Chapter 830: Exquisite Culinary Skills

The kitchen.

The little guy entered the kitchen, and his eyes couldn't take it all in.

He had been to his grandfather's kitchen before, but it wasn't like this; now, it had changed completely.

Many things he hadn't seen before had been added, and the cabinets had also been altered.

A set of knives was laid out on the counter, ranging from large to small, a dazzling array of them, perhaps dozens in total.

The stove had changed as well.

It wasn't the kind of stove found in an ordinary home, but one that was much wider.

This was a professional restaurant stove; he had seen one in the kitchen at the Resort.

Additionally, three rows of small stainless steel bowls were neatly arranged next to the stove, containing various seasonings; there were over a dozen types of soy sauce and vinegar alone.

Gu Zhihao entered the kitchen, and his entire aura changed; he looked especially handsome, especially after tying on his apron!

From his Xi Fu, the little guy discovered a temperament identical to his father's—the aura of a king.

"Have you eaten?" Xi Fu stood before the stove and asked, turning his head suddenly before lighting the fire.

"Not yet," the little guy answered honestly.

Originally, his mother had wanted him to eat at home before coming over, but upon hearing he was going to the kitchen to learn the craft, Sheng Zichen's enthusiasm soared, and the food at home held no attraction for him at all.

Gu Zhihao: "Not eating is perfect; you'll have something delicious in a moment."

This was the sentence little Sheng Zichen loved to hear most; he nodded his head like a chick pecking at rice: "Okay, okay, Xi Fu, what are you going to make? Steamed Lion's Head?"

He had eaten it once before and had been thinking about it ever since.

"The Lion's Head is already steaming; today I'll switch it up for you, watch."

Gu Zhihao fished a pork knuckle out of a pot, and at the same time, lit the fire and set up a wok, pouring in half a pot of oil with a "thud-thud-thud" sound.

As the oil in the wok heated up, Gu Zhihao picked up the pork knuckle and gave it a couple of quick shakes, and all the bones fell out while the shape of the knuckle remained intact.

He trimmed the knuckle and cut it into small pieces.

The kitchen knife seemed alive in his hands, nimbly cutting left and right, flipping up and down; every piece of cut knuckle had both skin and meat.

After cutting the knuckle, he put it into a basin, grabbed two handfuls of dry starch, and rotated it 360 degrees...

The stainless steel basin spun into a shimmering circle of light, and Sheng Zichen was left dumbfounded.

What kind of god-tier maneuver was this?

There was starch and meat in the basin, yet because of the excessive speed, not a single bit fell out.

In a moment, every piece of knuckle meat was coated in starch, coated evenly—neither too thin nor too thick, just right.

Sheng Zichen noticed that all the starch was clinging to the knuckle; there wasn't a single crumb left in the basin!

Setting the basin aside, Gu Zhihao picked up a washed carrot, quickly sliced it into thin sheets, and then into shreds.

His knife skills were superb; the golden carrot shreds were fine enough to be threaded through the eye of a needle.

Soon, as if performing magic, he cut equally fine and neat shreds of green onion, ginger, and green pepper on the cutting board.

He smashed the garlic cloves twice and minced them.

He started another stove, lit the fire, set up a wok, and added a little oil.

By this time, the oil in the original wok had started to smoke; without even looking, he grabbed the basin and tossed it with a flick of his wrist—the starch-coated knuckle pieces traced a beautiful arc in the air and then landed perfectly into the wok.

"Sizzle—"

Countless tiny oil bubbles instantly appeared in the wok, yet not a single drop of oil splashed outside!

In the other wok, he poured in the onion and ginger shreds and minced garlic, stir-fried them briefly, then added the carrot and green pepper shreds to stir-fry, poured in the prepared sauce, thickened it, and turned off the heat.

By this time, the knuckle in the oil wok had been fried to a golden color; he scooped it out with a skimmer to drain the oil, raised the oil temperature again, and put it back in to fry for a few seconds, turning it from golden to date-red.

He turned off the heat, scooped it out into the other wok, tossed it, finished it off with a drizzle of bright oil, sprinkled a few bits of cilantro, and it was all done.

"Let's go, kid, time to eat."

Gu Zhihao carried the plate in one hand and patted Sheng Zichen on the top of his head with his other greasy, large hand.

