"Please have some tea," said Yuan Zhou, pouring a cup of tea for each of them. His etiquette was impeccable.
"Good tea!" Ceng Youwei was a tea lover. When he smelled the fragrance of the tea, he couldn't help but praise it. Good tea could be smelled from the smell, so this was not a lie.
Ceng Youwei stared at the teacup and felt his eyes glowing. He picked up the teacup and took a sip. A slightly bitter taste spread from the tip of his tongue. Gradually, there was a hint of sweetness. The taste was wonderful. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the taste of the tea. For a moment, he even forgot about the important matter at hand.
It was no exaggeration to say that the number of types of tea in the Master Chef Restaurant had always been something that chefs and customers who loved tea wanted to know. Regarding this question, Yu Jiao, one of the Five Tigers of Jiangsu Cuisine, who called himself the Tea Master, had asked this question countless times.
This made things difficult for Yuan Zhou. To put it bluntly, he had never counted the tea leaves. After all, many dishes required tea leaves. For example, the Salad Tea Leaves that almost killed Yuan Zhou … Yuan Zhou had been thinking of finding a day to count the tea leaves provided by the system.
"Originally, this question could have been asked at the next Famous Chef Summit. But we really can't wait that long. So, please forgive us, Head Chef Yuan," said Li Youcai. He knew Ceng Youwei well. Seeing him immersed in the tea fragrance, he could only speak.
"Head Chef Li, you don't have to do this. You are my elders," said Yuan Zhou.
In fact, this scene would be very strange anywhere. Two old men in their fifties were asking a young man who was not even thirty years old for guidance. However, it was very normal in Taoxi Road. Li Youcai and Ceng Youwei were very humble.
"But Head Chef Yuan, you are a grandmaster," said Li Youcai. He himself was a master of Yunnan Cuisine. Therefore, he addressed Yuan Zhou as a grandmaster.
Speaking of which, one could see a lot of aged painters coming to ask Wu Hai for advice in Taoxi Road. But Wu Hai … well, that was another story. It was totally different.
"Do you still remember what Old Master Wang Huai said? If it wasn't for his age, he would really want to become sworn brothers with Head Chef Yuan," Ceng Youwei said.
Yuan Zhou was stunned. Old Master Wang Huai was still living in Chengdu, and Yuan Zhou had never heard of this. Where did this news come from?
"Actually, I'm ashamed to say this. It's just a small question, but I'm just being serious. That's because I've been competing with Old Man Li for half my life. I just hope to get an answer now," Ceng Youwei added.
Yuan Zhou said, "Cooking has always been about being serious. Only then can you make greater progress. Also, there are no small problems with cooking."
When it came to cooking, Yuan Zhou was someone who would haggle over the smallest details. Otherwise, he would have to continue thinking about the perfume he created. Even the system had judged him to have completed the mission. In the end, he had to find a better method. Of course, the naughty child had helped him a lot. Yuan Zhou had always felt that the brain of a naughty child was different from an ordinary person.
"There are no small problems with cooking. Head Chef Yuan, you are right," Li Youcai was in his fifties. He could naturally tell that Yuan Zhou was not just being polite.
"What's the problem that's causing the two of you to argue so much?" asked Yuan Zhou.
Although it was true that Ceng Youwei and Li Youcai didn't attend the communication meeting this time, Yuan Zhou still knew about the dishes they were good at. Back when he received the reward from the system and started to study Yunnan Cuisine, he had observed and summarized all the famous dishes in Yunnan Cuisine.
"Actually, it's nothing much. It's just Steamed Pork with Lily. Both of us have different ways of cooking this dish, but the taste is about the same. We've done market research and consulted with other people, but basically, we have a fifty-fifty chance of winning. Now, neither of us can convince the other. We always feel that our cooking is the most authentic. Ceng Youcai was a little embarrassed. This was a small matter, but it sounded like the two of them were really bored.
Li Youcai also spoke with conviction, "I feel that my method is the most authentic. Old Zeng's method is simply a waste."
"I remember that Head Chef Zeng is good at Steamed Chicken while Head Chef Li is good at cooking with all kinds of wild mushrooms. For example, Sauteed Mushroom with Coriander is very outstanding," said Yuan Zhou.
"That's right, that's right. Head Chef Yuan is awesome. This is indeed what we are good at."
When Li Youcai and Ceng Youwei heard Yuan Zhou mention their signature dish without any hesitation, they were so happy that their eyes narrowed. From the moment they blurted out the highlight to the signature dish, they would definitely be able to brag about it when they returned. Head Chef Yuan had been paying attention to them all this time!
"I have my own opinion about this Steamed Pork with Lily dish. How about this? Let's all cook a plate of it according to our own method and have a good taste of it. What do you think, Head Chef Li and Head Chef Zeng?" Yuan Zhou did not try to persuade them. He said that both methods were about the same. After all, they didn't come all the way here just to listen to his advice.
"If it's not troublesome, Head Chef Yuan, that's fine. But we don't have any ingredients," said Ceng Youcai.
"It's fine. I have plenty of ingredients in my restaurant. No problem," said Yuan Zhou.
"Thank you, Head Chef Yuan," said the two old men in unison.
When it came to culinary skills, Yuan Zhou had always believed in that if he could do it, he would never talk nonsense. He agreed with Chairman Zhang Yan's words before he retired. Dishes were meant to be eaten, not listened to.
"Do you need any help to prepare the knives?" asked Yuan Zhou.
Many famous grandmasters would have their own knives. A knife could be said to be the life of a chef.
"No need. We brought all of them," said Li Youcai as he lifted a delicate cloth bag in his hand.
The bag wasn't big, only the size of a small schoolbag. It was made of black pigment and the material of the bag was unknown. The bag was bulging and seemed to contain quite a lot of things. These were weapons that needed to be reported in advance before boarding a plane or taking a high-speed train. In short, it was very troublesome.
Ceng Youwei also brought a similar bag. No wonder they had been friends since they were young. Even the bags were made of brothers.
"I'll go prepare the ingredients first. Head chefs, you two can cook first and I'll cook last," said Yuan Zhou as he went to prepare the ingredients.
In fact, Steamed Pork with Lily was a very simple home-cooked dish in Yunnan cuisine. Basically, it was similar to the kimchi in Sichuan. Especially during the season when fresh lilies were produced, it was also a dish that the commoners liked to make.
The ingredients were also very simple. Fresh lilies, pork, and some Yunnan Cuisine ingredients such as grass fruit powder, onion, and garlic were added.
Soon, Yuan Zhou brought three sets of the same ingredients to the small courtyard.
Ever since the cooking bench was built for Engineer Cheng's apprenticeship examination, it was much more convenient for him to communicate with other chefs.
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