’Where’s Feng Jun?’
’I asked him to help give advice, not to cause trouble. I’m going to kill him.’
Feng Shan was at a loss for words. He scanned the restaurant but couldn’t find a trace of that scoundrel.
The problem now was how to tactfully express his opinion to Jenny without discouraging her, while still pointing out the shortcomings of her dishes.
Putting aside the taste and looking only at the dishes themselves, both the plating and the presentation showcased Jenny’s skill.
Of course, he couldn’t say that a two-star Michelin chef like Jenny was unskilled.
Different culinary cultures and different standards were bound to produce different results.
Western palates tend to favor sweet, salty, and sour flavors—either sickeningly sweet, overpoweringly salty, or unpleasantly tart.
In terms of ingredients, at and dairy products hold a significant place. ats include beef, lamb, pork, and chicken. Dairy, in particular, is an indispensable part of the Western diet, including milk, cheese, and butter.
Wheat is the primary grain in the West, used to make bread and pasta. As for vegetables, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions are common in Western cuisine, mainly used for salads or as side dishes.
The cooking thods are relatively simple. For example, a grilled steak is mainly just grilled. The chef focuses on the ti and temperature to achieve the ideal texture. Although so complex Western dishes combine multiple cooking thods, it’s generally not as common as in Chinese cooking.
The ingredients’ original flavors are emphasized. For instance, when making a salad, the vegetables are simply washed, cut, and tossed with dressing. When roasting a chicken, it’s seasoned mainly with simple spices like salt and black pepper to highlight the chicken’s natural taste.
But Chinese cuisine is different.
In terms of flavor, anything goes: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, and umami. There are no taboos.
The ingredients are even more varied: if it flies in the sky, runs on the ground, or swims in the water—even if it’s poisonous—as long as it doesn’t kill you, it’s on the nu.
The cooking styles combine a multitude of thods: pan-frying, stir-frying, quick-frying, deep-frying, braising, flash-frying, sautéing, steaming, stewing, and boiling. They can be used alone or in combination, and with various seasonings, different flavors are allowed to blend and rge.
Seeing Jenny’s innocent expression, Feng Shan couldn’t bring himself to criticize her. He turned to an employee beside him.
"Give the apron. I’ll make a few dishes for everyone to try."
Jenny quickly untied her apron and handed it to Feng Shan. After tying it on, Feng Shan walked into the kitchen, with everyone else from the restaurant eagerly following behind him.
The kitchen was spotless. The stainless steel of the stoves and countertops was polished so well you could see your reflection in it.
Feng Shan looked over the spice rack and saw that many of the Chinese seasonings hadn’t even been opened.
He couldn’t help but feel a little emotional. ’People’s understanding of Chinese food is still so limited.’
The pantry shelves held so fresh ingredients. Although the variety wasn’t huge, it was more than enough for him to work with.
Feng Shan picked up a piece of beef and casually pulled a chef’s knife from the knife block. Compared to a Chinese cleaver, a chef’s knife has a wider blade and a more pronounced curve at the tip.
’It’ll do.’
The blade glided lightly across the beef, and slices as thin as a cicada’s wing were neatly arranged on the countertop.
Feng Shan focused on slicing the beef, his movents skilled and fluid. Every cut was just right.
His exquisite knife skills left the onlooking employees in awe.
Once the beef was sliced, he placed it in a bowl, added soy sauce, pepper, sugar, and salt, and mixed it evenly to let the beef fully absorb the seasonings.
Next, he added egg white and starch, mixing it again.
He washed an onion, a green pepper, and a red pepper, then chopped them into chunks and set them aside.
While the beef was marinating, Feng Shan cracked a few more eggs, mixed them with the leftover yolk from the marinade, and whisked them together. He took two tomatoes from the pantry, placed them in hot water for about ten seconds, then took them out, peeled them, and chopped them into chunks.
He heated oil in a wok.
He poured in the egg mixture and pan-fried the eggs until they were golden brown on both sides, then set them aside to drain the excess oil.
He left a little oil in the wok. Once it was hot, he added the chopped tomatoes and stirred them constantly with a spatula. During this ti, he added so of his freshly made tomato sauce to enhance the sweet and sour flavor.
He poured the previously cooked eggs back into the wok, stir-frying them evenly with the tomatoes.
He let the eggs fully absorb the tomato juice, stir-frying for about two minutes to allow the flavors to fuse.
Finally, he sprinkled so chopped scallions on top as a garnish before plating the dish.
The whole process was as smooth as flowing water, completed in one seamless motion.
The fragrant stir-fried tomatoes and eggs were placed in front of Jenny. Feng Shan handed her a pair of chopsticks and said with a smile, "Try it!"
