Chapter 393 - 201: Master Zhou, Find Some Time to Guide Me Too.

Chapter 393: Chapter 201: Master Zhou, Find Some Time to Guide Me Too.

The little one’s voice was sweet and childlike, and she was so adorable that the surrounding guests and Chefs couldn’t help but smile.

"It’s one thing to be handsome and a great cook, but for his sister to be this cute too? Zhou Yan is just too much!" Kong Liwei declared, tired of even saying how envious he was.

"Exactly! She’s cute, and she even gives compliments! When my little sister was a kid, all she did was trick me out of my allowance money," a senior brother next to him added, nodding furiously.

Zhou Yan’s Snowflake Chicken Porridge earned him endless praise from the Master Uncles.

Even Xiao Lei and Xu Yunliang came over for a taste and were equally amazed.

"This is delicious! It’s even more savory than any Snowflake Chicken Porridge I’ve had in Rongcheng! The texture is so tender and smooth, without a single imperfection. You chose a great chicken, too—a young, free-range bird from the countryside. The chicken flavor is so much richer." Xu Yunliang nodded again and again, his face full of astonishment. He looked at Zhou Yan and said, "Master Zhou, you’ll have to give me some pointers when you have time."

"Master Zhou, find some time to give me some pointers too," Xiao Lei chimed in.

Zhou Yan: ...

He was starting to suspect there was something wrong with their Master.

How had he managed to teach two apprentices who acted the exact same way?

They were masters of sarcasm.

Zheng Qiang squeezed in, managed to scrape half a spoonful from the plate, and took a bite. His eyes instantly lit up. He looked at Zhou Yan and said, "Hey, Junior Brother, you really know your stuff!"

"Stop making a fool of yourself here and get back to your station," Xu Yunliang said with a wave of his hand.

"Got it." Zheng Qiang nodded and left, afraid that if he were a step too slow, he’d get another earful from his two senior brothers.

"Master Zhou, since you’ve perfected Snowflake Chicken Porridge, maybe you could research Chicken Tofu Pudding when you have time?" Xu Yunliang looked at Zhou Yan with a serious expression. "I’ve heard the two dishes are different but have the same masterful result. The hardest parts are making the chicken puree and preparing the slurry. I happen to have a recipe book I’ve been saving. I’ll mail it to you later. Once you’ve learned it, you can teach me a trick or two.

I hear Chicken Tofu Pudding is a state banquet dish that only Grandmasters can master. I think you can do it."

Zhou Yan met Xu Yunliang’s eager gaze, feeling a little uncertain inside, but his words were firm. "Okay, Master-uncle, mail it to me later. I’ll look into it."

’A recipe book treasured by a top-tier Sichuan Cuisine Grandmaster—it would be a waste not to take it.’

As a famous state banquet dish and a masterpiece of non-spicy Sichuan Cuisine, Chicken Tofu Pudding was even more renowned than Snowflake Chicken Porridge.

Unlike Snowflake Chicken Porridge, which is gently fried in lard, Chicken Tofu Pudding was a soup dish with a lighter, more refreshing taste and texture.

The broth was said to be stewed for a full eight hours and clarified multiple times with minced meat, a technique similar to the one used for Boiled Cabbage.

Then, the prepared chicken puree slurry was cooked until it resembled tofu pudding and spooned into the clear broth. Only then was the Chicken Tofu Pudding complete.

The process was even more complex and tedious than that for Snowflake Chicken Porridge, a classic example of using a meat ingredient to mimic a vegetarian one.

Zhou Yan had tried it once when visiting a restaurant. He wasn’t sure if it was authentic—after all, he’d never tasted it at a state banquet—but it looked like tofu pudding, tasted like chicken, and the soup was savory and delicious.

What left a deep impression on him was that the Chicken Tofu Pudding’s texture was a bit tough, lacking the smoothness of tender tofu pudding. Ultimately, it just wasn’t quite right.

’If he really had the recipe, Zhou Yan would be more than happy to give it a try.’

"Chicken Tofu Pudding is great; it’s a must-learn," Xiao Lei added with a nod. "Master Zhou, count me in next time you hold a class."

"Fine, fine, fine," Zhou Yan said, nodding with a smile. ’Let the world burn.’

Zhou Yan’s Snowflake Chicken Porridge had completely stolen the show.

However, all the Kong Sect’s Master Uncles were beaming, not showing the slightest displeasure. They were also incredibly generous with their praise for Zhou Yan.

Kong Qingfeng announced loudly, "Alright, alright, the rest of you, hurry up and get cooking. It’s almost eleven-thirty. Get this table of dishes served first. Let them take the photos and do the interviews they need to. The banquet officially begins at twelve."

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone responded in agreement and returned to their stoves to start cooking.

"Zhou Yan, I..." Arhat rubbed his hands together, starting to speak but then hesitating.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Master Luo, we can spar later. You should cook your dishes for today first. My Master told me to help, and I guarantee I’ll teach you everything you want to know."

Upon hearing this, Arhat froze for a moment before a smile broke out on his face. He nodded and said, "Alright. I’ll get to it, then."

Watching his retreating figure, Zhou Yan was momentarily lost in a trance, as if seeing the lonely back of that young boy turning to leave all those years ago.

For him, it was merely the overlapping of two images.

But for Luo,

twenty-six years had been an incredibly long and agonizing ordeal.

This gratitude banquet was held in several stages. The morning began with a grand family recognition ceremony.

Qian Siyuan donated ten thousand yuan to the Kong Family ancestral hall for repairing the damaged walls and replacing the roof tiles. He also gave each of the Kong Family elders a large red envelope, and in return, the names of Kong Simin and Qian Siyuan were written into the family registry.

Money, as always, was very effective.

As outsiders, Zhou Yan and the others naturally did not participate in this part of the proceedings.

The gratitude banquet was organized by Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang. They were quite experienced, so even a massive fifty-table banquet was no trouble for them. They had started preparations the day before, and everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion without a hint of chaos.

Besides attending the banquet, the Chefs from the Kong Sect were also responsible for preparing a table of representative Kong Sect dishes and being interviewed by the Jiazhou Daily.

This invitation was actually extended after a discussion between Qian Siyuan and Kong Qingfeng.

He was returning to the United States next week, and he wanted to see the magnificent spirit of the Kong Sect’s Chefs with his own eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of the style and flair his grandfather and uncle once possessed.

It was something his mother had never forgotten.

In a row of ten stoves, woks flared to life simultaneously.

The third-generation disciples of the Kong Sect all brought out their signature skills, striving to display the true style of the Kong Sect in the founder’s own hometown.

At eleven-thirty, dishes began coming out of the woks and onto plates one after another, all within the span of less than three minutes.