After Feng Zheng understood everything clearly, he first selected the ingredients. He chose the freshest vegetables with dew on them, and the meat that was fresh and had good color. He was an expert in selecting seafood, and he selected plump crabs and large, meaty shrimps from the pile of miscellaneous seafood.
His ability was evident from his selection of ingredients, and Mrs. Qian became even more enthusiastic. "Comrade Chef, is there anything I can help you with? Just let me know. Don't mind me learning a few tricks from you."
Feng Zheng didn't care about this at all and ignored Mrs. Qian.
Mrs. Qian was making herself look awkward. While Feng Zheng turned his head away to busy himself, she looked at Heizi and asked him with her eyes what was wrong. This chef was a bit arrogant.
Heizi pulled her outside and pointed at his head. "From outside, I felt that there was something wrong with this position. You just need to help and learn a few tricks. No more explanation."
"I understand. Heizi, go ahead and get busy. I'll call you when the food is ready." Mrs. Qian felt relieved. It turned out that he was not arrogant by nature, but was just mentally ill. However, he was able to become a great chef even though he was mentally ill. He was worthy of admiration.
Mrs. Qian was busy in front of the stove, circling around Feng Zheng, washing vegetables and cutting meat. She was also busy to see how Feng Zheng prepared the ingredients. Ingredients are very important. If one ingredient is wrong during the cooking process, the whole dish may be ruined.
Feng Zheng was used to preparing the ingredients for each dish before cooking. This actually made it easier for Sister Qian; the more she saw, the more she would remember. If he cooked too fast, or if Feng Zheng started preparing the ingredients while cooking, it was not certain whether she would remember them.
"Comrade Chef, do you think this is the right way to cut the meat?" Mrs. Qian asked, not expecting Feng Zheng to respond; unexpectedly, Feng Zheng looked back, hummed lightly and stopped talking.
Mrs. Qian laughed happily, "What about seafood? How do you clean it? You tell me, and I'll follow your method."
"No need for you." Feng Zheng walked around her and picked up the crabs and prawns that had been soaked in salt water. He rinsed them under the tap. These things were not fresh, so they had to be washed carefully. Things that came out of the sea were full of bacteria. "Give me the clean scissors and brush."
"Okay." Mrs. Qian went to the cupboard and took out a pair of scissors that looked new; at least they were not rusty. Then she took out an old brush and gave it to him. "Comrade Chef, do you think it can be used?"
Feng Zheng took it, nodded lightly, and lowered his head to start cleaning the seafood; first he used a brush to scrub the crabs and prawns, and then used scissors to remove unnecessary things. The prawns' heads could not be kept, but there was nothing to remove from the crabs.
After working for about ten minutes, Feng Zheng cleaned the selected seafood; then he arranged them with onions, ginger, garlic and cooking wine; after arranging them, he covered them with a lid and turned around to do other things. Mrs. Qian stood by with nothing to do, and she stared at every step of Feng Zheng's instructions intently, trying to learn as much as she could.
The ingredients for stir-frying and cooking meat were prepared, and twenty minutes later, the marinated seafood was almost ready; although the time was a little shorter, it was much better than not marinating at all.
Put the prawns and red pepper together, and put the crabs on a plate and put them in the steamer.
"Comrade Chef, is there anything I can do? It's not appropriate for me to stand like this, don't you think?" Mrs. Qian felt bad for secretly learning someone else's cooking skills, so she went over to continue helping.
Feng Zheng glanced at her without saying anything. He covered the steamer and said, "Thank you for helping me light the fire."
Turning around, he took out three large bowls, beat two eggs in one bowl and mixed them evenly; added a small amount of salt, water and soy sauce, and put it into the bottom compartment of the steamer.
"Okay." Mrs. Qian walked to the stove with a smile and started to light the fire.
One person was watching and lighting the fire under the stove, while the other was frying in an orderly manner in front of the stove; the prawns were stir-fried, and the kitchen did not have all the dipping sauces. It was better to stir-fry them than to have them taste bad in the end.
After a busy period, two vegetarian dishes, three meat dishes, steamed crabs and stir-fried prawns were served on the plates one by one. They were so delicious that Mrs. Qian couldn't help swallowing her saliva under the stove. She felt hungry just by smelling the aroma.
"Heizi, Heizi." Mrs. Qian stood up and looked outside.
Heizi came over quickly, "Sister Qian, is it ready? I can smell the fragrance from outside; it smells so good! A chef is a chef, the dishes he makes are so delicious just by the smell."
"It's ready. Come, help bring it out." Mrs. Qian walked to the stove and reached for a large pot of stir-fried prawns. Feng Zheng glanced at her without saying anything, and Mrs. Qian finally came to her senses. "Comrade Chef, please go out and sit down for a while. We'll take care of the serving."
Feng Zheng ignored them. These dishes were prepared according to the portions for everyone in the Yan family, no extra; he was afraid that the two would steal some.
Heizi smiled and said, "Serve the guests first. They have been waiting for a long time. I think the chef wants to wash his hands. Let's serve the dishes first."
"Okay."
Mrs. Qian went down the stairs and followed Heizi out with the dishes. Heizi was carrying two plates of meat dishes. After delivering them to the table outside, Heizi did not forget to greet Zhong Yuxiu and others.
"Guests, your meal is ready. There are some dishes left in the kitchen and they will be brought to you shortly."
"Well, thank you." Yan Rushan nodded lightly, and stopped talking after speaking to Heizi.
Heizi and Mrs. Qian made several trips before they served all the food on the table. Looking at Feng Zheng, the food was already on the table. He went to wash his hands at the sink next to him before leaving the kitchen.
"Dear guests, please enjoy your meal. The chef you brought here is truly amazing. Look at the delicious food. I wonder how many years this chef has been learning this dish. His cooking skills are superb." He gave a thumbs up, his eyes full of admiration.
Even though he has some mental problems, he can still master the cooking skills; this shows how rich the training resources are for this chef.
Little do people know that Feng Zheng also came through hardships bit by bit; it is not as easy as others think.
"He's been learning for many years and is proficient in many dishes." Zhong Yuxiu chuckled and replied, "Could you please bring us some dishes and chopsticks?"
Yes, there are no bowls and chopsticks on the table, only various dishes.
Heizi slapped his forehead and hurried to the kitchen to wash the dishes and bring them over, "Everyone, enjoy your meal."
"Okay, thanks."
"It's all my job. Take your time. Just call me if you need anything."
Heizi left, and Yan Rushan brought bowls and chopsticks to the people sitting there, "Grandpa, it's time to eat."
"Hey, our little one is hungry too, what should we do?" Li Ji in the old man's arms reached out to grab the food on the table. It smelled so good that the child couldn't resist the temptation.
"The kitchen has steamed egg custard and meat porridge." Feng Zheng said naively.
"Thank goodness you thought of it." The old man breathed a sigh of relief and immediately patted his little hand. "Don't be impatient. Your food isn't ready yet. We'll feed you after we finish eating."
Yan Rushan stood up and took the child from the old man's arms, holding him in his arms. The old man breathed a sigh of relief, and seeing that his great-grandson was struggling but not crying, he picked up his chopsticks and started eating. After the old man started to move his chopsticks, the others started to move.
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