Rebirth: Starting from the Cafeteria

Chapter 45 Wedding Banquet
"Master Liao, how many tables are there today?"

If there were ten or eight tables, Du Shaojie and Liao Yongxin could handle it alone, so he asked this question.

"There are eighteen tables in total. The host is quite particular, so he invited two chefs to take charge of the cooking."

Liao Yongxin explained that there were one main chef, one assistant chef and two chefs on each side, a total of four people.

There are also a few odd jobs whose main task is to pick and wash vegetables, which does not conflict with their duties.

Du Shaojie said "Oh" and started to get busy.

Today's dishes are mainly classic dishes of Hongchunyuan Hotel, including sweet and sour pork tenderloin, fish-flavored shredded pork, braised lion head, braised carp, Kung Pao chicken, etc.

Liao Yongxin and Master Dong Yunxian of Hongchunyuan are responsible for nine tables respectively.

This arrangement is to ensure the consistency of the quality of dishes on each table to avoid criticism from everyone. It is also the minimum respect for the two chefs.

Liao Yongxin first started to braise the beef. Today's dishes include four cold dishes and eight hot dishes, so the more labor-intensive dishes naturally have to be made first.

Du Shaojie started to cut vegetables. Each dish had to be prepared in nine portions at the same time, and even three or four portions could be put into the pot at the same time when frying. Of course, wedding banquets were not like the big pot dishes in the cafeteria, and the dishes would still be much more delicate.

On the other side, Dong Yunxian and the young Yu Jianxin were also busy.

The two parties were not far apart. Dong Yunxian glanced at Du Shaojie who was cutting vegetables and couldn't help but exclaimed "Huh".

Then he whispered, "Jianxin, look at that young man. He's younger than you, but his knife skills are pretty good."

Yu Jianxin is Dong Yunxian's most proud apprentice, so he often takes him out to see more of the world.

Although the "master-disciple" relationship nowadays is different from before and belongs to the category of "teaching, helping and guiding", Dong Yunxian still treats Yu Jianxin as his own son or nephew.

Dong Yunxian knew Liao Yongxin, who was quite famous locally.

But I didn't expect that the young man the other party brought was so good. His knife skills alone surpassed most people in the restaurant.

"Yes, Master, I will try my best."

Yu Jianxin was a little jealous of the young man. Master Dong seldom praised others, but he didn't expect him to be so fond of this guy.

He was only in his early twenties, so of course he had a strong desire to win. He responded to his master verbally, but in his heart he was secretly competing with him.

Dong Yunxian glanced at his apprentice and roughly guessed what he was thinking, but he didn't say much. In fact, he was the same. He didn't want the dish he cooked today to be outdone by Liao Yongxin.

Du Shaojie didn't know this, he was concentrating on processing the ingredients, his hands moving faster and faster, changing his knife skills at will, even Liao Yongxin, who was familiar with him, was shocked.

"This kid's knife skills have improved again!"

Yu Jianxin would also steal a glance from time to time, but in the end, he no longer had any intention of competing with Du Shaojie in knife skills.

If the gap was not big, he could still comfort himself that he might be able to surpass her in the future. But with such a clear gap, what was there to worry about? He simply gave up the idea of ​​comparing himself with her.

However, he is still very confident in his cooking skills.

If I can't compete with him in knife skills, then I won't compete. The master has said that Yu Jianxin will cook the Kung Pao Chicken today. I'll let that young man see what he can do then!

Thinking of this, Yu Jianxin's mood immediately improved.

The whole morning was spent in busyness. When Du Shaojie looked up, he found that all the ingredients had been prepared.

Liao Yongxin also prepared various side dishes and four cold dishes, just waiting for the host's order to start cooking the hot dishes.

"Xiao Du, come with me."

Seeing that Dong Yunxian was about to finish, Liao Yongxin took Du Shaojie over. "Master Liao, are you ready? Really fast! I'll be ready soon, don't worry, there will be no delay. Is this your apprentice? The boy has good knife skills and has a bright future."

Dong Yunxian is an introverted person. When he saw Liao Yongxin and Du Shaojie, he greeted them with a smile while busying himself.

"This is Du Shaojie from our company's cafeteria. Shaojie, this is Chef Dong from Hongchunyuan Restaurant. His specialties are shredded pork with fish sauce and sweet and sour pork tenderloin, which are the signature dishes of Hongchunyuan Restaurant."

Liao Yongxin did not say whether Du Shaojie was his apprentice, but he praised Dong Yunxian.

Dong Yunxian laughed, introduced each other, and then lowered his head to continue with his own work.

Liao Yongxin did not disturb the other party. He and Du Shaojie carefully looked at the cold dish made by Dong Yunxian, and then returned to their workstations.

"Xiao Du, he is a master chef from a state-owned restaurant. There are still many things we can learn from him. For example, for cold dishes, Master Dong's presentation is very particular and really pleasing to the eye."

Liao Yongxin has a bad temper and likes to curse people, but he does things in an upright manner.

He is not an arrogant person. He can see the strengths of others and commented on them in front of Du Shaojie.

Du Shaojie remembered these details and did not show any impatience.

"Master Dong, Master Liao, we can start the meal now. Please prepare the dishes."

After the wedding, the host came to inform Liao Yongxin and Dong Yunxian that when they started to cook the first dish, the cold dish could be served.

The order of the dishes was discussed in advance, so the first dish made by Liao Yongxin and Dong Yunxian was "Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin".

The tenderloin has been fried in advance. Fry the sauce directly in the pan, then add the fried tenderloin, stir-fry a few times and it is ready to serve.

Du Shaojie watched silently from the side, and Liao Yongxin would sometimes give him some advice.

Various dishes were brought over in an endless stream. The small cafeteria became more and more lively, and even the sound of finger-guessing games could be heard.

"Xiao Du, you cook the Kung Pao Chicken, and I'll make other dishes."

Both chefs chose to let their assistants prepare the dish "Kung Pao Chicken". At present, it seems that the dishes made by Liao Yongxin and Dong Yunxian have their own merits, and it is really hard to tell which one is better.

If there is a difference, it is that Liao Yongxin prefers traditional cooking techniques, while Dong Yunxian's dishes clearly bear the mark of the 70-year heritage of Honghong Chunyuan Hotel.

"Okay, Master Liao."

Du Shaojie nodded hurriedly in agreement, then walked to the stove and started heating the pot.

This dish of [Kung Pao Chicken] needs to be fried in nine portions, and he plans to fry it in three pots. He is not sure about the quality if he fryes too much at one time.

Yu Jianxin glanced at Du Shaojie and then started to move. [Kung Pao Chicken] was the best dish he had made so far, and he felt that he could definitely beat the other person.

Du Shaojie was focused and his hands moved as smoothly as flowing water.

Last night he conducted a five-hour simulation training, during which he only cooked one dish, which was this [Kung Pao Chicken].

Since today was a wedding banquet, the diced chicken had been fried in advance instead of being stir-fried. But this was not important and would not affect the quality of the dish.

The spatula flies, stir-frying, seasoning, and thickening, all in one go.

The fragrance wafted away, and Liao Yongxin looked back. Just the appearance of the dish made him feel very satisfied.

Yu Jianxin also cooked a pot of delicious food. An outsider might not be able to tell, but Dong Yunxian had basically made up his mind just by observing with the naked eye.

That young man named Du Shaojie is really a good talent. His "favorite disciple" has been surpassed by others.

(End of this chapter)