Liu Ahbao arrived quickly as well. As soon as he got back, he washed his hands, put on his oversized chef’s uniform, picked up a knife, and asked, "How should I cut it?"
Su Chen instructed from the side, "First, trim off the edges and the tough ends. Get rid of all the silverskin, fascia, and bone. Just carve out the main muscle."
It had to be said, Liu Ahbao’s title as a master technician was well-earned.
Su Chen could do this work himself, but he was nowhere near as deft as Ah Bao.
Every one of his cuts landed precisely between the bone and the meat. The knife neither got stuck on the bone nor damaged the prime cut.
Before long, a perfectly deboned leg of lamb appeared on the cutting board.
"Toss it in the freezer to flash-freeze it a bit. Later, we’ll separate it into the topside, silverside, and thick flank. We’re having lamb hot pot tonight."
Ah Bao said, "Okay, I get it now that you put it that way. I used to hand-slice lamb in the kitchen when we had guests from the Capital City."
Although Ah Bao’s knife skills certainly couldn’t compare to the masters in the Capital City who had been slicing for twenty or thirty years, he was more than good enough for a meal among themselves.
Su Chen left the meat slicing to Liu Ahbao.
He then went to the storeroom to find a large copper hot pot and some charcoal.
Delicious’s canteen used to host events, so they had bought plenty of this miscellaneous stuff, but most of it had barely been used since.
Just then, He Shuting arrived!
She even brought the vegetables she had bought on the way.
Before Shuting could say much, Su Chen quickly pulled her into the dining hall and gave her the task of washing the pot.
"But... I just put on hand cream!"
When Zhang Li arrived, he gave her the task of washing the shrimp.
With all the tasks assigned, Su Chen led Brother Fang Chang and Jiang Yuan into the break room.
"Tell me the details of this order."
’Xiaobai probably can’t handle this one. I’ll have to take care of it myself.’
Brother Fang Chang had been wanting to talk about this for a while. "This meal... it’s for me and my girlfriend, my parents, and my girlfriend’s parents."
’Alright, so six people from two families.’ Su Chen had heard some whispers about this before. This was likely their first official meeting, and if it went well, an engagement would be next.
"My future father-in-law... his family runs a restaurant in Yangzhou. He’s always felt that his daughter would be eating and drinking poorly if she married me and moved to Jingzhou."
Jiang Yuan shot him a glare. "Is my dad wrong? I never know what to eat here!"
Brother Fang Chang put on an apologetic smile. "But haven’t I found a great place for you now? From now on, whenever you want to treat yourself, we’ll come here!"
Jiang Yuan turned her head away without a word, clearly still feeling that the leg of lamb wasn’t worth it.
"Anyway, my girlfriend and I have been together for years, and it’s time to talk about getting married. So, her parents are coming over in a few days, and I was thinking we have to host them properly. At the very least, we can’t skimp on the food and drink!"
’So that’s what this is all about.’
Su Chen thought for a moment. "So, your original idea was to serve Huaiyang Cuisine?"
Brother Fang Chang said, "That was my initial thought, but then I reconsidered. I mean, even if you made Huaiyang Cuisine, it would still be coming from you, here. So I’m wondering if we can have a mix of both Huaiyang Cuisine and our local Jingzhou Cuisine!"
"That way, my father-in-law will see that his daughter can go out for a good meal when she’s craving food from back home, and also that the everyday Jingzhou Cuisine isn’t so bad. It would put the old man’s mind at ease."
Su Chen considered it. ’Brother Fang Chang’s logic is sound.’
No matter how well the Huaiyang Cuisine was prepared, it’s not like they’d be eating out every day. The main focus of this meal should still be on the Jingzhou Cuisine.
’But this Jingzhou Cuisine... what does it even have to offer?’
’Pretty much every dish is a carb bomb. In the south, they’d be considered main courses.’
’Six people... theoretically, seven or eight dishes should be enough.’
’But considering it’s a formal reception, and for an occasion like this, eight dishes would be better. The number sounds auspicious, too.’
"Alright, I’ll give it some serious thought over the next few days." Su Chen agreed to the request. After confirming the date, he had Brother Fang Chang and his girlfriend stay for tea.
He had three days until he had to host Brother Fang Chang’s future in-laws, and seven days until the small dining service opened. After handling those two things, he would have to prepare for Cui Yufen’s birthday banquet.
It was just one thing after another.
Su Chen returned to his office and stretched his neck. ’One step at a time. It all has to get done anyway.’
The clock hands pointed to seven in the evening when Bai Xiaobo knocked on Su Chen’s office door.
"Boss... you said you’d be cooking personally..."
Su Chen clapped Xiaobai on the shoulder. "A true master only needs to handle the key steps. Come with me."
Back in the kitchen, all the vegetables had been washed, plated, and arranged on the large round table in the dining hall.
The copper hot pot in the center had been polished to a shine by He Shuting. All that was left was to add the hot coals.
Liu Ahbao was in the kitchen on standby, ready to start slicing the meat at Su Chen’s command.
Seeing Su Chen enter the kitchen, everyone looked at their boss with a pained expression.
’He promised he’d cook himself today, and this is it?’
’We’re having lamb hot pot, but Liu Ahbao sliced the meat, Aunt Fang washed the vegetables, and the girls did the plating. What exactly did the boss do?’
Su Chen walked up to the cutting board and waved his hand grandly. "Bring the shrimp!"
Playing along perfectly, Zhang Li bustled over with a basin of fresh shrimp that had already been washed and deveined.
Su Chen placed the shelled shrimp on the cutting board. With his knees slightly bent and one hand behind his back, he once again unleashed his "Wild Blade Technique"!
It looked like he was chopping randomly, but in reality, every strike was perfectly placed. Before long, a flawless shrimp paste was born.