Chapter 389 - 200: This Is the Taste

Chapter 389: Chapter 200: This Is the Taste

The Horse Hoof Saber Technique wasn’t rare. For any fourth-generation Kong Sect disciple who had been learning to cook for over three years, it was a fundamental skill.

What shocked Luo Han was the sight of Zhou Yan flipping his cleavers over to their spines and pounding the chicken breast with both. Accompanied by a clippity-clop sound like horse hooves, the chicken breast was gradually minced, slowly being pounded into a paste.

His mind drifted, and for a moment, he was lost in a daze. It was as if he could see that cheerful little old man again, standing before the stoves in the Le Ming Restaurant’s kitchen, dual cleavers in hand, teaching him how to pound chicken breast using the Horse Hoof Saber Technique. The sound of the cleaver spines hitting the cutting board began to overlap with his memory, and the little old man’s voice echoed in his ears:

"Hold the cleavers steady. Straight up, straight down. Use your wrists, not your arms. It’s about finesse. Control your strength; don’t splash the meat paste everywhere."

"Aiya! You’re so dense! Watching you makes me want to smack you upside the head!"

"What are you crying for! Don’t you go tattling to your mother, you hear? Last time, I had to sleep on the couch for a week. If you dare tell on me, while I’m sleeping on the couch, you can go sleep in the doghouse with the dog!"

"Son, you have to learn this well. This craft of the Luo Family has been passed down for four generations. We can’t let it end with us."

"Snowflake Chicken Porridge and Pottery Pork. Master these two dishes, and you’ll be a respected head chef with signature dishes at any major restaurant. This is a family heirloom. Never, ever teach it to outsiders. You have to guard it and pass it down, from one generation to the next."

...

"Dad? Dad! What’s wrong! You can’t die! If you die, what will I do? What about Mom and my sister? I haven’t learned it yet! I still don’t know how to make it..."

...

Two streams of clear tears slid down Luo’s cheeks.

"Master, what’s wrong?" asked Young Luo, who was standing beside him in surprise, not understanding why his master had suddenly started crying.

"You watch the stove. I’m going to go see what Zhou Yan is making." Luo put down his cleaver, hastily wiped the tears from his face, and walked toward Zhou Yan.

"Huh? Master, you’re not cooking anymore? Is this really the time to be a spectator?" Young Luo looked at the sliced pork belly on the cutting board. The wok was already heated, and they were just about to make stir-fried salt-cured pork, but his master had gone off to watch the show?

It wasn’t just Luo Han; many other chefs and guests had also gathered around to watch the spectacle.

The reason was simple. Zhou Yan was handsome, he was wielding two cleavers, and he was using their spines to mince meat, creating a crisp, clippity-clop sound like horse hooves. Among all the chefs, he was definitely the most eye-catching.

The guests didn’t understand the intricacies of professional cooking, but this display of Knife Skills from Zhou Yan was clearly something they couldn’t do.

It was incredibly entertaining to watch. Some people even found their feet unconsciously tapping along to the rhythm.

Mrs. Zhao, holding Zhou Momo, came over to join the crowd after watching the face-changing performance. The little one’s cheeks were puffed out with candy, and her two small pockets were stuffed completely full.

Among the grand-disciple generation of chefs, everyone except for a few grunts who had been pulled away to slice braised meat had gathered around Zhou Yan to watch.

The senior masters cooked well, but in the end, it was always the same old dishes. They were all taught by the same grandmaster, so after seeing them so many times, it was no longer anything special. In any case, their own masters could definitely cook them; it was just a matter of how well they did it.

Braised Yellow Perch, Dongpo Pork, Sautéed Duck Liver, Camphor Tea Smoked Duck, Stir-fried Salt-cured Pork... basically everything on the Le Ming Restaurant’s menu.

The Dry-Burned Rock Carp made by Master Xu was considered somewhat unique. Dry-burning is a true test of skill, and most chefs can’t do it well.

But what Zhou Yan, a fellow fourth-generation disciple, was making was what truly piqued everyone’s curiosity.

’Taking tender chicken breast and furiously pounding it with the back of a cleaver... Does the Kong Sect even have a dish like this?’

Kong Qingfeng couldn’t stay seated in the main hall. He and Qian Siyuan also went up to the stoves to watch, unable to hide the look of anticipation on their faces.

Luo’s father had passed away at the end of 1958. Since then, the two signature dishes, Snowflake Chicken Porridge and Pottery Pork, had been removed from the Le Ming Restaurant’s menu and had yet to be restored.

Snowflake Chicken Porridge is a famous Sichuan Cuisine dish with a rather elegant name. Pottery Pork is even hailed as the "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" of Sichuan Cuisine. Back in the day, it drew countless gourmands to the Le Ming Restaurant just to have a taste.

Now that Zhou Yan was going to recreate Snowflake Chicken Porridge, he was naturally quite thrilled.

Luo had also come closer and was standing to the side, watching.

"Zhou Yan, what dish are you making? Why are you pounding the chicken breast into a paste?" Kong Liwei asked, unable to contain his impatience.

The others all looked at Zhou Yan.

Shen Shaohua, the reporter from the Jiazhou Daily, had also come over with his notebook. He scribbled a few notes and likewise waited for Zhou Yan’s answer.

He had heard of Zhou Yan’s name before coming here.

A chef from Jiazhou getting a special feature in *Sichuan Cuisine* magazine, with his dish featured on the cover, was only minor news.

But the fact that this chef was only twenty years old, had beaten out numerous Special Level and First-level Chefs to land on the cover, and had recreated the traditional Jiazhou Suji delicacy—Kneeling Beef—reviving a lost tradition... now that made the story interesting.

Suji Town was hoping for a feature report to promote its Kneeling Beef and boost the local economy.

Just yesterday, they were discussing this in a meeting. They hadn’t even drafted the interview questions yet, and here he was, running into Zhou Yan today.

What a coincidence!

’I never would have thought Zhou Yan was also a fourth-generation disciple of the Kong Sect.’

Zhou Yan’s hands never stopped moving as he smiled and replied, "Today, I’m making a famous dish from Sichuan Cuisine—Snowflake Chicken Porridge."

"Snowflake Chicken Porridge?" The younger disciples looked bewildered. Many of them had never even heard of the dish, let alone made it.

At the side, Luo opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Kong Liwei asked doubtfully, "Is that a Kong Sect dish? I’ve heard the name before, but I’ve never seen our master or the senior masters make it."

"Master Zhou, why did you choose to make Snowflake Chicken Porridge? Is there a particular reason?" Shen Shaohua took a step forward and inquired.