Rebirth: Starting from the Cafeteria

Chapter 88 Chicken Fillet with Lotus Root
"Have you signed up?"

While working in the afternoon, Zhong Dexiang suddenly asked a question.

Du Shaojie had explained the reason when he requested for a day off, so he naturally knew that the other party had gone to register this morning.

"I've signed up. The exam will be on the 15th of next month."

Du Shaojie responded with a smile and even took out his admission ticket to show the other party.

"Then prepare well and try to pass it in one go."

Zhong Fuxiang didn't say much. Considering his personality, it was good enough that he asked a question.

Du Shaojie said a few polite words and went back to work. He had seen Master Zhong making [Chicken Slices with Lotus Root] that day, and thought to himself that he would have to ask him for advice later.

This dish, [Chicken Slices in Lotus Root], is not included in the simulation training, so we can only find ways to improve it in reality.

When it was dinner time, Du Shaojie got his chance.

After Zhong Dexiang cooked a few dishes, he went to the side to rest, and the remaining dishes that needed to be cooked were handed over to the "second stove" and "third stove". It was impossible for him, a special third-level chef, to cook every dish himself.

Top chefs are not cabbages, there are not many of them in the whole province.

In addition to him, the "first chef", the "second chef" and the "third chef" are all first-class chefs, and their skills and reputations are also well-known.

At this time, Du Shaojie was also free, so he came to Zhong Fuxiang and asked:
"Master Zhong, I'm not very familiar with the preparation of [Chicken Slices with Lotus Root], could you please tell me the key points?"

"Okay! What about the other two dishes? Although most chefs are familiar with [Shredded Pork with Fish Flavor] and [Sautéed Lamb with Scallions], it is not easy to get the judges' approval."

Zhong Fuxiang responded expressionlessly, then curled his lips, obviously thinking that the other party was a bit impetuous.

Du Shaojie was stunned for a moment. He didn't seem to have mentioned the content of the exam, right? But then he thought, Xijiang Hotel is such a big unit, maybe there will be people who apply for the exam, so he didn't take it to heart.

"I am somewhat confident about the two dishes [Fish-flavored Shredded Pork] and [Sautéed Lamb with Scallions]. I will practice more later, but I am not confident at all about the dish [Chicken Slices with Lotus Root].

Du Shaojie is clear about the basic production process.

After all, he had the [chef training video materials], which was like an encyclopedia in the catering industry. He knew it, but he had never done it before. If he started from scratch, it would not only take time but also cost money.

There is a shortcut right in front of him. As long as Master Zhong is willing to give him some pointers, he will be able to practice more efficiently.

There is a saying that "a single true word" can definitely help him avoid many detours.

"Well, that's about right. The so-called chicken slices are actually a mixture of chicken fillets, clean fish meat, and chopped water chestnuts. There are a few things to note here. First, the fascia in the chicken fillets must be removed cleanly.

Second, the fish meat is preferably pike meat. Of course, the Level 3 chef exam doesn’t care much about this, you just need to know it. In addition, when preparing chicken slices, you must use water starch instead of dry starch. "

Zhong Fuxiang first briefly talked about the production process of [Fragrant Chicken Slices], and then pointed out several key points.

At the same time, Du Shaojie was told that this dish might be encountered in exams of all levels.

But the focus of examination varies depending on the level.

For example, the third-level chef exam first looks at knife skills, which is how to remove impurities from the fascia and whether the meat is minced finely enough. The second is the cooking temperature, which is how the chef controls the cooking temperature when frying the seasoned chicken slices.

As long as other aspects are acceptable, I won’t have too high requirements.

After listening to this, Du Shaojie suddenly felt enlightened. Look, this is the level of a top-notch chef. Not only can he explain the making of a dish in a simple and easy-to-understand way, but he can also explain the tricks of the exam.

Incredible, incredible!
He expressed sincere admiration in his heart and felt that he had benefited a lot.

At this time, the order menu was passed to the kitchen. As luck would have it, a customer just ordered this dish, "Chicken Slices with Lotus Root".

"I'll make this dish, Xiao Du, you just watch carefully from the side, how much you can learn depends on your own ability."

Zhong Fuxiang looked cold on the outside but was actually warm-hearted. He immediately decided to make this dish [Chicken Slices in Lotus Root] himself.

So, Du Shaojie stood behind Master Zhong and stared at his cooking process without blinking.

"See clearly?"

Zhong Fuxiang quickly prepared the dish [Chicken Slices with Lotus Root], then looked at Du Shaojie and asked a question.

Dong Jun was a little jealous. He had been with Master Zhong for two years, but he had never enjoyed the same treatment as Du Shaojie. Not only did he explain all the tricks of a dish clearly, but he also demonstrated it himself.

People with background are different!
In fact, he had no idea that in Zhong Fuxiang's heart, Dong Jun would at best be an above-average chef in his life, and there was a high probability that he would be able to reach the level of a first-class chef before retirement.

But Du Shaojie is different. According to Zhong Fuxiang's observation, this boy is very talented in cooking and his potential is immeasurable.

He didn't care whether Du Shaojie had any background or not, he was indeed attracted by his talent.

"I see it clearly! Thank you, Master Zhong."

