Head Chef Yang was the successor of the four imperial chefs. It wasn't appropriate to say which cuisine he was good at, as all imperial chefs had their own unique cooking methods.
Head Chef Yang was good at Yang Family Cuisine. There were ten famous private home cuisines in China, namely Duan Family Cuisine, Ren Family Cuisine, Wang Family Cuisine, Mei Family Cuisine, and Tan Family Cuisine.
After all, there were also Duan Family Cuisine in the military, Wang Family Cuisine in the financial and political world, and Tan Family Cuisine in the banking world. Compared to them, Yang Family Cuisine wasn't that famous. The main reason was that imperial chefs all kept a low profile.
Back to the topic, Yang Family Cuisine was based on Beijing Cuisine, supplemented by Cantonese Cuisine.
Of course, that didn't mean Head Chef Yang had mastered two cuisines. Most chefs couldn't completely master one cuisine.
For example, Zhejiang Cuisine had Ou Cuisine, Hangzhou Cuisine, Yongbang Cuisine, and Shaoxing Cuisine. It wasn't as simple as one might imagine.
Yuan Zhou had mastered six cuisines?
But that didn't mean he was an ordinary person.
For this Blade Sealing Feast, Head Chef Yang had been planning it bit by bit since three years ago, hoping to make it perfect, to put a full stop to his life of learning. It was both an enjoyment and a self-ending.
Because no matter how much praise he received, he knew best whether he was satisfied or not.
"If I want to make a Blade Sealing Feast one day, I will have to master all eight cuisines in China first.
"No, if I don't master all the interesting delicacies in the world, I might not be able to do it," Yuan Zhou thought.
As the most important dish of the feast, Head Chef Yang had thought about it carefully before deciding on it.
Walking into the kitchen, Head Chef Yang took out a square piece of meat from a dark-colored jar and placed it into a porcelain basin at the side. Then, he took out a pot to collect water, probably intending to boil it.
"Is he going to make Clear Sauce Pork?" Yuan Zhou saw the meat that Head Chef Yang took out. Although there were still water droplets on it, the color of the meat was clear sauce.
"Head Chef Yuan, you have a good eye," Old Ge sighed.
"Head Chef Ge, you flatter me," Yuan Zhou replied.
Clear Sauce Pork was also known as Beijing Style Ham. It was similar to Jinhua Ham, but the cooking method was completely different.
The main reason why the clear sauce pork got this name was because Lu Di was used to calling soy sauce clear oil, and this ham was marinated in soy sauce.
Yuan Zhou knew all this, but to be honest, he had never tasted the authentic Minced Pork in Clear Sauce. After all, he hadn't been exposed to Beijing Cuisine yet.
"Looks like Head Chef Yang is going to make braised pork," said a middle-sized, grey-haired old man.
"I say, Old Goat, when did you make this sauce meat?" Old Man Ge asked.
"I made it the year before last. It's just the right time to take it out." Old Yang replied as he took out a translucent alkali block from the cupboard and placed it into the boiling pot.
"This is the old goat's own method. He likes to wash the meat with fresh alkaline water. However, I like to bake the blocks of alkaline by myself." Standing beside Yuan Zhou, Mr. Ma seemed to be talking to himself.
"It's easier to control the acid-base balance if you make it yourself. It will be more in line with your own requirements." Yuan Zhou was very realistic.
"Yes, that's right." Mr. Ma nodded his head contentedly. "I remember that in order to find the most suitable tableware to match the dishes, you directly went to learn carpentry. It's the same principle."
As they talked, they revealed the matter of Yuan Zhou making tableware by himself.
Among the several chefs present, there were some who made tableware by themselves, but none of them had started learning carpentry.
Therefore, Head Chef Ge and the other chefs had different expressions in their eyes when they looked at Yuan Zhou.
They watched Head Chef Yang's actions and stood there in twos and threes. Soon, time passed. Just when Head Chef Yang was about to prepare the second cold dish, the Clear Sauce Pork was ready.
Head Chef Yang scooped out the steaming hot sauce pork from the pot and directly put it on a bamboo chopping board. Then, he picked up a cyan bamboo knife placed in the corner and waved it at the meat.
"Old Yang's knife skills haven't deteriorated," Mr. Ma said.
Mr. Ma was right. Yuan Zhou saw that every time Head Chef Yang swung the knife, a piece of meat would fall off. The meat was as thin as a cicada's wing and the upper part was greasy fat. However, it was so thin that light could be seen through. Actually, if it weren't for the dark red lean meat on the lower part, people with poor eyesight would probably think that there was nothing there.
"Bring me the first hot dish, the Clear Sauce Pork. You guys eat first." Head Chef Yang carried the steaming hot dish to the main hall and put it on the big square table.
Small bowls, chopsticks and cups had long been placed on the table. They were placed there after Yuan Zhou and the others went out of the small courtyard.
Head Chef Yang put the dish down and went out to prepare the second dish. Yuan Zhou waited until all the other chefs had taken their seats before he sat down at the seat beside Mr. Ma that was specially reserved for him.
Mr. Ma was the first to reach out his chopsticks and pick up a piece of meat. Only then did the others reach out their chopsticks. Of course, Yuan Zhou was definitely the last one to pick up the meat. Due to seniority, Yuan Zhou respected his seniors the most.
As a matter of fact, the Clear Sauce Pork cooked by Head Chef Yang looked rosy and bright. When it was just carried to the table, it emitted a rich fragrance, which was very delicious.
"It's a top-grade dish among the Clear Sauce Pork. It seems that Old Yang is still as good as ever." Mr. Ma said more pleasing words this time. It could be seen that Head Chef Yang's culinary skills were pretty good.
"That's right. I don't know why Old Yang wants to hold the Sealing Blade Feast so early. I feel that I can still cook for another 20 years," Old Ge complained while eating.
Though Head Chef Yang was the oldest among the four, he was only 75 years old. The 70-year-old Royal Chef Ge felt that he was still very young. "An old steed in the stable has great ambitions."
"Indeed, my culinary skills haven't deteriorated. I feel I've made some progress compared to five years ago," Royal Chef Mo said smilingly.
The other head chefs also chatted while eating, appearing quite boisterous.
Yuan Zhou also ate it. The taste of the Clear Sauce Pork was pretty good. First of all, there was a saltiness mixed with bean fragrance on the tip of the tongue. Because Head Chef Yang had changed the cooking method of eating it cold to eating it hot, the heat melted the taste of the meat. With the help of saliva, it slowly evolved. The fat part of the meat melted in the mouth while the lean part of the meat was tender and not dry. The taste was indeed not bad.
"If I eat it cold, will the taste be different? Maybe I can try cooking it and try it with Xiao Ya next year," Yuan Zhou was calculating in his heart.
Very soon, Head Chef Yang started to serve the second cold dish. He had a good grasp of time. About five minutes after the Clear Sauce Pork was eaten up, the second dish was served. Maintaining the pace of serving the dishes, the three cold dishes and three hot dishes of the small feast were served very soon.
All the head chefs, including Yuan Zhou, ate very satisfactorily. Everyone knew the time between the small feast and the big feast. Therefore, they all moved to the yard again and waited for the first dish of the big feast.
Head Chef Yang had a good grasp of time. At one hour and thirty minutes, the first dish of the big feast was served. By then, the dishes of the small feast had basically been digested.
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