Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 157 The "skills" a chef possesses: A bad temper makes it difficult to calm down. (5K First Update)
Stir-fried pork kidneys, a dish that has covered a chef's entire culinary career from top to bottom.

It is both a threshold dish for mastering the "advanced" to "ultimate" levels of Chinese culinary cooking techniques and a beginner's dish.
Its preparation method includes "ingredient selection", "knife skills", "cooking techniques", and "seasoning".
This is a question that will be asked when hiring "cooking chefs" and "head chefs". In many cases, a single dish of "stir-fried pork kidneys" is enough to determine how much a chef can earn.

It's simple because the common "wheat ear flower" cut can be perfectly applied to pork kidneys.

Whether you're a beginner or a top chef, the entire process of using a decorative knife is pretty much the same; the main differences lie in the "speed" and "uniformity".

For beginners, as long as the final product is uniform, it doesn't matter whether it takes 10 or 15 minutes to cut a piece of pork kidney, or whether you switch from a slanted cut to a straight cut.

However, according to the requirements for chefs hired by restaurants, the "wheat ear flower knife" should be used to cut quickly and evenly to ensure that the pork kidneys are heated evenly.

According to the standards of "advanced" urban knife skills, while ensuring speed, one must also pay attention to "wheat ear scales and dragon-piercing knife flowers".

In other words, while cutting the wheat ears diagonally and evenly, it is also necessary to ensure that the straight cuts show "dragon patterns". That is, after the cut is made, the row of knife marks of the straight cut can be clearly seen from the back of the kidney slice, but it is not continuous.

Only in this way can we ensure that the juice can adhere to the plate in subsequent processes, and avoid the situation of "juice and oil sticking to the plate".

Reaching this level requires years of dedicated practice and experience; it's practically impossible without it.
Although many "shortcut" methods have emerged in modern cities, such as "a special knife for making pork kidneys" and "using a blunt knife to cut straight cuts", etc.

However, it cannot be denied that its knife skills requirements cover "beginner" to "advanced" levels.

Compared to the knife skills required for "Dragon-shaped Knife Flower," preparing the sauce is also not simple.

The sauce used for stir-fried pork kidneys is called "bursting sauce". Putting aside the base flavor, its consistency needs to be adjusted to the perfect level, otherwise the bursting sauce will not be able to coat the pork kidneys.

In other words, if there is even a slight discord between the knife skills and the way the juice is released, there will inevitably be some juice left at the bottom of the plate.

Depending on the chef's instructions and the cuisine, a small amount of residue is acceptable, but it's important to ensure that the juices don't ultimately affect the pork kidneys themselves.

If the highest standards are followed, even if there is juice underneath to enrich the texture of the pork kidneys, it is still necessary to ensure that the dish does not leak when plated at an angle.

If you tilt the plate at a 45° angle and there is no obvious juice flowing down the plate, it means that the juice is trapped when it comes into contact with the pork kidney.

Even if there was broth, it didn't matter; a slightly watery texture was acceptable.

Leaving aside "advanced knife skills" and "intermediate seasoning," stir-fried pork kidneys utilize the techniques of "stir-frying" and "deep-frying" to their fullest potential. It requires at least "intermediate" level skill with heat control, and there's no upper limit to how high it can go.
Regardless of the difficulty or skill involved, the right pork kidneys are also key to this dish.

"Inside the food inventory"

Sun Xingyao searched anxiously among the row of pork kidneys
The 15-minute exam time was an absolute hellish challenge for him.

"Based on a preparation time of 1 minutes and a seasoning time of 3 minutes, I only have about 10 minutes to complete the selection and marinating of ingredients."

Sun Xingyao frowned.

It's not that there's absolutely not enough time, but it definitely depends a lot on luck.
First of all, pork kidneys are actually the kidneys of pigs, and their main function is to filter blood.

Because it is an organ, it will have a very strong, fishy smell if not handled properly.

If given more time, Sun Xingyao would definitely find a way to deal with the smell.

But under the current circumstances, he can only try to find the freshest and healthiest pork kidneys to ensure the least amount of fishy smell.

For Sun Xingyao, the fastest way to identify things is by color.

"A good pork kidney should have a light color on the outside, not a stark white, but rather a hint of pale pink!"

"This means that the pork kidney was removed from the body recently and has a low degree of oxidation."

As soon as he was speaking, Sun Xingyao saw Xia Ming grab four pork kidneys from a pile of pig kidneys with lightning speed, and then turn around and leave without any hesitation.

Because Xia Ming moved so quickly, Sun Xingyao didn't even get a good look at the quality of the pork kidneys he took.

