Wang Lei is a very good master. He never hides anything from his apprentices, but he won't let them do something if their skills are not up to standard.
Just like Ye Zhiqiu's knife skills are not good enough now, so after teaching him how to make roast chicken, he let the chicken marinate on the stove, and began to teach Ye Zhiqiu how to carve and arrange the dish.
After arranging for Ye Zhiqiu to practice carving dragons out of carrots, Wang Lei asked earnestly, "My little disciple, do you know why those who haven't completed their apprenticeship aren't allowed to attend formal banquets?"
Ye Zhiqiu really didn't know. He thought it was an old tradition, right? So, while carefully carving, he replied, "Master, is it because you haven't finished the dish yet, which means the dish isn't ready yet, and you're worried that it will ruin your school's reputation?"
Wang Lei looked at the dragon's body where Ye Zhiqiu had used a heavy hand to break a piece of its scale, and he hurriedly shouted to stop.
Ye Zhiqiu was a little confused because he usually made mistakes when practicing, but his master would wait until he finished before explaining to him what was wrong.
Wang Lei pointed at the broken dragon scale and said seriously: "This is the reason! Whether it is a wedding banquet, a full moon banquet, or even a birthday banquet, it needs to be arranged according to various dishes and various carvings.
For example, tomorrow's wedding banquet will feature a variety of carvings of dragons and phoenixes. Although many hosts don't pay attention to this, if you meet a host who does, no matter how good your food is, the banquet will be ruined.
Therefore, although our school of thought does not follow the old traditional rules, we should not accept formal banquets if we have not reached the standards for becoming a master.
Unless the owner says that it’s a new era and new practices, and we don’t follow the traditional style, then you can take this job.”
Ye Zhiqiu was truly dumbfounded. He had always thought that all he had to do was arrange the dishes. No wonder his master had included white flour, radish, taro, and even a large pumpkin as side dishes!
At that time, he scratched his head and couldn't understand what the taro and pumpkin were used for. It turned out that they were decorations on the plate!
"Master, so this is the reason! I thought my cooking skills weren't good enough, so they wouldn't let me take on formal banquets! Turns out my knife skills aren't good enough, and I don't know enough!"
Wang Lei laughed and explained, "Knife skills take the most time to practice, and your Senior Brother Dahe hasn't reached the standard of a master. In fact, at this kind of wedding banquet, the taste of the dishes served will actually be lowered.
Because there are so many tables of food, it's not as picky as it would be in a restaurant. For example, you and your senior brother, you can cook wedding banquet dishes, so there will be no problem.
This is why I've been letting you practice these knife skills and pastry making techniques. Once your knife skills are solid and you can knead and steam pastries without any problems, you'll naturally be able to become a master."
This time the truth was finally revealed. Ye Zhiqiu had always thought his cooking wasn't good enough. But even after knowing the reason, he felt surprised but didn't feel too bad.
I didn't even think about going back to practice day and night. What's the point of becoming a master? It's so much better to just hang out with the master!
I will strive to learn all the dishes that my two masters and my master can make. It will be so exciting to add food to my space! If I take the food home after work, I can also use the excuse that I went out to do some private work with my master and the host brought the food for me.
Time passed quickly, and when it was two o'clock, Wang Lei started to arrange for the two of them to start cooking.
For dishes that take some time to prepare, you can make them semi-finished and set them aside, and then cook them much faster.
For Ye Zhiqiu's twice-cooked pork, he first boils the meat with Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, ginger slices, and cooking wine for 15 minutes. He then takes the meat out and lets it cool down a bit before slicing it. He then stir-fries it when the waiter returns, and the dish is ready quickly.
Wang Lei made half a pound of beef into a cold dish. He handed the chopsticks to Ye Zhiqiu and said with a smile, "Try this cold beef dish, Master. I learned it from a chef in Hunan. It has a different sauce flavor from the ones we have here."
Ye Zhiqiu picked up a piece. The cold beef was sour, fragrant and delicious. The beef was simply braised with roast chicken, but after being seasoned, it was really appetizing in this hot weather!
He gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Master, this beef of yours is amazing! It's really appetizing to eat with wine or before a meal!"
Huang Dahe had just finished his work and quickly took the chopsticks to taste the food. He couldn't help but praise, "Master, the flavor you made is amazing! I thought beef without the sauce wouldn't be very delicious, but this thing is really delicious!"
Wang Lei laughed and told his two apprentices the seasoning ratios, asking them to remember them.
It is said that a good memory is not as good as a bad pen, so Ye Zhiqiu and Huang Dahe both took out their notebooks to write it down.
Therefore, a chef’s notes are really important, as they contain so many recipes and techniques.
Around three o'clock, Wu Shengli's secretary, Zou Langtao, walked in quickly. He quickly asked, "Chef Wang, Xiao Ye, how are the dishes? They'll be coming in soon. We've all been starving for a long time and can't wait to eat."
Wang Lei quickly replied, "Secretary Zou, please rest assured. Once you have seated everyone, we'll start serving the dishes! Since everyone is hungry, let's change the order of the dishes!"
"My little disciple, light the fire and stir-fry the twice-cooked pork. Dahe, you turn up the heat and reduce the sauce on the braised pork. I'll boil the fish fillets. Let's prepare the food first so the leaders can fill their stomachs, and then we can have some wine and snacks!"
After hearing Wang Lei confirm that there was no problem, Zou Langtao left in a hurry again, and Ye Zhiqiu also started to get busy.
Originally, two honeycomb coal stoves were used, but now that the dishes had been adjusted, only three burners could be used. Fortunately, there was still a gas stove, so Wang Lei was able to stir-fry the side dishes right away.
All the preparations had been made, so by the time they arrived at the cafeteria's private room, Ye Zhiqiu's twice-cooked pork was already cooked. He leaned out of the food window and quietly called Zou Langtao over.
"Brother Zou, it's time to start serving the food. Do you want to serve the food or should we help?"
Zou Langtao nodded quickly and replied, "You're really timely. The leaders just sat down and asked if the food was ready! There's no need for you to bother running out. You bring the rice over first, and I'll bring it in and tell the leaders that the food is ready."
Huang Dahe, who had prepared the braised pork nearby, brought over the rice in a bowl, and Zou Langtao took it and left.
Ye Zhiqiu whispered to Wang Lei, "Master, these secretaries have to help entertain the guests, so they may not be able to eat enough. Please save some dishes so that they can have something to eat after the guests leave."
Wang Lei agreed and said, "That's right, you are very smart. Master didn't even think of this! Your master taught me this before, but I've been running the restaurant for so long that I forgot about saving food."
Ye Zhiqiu said with a smile: "Well, it's a favor to keep it for them anyway. If they really forget it, they can't say anything. But a sedan chair is carried by everyone, and only when everyone is happy is it truly happy!"
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