The Gourmet Customizer

Chapter 228: Chapter 119: Cui Yufen Is Here

Cui Yufen rose from her chair, her eyes like a falcon’s. "Then let’s go!"

...

Meiweilai Company.

Su Chen was meticulously preparing a major dish: Stuffed Longevity Duck.

Watching Su Chen debone the hanging duck through an incision in its neck, Jiang Wusheng and the others broke into applause and cheers.

"That knife work is on par with ours!"

"To debone a duck through the neck... you can’t master a technique like that without at least eight or ten years of practice. Boss Xiaosu must have started butchering ducks at a young age!"

Lu Yongliang explained to Jiang Wusheng with a proud lift of his chin, "Boss Xiaosu used to work at Da Run Fa. A little skill like this is nothing to him."

’I remember the first time I faced off against Su Chen, Boss Su mentioned that the reason he was so quick with gutting fish was because he’d worked at Da Run Fa for several years.’

’He must have learned how to debone a duck back then, too!’

’If I ever take on apprentices in the future, I’ll send them to work at Da Run Fa for a few years first. You can really build some genuine skills there!’

Lu Yongliang thought to himself.

But Liu Ahbao, standing to the side, asked curiously, "Boss, isn’t this what you call Eight-Treasure Duck? But from what I know, Eight-Treasure Duck isn’t considered Lu Cuisine, is it?"

Eight-Treasure Duck was a well-known dish made by cutting a bone-in duck open along the back and stuffing it with various ingredients.

It was a famous dish from Shanghai Cuisine, and could also be considered part of the Su Cuisine school, but it definitely couldn’t be classified as Lu Cuisine.

"That’s not it." Su Chen finished deboning the duck. The entire bird was perfectly intact, save for the single incision at the neck.

No wonder Jiang Wusheng and his group were clucking their tongues in amazement; you couldn’t develop that kind of knife skill without butchering thousands of ducks.

"Eight-Treasure Duck is a steamed dish. This isn’t Eight-Treasure Duck. It’s called Stuffed Longevity Duck."

"The creator of this dish was the Master of Shandong Cuisine, Mr. Liang Jixiang. The recipe is likely lost to time now, isn’t it? Though I do remember Mr. Liang Jixiang had a disciple named Yan Jingxiang. I wonder if he knows how to make it."

Yan Jingxiang was a true titan of Lu Cuisine. Cui Yufen’s skills were mere child’s play before Elder Yan.

Of course, Su Chen wouldn’t say that out loud. He had only learned the creator’s name from a famous collection of recipes. Mr. Liang Jixiang’s era was simply too long ago; his disciple, Yan Jingxiang, was already in his eighties.

Besides that bunch of old fossils from the Lu Cuisine world, outsiders really had no idea about this.

Su Chen had specifically looked it up online. A few years ago, Yan Jingxiang had held a press conference in Lu Province and published a collection of the more than eight hundred recipes Mr. Liang had passed down to him. However, Stuffed Longevity Duck was not among them.

Su Chen guessed the dish was indeed a bit too similar to the Eight-Treasure Duck from Suzhou and Shanghai, which was why Elder Liang had never passed it down. Eight-Treasure Duck had become a national sensation in the 1930s. If someone of Elder Liang’s stature presented his Longevity Duck—even as an innovative creation—he would inevitably face accusations of plagiarism.

When a man reaches his twilight years, who wouldn’t want to protect his legacy?

And Su Chen’s reason for choosing this dish was simple.

This dish was, without a doubt, a classic of Lu Cuisine. The fact that it wasn’t passed down was a tremendous loss for the culinary school!

It utilized boiling, a common technique in Lu Cuisine, and braising, its greatest strength. It used a clear stock as its base, incorporated local specialties from the Jiaodong region, and was finished with a specially made sauce. In terms of cooking techniques, ingredients, texture, and flavor, it was Lu Cuisine through and through!

It had absolutely nothing in common with Eight-Treasure Duck.

Besides, the dish had a great name: Longevity Duck! What could be more perfect for a birthday celebration?

It would also fill the void of not having a true centerpiece dish at this banquet.

After prepping the two ducks, Su Chen began dicing the ham into small, uniform cubes. He then diced the shiitake mushrooms and fish maw to match.

He cut the pickled mustard green stems into short segments, splitting each in half, and cleaned the dried scallops.

Just as he was about to put the ingredients in the pot to cook, Xiaobai burst into the kitchen, flustered. "Boss! We just got word from them—they’re coming early! They’ll probably be here in half an hour!"

"Cui Yufen’s party?" Su Chen asked.

Bai Xiaobo nodded emphatically. "Yes! It’s so sudden!"

"That woman, Cui Yufen, has no sense of fair play! We agreed on noon for the meal, and she’s showing up at ten? Isn’t she just trying to cause trouble on purpose?" Lu Yongliang immediately cried foul on Su Chen’s behalf.

Jiang Wusheng, however, slowly shook his head. "I don’t see it that way. They’re arriving at ten, but they never said the meal has to start at ten. If Boss Su loses his composure over this, he’ll only make himself a laughingstock."

Su Chen smiled. "Eldest Uncle Jiang is right. We can’t afford to get flustered."

Jiang Wensheng nodded in agreement. "Our engagement party is no rush. If we’d known something this big was happening today, we could have postponed it a few days. Just focus on handling Master Cui’s visit for now. There’s no hurry to cook the Huaiyang Cuisine dishes until after you’re finished with this."

From the back, Brother Fang Chang shot a sideways glance at his father-in-law.

’That’s not what you said when I told you about this!’

’Who was it that was jumping around like a kid, saying he was in for a good show and couldn’t wait to rush back to Jingzhou overnight?’

’And now you’re putting on this big act for Boss Su...’

Su Chen chuckled. "Thank you, Uncle Jiang the Second. I’m terribly sorry for neglecting you today. Once this business is settled, I’ll cook for you both personally to make it up to you."

The two Jiang Wusheng brothers exchanged a glance. Their faces were calm and composed, but their eyes held a silent conversation.

’That’s the line we were waiting for!’

That being the case, Su Chen didn’t hold back.

He quickly placed the ingredients he’d just prepared into a pot, added about two cups of fresh water, and brought it to a boil over high heat. The moment it boiled, he strained the ingredients out and placed them in a bowl.

Into the bowl went the ham and dried scallops, followed by a measure of soy sauce, a splash of scallion-pepper Shaoxing wine, and a little scallion oil. After mixing it all evenly, he stuffed the entire mixture into the duck’s cavity through the neck opening.

Once both ducks were prepared this way, he used thin hemp string to tie the neck openings shut, then placed them into a pot of boiling water.

"And that’s it?" Ah Bao thought it seemed far too simple.

"Hardly."

Su Chen closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

’Have to admit, Cui Yufen’s sudden arrival had caught him off guard.’

His mind settled and focused.

And Su Chen appeared inside the Gourmet Practice Room.

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