Recalling Xia Ming's actions during the previous food-buying competition, Sun Xingyao's first reaction was to chase after him and snatch the ingredients.

But before he could even process what was happening, Xia Ming had already walked out of the food room.
Sun Xingyao was left bewildered in the wind.
"Does he not use his eyes to choose vegetables??? Or does he have a dog's nose that can actually smell them?!"

Viewers in the live stream started discussing the anger of Sun Xingyao.

[Xia Ming's eyesight must be 5.2, right? Did he pick the house on the way there?]

[That's very possible. After all, the pork kidneys are all lined up. If you have enough experience, you should be able to find them at a glance.]

[You're right! Xia Ming has been found, but Sun Xingyao is still watching, which means he's no good!]

He's just not good enough. He set the question himself, and he was a step too slow. He's obviously a noob.

While netizens were discussing the matter, Xia Ming had already returned to the stove with the pork kidneys.

He quickly removed the white membrane from the pig kidneys, then washed and dried them. Now, all that was needed was to remove the fat from the middle before slicing.

In front of the camera, he flashed his knife and the kidney was evenly cut in half, revealing the white kidney inside.

Then, he used his "Blood Mixed" blade to cut from the outside in, bending it slightly in an arc, and a flawless clean waist piece was born from Xia Ming's hand.

Because we didn't get a good look at how Xia Ming made the "Glassy Chrysanthemum Cup" in the last competition, this time, for the 32-to-16 round, the organizers provided each judge with a tablet.

The viewpoint of each chef can be freely adjusted to facilitate the management (or learning) of certain chefs' operations.

Seeing Xia Ming perfectly remove the fat from his waist with a single cut, Wei Yan fell slightly silent.

His knife skills are the worst of all his skills. Others can process this kind of pork kidney in about 10 seconds, while others can take about 20 seconds.

He's different. He usually needs 20-30 seconds.
In other words, while others would typically need 4 cuts to remove the fat from the waist, he would need 6 to 7 cuts.

"This kid's soft knife is really effective!"

Hearing Wei Yan's words, Sui Wubai chuckled.

"It does have a remarkable effect, but it's much more difficult to use. I remember some senior chefs used soft knives before."

You Zhangwen, who was standing to the side, nodded.

"Among the Fujianese fish-themed knives, the 'Shi Yihua' brand offers a soft knife, but it's nowhere near as soft as Xia Ming's."

“I tried his knife before. It was very difficult to control. With ordinary knife skills, it would be easy to cut your hand. If that knife was like that, Xia Ming’s knife must be even more difficult.”

Yin Shengjiang nodded upon hearing their conversation.

"As far as I know, Xia Ming's knife was made by Grandpa Deng Xiaowen. The finished blade is bent at nearly 70 degrees on both sides. It's more like an extremely sharp piece of steel than a kitchen knife."

"In this situation, using the usual cleaver handling techniques would definitely not work; I feel like this has become his signature move."

At this point, Yin Shengjiang blinked.

He remembered that Xia Ming's "bone knife" also looked very strange; there was at least one precedent for soft knives in the culinary world.
As for the sickle, it's probably only used in the unorthodox techniques of martial arts novels.
"Generally speaking, there are only a few basic shapes of Chinese chef's knives, and they have not changed over the years."

"Master passes on his skills to apprentice, and apprentice passes them on to the next apprentice. The cycle continues. Mr. Mao, have sickle-shaped chef's knives ever existed in history?"

Mao Xianzheng stroked his beard and shook his head.

"There are quite a few unusual tools, but I've never heard of a bone knife in the shape of a sickle. It's probably Xia Ming's own creation."

"Based on the techniques we've seen so far, both soft knives and sickles can indeed provide targeted solutions in different environments."

"In my opinion, this should already be considered his own 'skill'."

Hearing Mao Xianzheng say that, Wei Yan felt slightly embarrassed.
Although Chinese cuisine chefs do not emphasize absolute "skill supremacy", generally speaking, chefs who can reach "Chinese Level 7" all possess unique skills.

For example, Sui Wubai's "Seeking the Source of Flavors," also known as the "Sharingan," is essentially a fusion of his sense of taste, smell, and memory.

It's not that other chefs can't do it, it's just that he can do it better because of his talent.

With his "culinary expertise," Sui Wubai's path forward is crystal clear. As long as he continues to accumulate culinary knowledge and apply it to his own use, reaching the pinnacle in the future is only a matter of time.
Similarly, Yin Shengjiang also has unique skills. It is said that he has four skills, two of which were passed down from his master and two of which he learned on his own.

