Chapter 206: Altar-burned Green-robed Head
Chen Jinying stood still and looked at her father: "Dad, Ah Zhi's unique skill is to control the heat when cooking. He can debone a whole chicken and make the unique flavor of the nine-turn large intestine. How can you learn these in a day or a night?"
"I mean, people are deceiving him into teaching him skills, and he doesn't just stay in Baohualou for a day or two." Chen Dexiang and his daughter could never agree on the issue of teaching apprentices.
"Jinying, your father is right. Craftsmanship is our family's specialty..."
Seeing that they were about to quarrel at the airport, Wu Zhihai hurriedly tried to smooth things over: "That's not the case. The chefs at Baohualou also know our unique skills! There are many people in Baohualou who are better at cooking than me. Ah Bang's cooking skills are second to none. In terms of Shandong cuisine skills, Chef Lu Peide not only has his family's skills, but also studied under Mr. Huang Binggang, a master of Shandong cuisine from the mainland. Everyone knows that the Lu family is good at making bird's nest, abalone and shark's fin, and the soup is even more special. When I made clear soup with willow leaf bird's nest, I was also thanked for his guidance."
Chen Dexiang was speechless for a moment and walked forward in silence.
Wu Zhihai and Chen Jinying walked side by side: "Master, I have reserved a seat for you at noon. Let's go to Ningyan at noon and Baohualou main store in the evening."
"Wait, is the main store of Po Wah Building in Mong Kok?" asked the fourth wife.
"yes!"
"Aren't we staying at the Hong'an Hotel? Isn't the Hong'an Famous Brands Discount Store just a few steps away? Isn't there a Baohualou branch inside? Why don't we eat there at noon and go to Ningyan in the evening? Isn't Ningyan a place for fine dining?" The fourth wife asked a series of questions.
When Chen Jinying proposed to come to Hong Kong with her father, the fourth wife wanted to come along after hearing about it. Her purpose was naturally not to learn about Baohua Building.
"Fourth Madam, Ningning has been busy with exams these days. Today, a friend of hers came from Beijing, and she asked the fishmonger to send her a particularly beautiful bluefin bream. She wants to cook the fish herself, and I told her to leave us a portion of braised bluefin bream. This is cooked in one pot, and it will definitely be gone by evening. Besides, she will definitely not be in the store at night. In addition, Chef Lu is the chef of Ning Yan today. He recently combined Lu's braised shark's fin and Ning Yan's pigeon fin to make braised pigeon fin. Don't you want to try it?" Wu Zhihai explained.
"Azhi, you are familiar with the situation, we will do as you say," said Chen Jinying.
Chen Dexiang quickly agreed: "Yes, the fourth wife doesn't understand, we will listen to you."
Wu Zhihai walked out with them, "We won't eat at the second Baohualou restaurant because the second restaurant has many Japanese customers, so the cooking and seasoning are more Japanese style. If you just eat something casually while shopping, it may not make much difference. But you are here to taste the authentic taste of Baohualou, so the main Baohualou restaurant is more suitable. What's more, Chef He, who is the best at cooking, and Chef Ma, who has the best knife skills, are here today. We will have pigeon wings for lunch, and crispy glutinous rice chicken for dinner. The first dish Ningning taught Chef Ma was crispy glutinous rice chicken. In the entire Baohualou, except for Ningning and Uncle Hua and his grandson, Chef Ma's crispy glutinous rice chicken is the best."
The fourth wife asked, "Ah Zhi, you call your boss 'Ning Ning'? Is your relationship with her so good?"
"Most people in Hong Kong call her that, and everyone in Baohua Building calls her that too." Wu Zhihai opened the taxi door and let them get in.
"Azhi! Don't mind it! I don't understand."
"If you don't understand, just say less." Chen Dexiang taught his concubine.
The car took them to the hotel and passed by the Hong'an Famous Brands Discount Store on the way. The fourth wife looked at the lively scene and her heart had already drifted into the store.
