gourmet food

Chapter 1034 Keep it a secret!

Chu Yunfeng was astonished from the very beginning when he made the Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix, knowing that he would make a lot of money this time.

This is not just a matter of making a lot of money, but learning from this dish will definitely improve your plate presentation skills.

After Wan Lao made this dish, even Minister Wang couldn't calm down and stood on tiptoes from a distance to pay close attention, let alone Section Chief Yu and the other six master chefs.

Chief Yu originally wanted to move a chair and stand and watch, but after looking at Minister Wang several times, he didn't make any move. He couldn't stand taller than him, right?
The other six masters didn't have so many worries. They had already stood directly on the chairs, stretching their necks and watching non-stop.

If we weren't afraid of affecting Wan Lao's cooking, if he ran over to watch him and stopped cooking due to anger, it would be more than worth the gain, so it was better to watch from a distance.

Zhao Tianhao was also a little shocked, he really didn't expect his master to reveal all the unique skills of the bottom of the box, which is definitely rare to see usually.

It seems like it has been five years since I last saw this dish. Master has not cooked this dish for a long time, and it really has the taste of being cherished.

President Hou just started to show up at this time. He happened to go to the bathroom when Wan Lao and Zhao Tianhao came. He didn't show his head when he came back. He also wanted to see if Chu Yunfeng would gain anything big.

Since everyone has come here, they must have made a decision. I don't want to make extra trouble and wait until the final decision is made.

So Wan Lao showed off his unique skills at this moment. President Hou was also quite surprised. He also heard Section Chief Yu ask Minister Wang in a low voice: "Wan Lao hasn't cooked this dish for many years. ?”

"No, since the last time I made this dish that shocked foreign guests, I haven't had the chance to show it off again. This is a dish that has been rated as a special dish internally!
A normal person would not be able to taste this dish. It has been almost five or six years, and Wan Lao has never had the opportunity to make this dish, but today he is in luck! "

Minister Wang's words also shocked Chairman Hou even more. Only now did he really understand the weight of this dish. It seems that Chu Yunfeng really made a lot of money this time.

Wan Lao felt quite proud at this time, especially when he saw Chu Yunfeng's unabashed shock, he felt extremely happy.

Baby, you can't say bad things about my old man now, can you?
And Old Man Li, if you still want to dig a hole for me, let’s see how I can pay it back to you!
I have taught you such a top-notch dish, it can almost be said to be the best in the world. Now you have nothing to say, but we have to talk about your hiding Chu Yunfeng’s identity. .

Is this a look with great potential?
He has "potential" to work as a chef for a state banquet, and he is still a formal chef. He is only in his early 20s. This is really "extraordinary potential"!

This dish of "Hundred Birds Paying Attention to the Phoenix" is a superb dish that combines creativity and technique. It has very high requirements for carving, and it also requires a lot of attainments in aesthetics.

This dish has been passed down for many years, and by now I guess I can make it myself. If I don’t pass it on, it might really be lost.

But I have done it before, but unfortunately no one can learn it, and I don't know if Chu Yunfeng can really learn it just by reading it once?
Wan Lao was not sure, but that didn't stop him from trying his best to showcase the dish.

The phoenix in the middle is golden in color, with its noble head held high, as if enjoying the worship of birds. It is made of a hen, and the method is actually not too complicated.

But the birds around it are quite laborious to make, using not only prawns, fish meat, pigeon eggs, but also carrots, cucumber peels and other ingredients.

The tail of the prawn is just like the tail wing of the bird. It looks very beautiful. The body part is made of fish grits and plays a role of adhesion.

The head is made of pigeon eggs, cut off with an oblique knife and placed in front of the fish grits, with a small knife in the middle to gently open the mouth, insert the pointed cucumber slices into it, and the beautiful little mouth comes out.

Black beans are used as eyes, which highlights the brightness.

Now comes the key point. Wan Lao used old pumpkins to carve out the tail and wings of the phoenix. The long and small branches have a slight shaking effect, which is even more pleasing to the eye.

But the most shocking thing is that Wan Lao directly carved a phoenix, placed it directly on the front of the dinner plate, and then put all these carved wings on it. Auspicious!
Naturally, Chu Yunfeng was shocked by the extreme beauty. Chu Yunfeng also admired Wan Lao's carving skills. Being able to carve a phoenix so lifelike really benefited him a lot.

Seeing that Chu Yunfeng was still immersed in admiration, Wan Lao touched his beard proudly, and then said: "I won't say more, I have given you enough respect for Old Man Li.

Don't say bad things about my old man when you go back now, okay? "

hiss~!

Here comes the topic!
Only then did Chu Yunfeng truly understand the real reason why Wan Lao came after him. He was afraid of being laughed at by Lao Li, but he didn't have this intention in the first place. Is this a "blessing in disguise"?