Chefs like Yin Shengjiang, who are in the culinary association, generally don't reveal their skills to others. Even if you happen to see them, it's difficult to understand their true abilities.

This part belongs to the "Ultimate" and above, and it varies from family to family and faction to faction.

Previously, Luo Fangjin was certain that Luo Jinran would have an advantage in "Jianshouqing" (a type of traditional Chinese dish) because the Luo family possessed the relevant "skills." Theoretically, Wei Yan, as a "Hua 7-level" chef, should have possessed these skills, and in fact, he did.
However, due to his lineage, the "skills" he mastered were relatively common.
I joined the Chefs Association because I could obtain some of the treasured "chef's insights" through performance evaluations and formal channels.

For Wei Yan, who works hard on his own and doesn't have a wealthy father or a top-notch mentor, this is a decent path to advancement.

After all, if he can succeed on this path, the title "Wei Yan, successor of the X school of XX cuisine" will no longer exist.

Ultimately, only one will emerge: "Master Chef Wei Yan," who first learns cooking from xx, then becomes an apprentice of xx, and finally, through talent and hard work, integrates his own skills and, with xx cuisine as the core, develops his own unique path.

Yes, Wei Yan is truly arrogant; he wants to establish his own school of thought.

Of course, it is not easy to establish a school of thought on one's own.

Previously, Wei Yan always felt that 31 years old was a good age to work hard, and he still had nearly 20 years to integrate everything.

But after meeting Xia Ming, he also felt a little uncomfortable.
This is a genius that he has to admire.

According to Mao Xianzheng's calculations, Xia Ming, in his early twenties, had already found his own unique "skills," and it is very likely that he possessed more than one.

If it were just a "unique skill," that would be fine, but among the 32 finalists, at least 5 should possess their own "skills."

The problem is that, compared to others whose skills are still in their infancy, Xia Ming has already honed his skills to an extremely high level, even though he has no weaknesses for the time being.

In other words, being young means you need to persevere and wait for the exams.
Otherwise, the pattern should be "stable at 6, striving for 7".

Thinking of this, Wei Yan felt a little helpless.

"I don't know where this weirdo came from, he's in his early 20s and has gone further than I'm in my 30s. It feels like I've been learning from a dog all these years!"

Seeing Wei Yan's expression, Tan Zhifeng also laughed.

The more he looked at Xia Ming, the more satisfied he became. If he had known Xia Ming was this capable, he should have increased his investment even though the contract hadn't been signed in the first place.

At this moment, he was silently calculating in his mind.
"It's not too late now. After the competition, many people and forces will definitely extend olive branches to him."

"Based on my understanding of him, he most likely won't accept it."

"He doesn't like being manipulated and is more suited to a partnership model. I just don't know if he's interested in expanding overseas."

Tan Zhifeng still holds some sway overseas; after so many years of hard work, he can be heard of anywhere.

"I'll ask him again after it's over. I feel like he's aiming to become a 'celebrity chef' or 'internet celebrity chef.' If that's the case, then things will be easier."

While the judges were discussing, Xia Ming had already quickly finished processing the pork kidneys, marinated them with the base seasoning, and was now rapidly preparing the "bursting sauce".

Unlike traditional and innovative approaches, Xia Ming's "bursting juice" is a recipe that is temporarily mixed on the spot.

Essentially, it was an adaptive adjustment made taking into account the condition of the four pork kidneys he received this time, combined with his observation of the taste preferences of the seven judges.

This kind of "one-time seasoning" is something Michelin understands well, because many of their high-end restaurants will adjust the flavor for guests who make exclusive reservations.

Conversely, "one-time seasoning" is often not suitable for home use, which is the biggest difference between Tan Zhifeng and Sui Wubai.

Because of his ability to "find the source of delicious food", Sui Wubai can simplify a dish and take into account factors such as the seasonings at home, the cooking time, and the limitations of the cook's skills, and finally present a "simplified version of the recipe" to everyone.

His recipes are easy to learn because he truly caters to the majority of people.

Because Tan Zhifeng interacts with a different group of diners, he cannot do this.

Xia Ming himself has a deep understanding of seasoning, mainly because he was forced to do so by the "Soul River Fish". Just think about how unpalatable the food was, and how it was ultimately presented by only a few seasonings. It is something that cannot be done without some talent.

Once Xia Ming mastered the basic tastes, he only needed to taste them briefly or rely on his memories to judge the flavors, and he could master all kinds of seasonings without any obstacles.

After preparing the "bursting sauce", Xia Ming completed all the preliminary work and the oil temperature reached the appropriate range.

