Chapter 91. Chef Luo at the State Banquet is mainly responsible for Kung Pao Chicken and Boiled Pork Belly...
It's CET-4 exam time again, and this time, the roommates don't know how to wish Ye Tian well. They've always said she'd definitely pass, but she's just fallen short. Maybe if they weren't so sure, she'd pass? Yes, we can't put pressure on Tian Tian!
Ye Tian herself didn't think English was that difficult, so why couldn't she pass the test? Never mind, just keep going!
After the exam, her roommate didn't ask her how she did, but took her out to eat Japanese food.
The restaurant they chose had a high rating. The Japanese chef was famous for his good knife skills. The kitchen in the store was open, so everyone could see him cutting things. Of course, it was also for display and promotion.
I saw him making some knife cuts, then carefully splitting the shrimp crackers, and then quickly cutting them into thin strips. Several customers were watching.
"His posture when sheathing the knife is quite handsome!"
"Our Tiantian is still more powerful!"
"Of course!"
The three roommates were chatting quite loudly, and Ye Tian suspected the chef inside had heard them, as he had just looked up at their table. Ye Tian quickly asked everyone to keep their voices down; she still didn't want to be seen as a rival.
"Eat quickly and stop looking at me!" Ye Tian said to her roommate again.
"Then Tiantian, are you better at knife skills?" Li Yue insisted.
"Okay, I'm just a little better than him!" Ye Tian had to admit it.
"Hahaha, then we are right!" Lu Xinyi also said.
Speaking of knife skills, Ye Tian thought of her own knife, "Xiao Zizai." Although Ye Tian could handle any knife with ease, she just couldn't quite get the same feeling of freedom and ease. She missed her knife so much that she even considered ordering a replica.
At this moment, a young Japanese chef emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate of sashimi and placing it on Ye Tian and the others' table. "Hello, customers! This is a personal gift from me. I heard you mention you're good with the knife, too. Would you mind exchanging some tips?"
The other three looked at Ye Tian. Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, Ye Tian had to deliberately say, "Hello, what knife skills do you mean? We are just ordinary students. How can we know anything about knife skills? You must have heard it wrong."
"Oh, I see. I'm so sorry. Please enjoy your meal." He was also a little unsure and walked back to the kitchen hesitantly, thinking that maybe he had heard it wrong.
The three roommates were amused to see Ye Tian fool the man away with just a few words. Zhao Yu asked her, "Why don't you compete with him? He looks so proud when he's cutting vegetables. You should let him see for himself."
Lu Xinyi and Li Yue also nodded in agreement with Zhao Yu's statement.
"You know, I definitely don't want to lose, but we're on someone else's turf. I don't think it's good to win. It would ruin the place and affect the image of their store!" said Ye Tian.
Everyone agreed, but they also thought that showing off their skills in front of customers might be more appealing. But since Ye Tian didn't want to, they didn't say anything more and gave up the idea of watching the fun.
They left soon after finishing their meal, but they had to admit that the ingredients in this restaurant were indeed fresh, but that was just freshness. After all, the price was there, and the four of them spent 800 yuan on the meal.
In Ye Tian's time, they also ate sashimi, or raw fish, and that was where Ye Tian's knife skills were more suited to show off. White as snow, thin as a cicada's wing—that was her ideal. Shredding, slicing—what was the point? She was just afraid of scaring the Japanese chef.
After they left, the Japanese chef felt more and more that something was wrong. He felt that he had seen the little girl who said she didn't know knife skills somewhere before. Where?
"Kao, on TV! She's the chef Ye Tian from the variety show!" But Ye Tian looked younger, so he didn't recognize her at first. "I wish I'd found her sooner. If I'd compared myself to her and filmed a video, my restaurant would have definitely become famous! What a shame..."
This was just a small incident, and Ye Tian quickly forgot about it. Next, the good news brought by the master was the big deal.
They were indeed chosen to attend the state banquet!
Ye Tian also asked for leave from her tutor and went to the capital to meet up with her master to start a new journey together.
…
The designated hotel for receiving foreign guests is solemn and majestic. There is a very large rotating round table in the dining room that can accommodate more than 20 foreign guests for dinner at the same time.
The tableware chosen this time was bright yellow with dragon patterns, which was very representative of a great country. The receptionist showed them the tableware specifically to ensure that the dishes and tableware complemented each other.
There are more than 10 chefs selected this time, and each of them is only responsible for one or two specialties. For example, Chef Luo is only responsible for boiled cabbage and Kung Pao chicken.
In order to ensure that there are no mistakes during the formal meal, a trial meal with the same specifications must be prepared before the formal meal on the day of the state banquet.
Boiled cabbage is a soup for one person, so it needs to be prepared for more than 20 people. This dish requires a lot of preparation. Chicken soup needs to be cooked in advance, and someone needs to watch the pot. Therefore, in addition to Ye Tian, Chef Luo also brought another assistant to help him.
As for Kung Pao Chicken, it is a piece of cake for him and he can make it in minutes.
The hotel kitchen was huge, and next to them, a chef was helping his apprentice make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. The apprentice intentionally or unintentionally blocked their view with his body. Ye Tian knew that the chef was afraid that they might steal his skills, so she consciously avoided looking in that direction.
The transparent chicken soup and white cabbage, served in a bright yellow porcelain bowl, looked very high-end and elegant. Chef Luo and Ye Tian were both satisfied with their results.
Kung Pao Chicken, with its reddish-brown sauce and nearly equal-sized chicken pieces, paired with peanuts and cashews, has a perfectly salty-sweet taste. Because many foreigners enjoy sweets, this dish is also very popular abroad.
The food tasting staff had absolutely no complaints about the two dishes prepared by Chef Luo. They were both beautifully presented and delicious. One dish suited the taste of the general public but was very tasty, several levels higher than the Kung Pao Chicken in ordinary restaurants.
However, they seem to have some objections to Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
The person in charge of receiving foreign guests is an old director. He tries various dishes several times a year and has become very picky. He felt that the taste of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall this time was not right. The freshness seemed a bit artificial and it was a bit salty.
So the director tactfully raised this issue with the chef in charge.
The chef in charge of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was immediately displeased: "How is that possible? I have been making Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for 30 years. Although this is my first time preparing it for a state banquet, I am confident in what I cook. Since you think I am not good enough, let's ask for someone else!" After saying that, he left angrily with his apprentice.
The old director was also confused. He had been in charge of receiving foreign guests for many years and knew many old masters, but he had never seen anyone with such a temper. He looked as if he was so angry that he just left.
"Director, what should we do? Should we go and get it back?" a subordinate quickly asked the director.
"What are you chasing after? Don't we have alternatives? He is not the only one in the country who can make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Okay, go check the list and we will invite the alternative chefs to see if they can come." The director continued to make arrangements.
Ye Tian looked at the small jar of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall next to her and asked curiously, "Uncle, can I have some Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?"
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