Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

When it was He Yuzhu's turn, all eyes were on him.

"So young?"

"Is there no one left at the Oriental Hotel? Why send some greenhorn?"

"She looks to be at most thirty years old, right?"

A murmur immediately broke out in the audience, with many expressing their skepticism about He Yuzhu's chances.

He Yuzhu remained calm, ignoring the discussions below the stage, and carried the wooden box to the operating table.

He opened the wooden box and took out Chen Yuan.

"What a fine knife!" exclaimed an experienced craftsman on the judges' panel.

He Yuzhu chose common carp as his ingredient, but his cooking method was surprisingly innovative.

Instead of using the traditional braised or sweet and sour methods, he deboned the carp, cut the meat into thin slices, and coated it with egg white and starch.

"Is this to make... poached fish slices?" someone guessed.

But He Yuzhu's next move stunned everyone.

He placed the fish fillets in a strainer and quickly blanched them in the boiling soup. As soon as the fish fillets changed color, he took them out and put them into the ice water that had been prepared beforehand.

"Iced?" someone in the audience exclaimed.

These days, although ice is easy to obtain in winter, it is still rarely used in cooking.

He Yuzhu took out the chilled fish slices and placed them on a plate lined with tender white cabbage leaves.

In a separate pot, add a little stock, season with salt and white pepper, thicken with a light cornstarch slurry, and pour over the fish fillets.

Finally, garnish with finely shredded scallions, ginger, and red chili peppers.

A dish of "chilled fresh fish slices" is complete.

The whole process was smooth and quick, taking only a dozen minutes.

Several judges gathered around, looking at the jade-white fish slices on the plate, complemented by emerald green cabbage leaves; the presentation alone was eye-catching.

"Is this...is this an innovative dish?" one of the judges asked.

He Yuzhu replied, "It's a modification of the traditional 'poached fish slices,' except that the traditional way is to eat it hot, while I changed it to chilled, which better highlights the fresh and tender texture of the fish."

"After eating so many hot dishes in winter, a refreshing dish can help cut through the greasiness."

Master Liu picked up his chopsticks and took out a slice of fish.

The fish slices are almost transparent. When you put them in your mouth, they are cool, smooth, and the freshness explodes on your tongue.

"Great!" Chef Liu couldn't help but praise, "The fish is tender and tastes even better after being chilled. The seasoning is light but not bland, preserving the original flavor of the fish."

The other judges also tasted it and gave it high praise.

"That's good; it retains traditional cooking techniques while also incorporating innovation."

"Eating chilled dishes in winter is a bold idea, but it works very well."

"Young man, your knife skills are superb. The fish slices are cut evenly and uniformly thick. It takes more than ten years of practice to achieve this."

He Yuzhu humbly replied, "You flatter me, teachers. It's all thanks to my master's excellent teaching."

"This isn't just wild speculation." Chef Wang from Hongbinlou came over and examined He Yuzhu's knife carefully. "This knife...was it given to you by that old bastard Chen Baoguo?"

He Yuzhu was taken aback: "Master Wang knows my master?"

"We know each other more than just each other!" Master Wang laughed. "We studied our craft together in Sichuan Province back then. Later, he stayed at the Emei Restaurant, while I returned to Beijing. And this Shenyuan lamp of yours, I even helped him order it from an old blacksmith."

He patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder: "That old fellow Chen Baoguo has a good eye. Your dish is creative and skillful, very good!"

He Yuzhu immediately changed his tune, saying, "Thank you, Senior Uncle Wang!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

Master Wang is one of the leading figures in Beijing's catering industry. To receive his praise means this young man has a bright future ahead of him!

During the subsequent training, He Yuzhu became the focus of attention.

During the break, many chefs gathered around, some asking for advice on knife skills, others inquiring about innovative ideas for dishes.

He Yuzhu was very open-minded and shared everything he could, which earned him a lot of goodwill.

At the end of the training, the leaders of the Food Association specifically sought out He Yuzhu: "Comrade He, you performed exceptionally well today! The city is holding a culinary competition next month, and I think you should definitely sign up to participate!"

"A cooking competition?" He Yuzhu was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, each hotel will send a representative to compete in cooking skills on site," the leader said with a smile. "If you can get a good ranking in the competition, it will be good for you and for the Oriental Hotel."

He Yuzhu thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I'll participate."

"Good, that's decisive!" The leader patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction. "I will inform Comrade Zhao Dezhu of the specific time and place."

On the truck ride back, Mr. Chen was even more excited than He Yuzhu: "Yuzhu, you really made the Oriental Hotel proud today!"

The other two veteran craftsmen also exclaimed, "These young people are truly formidable!"

He Yuzhu laughed and said, "It's all thanks to the support of my masters; I'm just lucky."

"This isn't luck!" Chef Chen said seriously. "You'd better prepare well for next month's cooking competition and try to get a good ranking!"

"I will," He Yuzhu nodded in response.

......

Back at the Oriental Hotel, as soon as He Yuzhu entered the kitchen, Zhao Dezhu came to greet him.

"Xiao He, how's the training going?" Zhao Dezhu asked with concern.

Master Chen eagerly replied, "Director Zhao, you have no idea, Zhu Zi really made a name for himself today!"

He gave a detailed account of the training, emphasizing how He Yuzhu's "Iced Fresh Fish Slices" amazed everyone and how Chef Wang from Hongbinlou praised He Yuzhu.

Zhao Dezhu's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, "Good, good! Xiao He, you really didn't disappoint me!"

At this point, Chef Chen recounted how, after the competition, the association leaders personally invited He Yuzhu to participate in the culinary contest.

Zhao Dezhu was taken aback. He had only learned about the event yesterday and was worried about who to send. Now he didn't have to worry about it anymore.

He thought for a moment and said, "Since the leader has asked you to participate, then you should do your best to prepare. Whatever ingredients or tools you need, just let them know, the restaurant will provide full support!"

"Thank you, Director Zhao," He Yuzhu said gratefully.

"Oh, right," Zhao Dezhu remembered something, "The Commerce Bureau has a reception task next Tuesday, and they specifically asked you to be the head chef. Here's the menu, so please prepare it in advance."

He handed He Yuzhu a menu with eight dishes, all classic Sichuan cuisine.

He Yuzhu glanced at it and nodded: "No problem."

"Okay, then you go ahead and get busy. If you need anything, just let me know." Zhao Dezhu said, then turned and left.

He Yuzhu returned to his stove and began preparing for the evening's work.

Wang Jianguo leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Master He, how was your training today?"

Li Weidong chimed in, "Judging from Master Chen's beaming face, did Master He really show off his skills again today?"

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "It's all thanks to the teachers' kindness. Alright, let's get back to work; there's a banquet tonight!"

The two then left reluctantly to attend to their own business.