Forty years ago, Chen Wei, who was already in his thirties, was just a small cook in a big restaurant in Suzhou City.
At the age of 30, Chen Wei had not yet made a name for himself in the culinary industry, and he was a little disheartened.
It was also in that year that a unique celebration banquet was held in the big restaurant where Chen Wei worked.
The purpose was to celebrate the then head chef of Su Ji, Su Quansheng, who returned with honors from the state banquet on behalf of the culinary community of Jiangsu Province.
That was the first time Chen Wei met a true master of the culinary world who was able to participate in a state banquet.
Su Quansheng was in his early fifties at that time, but judging from his appearance, he looked to be in his early thirties, with a handsome appearance and figure.
At the celebration banquet, Su Quansheng demonstrated his superb knife skills and even prepared several state banquet dishes himself.
This really shocked Chen Wei instantly, and made him want to become his disciple.
After the celebration banquet, Chen Wei used some connections and spent some money to get the room number of the hotel where Su Quansheng was staying.
That night, Chen Wei took the initiative to come to the door and asked to become his disciple.
After forty years, Chen Wei stood in Su Ji's kitchen again, touching everything familiar in front of him, and told Feng Yifan about his experience of becoming an apprentice.
"I took the liberty to come to his house that night and was naturally rejected. But no one may know that the master left me a question and said that if I could complete it, he would consider accepting me."
Feng Yifan listened patiently, and couldn't help but feel curious. What question did his wife's grandfather leave for his uncle
Chen Wei did not say it directly, but said with a self-deprecating smile: "Perhaps you should also know that it is rumored that I knelt down in Su Ji to ask for a master, and finally was accepted by the master, but in fact, I was able to kneel down in Su Ji because I completed that question. Otherwise, even if I knelt down, the master would not accept me."
Seeing that Chen Wei was beating around the bush and deliberately arousing his curiosity, Feng Yifan asked directly: "What is the question?"
Chen Wei replied calmly: "A bowl of three-shred noodles."
"Three-strand noodles?"
Feng Yifan is no stranger to three-strand noodles, and there are many different ways of making it among different factions in China.
And at Su Ji, there is actually a unique way to make three-strand noodles.
It may look like a simple bowl of noodles, but in fact it is not simple at all.
First of all, the soup base must be boiled chicken soup, and it must be completely clear soup without any oil or impurities in the soup.
Secondly, except for the chicken soup, all the main ingredients of Su Ji’s three-shredded noodles do not contain any meat.
The noodles are hand-rolled, and are served with three kinds of shredded tofu, bamboo shoots, and green vegetables.
This bowl of seemingly simple three-strand noodles is actually very difficult to make.
The process of kneading the dough for hand-rolled noodles is very particular. No water can be added. The dough needs to be kneaded enough to be firm, then rolled out very thinly and then cut into thin strips.
After that, the tofu shreds, bamboo shoot shreds, and green vegetable shreds should all be cut into almost the same thickness.
There are also some requirements when cooking noodles. You have to cook the noodles first, then cook the shredded bamboo shoots and green vegetables, and finally cook the shredded tofu. Then combine the three shreds and inject them into the cooked noodles.
When in the bowl, the picture presented is that tofu shreds, bamboo shoots shreds and noodles are seamlessly integrated, and matched with shredded green vegetables, creating a wonderful ink-and-wash effect.
It sounds very similar to the method of Wensi tofu, but it tastes more like it.
Because the tofu shreds, bamboo shoots and noodles are almost indistinguishable from each other, when you pick them up and put them in your mouth, the tofu shreds are smooth, the bamboo shoots are slightly crispy, and finally the noodles are chewy, paired with a light chicken soup base.
It tastes very light at first, but after eating it, it is unforgettable every time you think about it.
Chen Wei was walking in the kitchen, chatting with Feng Yifan about the bowl of three-strand noodles that was only available at Su Ji.
Then he picked out fresh bamboo shoots, some tender green vegetables, a piece of old tofu, and finally flour and eggs.
Chen Wei said to Feng Yifan, "This bowl of noodles must use old tofu. This is completely different from Wensi tofu because the tofu shreds don't need to be cut so finely, and they need a little bit of the texture of old tofu."
As he spoke, Chen Wei had already started slicing tofu.
Of course, you can't cut old tofu into shreds using the same knife-shaking technique as you would for soft tofu.
You need to slice the tofu into thin slices first, and then cut it into shreds.