Knowing that Wan Lao was very concerned about this matter, Chu Yunfeng hurriedly replied: "How can I? From the first time I met you, you have taken great care of me and specially asked me to go to the kitchen for a meal." View.

I also exchanged some cooking skills with Zhao Tianhao and the others. I remember this friendship in my heart. How could I be so ignorant and just chew your tongue? "

What Chu Yunfeng said was true and sincere, and there was a sense of gratitude in it, which made Wan Lao a little surprised.

In particular, Li Daitaojiang said that Zhao Tianhao's invitation was arranged by himself. This was obviously taking too much care of his own face. Children can be taught, children can be taught!

Sure enough, it was not in vain for me to chase after him to teach him such a dish hidden in the Qing palace. It's a good thing that I came after him. Otherwise, I don't know how far my old face has been thrown?
Facing the "goodwill" conveyed by Chu Yunfeng, Wan Lao showed an extremely happy smile and said cheerfully: "Not bad, not bad, you little guy is very talented and has a bright future!"

This feeling is definitely out of feeling. If I hadn't been chasing this matter, how would I have known how fierce this little guy is? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, how would I have believed it?

Chu Yunfeng was naturally very modest and said: "Thank you, you are a master of cooking. This carving and technique are simply admirable!

Can you try this dish? "

This impatient expression made Wan Lao very helpful. He raised his hand to signal and asked Chu Yunfeng to directly bring the three dishes over and let everyone taste them together.

When these four dishes were placed together, it was natural that Bai Niao Chao Feng would steal the spotlight. No one paid attention to the other two dishes, and everyone focused on this one dish.

"Wan Lao, you haven't cooked this dish in a while, but your skills are still as good as before!"

The artistic conception of this dish is indeed so powerful that people can't bear to look away. Minister Wang recalled the scene when he saw this dish for the first time and couldn't help but feel emotional.

"Haha, I'm so ticklish at one moment and so ticklish at the other!" Wan Lao was very happy at this time, smiling non-stop on his face, "Today happens to be a coincidence, I'll give you an extra meal, try it, try it!"

Momentarily itchy?
Minister Wang and Section Chief Yu wouldn’t believe it?
It's so late for you, old man, to come to the kitchen of this state banquet for nothing, just to give everyone an extra meal?

Even a blind person can tell that you are here for Chu Yunfeng. He is the only one staying by your side while you are cooking. If you say nothing happened before, wouldn't you think everyone is a fool?

But see through it without telling it. Although they are all curious about why Wan Lao chased Chu Yunfeng here, everyone is smart and no one will ask this question.

Now that Mr. Wan had spoken, everyone picked up their chopsticks, and each picked up a "little bird" to taste.

No one would be polite at this moment. Even President Hou, who had been "invisible" just now, immediately "revealed his true form" and struck faster than anyone else.

Although Chu Yunfeng was the last to use his chopsticks, he did not put it directly into his mouth like the others. Instead, he picked it up and looked at it before tasting it.

Fresh, tender, refreshing and smooth!

These four words can perfectly interpret the taste of this bird shape, and the fragrance of the fusion of pigeon eggs, fish grits and shrimp meat makes people simply unable to stop.

But when Chu Yunfeng wanted to have another one, the last bird on the plate was caught by the president, and he stuffed it into his mouth in one bite.

Noticing Chu Yunfeng's gaze, President Hou grinned at him!
Seeing President Hou's proud expression, Chu Yunfeng shook his head slightly. This is not the time to be greedy, and the most important thing has to be explored immediately.

That is naturally the origin of this dish. After all, it is such an exquisite dish. Just knowing how to make it without knowing the story behind it is not Chu Yunfeng's style.

According to Chu Yunfeng's motto, this dish needs to be given a soul, otherwise there will be no sense of accomplishment!
"Wan Lao, this dish should be regarded as the top dish in palace cuisine. Is there any allusion to it?"

Minister Wang and the others started to dismantle the "Phoenix" in the middle, but after hearing Chu Yunfeng's inquiry, they couldn't help but move a little slower.

When Wan Lao saw that Chu Yunfeng did not join in, but began to explore the origin of the dishes, he couldn't help but look at him even more highly.

This little guy really has wisdom!
Blinking his eyes and taking a deep breath, Wan Lao began to remember: "You are right, this dish is indeed the core of palace cuisine.

There are few other dishes that can stand side by side with it. No matter where it is placed, such a shape is the core presence.

I also heard the allusion from people of the previous generation. I can’t verify the specifics, but it should be relatively reliable.
It is said that during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet was planned to be held in the Dabaoen Temple. As everyone was busy making preparations, one day, many rare and exotic birds suddenly flew over the usually quiet Dabaoen Temple. .

