Chapter 139 - 137: Sichuan Cuisine Is More Than Just Hotpot

Chapter 139: Chapter 137: Sichuan Cuisine Is More Than Just Hotpot

He glanced toward the back kitchen and saw that the man was completely different from what he had imagined. He wasn’t the unkempt type at all.

He wore a crisp, white chef’s uniform. His face was resolute and unsmiling as he focused intently on chopping vegetables.

When people hear "Sichuan cuisine," the first thing they probably think of is hot pot. However, the famous state banquet dish, Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth, is actually a Sichuan dish.

Other famous dishes include: Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork, Kung Pao Chicken, Husband and Wife Lung Slices, Mapo Tofu, Twice-cooked Pork, Dongpo Pork Hock, and Poached Sliced Beef in Hot Chili Oil.

Sichuan cuisine is divided into three schools: the Upper River, the Small River, and the Lower River. These schools are primarily defined by their regions, so Sichuan cuisine is incredibly diverse in flavor and not just numbing and spicy.

So, when you travel to the Sichuan region, don’t just focus on hot pot and street food. The classic Sichuan dishes are the real culinary treasures.

Hu Xia asked from the side, "I wonder what dishes he’s going to make?"

"Sis, don’t worry. In this amount of time, there’s no way he could make us Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth."

Wan Qianqian started laughing nearby. These two had asked if he could make Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth right after he arrived.

"If you two want to eat it, we can have Chef Chen make it specially for you someday when there’s time."

Hu Xia said stubbornly, "I was just curious. It’s not like I’m dying to eat it."

"Sis, you might not want to eat it, but I do! Don’t you dare fight me for it then! If Sister Shiyun finds out, she’ll probably want some too."

"Oh, you and your big mouth..."

Hu Zhiming quickly ran backward, still chattering as he fled.

Lin Feng asked Wan Qianqian, "Do you think he’ll stay?"

"I think so. He seemed quite satisfied with our place when he first arrived.

He’s a strange person. According to Brother Huang, if he isn’t satisfied with a place, he won’t even go into the kitchen to cook—he’ll just leave."

Hearing this, Lin Feng understood. ’A person like that wouldn’t lift a finger if they didn’t want to stay.’

Since he had gone into the kitchen to cook, it meant he wanted to stay. Now, it was just a matter of his skill. It probably wouldn’t be too bad.

"If he really does stay, have Huang Yi and Geng Changxin help out more with managing the back kitchen."

"I know. Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll handle it."

"By the way, when are you and Wu Jiaxing getting married?"

Wan Qianqian said gently, "May Day next year. We’ll have the wedding in Wu Jiaxing’s hometown. He still has some relatives there."

Ever since his mother recovered from her illness, Wu Jiaxing had spent all his time painting, aside from when he was with Wan Qianqian.

His skills were improving rapidly. He usually drew for tourists, allowing him to earn money and practice at the same time.

Huang Yi came out and said, "The food is almost ready! Everyone, please take a seat. You’ll get to taste Chef Chen’s craftsmanship in a moment."

Once everyone was seated, the first dish was quickly brought out by a server.

"Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork."

A dish that uses pork to replicate the "fish-fragrant" flavor profile. A very inventive concept, one might say.

"Mapo Tofu, Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes."

In a short while, ten dishes covered the table, and Chen Yuyuan walked out from the kitchen.

The guy didn’t say anything, just stood there watching them, making the atmosphere a bit awkward.

Huang Yi quickly said, "Come, let me introduce everyone. This is the famous Sichuan cuisine chef, Chen Yuyuan.

This is our boss, Lin Feng. And these two, Master Chen has already met."

Chen Yuyuan said a bit awkwardly, "Boss Lin, hello."

"Hello. Your cooking skills are truly superb. Thank you for letting us taste such authentic Sichuan cuisine."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Lin Feng was starting to see it. ’This guy is exactly as Huang Yi described; he really doesn’t know how to interact with people.’

He didn’t say any more polite words of invitation, lest he mess things up. It was better to leave it to Huang Yi.