This process is also a process that tests one’s knife skills extremely well.
The process of slicing tofu is even more difficult than boiling dried tofu slices.
Because even if it is old tofu, its texture cannot be as dense as dried tofu, so if you use too much force, the tofu may break.
This is a process that requires a lot of patience. Every cut must be made very precisely to slice the tofu thinly enough.
Before cutting each time, you also need to dip the surface of the knife in water to prevent the tofu from sticking to the knife.
Although Chen Wei seemed to have aged suddenly after the blow, it was not difficult to tell from the way he sliced tofu steadily that his knife skills were still there.
When Lin Ruifeng came back from serving the dishes, he was a little surprised to see Chen Wei in the kitchen.
But then he saw his master shaking his head, so Lin Ruifeng didn't say anything to disturb Chen Wei.
Watch Chen Wei slice the tofu into thin slices.
This scene also surprised Lin Ruifeng a little.
Lin Ruifeng had seen the master slice dried tofu before, and that was already very shocking to him, because the master was able to slice the already very thin dried tofu into more than thirty slices.
But dried tofu is still very compact after all. Now seeing Chen Wei’s sliced tofu, it is obviously more difficult to make.
But Chen Wei was able to slice the tofu into very thin slices, which once again overturned Lin Ruifeng's cognition.
Chen Wei continued, "In fact, when I was abroad, my favorite dish was also noodles, but I liked lobster pasta more, so I combined the two."
At this point, Chen Wei said to Feng Yifan, "I'm old now, and my hands really don't obey as well as they should. Can you help me?"
Feng Yifan nodded: "Okay, uncle, you can say it."
Chen Wei pointed at the ingredients that were still piled up in Su Ji's kitchen and were delivered earlier and said, "Can you get me a lobster and make a pot of lobster bisque?"
Feng Yifan did not refuse: "Okay, I'll do it now."
After saying that, Feng Yifan walked towards the pile of food, accurately found the lobster based on the English words on the outside of the box, then opened the box and took out the lobster.
Even though they have been stored for a few days, the lobsters are still fresh because the temperature inside the box is constant and there is water.
Feng Yifan took a closer look and said, "Yes, very fresh Australian lobster."
Chen Wei smiled and said, "If I use this batch of goods, maybe I won't lose to you."
Feng Yifan also laughed when he heard this: "Uncle, you don't think that the parent-child rice bowl I made in the kindergarten was the meal I originally planned, right?"
The two of them were silent for about a minute, then they looked at each other and burst into laughter.
There are actually many ways to make lobster bisque.
But today, because it is going to be used as the soup base for three-strand noodles, Feng Yifan needs to make the lobster bisque as light and white as possible.
So after Feng Yifan carefully cleaned the lobster, he quickly cut it.
Directly chop the lobster, take out the lobster meat and set aside, and chop up the remaining shrimp shells.
Chen Wei naturally did not waste the lobster meat: "This meat can be used as a topping later, and it will be served with this bowl of three-shredded noodles."
Feng Yifan continued to prepare the food while smiling and saying, "Uncle, this bowl of noodles of yours is really a luxury."
Chen Wei smiled and said, "We have to eat at home, so of course we have to be a little extravagant and make sure our little baby Ruoruo eats well enough."
At this moment, Lin Ruifeng, who was standing in the kitchen, suddenly found that he had become redundant.
Standing aside, he watched his master and Chen Wei working together, just like partners who had been working together in the kitchen for many years.
The two people each complete their part, and there is no need for any extra language communication even during the cooking process.
They all seem to understand what the other person needs, and will give the other person what they need most the moment the other person raises their hand.
To make lobster bisque, first fry the shrimp shells in oil, then pour water to cover the lobsters. The next step is to boil the soup until it turns white, then add simple salt and pepper to season.
What’s interesting is that Feng Yifan added some rosemary and rum without Chen Wei saying anything.
During this process, the two people did not communicate, but Chen Wei did not express any opinions.
Chen Wei agreed with Feng Yifan's seasoning.
After Chen Wei finished slicing the tofu, he once again demonstrated his knife skills by cutting the sliced tofu into shreds.
Although the tofu shreds cut in this way cannot be as thin as hair as those in Wensi tofu.
But even the tofu shreds cut in this way seemed very thin to Lin Ruifeng, and completely beyond his ability.
Next, Chen Wei cut the bamboo shoots and green vegetables into almost the same thin strips.