The birds sometimes fly in the sky, sometimes hover between the temples, and from time to time they emit the sweet sound of a hundred birds singing together. The atmosphere is full of auspiciousness and enthusiasm, immediately attracting passers-by to stop and watch.

This incident spread from ten to ten, and it reached the ears of Emperor Guangxu. After hearing this, he became very interested in "A Hundred Birds Singing Together".

After some questioning, I learned that the harem supervisor had gone to great lengths to please his master and sent people to collect many precious and famous birds from the people at all costs. They had been domesticated in advance and tested again and again to form such a strange landscape.

Emperor Guangxu was very satisfied and asked on a whim if he could try to make a birthday dish of "a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix" and serve it on his birthday. Wouldn't it make the Empress Dowager even happier?

The harem supervisor did not dare to disobey the order and immediately went down to the imperial cook to convey the order.

He also gave special instructions: "This 'Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix' is the main dish of the Queen Mother's birthday banquet. If you prepare it, you will be rewarded heavily. If you don't do it well, you will lose your head. When the time comes, I will not be able to plead for you."

All of a sudden, the imperial cooks in the imperial dining room started talking about it.

One of the very experienced masters said: "I think the phoenix in "Hundred Birds to the Phoenix" is easy to handle. As long as you choose a fresh hen, you can make a realistic shape. The key is how to make "Hundred Birds" Made?
Another chef said: "I think it is very good to use pigeon eggs to make the body of the bird. It doesn't matter how much you put on the plate."

Before he finished speaking, another chef rushed to say: "I think using steamed ham to make bird wings will do."

Someone else suggested: "Using anchovy shrimp to make a bird is also good, wouldn't it taste more delicious?"

After much discussion, the supervisor of the harem decided to immediately trial-produce "Hundred Birds Paying Attention to the Phoenix", and he even went to the imperial dining room to watch it in person.

With the cooperation of the master craftsmen, this phoenix was soon made, and a graceful and luxurious phoenix was seen sitting steadily in the center of the food plate with its head held high, surrounded by people fluttering its wings. The exquisite flying bird.

The whole shape was perfect and beautiful, so the harem supervisor was very satisfied and immediately reported the trial production situation to Emperor Guangxu, who was overjoyed.

On the day of the birthday, there was a gathering of rare birds in the Dabaoen Temple, and all the birds were singing.Colorful birds fly up and down with beautiful wings and make moving music.

The supervisor of the harem personally brought the delicious and fragrant delicacy "Hundred Birds to the Phoenix" and placed it squarely in the middle of the many delicacies.

Looking at the delicacies and listening to Emperor Guangxu's introduction, the Empress Dowager kept nodding in approval, and was full of praise for the "Hundred Birds Paying Attention to the Phoenix" that she tasted for the first time in her life.

From then on, "a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix" became an indispensable dish in the imperial meals of the Qing Dynasty. "

Wan Lao paused for a moment after finishing speaking, and then added: "The previous method was relatively simple, but now this method has been improved by later generations, so the shape is more refined."

After saying this, Chu Yunfeng understood that in the past, pigeon eggs were steamed directly. It was really good to use as a base and looked pretty, but there was only one drawback.

That is, the taste will be too thick. After all, it is steamed. If it is not steamed, the soft-boiled eggs will easily break. Once steamed, the taste will be worse.

No wonder such improvements were made!

Something happened here, and Wan Lao didn't plan to stay any longer, so he took Zhao Tianhao to leave without letting Minister Wang send him off.

Chu Yunfeng and President Hou followed up.

"Wan Lao, thank you!"

After arriving at the door of the kitchen, Wan Lao stopped letting Chu Yunfeng take another step. Chu Yunfeng could only bow respectfully and did not challenge Wan Lao's temper.

President Hou seemed to have something to say, so he rushed over in two steps, and after finishing speaking next to Wan Lao, he immediately ran back.

Wan Lao, on the other hand, glanced back at Chu Yunfeng, his eyes projecting a terrifying light!

After the two of them got in the car and went out, Zhao Tianhao asked in a low voice: "Master, why does President Hou want us to keep it a secret?"

The light in Wan Lao's eyes flashed again, and he said with a serious expression: "He is right, everything about Chu Yunfeng is kept secret, including the fact that I came here with you tonight.

When you get back, tell me that you went shopping with me. Chu Yunfeng's affairs will only last until he arrives in the kitchen today. Do you understand?
By the way, President Hou told me about the kitchen affairs before and I will tell you again when I go back. Don’t let anyone leak the secret! "

Seeing Wan Lao being so serious and rigorous, Zhao Tianhao took a deep breath and immediately agreed.

But I can't help but be more curious in my heart, what big move is Master Chu going to use?

(End of this chapter)