...
Fu Yu held the cotton ball, ready to reach into the fish’s chest cavity to wrap the heart chamber’s membrane.
This step was extremely difficult, comparable to a blind man feeling an elephant.
Without sight, relying solely on touch, he needed to carefully wrap the membrane with the cotton ball, avoiding any damage to the heart.
Every movement required extreme caution.
Even without personal experience, just standing by and watching, both Liu Yunong and Wang Yulong understood how high the difficulty level of this operation was!
Not to mention anything else.
Firstly, the fish’s heart itself is very fragile; any slight mistake would cause it to stop beating!
Secondly, the heart chamber membrane is just a thin inner layer, and wrapping it completely with cotton without damaging it at all is incredibly challenging!
Therefore, even someone as experienced, with great intuition and skillful maneuvers as Liu Yunong couldn’t succeed on the first try.
As for others?
It’s almost impossible!
After all, who in this kitchen has better culinary skills than Liu Yunong?
Even though Wang Yulong might have more cooking experience than Liu Yunong,
he still falls short in terms of technique compared to Liu Yunong.
However, that refers to ordinary people.
Is Fu Yu an ordinary person?
No, he is someone with an absolute knack!
For others, who have to rely on feeling and luck to cook, it’s as straightforward as an open book test for him.
With just a touch on the fish’s body, the entire fish transformed into a series of data patterns in his mind.
[Carp: Pond fed type, freshness: 30...]
[Tail fin: Damage level: 45...]
...
The various green lines and dialogue boxes changed their content along with his finger movements.
Fu Yu reached into the fish’s belly, and under the guidance of the green lines and dialogue boxes, he cleaned the innards thoroughly.
The operation proceeded slowly.
Wrapping the heart chamber’s membrane with cotton is a delicate and skill-testing operation.
The heart is encased by the membrane, both being very fragile.
Moreover, the cotton needs to cover the entire membrane completely to ensure the heart doesn’t get scalded in the hot oil.
Witnessing this, both Liu Yunong and Wang Yulong held their breath.
Fu Yu’s actions became more and more cautious.
Inside the chest cavity is the heart, and outside that is the heart chamber’s membrane—pull one hair and move the whole body...
Fu Yu’s hand was steady, really steady, meticulously wrapping the entire heart chamber membrane with the cotton, guided cautiously by the green line in the dialogue box.
Afraid that breathing might affect the steadiness of his hand, he even held his breath, fearing that too much force might damage the membrane, which would be troublesome.
Liu Yunong’s heart was hanging; an impulsive seafood order by a customer had brought so much trouble to the kitchen staff.
Truly unexpected!
No wonder this dish had disappeared from the market a long time ago. If not, chefs would be driven to tears!
The cotton gradually wrapped around the chest cavity’s membrane.
Even though Liu Yunong and Wang Yulong couldn’t see inside the fish through its belly, Fu Yu’s expression and movements alone conveyed that everything was going smoothly so far.
This thought allowed both of them to breathe a small sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, just as they were barely beginning to relax, they saw Fu Yu withdraw his hand from the fish’s belly.
This...
Was it finished!?
Before they could ask, Fu Yu swiftly grabbed a tissue to wipe his hands, took white gauze, skillfully wrapped the fish head.
Then he applied fine salt and starch to the fish’s body.
He held the fish’s head with one hand and pinched the tail with the other, clearly preparing to fry it.
It seems the process of wrapping the heart chamber membrane was indeed complete.
Even the experienced Liu Yunong couldn’t help but secretly admire Fu Yu’s operation.
Truly, the young will surpass their predecessors!
Such talent at such a young age!
At that moment, looking at Fu Yu, Liu Yunong finally understood what those people who constantly praised her must have felt.
This is also why Fu Yu, despite having not been an apprentice long at Shangshi Private Kitchen, had already earned the trust and respect of the kitchen staff.
Because they have sharp eyes!
Not just anyone can boss around the kitchen assistants; the attitude varies entirely between instructions from a head chef and those from a regular chef.
To enjoy being at everyone’s beck and call, at your service, at the very least, you have to be at the level of a top chef!
If not, then someone like Fu Yu.
These kitchen assistants have witnessed the interactions and collaboration between the head chef and the boss with Fu Yu countless times; over time, they naturally began to see Fu Yu as equal to the head chef and the boss.
Even though Fu Yu’s official position was still that of an apprentice, well... it’s really just a matter of time regarding this status!
The kitchen’s promotion system is also very strict; you can’t become a top chef just because you have the skills.
This requires not only the recognition of the head chef but also the approval of the boss.
However, if your ability exceeds your status, transcending your role, that is truly impressive!
Therefore, although Fu Yu currently appears to be just an apprentice in the kitchen, nobody dares treat him lightly.
Besides, they expect that if any unsolvable issues arise in the future, they would seek Fu Yu’s help!
...
Fu Yu methodically handled the heart and the fish head, preparing them for frying!
Among the two most challenging steps in cooking live carp, one is handling the heart and fish head, and the other is frying.
Too much heat is not good, and neither is too little.
Too long is not okay, and neither is too short.
For everyone, accurately timing and controlling the heat is a difficult operation.
But for Fu Yu!
For someone equipped with skills like him, it’s as simple as hammering a nail into a board.
Fu Yu held the fish’s head in one hand, pinching the tail in the other, and placed the carp into the hot oil for frying.
His movements were fluid yet precise, immersing first the fish’s body, then the tail.
To outsiders, Fu Yu faced a cauldron of oil as the carp gradually cooked and changed color in the hot oil.
Yet to Fu Yu, the changing green lines and dialogue boxes in the oil pot were all too evident.
If there was even a slight deviation in his movements, the green lines would promptly adjust, providing him the correct guidance.
He only needed to follow the positions indicated by the green lines to ensure the fried carp was cooked just right.
The prompts in the dialogue box allowed Fu Yu to extract the fried carp from the pot with precision and serve it at the optimal time
As for controlling the heat, that is Fu Yu’s forte.
Once the carp was fried thoroughly and placed onto a fish plate, the cotton ball was removed.
Fu Yu cautiously reached into the fish’s belly once more.
A series of dialogue boxes emerged in Fu Yu’s vision!
[Carp: Pond fed type, freshness: 40...]
[Heart chamber membrane: Intact level: 30]
[Fish heart: Freshness level: 40]
...
The clear prompts stood out, with precise data sets reassuring Fu Yu’s initially high-strung nerves.
Fortunately, there were no issues with the heart, and the fish gills were unharmed.
As long as those two areas remain safe, the meticulous removal of the cotton gauze from the fish head guaranteed a successful dish.
Fu Yu’s operation this time was simply impeccable.
Following the green line’s directives closely, he swiftly removed the cotton ball.
He noticed the intact level of the heart chamber membrane dropping slightly, causing some tension, but seeing that the freshness level of the fish heart remained unchanged, he was relieved once more.
As long as the heart is fine, everything is good.
Fu Yu deftly removed the cotton ball from the fish’s belly, and took off the gauze wrap from the fish head.
He then poured the prepared sauce over the carp, sprinkled chopped scallions and pepper, drizzled a little sesame oil, and added a few red chilies.
Fu Yu’s operation was smooth as flowing water.
Even the well-informed Wang Yulong couldn’t help but gasp upon witnessing his precise movements!
It was truly impressive!
Even Liu Yunong couldn’t help but praise: "The dish is perfectly made!"
It was done in a brief period, with fast completion speed, and every operation was precisely executed...