He didn't care at all, nor did he mind the mess.

Sheng Zichen's entire attention was on this plate of pork knuckle, and he followed his Xi Fu to the dining room obediently.

Three dishes and one soup were already set on the dining table: a Steamed Lion's Head, a Stir-fried Seasonal Vegetables, an Oyster Sauce Vegetable Hearts, and the soup was a Vegetarian Stew Soup.

His aunt had already served the rice and was waiting for the two of them; they had come out of the kitchen just in time for the meal.

"Try it, do you like it?"

Gu Zhihao picked up a piece of knuckle and placed it in Sheng Zichen's bowl, then picked up another piece and placed it in his father-in-law's bowl: "Father, please try it."

He immediately followed up by serving his wife two pieces.

He watched everyone eat, only taking a bite himself.

The taste was just right, the heat was perfect; although he hadn't made it in a few years, his skills hadn't been lost.

Everyone's attention was on the pork knuckle—it was too delicious!

It was a kind of deliciousness that couldn't be described.

The exterior was crispy, the inside was soft and glutinous, it melted in the mouth, was fatty but not greasy, lean but not stringy; the fresh, savory flavor stimulated every taste bud in the mouth, and one felt a sense of happiness throughout their whole body.

There was no talking at the dining table, only the sound of bowls and spoons clashing.

Sheng Zichen was stuffed again, but this time Lao Qi didn't make fun of him.

Because he was also stuffed; it was simply too delicious, he had never eaten such a delicious pork knuckle before.

Although the pork knuckle was made so well, he had never eaten it in a restaurant; if this craft were used to open a restaurant, it would definitely be a hit!

"Xi Fu, teach me, teach me how to make..." He only realized he didn't know the name of the dish after he had finished eating.

"Pan-seared Pork Knuckle."

Xi Fu laughed: "You can't make it, you're too small; I promise you that when you grow up, I will definitely teach you, but for now, I can't let you touch the oil wok; you aren't even as tall as the stove yet."

Lao Qi breathed a sigh of relief, his impression of Gu Zhihao improving even further.

Even if he agreed, the Chairman and his wife would not agree.

Although the young master showed a fanatical love for gourmet food and would earnestly instruct others on how to cook in the kitchen at home.

He had only learned it all from books and had no practical experience.

Theory and practice are two different things.

If the kitchen knife is too sharp or the oil temperature is too high, getting cut or burned is no small matter.

"Xi Fu, you didn't keep your word; you said you'd teach me last time, but you didn't." The little fellow pursed his lips, looking so aggrieved he was about to cry.

Wait until he grows up?

That time is too far away.

He is not even five years old yet; how long will it take for him to grow up?

"Xi Fu keeps his word. I said I would teach you how to make Steamed Lion's Head, so I will teach you now." To keep the little fellow from crying immediately, he changed to a different dish.

Steamed Lion's Head was what he had promised last time anyway, so teaching this dish did not count as breaking his word.

"Really? Right now?" Sheng Zichen swallowed back the tears that were about to gush out, and he became happy again.

"Really, let's go to the kitchen right now."

"Okay."

The kitchen was very lively this time.

It wasn't just Sheng Zichen; others wanted to watch too.

The minced meat was ready-made; of course, it wasn't store-bought, but had been chopped by Gu Zhihao in advance and kept in the refrigerator.

He took it out now, put it in a basin, and instructed: "Six taels of meat is enough; the meat should be eighty percent lean and twenty percent fat."

After speaking, he poured in a small bowl of scallion and ginger water, then added egg white, a tablespoon of starch, light soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, salt, MSG, white pepper powder, and finally, he added a drop of vinegar.

The cooking wine and vinegar could help remove the gamey smell and enhance the fragrance.

Then he began to chop the water chestnuts.

He peeled two water chestnuts, sliced them, shredded them, then turned them to chop them finely, just needing a few quick chops.

With everything put together, the next moment was a test of skill: constant throwing and beating to make the meat firm, so that the meatballs would not fall apart when steamed.

Sheng Zichen certainly did not have the "skill" for this; he was too small and lacked the necessary strength.

Lao Qi volunteered: "Young Master, when you want to make this dish, I will handle this step."