"Hello."
Wang Fan, who was tidying up the kitchen, heard a voice and looked up to see a stranger. He stopped what he was doing and said, "Hello, can I help you with sothing?"
Xue Feng got straight to the point: "My na is Xue Feng, I’m from Guangfu, and I also study Cantonese Cuisine."
Wang Fan was even more puzzled. Also studying Cantonese Cuisine, but I don’t specialize in it, right? You’re not here to compete with in cooking, are you?
That shouldn’t be so boring, right?
"Oh hello, I’ve indeed been researching Cantonese Cuisine a lot recently."
Xue Feng nodded, "I didn’t co here for any particular reason. To be honest, I’ve been learning Cantonese Cuisine for almost 20 years, but after eating the barbecued pork rice you made today, I realized I’m not as good as you. So I wanted to ask you a question. How do you make your dishes so well?"
Wang Fan was a bit stunned. How am I supposed to answer that? No matter what I say, it feels like I’m boasting like a vendor praising their own goods. Praising oneself is sowhat embarrassing to talk about.
The most important thing is, I don’t know how to tell you either.
Practice cooking more?
Anyway, Wang Fan didn’t think he had any secret tips. It was all about getting the taste through repeated simulations and practice. If he was given a recipe to make the current flavor right off the bat, he admitted he wouldn’t have that ability.
"I don’t know how to explain it to you."
Wang Fan answered honestly, "It’s just about practicing over and over again until you’re satisfied."
Seeing Wang Fan’s sincere gaze, Xue Feng knew he wouldn’t get an answer, but he understood. Such things aren’t like signature dishes that might have a secret recipe. He could replicate the recipe for the barbecued pork rice he had today, but recipe alone couldn’t compensate for other aspects.
"I want to learn and observe by your side. Would that be convenient for you? I’m also studying Cantonese Cuisine, so I can definitely help you with so things."
Wang Fan thought for a mont and said, "I might be making Cantonese Cuisine for the last ti tonight. Next week, I might do sothing else, so you might only have a chance tonight."
Xue Feng looked at Wang Fan with so surprise. Was it true what they said online, that this person switched dishes every week?
"You have the potential to beco a top Cantonese chef. Why not specialize a little more in it?"
Xue Feng couldn’t help but advise, "It’s rare for my master’s grandmaster to praise soone. His evaluation of you is very high."
"Your master’s grandmaster?"
Wang Fan was puzzled. He hadn’t been on Weibo or online, so he didn’t know about Master Luo praising him.
"Don’t you usually go online?"
Xue Feng was sowhat surprised.
Wang Fan nodded, "Occasionally, I play gas with my girlfriend. I don’t follow much else."
...
"So are you making stir-fried choy sum with pork lard residue tonight?"
Seeing the ingredients Wang Fan prepared, Xue Feng guessed what dish was going to be made tonight.
Wang Fan nodded.
The disappointed egg with char siu rice at lunch used a lot of pork lard, all rendered by Wang Fan himself. The pork lard residue was also good stuff not to be wasted, perfect for stir-frying choy sum at night.
"If you developed in Guangfu, you could definitely have better opportunities and make more money,"
Xue Feng said this very earnestly.
Cantonese chefs, especially skilled ones, are highly sought after in Guangfu, Xiangjiang, and Macau. In terms of social status and earnings, they are quite well-regarded.
Wang Fan shrugged, "I used to like staying in one place, not moving around. Now I prefer to go places because my girlfriend is here at the school."
After saying that, he patted Xue Feng on the shoulder and said, "Life isn’t just about imdiate status and money, but also about poetry and distant lands."
Being of the sa age, Xue Feng and Wang Fan still had a lot of common topics. After half a day of discussing culinary skills, they had already beco good friends.
This is normal, as it’s hard not to beco friends with soone who shares the sa interests and values.
However, Xue Feng couldn’t help pondering over Wang Fan’s words.
He had always been contemplating one question: why, even though his cooking skills reached the standard to graduate, did his master not allow him to graduate?
Whenever he asked, his master would just smile without answering and told him to comprehend it himself. After chatting with Wang Fan and hearing his words, he seed to have so understanding.
Perhaps he was being too driven by gain?
Watching the introspective Xue Feng, Wang Fan couldn’t help but scratch his head. This guy was otherwise great but tended to zone out every now and then. Truly a peculiar person.
He shook his head and ignored him, then called Zhao Liang and Cheng Qing to start prepping ingredients.
Wang Fan picked up a fresh, green choy sum and said, "When handling this choy sum, remove the leaves, leaving only the stems, then cut the ends of the stems into a sharp slant, which allows for quicker cooking and flavor absorption."
While explaining, he demonstrated, and Zhao Liang and Cheng Qing nodded and each handled one on their own, getting the gist of it without any problem.
"During stir-frying, the more moisture in the vegetables, the less aroma there is; vegetables without flavor or without the smoky aroma."
Xue Feng snapped out of his thoughts and listened to Wang Fan’s explanation. For so reason, although similar to what his master said, the words from Wang Fan seed even more profound.
He also picked up a choy sum and began to handle it, now with far more patience and care than before.
"Don’t throw away the choy sum leaves either. Collect them to prepare a soup."
Fresh vegetables are best not wasted.
With the choy sum ready, pork belly sliced, and garlic blocks prepared, it was already 5:25 PM.
Wang Fan didn’t rush to stir-fry the choy sum. This dish cooks in a minute, and if it’s prepared now, it would be wilted by the ti the diners arrived.
Start with the soup, known in Guangfu as rinse-water soup—lava ess egg drop soup.
Lava grows on rocks by the seaside, and when harvested, there’s bound to be so sand. Wang Fan soaked it in water until all the sand settled at the bottom before he was satisfied.
He brought oil to heat in the pot with ginger slices. Once the ginger turned slightly yellow, he fished them out before adding boiling water.
After adding the lava, Wang Fan tossed in a handful of dried shrimp.
He then added a dash of white vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper, followed by the choy sum leaves.
Waiting for the pot to boil again, Wang Fan turned the heat to low and slowly drizzled the beaten egg in circles into the pot.
Once he finished this step, custors began to enter the dining hall right on cue.
Xue Feng didn’t participate in making the dishes; he simply observed Wang Fan’s process ticulously.
From Wang Fan, he saw the patience and composure that he might have once had but certainly lacked now.
Even with just an ordinary pot of rinse-water soup, this man who was praised by his master’s grandmaster was ticulous.
He finally understood why, despite being the sa age, this person could be so much better than him.
All because of a single word—"heart."
Love, sincerity.
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