Rebirth: Starting from the Cafeteria

Chapter 13: Skills are not easily passed on
Du Shaojie felt that his biggest problem was that he had too little practice. He didn't have many opportunities to cook at work, and when he got home it was usually evening, so he didn't have to cook.

Another problem is the lack of ingredients. There are many dishes that I cannot try at all and can only think about them in my mind.

"Let's go, Xiao Du, the meeting is over."

Perhaps because he was too focused, Du Shaojie didn't realize the meeting was over until someone called him.

So he hurried back to the cafeteria. It was already past twelve o'clock. If he didn't hurry up, no one would have lunch.

However, temporary workers in the unit, including Dai Jianguo and some cafeteria aunties, did not need to attend the meeting. He walked into the back hall and saw that the vegetables needed for lunch had already been washed.

Du Shaojie started cutting vegetables without saying a word. Liao Yongxin asked two regular employees, whom everyone jokingly called the "second chef" and the "third chef", to help.

The level of the second and third chefs is very average. If it weren't for Chef Liao, the food in the canteen would be criticized.

Three people stood in a row and started cutting vegetables. The crunching sounds came one after another, which sounded quite charming.

Liao Yongxin looked around with his hands behind his back and found that the knife skills of the second and third chefs were not as good as Du Shaojie.

Du Shaojie's basic skills are very solid, and you can tell at a glance that he has worked hard in this area.

Although not every chef has good knife skills, Liao Yongxin, who advocates old-fashioned cooking, still attaches great importance to these.

"Master Liao, we have a table of guests coming to the bureau at noon. Director Wu said we must prepare it better. Here are some pork kidneys, a piece of pork liver, and a chicken. You can add a few more dishes as you see fit."

At this time, Dai Tong hurried in from outside, holding a bag in his hand.

He walked up to Liao Yongxin and said something very seriously.

These days there are occasional comings and goings, and Liao Yongxin doesn't find it strange.

But it’s already very close to lunch time, and it’s inevitable that it would be a bit hectic to prepare such a table.

"Xiao Tang, Xiao Liu, after you finish cutting the vegetables, go straight to the stove. You two will be fully responsible for the staff meal today. Xiao Du, come and help me. Don't be careless about what Director Wu has told you to do."

Liao Yongxin has always been meticulous about his work.

At noon, the second and third chefs cooked a big pot of food, and he called Du Shaojie to prepare the table of dishes to entertain the guests.

"There are some pork, pork chops, beef and hairtail in the cafeteria. Let's list the menu first. Um, beef stew, four-happiness meatballs, sweet and sour spare ribs, osmanthus meat, stir-fried kidney, braised liver tips, braised hairtail, and spicy chicken.

Four more cold dishes and a soup will be enough. Xiao Du, you are responsible for preparing the ingredients, and everyone else who has nothing to do will follow your instructions. Dai Jianguo, go steam a pot of rice and heat up some white flour buns. "

Liao Yongxin was a man who had seen big scenes before. He quickly determined the menu for lunch and then mobilized everyone to get to work.

Du Shaojie gathered the ingredients he was going to use together, and after making sure there were no omissions, he handed them over to others to clean and carry out preliminary processing.

He first prepared various ingredients and then began to chop the pork.

The meat filling for making Four Happiness Meatballs does not need to be chopped too finely, it is best to have some granular texture.

After the minced meat was handed over to Liao Yongxin for seasoning, he then started cutting the beef. He was so busy that he had no time to rest.

Both the beef and meatballs require a stewing process, so make them first. In addition, the sweet and sour spare ribs are also more troublesome to make, as they need to be boiled, steamed, and fried, which is very time-consuming.

However, for the second step, which is steaming, you can use a pressure cooker and steam it for about twenty minutes.

Du Shaojie then went to cut the kidneys and pork liver. When Liao Yongxin was processing the ribs, he took a closer look.

The sweet and sour pork ribs made by the other party were not the same as what he remembered, and the steps were more complicated.

The two of them worked non-stop and finally prepared everything before dinner time.

"Master Liao, the dishes are ready." Du Shaojie worked with Liao Yongxin to mix the cold dishes first. At this time, Dai Tong ran over and urged them to serve the dishes.

Just then, four cold dishes were served, and Liao Yongxin started to stir-fry kidney and pork liver. These two dishes require freshness and tenderness, and the oil temperature must be high when stir-fried over high heat. They are quick-cooking delicacies.

Du Shaojie prepared a bowl of starch, which would be used for stir-fried liver tips, and put the other ingredients into a plate (bowl). Then he stood behind Liao Yongxin, ready to respond to calls at any time.

A thick blue smoke rose from the pot, and Liao Yongxin put the kidney slices, small ingredients, and seasonings into the pot at the same time, and then heard a "sizzle". The spatula quickly turned the pot, and after about ten seconds, it was out of the pot and served on a plate.

This is probably what a quick dish is.

"Xiao Du, you can make spicy chicken, right? I'm a little too busy here. If you can, go stir-fry the chicken."

Liao Yongxin then made braised liver tips, but after all, he was not as good as he was when he was young. Today, he felt a little overwhelmed when he was in a hurry.

Relatively speaking, the requirements for fried chicken are not too high, so he gritted his teeth and decided to let Du Shaojie cook this dish.

"Okay, Master Liao, I'll do my best."

When Du Shaojie heard this, he couldn't help but be overjoyed.

There is no essential difference between spicy chicken and big plate chicken, except for some differences in ingredients and seasoning. He currently has three popular dishes, one of which is big plate chicken.

So he didn't bother to watch Liao Yongxin cook anymore and hurried to another stove.

The ingredients for the spicy chicken have been prepared. Du Shaojie had someone prepare a few potatoes and added some new condiments.

He has studied the teaching materials for this dish no less than twenty times, and has memorized the cooking process by heart.

By the time Liao Yongxin had finished preparing the beef stew, sweet and sour pork ribs and four-happiness meatballs, a special fragrance could be smelled from a distance away.

"Xiao Du, what are you doing? It smells so appetizing."

Liao Yongxin walked over, lifted the lid of the pot, took a look, then picked up a spoon and tasted the soup, and couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

The big plate of chicken has a strong aroma and suits the taste of most people.

"I just made it up. I call this dish Da Pan Ji."

Du Shaojie smiled naively, looking quite honest.

Liao Yongxin didn't notice the other party's evil intentions, nodded and continued to cook.

Du Shaojie actually knew very well in his mind that although Liao Yongxin seemed to be fond of him, he was actually very conservative when it came to imparting skills to him.

There has been a saying since ancient times that an apprenticeship lasts three years. During those three years, one has to work like a slave for the master, and perhaps only then can one learn some real skills.

Since Liao Yongxin gave Du Shaojie some pointers last time, he has not expressed anything else. Of course, it is very kind of him to occasionally give him the opportunity to cook and watch from the side.

But Du Shaojie wants more, so he must show his value.

Therefore, he did not make "spicy chicken" as Liao Yongxin instructed today, but instead made a "big plate chicken". The consideration behind this was nothing more than trying to attract Liao Yongxin's attention as much as possible.

After the last few dishes were finished, Liao Yongxin specially tasted a piece of chicken and a piece of potato.

"It tastes really good. If it were in the past, you could open a restaurant with this big plate of chicken."

Liao Yongxin didn't know what he remembered. After praising Du Shaojie, he suddenly became silent.

(End of this chapter)