"The topic of this quiz is to cook fish delicacies. There are no specific requirements for cooking techniques such as frying, frying, steaming, boiling, and roasting. There are also no restrictions on the side dishes. As long as the main ingredient is fish, it's fine. The topic is very open-ended, so feel free to express yourself." Yuan Zhou explained the main topic concisely.
"Got it, Master." The disciples finally heaved a sigh of relief in their hearts after getting the specific information.
After Yuan Zhou finished explaining the main topic, he handed over the supervision to Cheng Zhao Mei. He found a place to sit down and wait for the results.
"Behind you are the various ingredients prepared for this quiz. I've already tried my best to prepare a lot of ingredients. If anyone finds that the ingredients aren't suitable, please let us know in time. We will take the appropriate measures to help you solve it. Now, I announce the official start of the first quiz of Yuan School." Cheng Zhao Mei had the demeanor of an Eldest Senior Brother and appeared exceptionally steady.
He wasn't wrong. For the theme of fish this time, he had prepared over a hundred types of fish, including freshwater fish and saltwater fish. There were both live and dried fish. It basically satisfied the needs of people from different cuisines and different countries. However, there might be some deviations, so he said it first.
"Understood, Eldest Senior Brother." After answering, everyone began to disperse and went to the back of the house to choose the ingredients.
The topic that Yuan Zhou had chosen was very broad. No matter which cuisine it was, there would definitely be a dish related to fish. Regardless of whether it was at home or abroad, they all ate fish, so there weren't many taboos. This way, they could better understand the situation. After all, Yuan Zhou didn't forget that he had two disciples who specialized in foreign cuisines.
After announcing the start of the quiz, Cheng Zhao Mei came to Yuan Zhou's side and stood behind him. He watched his junior brothers and sisters get busy, discovering problems and finding his own problems.
He had learned from Yuan Zhou for a long time and had also learned Yuan Zhou's way of doing things. Many people said that Cheng Zhao Mei was becoming more and more mature and had the demeanor of his master.
Every time this happened, Cheng Zhao Mei would be so happy as if he was a fatty that weighed more than a hundred pounds.
"Ding Ling Clang"
Although the main ingredients were limited, they were all famous cooks. Even if they couldn't compete with Cheng Zhao Mei, they were still able to show their prowess.
Yuan Zhou didn't specify a specific time, but his disciples all sped up, not wanting to waste any time.
This was the first lesson he had learned from Yuan Zhou: make good use of time.
The first one to finish cooking was Cao Zhishu, who had the home advantage and his signature dish, the Six Flavors Spicy Boiled Fish. However, he didn't cook the Spicy Boiled Fish today. Instead, he cooked something else. This was something he had realized after reading Yuan Zhou's notes. He wanted to give it a try.
"Master, please try it." Cao Zhishu saw that the other Senior Brothers and Junior Sisters were not done, so he carried the plate to Yuan Zhou.
"I'm making steamed Crucian Carp today. Master, please have a taste." Cao Zhishu carefully placed the plate in front of Yuan Zhou and stood aside respectfully.
The plate Cao Zhishu chose was a fish-shaped plate. One end was like the position of the fish head, and the other end was like the position of the fish tail. There were shallow lines on it, like the lines on the fish tail. A Crucian Carp was lying on it. There were finely diced mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots on the fish body, as well as some flesh-colored ham. The color was very distinct.
The Crucian Carp had been processed in advance. The thick part of the fish's back was cut with a knife, revealing the white and tender fish inside. It looked even more white and tender under the contrast of the dark fish skin.
The aroma of the fish was mixed with the aroma of other ingredients. It was very attractive.
"Junior Brother Cao's strength should not be underestimated," Cheng Zhao Mei muttered in her heart.
"Lemon and basil? Not a bad idea. "Yuan Zhou smelled it and knew about the ingredients Cao Zhishu used.
"Yes, master. I improved it after reading your notes. Please give it a try." Cao Zhishu wasn't surprised at all that Yuan Zhou could figure out the secret behind it so quickly.
Even though he only dripped a little lemon juice into the fish when he was salting it, Yuan Zhou's behavior was considered a basic operation, so it was not surprising at all.
Yuan Zhou picked up the chopsticks and picked up a small piece of thick back meat, put it into his mouth, and slowly tasted it.
"The time of salting is quite accurate. But when you steam it, you can reduce the time by one or two minutes. That way, the fish will be more tender. You boiled the ingredients before, and the fish was also drenched in hot oil, so it is already a little cooked. When you choose the basil, the effect will be better if you choose the basil closer to the root," Yuan Zhou said directly.
"Thank you, Master." Cao Zhishu stood there silently, digesting what Yuan Zhou said.
They were all small details, but sometimes, small details could be fatal to a dish.
Be it in the cooking notes or the quiz, everyone had the same feeling. They had really made the right choice to worship this master!
The disciples were actually very fast. The second one to finish cooking was Zhang Longquan of Cantonese cuisine. Coincidentally, he was also cooking the home-style salted fish and eggplant stew.
Due to the problem of the salted fish, Zhang Longquan had even asked Yuan Zhou for advice, and he used the salted fish he brought with him.
That's right, he even brought some salted fish with him when he went out. As expected of a chef, there was nothing wrong with bringing ingredients when he went out.
The salted fish and eggplant stew belonged to the home-style Cantonese cuisine. In fact, the simpler the dish, the more craftsmanship was required. That was probably the reason why Cao Zhishu and Zhang Longquan didn't cook the main dishes but the home-style ones. It was not only because it took less time, but also because it reflected their problems.
They were very nervous at the beginning, but it was fortunate that they exposed their shortcomings to their master. Only in this way could there be room for improvement. Cao Zhishu, Zhang Longquan, and the other in-name disciples all understood this.
"Master, this is the salted fish and eggplant stew. Please have a taste," Zhang Longquan carefully opened the lid of the clay pot and said.
"Zi, zi, zi."
The lid had been opened, but the inside was still bubbling, as though it was still bubbling.
Zhang Longquan thought of using a clay pot to cook this dish, which made the salted fish and eggplant taste more salty and fragrant.
"The control of the heat is not bad," Yuan Zhou said after looking at the eggplant.
"Hehehe, I learned a little trick from Master from the notes. That's why I'm at this level. I was still lacking previously," Zhang Longquan touched his head and said honestly.
Although Zhang Longquan was about the same age as Li Youcai and the rest, he had been focusing on his culinary skills and was slightly naive when it came to interacting with others.
At this moment, he looked at Yuan Zhou with eager eyes, like a nestling crying piteously for food. He hoped that Yuan Zhou would give him some advice.
Yuan Zhou wouldn't disappoint him. He picked up the chopsticks and took a bite before saying, "Did you use rock salt to marinate the salted fish?"
"Master, you can tell?" Zhang Longquan stared with his eyes wide open. This tongue was too exaggerated.
What kind of tongue was this?
"You can try using sea salt next time. But not the refined sea salt, but the crude sea salt. I believe it will be better," Yuan Zhou said directly.
"Okay, Master." Zhang Longquan took out a small notebook and began to record.
…
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