soon as he said this, people with poor views quickly stepped forward and craned their necks to look into Fu Yu’s wok.

Indeed, the entire dish was evenly spread at the bottom of the pan, and the water just barely covered the highest ingredients.

This, what kind of superb cooking skills are these?

To be able to adjust the position of the ingredients just by tossing the wok!

And at this time, Fu Yu was about to cover the dish for stewing.

Wang Jingrui suddenly stepped forward, and Fu Yu stopped immediately.

Wang Jingrui looked carefully at the ingredients in the pan, then stepped back, signaling Fu Yu to continue.

Fu Yu placed the lid on properly and turned around to pick up the freshly cut corn segments.

Seeing that the time was almost right, he put the corn into the pot.

Turning up the heat to start stewing.

During the wait, the judges first took turns observing the cooking processes of the other three contestants.

Then they started whispering to each other.

“Chef Yao, you know Fu Yu better, what kind of innovation do you think he might bring to the plating of this Harvest Stew?”

Gao Chongbo was now full of curiosity and anticipation for Fu Yu.

He found that this young man’s culinary skills were truly exquisite.

Whether in the cooking process or in controlling the details, everything was very precise and well-executed.

The most crucial point was his speed of operation was extremely fast.

In a short time, he had already completed the first half of the stew.

Now leisurely leaning against the kitchen counter watching others busy.

While at this moment, the disorderly methods of the others were gradually being revealed.

Except for Yao Yihang who seemed to be quite steady, the other two were practically in a flurry.

From the judges’ perspective, the competition was only halfway through, but there was already a clear sense of who was ahead.

Yet we must wait a little longer.

Just as Gao Chongbo was eagerly anticipating Fu Yu’s plating, others were equally curious.

Judging from Fu Yu’s cooking skills, it’s clear he’s very experienced with the wok.

If that’s the case, he certainly wouldn’t rashly choose a dish he’s unsure of for this kind of evaluation.

Thus, when Gao Chongbo asked Yao Shi, others all turned to hear Yao Shi’s opinion.

After some consideration, Yao Shi said, “After all, this stew is just a ’big pot dish’, known for its soft, flavorful ingredients. If I had to do it, I might only work on the container, the rest, I really can’t think of anything at the moment.”

Can’t think of it?

That makes sense!

In their hearts, everyone agrees with satisfaction.

If you could come up with something and we couldn’t, wouldn’t that make us look incompetent?

If everyone is equally stumped, then it’s not that we aren’t capable, it’s that Fu Yu is too extraordinary!

Being surpassed by the next generation isn’t shameful.

After all, becoming the forerunner already signifies one’s past glory.

Still, when they glanced again at Fu Yu, leisurely waiting at the counter for the stew to finish, they exchanged a puzzled look.

Wasn’t this evaluation meant for kitchen helpers?

Normally, they handle chores, and getting to cook is a rare occasion, almost like a holiday.

But Fu Yu’s performance really took them by surprise.

This doesn’t seem like a kitchen helper at all!

A chef with years of experience might not be as precise as he is.

This young man undoubtedly has remarkable culinary talent!

They all simultaneously felt a sense of appreciation for his talent.

Thus, they began to silently monitor Fu Yu’s every move.

And at this moment, Fu Yu was seemingly watching others cook, but in reality, he was flipping through a special family banquet recipe book.

He actually already had a plan, considering how to plate this Harvest Stew.

Even though the special family banquet recipe included nearly twenty plating styles, he always felt something was missing.

Although the plating styles in the recipe were quite exquisite.

After all, the Harvest Stew is essentially a big pot dish.

Fu Yu decided to make this dish because, overall, its presence wouldn’t be outshone by others.

The restaurant only had a limited number of stewed dishes as signature offerings.

Other dishes were either just sides or too time-consuming, unsuitable for this occasion.

On a whim, Fu Yu couldn’t help flipping through the recipe book, always feeling that without further searching, he might never identify what exactly was lacking.

The special family banquet recipe book was incredibly comprehensive.

It’s almost a culinary encyclopedia, anything one couldn’t think of usually could be found within its content.

As Fu Yu pored over it for a while, an idea suddenly occurred to him.

When surfing online, as long as one types relevant keywords into the search bar, they can find the information they want.

Sometimes, seemingly related yet entirely unrelated information surfaces.

If he inputted all the ingredients used in the Harvest Stew into the search bar, would any related dish information appear?

Since he was idle, Fu Yu didn’t hesitate and proceeded as such.

Indeed, as he put this idea into action,

a compilation of related content spanning seven pages appeared before his eyes.

Fu Yu examined each entry.

Until a dish presented on a light blue rectangular flat porcelain plate caught his eye.

Not because the kitchen contained a similar plate, but the plating design on it amazed Fu Yu and left him enlightened.

No wonder he always thought the previous plating diagrams lacked something.

It turned out they didn’t achieve the effect he anticipated.

But now…

Fu Yu smiled slightly as he looked at the plating design of that dish.

…

Cook on high heat until the ingredients are tender.

Seeing that the broth had reduced significantly, Fu Yu sprinkled some salt into the pot and added the restaurant’s homemade chicken powder at the end.

Due to the lengthy stewing time,

Yao Yihang had already started the plating process.

While Sun Qingning had finished cooking and was observing Yao Yihang dealing with the Russian crab.

Zhang Jiaxin, however, had clearly made a mistake.

He chose to make a specialty sweet and sour pork, but there wasn’t enough vinegar sprayed, making the aroma less pungent.

At this point, it was past the optimal time to add vinegar, leaving him frustrated and staring at the dish in the pot, reluctant to plate it.

Yet none of these caught the judges’ attention.

Because they were all concentrated on watching Fu Yu’s plating.

Fu Yu was using a rectangular light blue flat porcelain plate for serving the dish.

As he wiped away the water stains on the plate with a paper towel, the judges were already in awe.

Using a flat plate to serve the stew?

With such a large pot, how could it fit?

Could it be that his plating involved serving just a piece or two of each vegetable, cutting them, and arranging them on the porcelain plate?

At this thought, Yao Shi couldn’t help but look serious.

If that was the case, could it still be considered a stew at all?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep