Qianlima usually prepares cuttlefish roe by either steaming or stewing.
Examples include cuttlefish roe steamed with squid, or cuttlefish roe stewed with egg.
The dish on the menu, fresh mushroom cuttlefish roe, however, is stir-fried.
Fu Yu cuts the fresh cuttlefish roe into strips 4 cm long.
The roots of the white shimeji mushrooms are removed.
Yam is peeled and cut into strips of 6×2 cm.
Water is poured into the pot and brought to a boil, salt is added, and the yam strips are blanched until done and then plated.
The cuttlefish roe and white shimeji mushrooms are blanched separately.
After initial processing, the ingredients undergo heat treatment.
Salad oil is poured into the pot and heated, followed by scallion segments and ginger slices for fragrance.
The cuttlefish roe, white shimeji mushrooms, and green, red, and yellow bell pepper pieces are added.
Season with white sugar, light soy sauce, chicken powder, salt, and crushed black pepper.
Stir-fry evenly and simmer over low heat.
After adjusting the heat, Fu Yu turns to handle the field fish.
The field fish is placed on a plate, drizzled with Shaoxing rice wine and ginger shreds, then placed in a steamer.
With the field fish steaming, the cuttlefish roe is removed from the pot and plated.
Scallion pieces are placed on top and hot scallion oil is drizzled over.
After finishing, Fu Yu instructs Zhang Jinyu: "Alright, take it away."
Zhang Jinyu quickly steps forward and places the plate on the serving counter.
Turning around, he sees Fu Yu already cooking millet river crabs.
In terms of time management, Fu Yu has reached an almost masterful level.
Those at a distance cannot fully appreciate it.
Zhang Jinyu, being by Fu Yu’s side daily, often marvels at how tightly and efficiently Fu Yu schedules his cooking process, never wasting a second.
Being able to use time so efficiently essentially makes him a walking time management chart.
"Jin Yu, put the river crabs in the steamer for 15 minutes, and take them out when done."
Fu Yu places the river crabs on a plate and hands it over to Zhang Jinyu.
Zhang Jinyu snaps back to reality, quickly taking it: "Okay."
Fu Yu fetches millet himself, rinses it clean, adds water, and places it in the steamer.
He then proceeds to prepare the side dishes.
The roots of the white shimeji mushrooms are removed, cleaned, and diced.
Kale is also diced and blanched together with the white shimeji mushrooms.
With everything arranged, the cuttlefish roe is almost done simmering.
Opening the lid, a thin starch slurry is drizzled in, and scallion oil is added before removing from the pot.
"What should be noted when cooking cuttlefish roe?"
Fu Yu hands the plate to Zhang Jinyu, casually quizzing him.
Zhang Jinyu is momentarily stunned but quickly replies: "Cuttlefish roe is high in collagen, so the cooking time should not be too long?"
He remembers this from a previous cooking session when Fu Yu casually pointed it out.
Zhang Jinyu now regards Fu Yu as his mentor, knowing that even a casual remark from him can be greatly beneficial.
Thus, he makes an effort to remember all of Fu Yu’s tips during cooking, sometimes jotting them down on his phone for later review if he fears forgetting them.
With two dishes on the table, Fu Yu’s actions do not slow down.
He repeats the entire process exactly as before.
This time, after both dishes are cooked, Fu Yu quietly breathes a sigh of relief and retrieves the soaked cordyceps flowers.
"Take out a bowl of the soaked dried fish maw."
Fu Yu instructs Zhang Jinyu.
After Zhang Jinyu leaves, he quickly reviews the method for oil-puffed eel maw.
Oil-puffed eel maw is a delicate task, heavily relying on the chef’s skill; Fu Yu dares not cut corners and carefully studies it before actually proceeding.
The soaked dried fish maw needs careful handling from soaking to retrieval, ensuring no moisture is present, or the oil will splatter in the pot.
Cooking oil is poured into the pot and set to low heat.
The oil-puffing process for the eel maw requires maintaining a medium-low heat throughout.
When the oil is heated to fifty percent, the eel maw is added for soaking.
Chopsticks are used to press down on the sections of the fish maw yet to expand, allowing them to fully soak in the hot oil.
The oil-puffed eel maw must puff adequately; any unexpanded part will gradually expand under the effect of the hot oil, altering its internal gelatinous structure.
Once fully puffed, it’s fished out and soaked in warm water.
In the dish "Wealthy Braised Eel Maw," the most delicious and distinctive components, aside from the authentic eel maw, are the fa cai meatballs.
Qianlima’s method for making fa cai meatballs slightly deviates from the classic old recipe.
Besides the ingredients, the seasoning ratio is not the same.
Fu Yu chooses the method used by Qianlima without much hesitation.
The soaked fa cai is drained.
Pork cubes, minced mushrooms, and minced water chestnuts are combined, then scallion, cornstarch, and water are added and mixed.
Season with salt and MSG.
Hand-form into evenly sized small meatballs, coating the surface with fa cai.
If the meatballs don’t form properly, it’s due to unreasonable proportions of ingredients or incorrect methods.
During Fu Yu’s initial attempts at this operation, Zhao Meng once guided him in using a small spoon to scoop out ball-shaped meatballs by moving it from side to side.
If kneading is difficult, the meatballs can be placed in dry starch to coat with a thin layer of powder, gently forming the shape, then the balls will hold a round shape.
But now, Fu Yu follows Gu Yunwu’s method for making fa cai meatballs.
During operation, he finds that the fa cai meatballs made with this method are not particularly sticky; just a little pressure and light adjustment with the fingertips create perfectly rounded balls.
Fu Yu secretly admires this.
No wonder it is a classic dish; the culinary technique is indeed very precise.
Standing nearby, Zhang Jinyu watches in astonishment as Fu Yu’s fingers move rapidly.
The speed is such that the meatballs in Fu Yu’s hands, spinning quickly, appear motionless at first glance.