When they arrived at the hotel, Wu Zhihai was waiting downstairs while the elderly couple Chen Jinying and Chen Dexiang went upstairs together.
Chen Jinying just went into the bathroom and went downstairs immediately.
Seeing that the master was alone, Wu Zhihai took two quick steps and said the question he had been worried about: "Master, didn't you say on the phone last time that you would not leave after you came? Why did you only bring so little luggage?"
"I just realized that I only have so much luggage. I'll buy more when I get here." Chen Jinying said with a smile.
"Is that so?" Wu Zhihai finally felt relieved. "The dormitory has been arranged. You will live with a girl from Beijing. If you feel uncomfortable, I will change it for you later."
"As you say."
When Wu Zhihai saw the old couple coming down, Chen Jinying said, "Let's go, let my dad see what a broad-minded and generous restaurant owner is like."
The two of them greeted him and took a car to Ningyan in Repulse Bay.
At this moment, Yue Ning was preparing the bluefish in the kitchen of Ningyan. A bluefish weighing two or three kilograms could be steamed, but this one was a large fish weighing dozens of kilograms, so the fish head became a treasure.
In the market, all blue-green coral fish are called Qingyi. In fact, only the pig-tooth Qingyi with messy teeth and ugly appearance is the authentic Qingyi fish.
There is a thick layer of gelatin on the head and chin of the bluefin bream. The old saying goes, "It is better to let a cow go than to let a bluefin bream go." This is the reason.
Yue Ning chopped the big fish head into small pieces, put it into boiling water and blanched it, then asked, "Ah Zhong, is the fish scale soup ready?"
"It's not thick enough yet, it will be ready soon," Ah Zhong replied. The scales of the bluefin bream are rich in gelatin, which is one of the secrets of making this dish.
Yue Ning placed fried shallots and onions in a clay jar, blanched the fish head and placed it on the onions, then scooped out their signature abalone sauce from the pot of abalone soup that was cooked every day to cover the fish head.
A Zhong had already brought the fish scale soup, and Yue Ning asked him to pour it into the jar.
"The key to cooking in a pot is 'one pot, one flavor'," she covered the pot and sealed the gap with wet gauze, "It may seem like the same heat, but it can produce different flavors."
Yue Ning divided the remaining fish meat. People outside already knew that she was cooking a big bluefin bream, and except for the part she reserved, the rest was immediately reserved.
The fish bones are used to make soup, the fish belly is used for sizzling stew, half of the tender fish meat is steamed with kumquat jam and the other half is made into sashimi, and the fish tail is braised and drained. Yue Ning prepared each item one by one.
"Ningning, Director Chen is here."
Yue Ning put down the work in her hands, gave a few instructions, and ran out quickly. Seeing her grandfather coming in with Director Chen, she happily greeted them: "Director Chen."
Director Chen looked at her, then at Yue Baohua: "Mr. Yue, is this still Xiao Yue?"
"Why isn't it me?" Yue Ning asked.
"I've always thought you were pretty. You've become even prettier after not seeing you for a year." Director Chen looked at her carefully. "Really, you're getting prettier."
"How many times have you praised me?" Yue Ning said with a smile, "Come on, let's go in."
While they were talking, Wu Zhihai and the Chen family's three members arrived.
Yue Ning said to Director Chen: "Director, you and my grandfather go in first. I have another colleague visiting today."
Yue Ning walked towards Chen Dexiang, stretched out his hand and said, "Boss Chen, welcome!"
Chen Dexiang looked at Wu Zhihai in confusion, and Yue Ning explained, "Brother Wu said you wanted to come and exchange ideas. We always welcome colleagues to come and exchange experiences. I'm really sorry, I have a very important guest coming today, and I can't introduce him in person. Let Brother Wu introduce him. Brother Wu has not been here for long. If you have any questions, you can find our Chef Lu or Chef Luo, or wait until I'm done with my work, and I'll answer your questions."
