“The topic of this test is about cooking fish. There are no specific requirements for the cooking techniques such as frying, frying, steaming, and so on. There are also no restrictions on the side dishes as long as the main ingredient is fish. The questions are very open, and you can do whatever you want.” Yuan Zhou straightforwardly explained the gist of the matter.
“I know, master.” When the disciples received the specific news, they finally heaved a sigh of relief in their hearts.
After Yuan Zhou finished talking about the main things, he handed over the supervision to Cheng zhaomei and found a place to sit down and wait for the results.
“Later on, you guys will be preparing all kinds of ingredients for this little test. I’ve already tried my best to prepare as many ingredients as possible. If anyone finds out that they don’t have any ingredients while choosing, please let us know in time. We will help you to solve the problem as appropriate. Now, I announce that the first little test of the yuan sect has officially begun.” Cheng zhaomei had the air of a senior brother and appeared particularly steady.
He was right. For the theme of fish this time, he had prepared hundreds of fish species, including freshwater fish and saltwater fish, live and dried. It basically met the needs of people in different cuisines, countries, and regions. However, there might be deviations, so he had to say it first.
“I understand, eldest senior brother.” After everyone answered, they began to disperse and went to the back of the house to choose the ingredients.
The topic chosen by Yuan Zhou was quite extensive. No matter which cuisine, there would definitely be dishes related to fish. Fish was eaten both at home and abroad and there were not many taboos. In this way, he could understand more about the situation. After all, Yuan Zhou didn’t forget that he had two disciples who cooked foreign dishes.
Cheng zhaomei came to Yuan Zhou’s side after she announced the start of the contest. She stood behind him and watched her junior brothers and sisters busy with their work, finding problems and finding problems for themselves.
He had been learning from Yuan Zhou for a long time and had also learned the practice of “there must be a teacher in a group of three”. Many people said that Cheng zhaomei was becoming more and more mature and had the style of his teacher.
Every time this happened, Cheng zhaomei would be so happy that she looked like a fat woman who weighed more than a hundred pounds.
“Ding Ling Ling Ling Ling”
Although the main ingredients were limited, everyone was a master chef. Even if they couldn’t compare with Cheng zhaomei, they were still like Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their own skills.
Yuan Zhou didn’t set a specific time, but all his apprentices still sped up without prior agreement, not wanting to waste any time.
This was the first lesson he had learned from Yuan Zhou-to use time reasonably.
The first dish to be cooked was Cao zhishu, who had the home-court advantage and his specialty, the six-taste spicy boiled fish. However, he didn’t cook the spicy boiled fish today. Instead, he cooked other dishes. This was something he had gained insight on after reading Yuan Zhou’s notes and he wanted to try it.
“Master, please have a taste.” When Cao zhishu saw that his other senior brothers and junior sisters were not done cooking, he first carried the plate to Yuan Zhou.
“I made steamed crucian carp today. Please have a taste.” After he carefully placed the plate in front of Yuan Zhou, Cao zhishu stood aside respectfully.
The plate that Cao zhishu had chosen was a fish-shaped plate. One end was like the head of a fish, and the other was like the tail of a fish. There were faint lines on the plate, as if they were the lines on the tail. A carp was lying on the plate, and on the body of the fish were finely cut shiitake mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, and some meat-colored ham. The colors were very clear.
The carp had been processed in advance. The thick flesh on the back had been cut with a knife, revealing the White and tender flesh inside, which was even more tender against the dark skin.
The aroma of the fish was mixed with the aroma of other ingredients, which was very attractive.
“Junior Brother Cao’s strength is not to be underestimated.” Cheng zhaomei muttered in her heart.
“You added lemons and purple perilla? That’s a good idea. ” Yuan Zhou knew the ingredients of Cao zhishu just by smelling it.
“Yes, Master. I looked at your notes and made some improvements. Please try it.” Cao zhishu wasn’t surprised at all that Yuan Zhou was able to figure out the whole situation within such a short time.
Even if he had only dropped a little lemon juice into the fish when he was curing it, Yuan Zhou’s behavior was still considered a basic operation and thus was not something to be surprised about.
Yuan Zhou picked up the chopsticks and picked up a small piece of the thick tenderback meat and put it into his mouth to taste slowly.
“The marinating time is still quite accurate, but you can reduce the time of steaming by one or two minutes. The fish will be fresher and more tender. You blanched the ingredients before, and the fish was also drizzled with hot oil, so it’s already a little cooked. Also, when you choose the purple perilla, you should choose the one closer to the root, which will have a better effect.” Yuan Zhou said directly.
“Thank you, master.” Cao zhishu stood still in silence, trying to digest what Yuan Zhou had just said.
They were all small details, but sometimes, small details could be fatal to a dish.
Whether it was in the cooking notes or the quiz, everyone’s thoughts were the same. This master was really the right one!
The apprentices were actually very fast. The second to finish was Zhang Longquan, who made Cantonese food. Coincidentally, he also made a home-cooked dish, salted fish and eggplant in pot.
Due to the salted fish, Zhang Longquan had asked for Yuan Zhou’s permission to use the salted fish that he had brought.
That’s right, he even brought some dried salted fish with him. As expected of a chef, there was nothing wrong with bringing ingredients out.
Salted fish and eggplant in pot was a home-cooked Cantonese dish. In fact, the simpler the dish, the more skill required. This was probably the reason why Cao zhishu and Zhang Longquan chose home-cooked dishes instead of main dishes. It was not only because it took a short time, but also because it reflected their problems the most.
He was very nervous at the start, but exposing his own shortcomings to his master was a fortunate thing. Only then would he have room for improvement. Cao zhishu, Zhang Longquan, and the other registered disciples were all smart people.
“Master, this is salted fish and eggplant in pot. Please try it.” Zhang Longquan said as he carefully lifted the lid of the claypot.
“Zi Zi Zi Zi”
The lid had been opened, but there were still bubbles inside, as if it was still opening.
Zhang Longquan wanted to use a claypot to cook this dish, so that the salted fish and eggplant would taste more salty, sticky, and fresh.
“Good control of the fire.” Yuan Zhou looked at the situation of the eggplant strips and said.
“Hehehe, I only reached this level because I learned a little trick from my master. I was still a little lacking before.” Zhang Longquan scratched his head and said honestly.
Although Zhang Longquan was about the same age as Li Youcai and the others, he had always been devoted to studying cooking, so he was a little naive in dealing with people.
At that moment, they looked at Yuan Zhou with eager eyes like a young bird waiting to be fed, hoping that Yuan Zhou would give them some suggestions.
Yuan Zhou wouldn’t let him down. He directly picked up the chopsticks and had a bite before saying,””Did you use rock salt to marinate the salted fish?”
“Master, you can tell?” Zhang Longquan’s eyes were wide open. This tongue was too exaggerated.
What kind of tongue is this?
“Next time, you can try using sea salt, but not refined sea salt, but rough sea salt. I believe it will be better.” Yuan Zhou said directly.
“Okay, master.” Zhang Longquan took out a small notebook and started recording.
……