Jenny, drawn in by the aroma, took the chopsticks and gently placed a piece of egg into her mouth.
The tenderness of the egg and the sweet and sour taste of the tomato intertwined on her tongue, instantly awakening her taste buds.
Her eyes lit up, and a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face.
As a Western chef, although her knowledge of Chinese cuisine was limited, culinary skills were universal. Chinese and Western food differed in ingredients, seasonings, and cooking thods, but the pursuit of deliciousness was fundantally the sa.
The other onlooking employees in the kitchen also grabbed utensils and scooped up a spoonful of the stir-fried tomatoes and eggs from the plate.
When that first bite entered their mouths, surprised expressions appeared on all their faces.
The smooth texture of the egg and the sweet and sour flavor of the tomato combined perfectly, bursting with wonderful flavor in their mouths.
"Wow, this stir-fried tomato and egg is amazing! It’s more delicious than anything I’ve ever eaten."
"I never knew Chinese food could be this good. We should make it more often."
"Boss, you’re incredible! I love you."
"I want to do it with you."
"A threeso works too. I’m in."
Faced with the female employees’ blatant propositions, Feng Shan covered his face and retreated in defeat. ’What kind of people did my dear grandma hire for ?’
Jenny stood by, smiling, as she watched the girls tease Feng Shan.
After the previous incidents, she had complete faith in Feng Shan’s character. Even if a naked girl stood in front of him, nothing would happen.
Using cooking as an excuse, Feng Shan shooed all the idlers out of the kitchen.
By now, the beef slices had fully absorbed the marinade.
He heated the wok before adding cool oil. When the oil was about sixty percent hot—Feng Shan had a little trick here: he inserted a chopstick into the oil, and if small bubbles ford around it, the temperature was right—he placed the marinated beef slices into the hot oil.
Then, he quickly used his chopsticks to separate the beef slices so that each piece could cook evenly.
He stir-fried the beef until it just changed color and was barely cooked through, then imdiately removed it from the wok.
He left a little oil in the wok and stir-fried so ginger slivers and minced garlic until fragrant.
He added the onion chunks and stir-fried them until they were soft and translucent, releasing their aroma. Then, he added the green and red pepper chunks and cooked them until just tender.
Finally, he poured the cooked beef back into the wok, stir-frying it quickly with the vegetables. He added a little more salt to taste, mixed it well, and then it was ready to be plated.
"Stir-fried beef, order up!" Feng Shan shouted out of habit as he carried the plate to Jenny with one hand.
The steaming stir-fried beef on the plate gave off an enticing aroma.
「For a fleeting mont.」
This scene had flashed through a corner of his mory before.
It was also in a kitchen. Every ti he finished a dish and called out, a face with a gentle smile, eyes full of love and anticipation, would appear before him.
Now, however, that face etched in his mory appeared less and less frequently.
A tide of longing washed over Feng Shan’s heart, bringing with it a trace of bitterness.
"Delicious," Jenny praised sincerely as she ate the tender beef.
Her voice pulled Feng Shan back from his mories to the present.
Feng Shan looked at Jenny’s satisfied expression and felt a sense of relief.
"Do you see the problem now?"
Jenny put down her chopsticks. Although Feng Shan hadn’t comnted on the dishes she had made, him personally cooking two dishes was the best critique he could have given.
The taste alone highlighted the problems with her dishes.
"I understand. I’ll take those dishes off the nu."
"It’s not a big deal. Just cook the way you normally do. You don’t need to research any East-ets-West fusion. You were almost led astray by that punk Feng Jun." Feng Shan was relieved that Jenny understood his intentions. If it had been Erica, she would have already started a fight with him.
Speak of the devil.
Feng Jun, hearing his na, arrived at the kitchen entrance, still clueless about the disaster awaiting him, and gave a cheerful greeting.
"Brother Feng, you were looking for ?"
"That’s right. You worked so hard helping Jenny with her research. See the dishes on the table in the main dining room? I’m giving you a bonus al today. They’re all yours." Feng Shan raised an eyebrow, pointing to the dozen or so Chinese dishes Jenny had developed.
"Really? I am a little hungry. Don’t mind if I do, then!"
His face beaming, Feng Jun got another confirmation before gleefully running over. He picked up a spoon, scooped a mouthful of egg drop soup, and put it in his mouth.
BLECH!
’What the hell is this?’
It was limp, sickly sweet and sour, and had a fishy, pasty taste.
"No spitting. Finish it all. Not a single bite left." Feng Shan walked out of the kitchen and saw Feng Jun about to spit. He imdiately stopped him. "Nash, you watch him. He’s not leaving until he’s eaten it all."
Feng Jun was speechless. "..."
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