Su Chen first tried making the dish again, using the same method he had on the train. The only difference was that he strictly controlled the time during the final high-heat stir-fry when the chicken returned to the wok.
Five seconds. No more, no less. Then, he immediately began to plate it.
[Kung Pao Chicken: A Level]
As expected, following the famous recipe’s instructions could only achieve an A Level standard. This further confirmed that Su Chen had a very accurate grasp of some of the system’s benchmarks.
An A Level rating was high enough to sustain a time-honored restaurant for a century. It was also the ceiling for what an ordinary person could achieve in the culinary arts.
If a restaurant could guarantee that every single dish reached A Level, its business would undoubtedly be incredible.
In reality, however, the dishes at most ordinary restaurants only reached B Level—just a cut above average.
Even a National Banquet Master of Hubei Cuisine like Lu Yongliang had only mastered a few S-Level dishes. Most of the time, his cooking was also at the A Level.
This time, Su Chen didn’t rush to start again. Instead, he began to examine the dish closely.
’And here I was saying Wang Peixing’s version had flaws. My own has problems, too.’
On the pristine white plate, he could clearly see that sauce from the surface of the chicken had stuck to the bottom.
The famous recipe stated: The plate should be slick with oil, but free of sauce.
If the plate was stained with sauce, it meant the sauce hadn’t been reduced to a thick enough consistency during the stir-frying process.
And that, in turn, meant the chicken wasn’t coated with enough sauce!
Su Chen tried making it again, this time taking extra care when stir-frying the sauce.
’Why does it feel like my Max Level Stir-fry Skill isn’t cutting it anymore...’
When the second plate of Kung Pao Chicken was ready, Su Chen leaned in for a closer look. This time, there truly was no sauce left on the plate. But after taking a bite, he could tell the layer of sauce coating the chicken was slightly hard.
’I overdid it...’
As he cooked the dish over and over, Su Chen started to look at his status panel, something he usually didn’t pay much attention to.
Ever since he’d reached Level 3, the required experience points had jumped to an absurd 100,000.
Aside from Ling Shuyu, his personal EXP-piñata, the Delicious experience points from anyone else were practically negligible.
Level: 3 (29,778/100,000)
Skills: Stir-fry (Max Level), Steam (Max Level), Stew (22/100), Braise (39/100), Simmer (2/100), Flash-fry (21/100)
Since he rarely cooked Lu Cuisine, his "Flash-fry" skill had barely improved.
’So... do I need to increase its proficiency to quickly master the nuances of flash-frying?’
Su Chen decided to prep all the ingredients at once.
Then, he added yellow soybean paste to the wok and stir-fried it until dry. He followed that with cooking wine, ginger juice, and caramelized sugar, stir-frying everything into a thick paste.
With his Max Level Stir-fry Skill, Su Chen was confident that there would be absolutely no issues with this step.
’So the problem lies in...’
The flash-fry!
The final five seconds—and *only* five seconds—involved flash-frying, a technique common in Lu Cuisine.
Su Chen set down his tools and began to think it through carefully.
Sometimes, contemplation is more important than aimless practice.
The so-called "flash-fry" was a technique that used a small wok, intense flames, and hot oil. After the ingredients were added, they were manipulated rapidly, requiring only a few quick tosses before being removed from the heat.
The whole process was a game of heat control. The right temperature would give the dish a glossy sheen and a crisp, tender texture.
’So flash-frying is all about speed and precise heat control. Too high, and the sauce will burn. Too low, and it won’t thicken enough to coat the ingredients.’
’In that case...’
Su Chen stir-fried another batch of sauce. He then poured the prepared chicken into the wok, tossing it with his left hand while his right controlled the flame, seeking the slightest hint of progress through constant adjustment.
’Too high...’
’Too low again...’
’How can I not even get five seconds right? Too high again!’
As Su Chen repeated the five-second motion over and over, the proficiency of his "Flash-fry" skill grew at a visible rate. An unknown amount of time passed, until he finally began to feel tired.
Every time he felt this exhaustion, it meant he had been in the practice room for at least sixteen hours.
At five seconds per attempt, Su Chen had been repeating just that one instant of flash-frying nearly a thousand times an hour since he’d arrived.
In other words, Su Chen had frantically practiced that five-second flash-fry nearly ten thousand times in the practice room!
’Even for someone like Wang Peixing, making Kung Pao Chicken ten thousand times would probably take over a decade!’
’I’m just learning it a different way!’
When the system panel showed his "Flash-fry" skill had reached max proficiency, Su Chen steadied the cutting board with both hands. ’One last time!’
He followed the recipe step-by-step, executing each one with meticulous care. When he reached the final step, he now had the experience of ten thousand practice runs, plus his newly maxed-out "Flash-fry" skill.
Su Chen took a deep breath.
’The so-called flash-fry isn’t about maintaining one constant level of heat at all...’
’Initially, the sauce’s temperature is high, so you need a strong flame. But in the final second, as the sauce starts to thicken and its temperature drops, you need to switch to a fierce, intense flame...’
In just five seconds.
Su Chen’s right hand adjusted the gas valve, changing the intensity of the flame at least three times!
’The goal is to keep the sauce at a balanced temperature even as it thickens.’
’This is true for a sauce-based flash-fry, and it’s also true for scallion, salt, or broth-based flash-fries. All techniques stem from the same root; master one, and you can master them all...’
At that moment, Su Chen felt a sense of enlightenment wash over him.
The feeling was marvelous, something that could only be understood, not explained!
As a new serving of Kung Pao Chicken appeared on the plate, Su Chen waited, brimming with confidence, for the system’s rating.
This time, the plate truly was slick with oil but free of sauce. Even after Su Chen had picked up every last piece of chicken with his chopsticks, only a thin, shimmering layer of lard remained. There wasn’t a single trace of sauce to be seen.