All the ingredients are prepared, and the next important step is kneading the dough.
Chen Wei does not use water at all when kneading dough, but instead uses eggs.
Only eggs and flour are used, and the final noodles can be said to be very chewy.
The kneaded dough does not need to be proofed.
However, because it was for children to eat, Chen Wei made another improvement and let the dough rise a little.
The dough will naturally become softer after being proofed for a while.
Chen Wei rolled the dough into a very thin skin. This process was a test of his patience as he had to keep rolling it until it reached a sufficient thickness.
Then Chen Wei sprinkled flour on the dough and folded it crosswise.
The last step is cutting the noodles.
Lin Ruifeng was even a little numb to Chen Wei's knife skills, because the noodles were also cut very thinly.
The noodles, tofu, bamboo shoots and green vegetables are really thin.
Chen Wei put the cut noodles in chicken soup and cooked them.
During this process, the noodles absorbed some of the flavor of the chicken soup.
Finally, take out the noodles and put the blanched tofu, bamboo shoots and green vegetables into the filtered lobster bisque. After a slight boil, pour it all into the noodle bowl.
Finally, garnish with a basil leaf and a bowl of lobster bisque and three-shredded noodles is ready.
Lin Ruifeng looked at the bowl of noodles with a look of surprise, not knowing what to say.
Feng Yifan looked at the noodles and said, "It's really luxurious. Is Uncle going to personally serve them to the three little darlings in the restaurant to taste?"
Chen Wei did not answer, but sliced the lobster meat first and processed the remaining lobster head.
Finally, the lobster meat and shrimp heads were rearranged on a plate and used as topping for the lobster bisque and three-shredded noodles.
After everything was arranged, Chen Wei wiped his hands and said with satisfaction: "Well, I am quite satisfied."
Then, Chen Wei said to Lin Ruifeng, "Okay, please help carry it out and serve it to our little birthday girl. There are three bowls of noodles in total, which are for the little birthday girl and her two friends."
Looking at the dish in front of me, there is the head of the big lobster and the thinly sliced shrimp meat behind it.
Then there were three small bowls of lobster bisque and three-shredded noodles. Finally, the remaining lobster tail was used to make a tail decoration.
It's like a big lobster carrying three bowls of noodles.
Lin Ruifeng said sincerely: "It's really beautiful."
Chen Wei smiled and said, "Of course it is beautiful. If this dish is placed in our restaurant, it will sell for at least several thousand or even tens of thousands of dollars."
Hearing the price, Lin Ruifeng was a little surprised: "Is it so expensive?"
Feng Yifan explained: "The Australian lobster alone is not cheap."
Chen Wei said again: "Okay, can we serve the food?"
Lin Ruifeng came back to his senses: "Oh, there are a lot. I'll go serve the dishes now."
As he spoke, Lin Ruifeng picked up the tray and quickly walked towards the restaurant in front.
Seeing Lin Ruifeng's impatience, Chen Wei said, "Be careful, don't spill it."
After watching Lin Ruifeng walk out of the kitchen, Chen Wei turned to Feng Yifan and said, "Your apprentice is a bit mediocre, and not very flexible."
Feng Yifan smiled and replied, "I am a mediocre person, and my mind is not very flexible. I am afraid that if I find an apprentice with a very flexible mind, I will not be able to control him and cause unnecessary troubles."
Chen Wei laughed when he heard this: "Hahaha, you still say that you are not smart? You just came up and directly blamed me. You think that I was too smart at the beginning, so I intentionally approached Su Lanxin, wanted to deceive her trust, and took the opportunity to seize Su's business?"
Feng Yifan asked with a smile on his face: "Isn't it?"
The smile on Chen Wei's face froze for a moment, but soon returned to its original smile.
"The first time I saw Su Lanxin, she was a sixteen-year-old girl. I won't be pretentious. I really fell in love with Su Lanxin the first time I saw her."
Without waiting for Feng Yifan to speak, Chen Wei continued, "I did have the idea of becoming the chef of Su Ji through Su Lanxin."
At this moment, Feng Yifan felt that these words were not spoken to Chen Wei. It was more like Chen Wei was confessing to his former master in the kitchen of Su Ji after many years.
He recounted all the mistakes he had made and some of the bad thoughts he had, begging for forgiveness from the former owner of this kitchen.
So Feng Yifan didn't disturb them, but just listened quietly.