However, he did not start making it immediately. Instead, he controlled the oil temperature while looking up to observe Sun Xingyao across from him.

Sun Xingyao was still cutting ingredients at this moment. According to the process, he was about 2 minutes slower than Xia Ming, so he was cutting very quickly.

Judging from the range of his knife swings, Xia Ming judged that his knife skills were quite good among the contestants.

After cutting the ingredients, Sun Xingyao quickly started marinating. The ingredients he chose were quite fresh. After ensuring that the kidney fat was completely removed, he used a three-stage soaking method with peppercorn water mixed with scallion and ginger juice to remove about 90% of the kidney's fishy smell.

The remaining 5% is removed by using "white pepper powder", "sweet potato starch" and "Sichuan pepper oil" in the marinating process.

The final 5% is all about the art of timing and control.
Xia Ming watched quietly as Sun Xingyao marinated the pork kidneys, heated the oil, and was about to put them in the pan when Xia Ming, only 5-6 seconds faster, put them in the pan before him.

When the oil is heated to 80% of its maximum temperature, the pork kidneys are instantly placed into the pan. Within 5 seconds, the pork kidneys curl up instantly, presenting an extremely beautiful shape, thanks to the perfect knife skills.

Xia Ming held a strainer in each hand and used the strainer in his right hand to scoop out the pork kidneys in one go before the 6th second. Just then, Sun Xingyao put the pork kidneys into the pot.

Suddenly, a series of clattering sounds came from the other side, like something rapidly striking another object.

Sun Xingyao hadn't paid any attention at first, but the rhythm of the voice suddenly became orderly. If it were anything else, it wouldn't have mattered.
But the "thump, thump thump thump, thump thump, thump thump" sound was like a demonic shadow, penetrating his ears and entering his mind.

His memory was instantly awakened, and the five words "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Trend" flashed through his mind.
The doubt lingered for a moment before Sun Xingyao instantly snapped out of it. She quickly used a spoon to push the pork kidneys in the pot aside and then poured them onto a strainer that had already been set up on the other side.

Looking at the pork kidneys that were cooked to a fairly good standard, Sun Xingyao breathed a sigh of relief, and then an unnamed fire instantly flared up.

"Who's so rude as to secretly play percussion instruments during a competition?!"

After saying that, he looked up and saw that Xia Ming was holding a sieve in each hand, like the double drums held by the leader of a temple fair, and was rhythmically striking them in the air.

When struck, the preheated pork kidneys dance like embroidered balls between the two sieves.

The excess oil droplets didn't scatter everywhere as expected. Instead, they were caught one by one by the strainer (which wasn't filled with pork kidneys) as the oil was being swung around, and then flung back into the pot at a peculiar angle.

Although some oil splattered out, it did not affect Xia Ming's smooth movements at all.

This move left not only Sun Xingyao bewildered, but also the viewers in the live stream somewhat confused.

Wait, why is this stir-fried pork kidney being danced around?!

[Hmm, that's a technique, it must be some kind of unique technique. After processing it this way, the pork kidneys should have less oil.]

However, what's the difference between this and simply shaking a strainer a few times?

[The difference is that it's cooler! Don't you think it's especially pleasing to the eye as the hands cross, the kitchen utensils clattering, and the pork kidneys flying through the air like dragon balls?]

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I keep feeling like I'm hearing "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Trend."

Yes, I heard that too!

While viewers in the live stream were puzzled, the seven judges themselves were also confused about the meaning behind this action.

Just for show? To quickly remove oil? Or perhaps, unbeknownst to them, the cold air and hot oil created some kind of magical reaction as they danced?

If it were anyone else, the judges would probably think the first possibility is the most likely, but this is Xia Ming.

He is an extraordinary knife maker, possesses extraordinary skills, and is almost an all-around genius.

You really can't be sure if he's performing a "skill" that the judges have never seen before.

Meanwhile, Xia Ming, standing by the stove, was waving a strainer in his hand, disrupting the rhythmic music of "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Style," and then setting aside the prepared pork kidneys.

He sniffed the air and, judging from the scent emanating from Sun Xingyao's side, accurately determined that the pork kidneys on his side had been overcooked.

Although the timeout was only a fraction of a second, and the impact was extremely minor, there was indeed a mistake in Sun Xingyao's cooking.

The most likely cause of all this was his subconscious reaction upon hearing familiar music, which distracted him.
"Therefore, it's difficult for a person with a bad temper to completely calm down and immerse themselves in doing something."

"If you are even slightly distracted, unexpected mistakes will occur."

"In this tight timeframe, even the slightest mistake could be fatal for him."

(End of this chapter)