Wu Zhihai smiled and said, "Boss Chen, we often have colleagues from Hong Kong or Macau come here to exchange experiences, and we even send people to learn from other restaurants in the kitchen."
"Brother Wu, you stay with Boss Chen. I'll go in first." Yue Ning looked at Chen Jinying. They talked on the phone last week.
Chen Jinying nodded slightly to her.
"You are busy." Chen Dexiang said politely.
Wu Zhihai stretched out his hand and gestured: "Boss Chen, Master, let's go in!"
The fourth wife smiled and said, "Ah Zhi, you changed your words really quickly. Now you call me 'Boss Chen'?"
"this……"
"With a new boss, of course we have to sort things out. Fourth Aunt, you're really nitpicking." Chen Jinying sneered, "My father and I came to see why Baohualou is so popular. As a chef who was forced to leave, Ah Zhi was willing to warmly welcome us after knowing our purpose. Isn't that enough loyalty?"
Chen Dexiang scolded his mistress again: "Can you shut up?"
"Fourth Madam, I want to introduce the store's situation to Boss Chen and the master. You may not be very interested in this. I'll have someone take you to your seat first, okay?" Although Wu Zhihai asked in an inquiring tone, he immediately called the concierge and asked her to take Fourth Madam upstairs.
Looking at the back of the concierge, Wu Zhihai introduced: "Ningning chose a light gray-blue work outfit for the concierge, mainly because we are a restaurant that focuses on catering. We want our guests to feel the ubiquitous service, but we also want to reduce the presence of the service staff. So we start with the clothing."
"That makes sense." Chen Jinying nodded in agreement.
The three of them walked upstairs, and Chen Jinying said, "This decoration is quite stylish."
Wu Zhihai shook his head. "Ning Yan's current decoration is based on the previous store, with only a few changes. It's not particularly stylish. The Ning Yan Lu Mansion that is being renovated in Central is in a completely different style. It should be very impressive. When the Central store opens, this place will probably be renovated as well."
Wu Zhihai led them along the way. Ning Yan's chef display board was on a not-so-conspicuous aisle wall. Wu Zhihai took them to the display board as their first stop and talked about the function of this display board.
"Ning Ning said that famous chefs are being promoted all over the world, especially in French cuisine. It is very beneficial for both restaurants and chefs to let customers know the chefs and let them gain a reputation that matches their abilities."
Chen Jinying looked at the last photo on the display board and said, "Are you proud to be on this list?"
Wu Zhihai smiled shyly, "Yes! Getting on this list is the goal of every chef in Baohualou. Everyone feels that their daily efforts bring hope. Of course, I have to thank my master for his training, which allowed me to get on this list so quickly."
"This is the result of your years of hard work, and also the result of your new boss's keen eye for talent." Chen Jinying increasingly felt that this approach was really promising for the chef.
"Master, do you want to go to the kitchen?"
"Is it okay?" Chen Jinying asked.
"Of course. But we're not wearing work clothes, so we can only watch from the door."
Wu Zhihai took the father and daughter to the back kitchen. The various areas were separated in an orderly manner, and there were some suggestive slogans, such as "three inspections before entering" and "three checks before leaving".
Chen Jinying looked at it and felt that they were all trivial things, but they also seemed to be things she had never noticed before. She was originally very interested in cooking, but now she felt that everything here was very interesting.
Coming to Hong Kong City must be the best decision I have ever made. After staying in my own store for a long time, I felt like a frog in a well. The business management knowledge I learned in college seemed to be gradually fuzzy, but now it seems to be slowly becoming clearer.
Lu Peide saw Wu Zhihai and waved to him.
Chen Jinying smelled a fragrance: "What's that smell? It smells so good."
"Is Ningning's altar-burned green-robed head almost ready?" Wu Zhihai asked.
Lu Peide looked inside and said, "Yes, she is adding the final seasoning."
Wu Zhihai said to the father and daughter: "Boss Chen, Master, let's go eat."
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