Du Shaojie expressed his gratitude from the bottom of his heart, and then ran away while continuing to think about the dish.

As long as he can make this dish to a "mainstream" level, it will be included in the simulation training scenario, and then everything will become very simple.

Isn't it just a matter of training time? There are ways to solve it.

night.

When Du Shaojie got home from get off work, Wang Yuxiu was still asleep, but Xiaomei and Xiaoya were already asleep.

"Mom, please buy a chicken and some water chestnuts tomorrow. I need them. I have to take the chef grade test on the 15th of next month. I need to take the third-level chef test. I have to practice hard."

Du Shaojie gave Wang Yuxiu some instructions and prepared to go to the kitchen.

Pike was hard to find, but he still had some carp, and carp meat would work. He didn't have to worry about other things like spices and seasonings, and there was enough cooking oil.

After all, this isn't a formal exam or a dish for a banquet. It's just practicing your skills. There's no need to demand perfection. "Okay, I'll remember that. I'll go to bed first, and you should get some rest too."

Wang Yuxiu agreed without hesitation. Her son's future was more important than anything else, so this little money should be spent!

After saying that, she went back to her room and went to sleep.

Du Shaojie then went to the kitchen and took out some boneless lamb from the storage space, preparing to stir-fry [Sautéed Lamb with Scallions]. He had practiced this dish repeatedly in the simulation space and had also made it in reality.

The fire in the hearth had gone out, so he relit the stove and began to prepare.

In a short time, the ingredients and condiments were ready, and then they started to fry. A fragrant dish of [Stir-fried Lamb with Scallions] was freshly cooked, and he tasted it and felt it was good.

After putting the dishes aside, Du Shaojie went to wash up.

Then I go back inside and check the reviews for the dish I just made.

As expected, this dish [Stir-fried Lamb with Green Onions] received an overall rating of "average".

【Bound chef: Du Shaojie】

[Level: First-class worker]

[Current work: Stir-fried lamb with green onions]

【Overall evaluation: medium to low】

【Bonus: Hotel Management Tutorial (VIII)】

[Reward: White-striped chicken (3 kg), simulation training duration (30 hours)]

[Special Reward: None]

Du Shaojie checked it once and then slapped his forehead.

Normally, he should be happy, after all, the main ingredient of [Fruit Rong Chicken Slices] is chicken. But the problem is that he just told his mother to buy a chicken tomorrow, so how can he change his mind?

I should have waited until tomorrow.

The system's rewards are completely irregular. Most of the time, the rewards are various kinds of meat, and occasionally there are non-food items.

So he quickly put the matter behind him and started looking through the [chef training video materials].

When I got tired of reading the materials, I went to the simulated training scene to practice [Fish-flavored Shredded Pork] and [Stir-fried Lamb with Green Onions]. I became more proficient in cooking these two dishes, and both of them received a "medium-low" simulation evaluation without exception.

"not bad."

After spending twelve hours in the simulated training scene, Du Shaojie came out and went to get a glass of water.

【Duration: 313 hours\670 hours】

"Come again!"

After resting for a while, Du Shaojie planned to continue fighting.

Afterwards, we entered the simulation training scene again, this time to make [Stir-fried Lamb with Green Onions] and [Shredded Pork with Fish Flavor].

Thirteen hours later, Du Shaojie withdrew.

At this moment, his face was full of fatigue. The physical fatigue would not be brought into reality, but the mental fatigue could not be eliminated.

【Duration: 300 hours\670 hours】

He couldn't bear it any longer, so he crawled into bed and fell asleep.

The next morning.

Cao Dachuan called a meeting of all employees.

"Starting today, the guest rooms will no longer accept new guests. Starting the day after tomorrow, our restaurant will no longer accept individual guests. We will do our best to ensure the smooth progress of the 'Provincial Agricultural Summary and Commendation Conference'. The conference will last for three days, and I ask everyone to make sure to provide good logistics services."

Manager Cao said a lot, but in fact his point was just one: Xijiang Hotel had a meeting assignment.

Xijiang Hotel is quite large in size, with restaurants and guest rooms. In addition to the main building, there are two auxiliary buildings and a three-story staff dormitory building.

The meal arrangements depend on the level of the meeting, which is decided by higher-ups and has nothing to do with the restaurant.

Everyone was already used to it, except Du Shaojie, as it was his first time to be involved in the catering work for such a large-scale conference.

"Master Zhong, Xiao Du, you two come with me."

After the meeting, Cao Dachuan called Zhong Fuxiang and Du Shaojie to his office.

"The food standard for this conference is level four. Because there are more participants, we need to add more chefs to cook. Let Xiao Du go to the 'fourth kitchen'. What do you think, Master Zhong?"

Cao Dachuan is actually a good manager who respects talents in most cases.

For example, pillars like Zhong Fuxiang.

"can."

The Level 4 food standard is slightly better than the employee meals. Although it is not a big pot meal, the quality requirements of the dishes are not high, and it is also an opportunity for the restaurant to train newcomers.

Of course, not everyone can cook. At least you need to have certain abilities.

Du Shaojie obviously met this condition, so Zhong Fuxiang agreed without hesitation. However, he still adhered to his usual style and was frugal with words.

(End of this chapter)