Since Huang Yi was able to befriend him, it meant he knew how to communicate with this type of person.

Everyone was sweating profusely by the end of the meal. Even though it was spicy, they couldn’t stop themselves from taking big bites.

Lin Feng discovered that it was best to pair Sichuan food with a staple, whether it was steamed rice or steamed buns.

After they left, Huang Yi spoke with Chen Yuyuan for a while and quickly had a contract signed.

"Boss, from now on, Chen Yuyuan will only be responsible for cooking. As for the kitchen assistants who want to learn from him, they’ll have to rely on themselves."

"That’s fine. Of the Four Great Cuisines, we’re only missing Cantonese. Should we recruit a chef for that too?"

"That depends on what you think, Boss. I do think we could recruit some Cantonese dim sum chefs."

"I’ll leave it to you, then. See if you can find some chefs to come over."

Huang Yi was a bit speechless but didn’t refuse. In any case, a large group of chefs would be coming over soon anyway.

He could talk to them then and see if he could poach a few.

When Huang Yi returned to the Restaurant, he found Chen Yuyuan standing in the back kitchen with a strange expression, staring at the ingredients in front of him as if pondering something.

"What’s wrong?"

"This food tastes better than what I made in the Imperial Capital. A lot better. But my skills clearly haven’t improved."

Geng Changxin, who was nearby, said, "Your Talent is truly incredible. You noticed it this quickly."

It took him and Huang Yi several tries at cooking here before they noticed the issue.

Huang Yi didn’t tell him the reason directly. Instead, he said mysteriously, "You’ve already seen that Lin Xian Village has many magical aspects.

Actually, our Restaurant is also magical. You’ll find out more after you’ve cooked here a few more times."

Chen Yuyuan thought for a moment and said, "I understand."

Then he walked out, ready to organize his living quarters and think about future menus.

"What did he understand?"

Huang Yi had no idea what he understood either. That guy was completely incomprehensible at times.

"I don’t know. You can go ask him."

Geng Changxin didn’t chase after him to ask. He had already learned about the man’s personality from Huang Yi. ’He really is strange!’

"By the way, the boss just told me to recruit some Cantonese chefs. Do you know anyone?"

"Cantonese chefs? I do know a few, but they all have jobs. I doubt they’d come here."

"I see. Hopefully, a few famous Cantonese chefs will come for the chef exchange."

"I’ll help you ask my master in a bit. Maybe they have a way."

Geng Changxin had already told his master about the situation at the Lin Xian Village Restaurant. His master was very interested and was preparing to come over and see for himself.

This news had already spread within a small circle. The people who heard about it were all old masters who no longer cooked regularly.

Among them were a few chefs who had cooked for state banquets. They were planning to come together to test the special effect of the Lin Xian Village Restaurant.

Huang Yi and Geng Changxin hadn’t told anyone that the Restaurant could speed up the process of learning new dishes. That still needed further verification.

The fact that cooking in the Restaurant made food more delicious, however, was already confirmed.

As for the principle behind it, the two of them couldn’t figure it out at all, nor did they plan to try.

Lin Xian Village had too many special properties. Even scientists couldn’t figure them out, so they didn’t want to humiliate themselves by trying.

The expressions on the faces of the chefs coming this time, after they cooked in the Restaurant, were bound to be priceless.

After Lin Xian Village agreed to the exchange, some famous restaurants had already sent their chefs over.

After dining in Lin Xian Village, a large number of food critics online had given unanimously positive reviews, believing the deliciousness of Lin Xian Village’s food was one-of-a-kind.

This wasn’t just one or two people; many of them were well-known food critics. This made even chefs who previously hadn’t cared curious about just how delicious the food in Lin Xian Village was to have won everyone over.

Among them were two head chefs who had presided over state banquets. They rarely cooked anymore but were also preparing to come and see for themselves this time.

So, what was originally supposed to be just a few restaurants sending people over turned into a situation where many other chefs, upon hearing the news, also decided to come and witness it for themselves.

This unexpected exchange might just turn into a major conference for the entire culinary world.