After removing the cover on the plate, two very exquisite dishes were presented in front of everyone, one was crispy duck rolls, and the other was vinegar-fried winter squash.
Among them, the vinegar-fried bamboo shoots were made by Feng Yifan for his family at noon, but none of the family members thought it was that amazing.
But the Yue family members who did not come for lunch were very surprised to see the very thin slices of bamboo shoots.
Yue Qingsong's mother said, "Wow, can this bamboo shoot be cut so thinly?"
Qi Yan said, "Mom, didn't you see Brother Yifan's knife skills demonstrated on TV before? He was able to cut it this thin."
Yue Qihao quickly said, "Yes, Uncle Feng can cut it very thinly."
The other dish was even more amazing to everyone.
The crispy duck rolls are similar to the ones Feng Yifan made for his father-in-law before, with the duck meat rolled up in duck skin.
But the one made by Feng Yifan now is more refined. He trims each duck roll one by one, so each one looks the same size, and the edges are also smoothed by him. In addition to duck meat, there are also some vegetables in the duck skin roll.
The key point is that the little rolls look small and exquisite, just like the ones Feng Ruoruo had eaten before, the kind that can be eaten one in one bite.
After being plated by Feng Yifan, the crispy duck rolls were arranged into the shape of birds on branches.
Paired with a phoenix he carved out of a carrot, it instantly became a scene of hundreds of birds paying homage to the phoenix.
If you look closely, you will see little birds made of crispy duck rolls, with their wings and bodies coated with sauce.
Seeing that everyone was looking at it, Feng Ruoruo quickly urged everyone, "Stop looking, everyone, hurry up and eat. This is delicious made by Dad. Come eat it quickly."
After hearing what Feng Ruoruo said, Lu Cuiling came back to her senses and said with a smile, "Yes, our little baby Ruoruo is right. We should eat quickly and not let down the dishes that Ruoruo's father prepared for us. Come on, let's all try it."
At the invitation of little Feng Ruoruo and her grandmother, everyone started to pick up the dishes with their chopsticks to taste them.
Yue Qihao had been curious about the crispy duck rolls for a long time, and when the elders had already started eating with their chopsticks, he couldn't wait to pick up a piece.
When the boy really picked it up, he found that the duck roll was really very small, only the size of a bite.
The boy put it to his nose and sniffed it. He could clearly smell the aroma of duck fat.
It is a simple scent of oil, but there is also some fresh fragrance in it to neutralize the greasy taste, so it does not smell pungent and greasy.
Seeing her son smelling it, Qi Yan smiled and said, "What are you smelling? Come and try it."
After listening to his mother, Yue Qihao put the crispy duck roll picked up by chopsticks into his mouth.
With a light bite of your teeth, the crispy crust seems to explode in your mouth instantly.
Click.
A very crisp sound sounded in the mouth.
Then, inside the puff pastry is the soft and glutinous meat, paired with the fragrance of some vegetables, giving off a very strange and complex taste in the mouth.
Of course, for a child like Yue Qihao, he doesn’t have so many delicate descriptive words in his mind.
After eating it, he felt that the dish was really delicious, and after eating it, just as his sister said, he wanted to eat more.
Yue Qihao's grandmother picked up some more vinegar-fried bamboo shoots and put them into her mouth with chopsticks. The first thing she tasted was a sour taste, but it was not the kind of sour that would pierce her nose. This sour taste was just right for the elderly, and then she chewed the crisp bamboo shoots and felt that this dish was really refreshing.
At the same time, after eating for a while, the old man could vaguely taste a little bit of meat flavor in it.
Feng Jiandong then said, "Well, this vinegar-fried bamboo shoots and squash for dinner tastes different from what we had at noon."
Su Jinrong then explained to everyone: "Because Yifan uses duck fat for cooking at night."
Then, Su Jinrong used the serving chopsticks to gently stir the plate, revealing a little bit of soup base remaining in the plate.
There was a little bit of meat residue left in the soup in the dish, and it was obvious that Feng Yifan had added it in intentionally.
Su Jinrong smiled and said, "That might be the secret. Adding a little bit of meat residue makes this dish of pickled winter melon taste a little meaty."
Yue Qihao's grandmother said: "Yes, it tastes like meat. I thought I tasted the wrong flavor."
As everyone was talking, Feng Yifan brought the next dish to everyone.
This time it is a platter made specifically with duck feet and duck wings, also paired with some sauces, and shaped like a bird flapping its wings.
Feng Yifan smiled and said, "This is a platter of duck feet and duck wings. I specially added some duck feet and duck wings."
Su Jinrong said at this time: "Yifan, I think your two appetizers can actually be combined."
Feng Yifan stopped and looked at his father-in-law with some surprise.
The latter continued: "If you roll up this little crispy duck, add this thin slice of vinegar-fried winter squash, and eat it together."
As he spoke, Su Jinrong rolled one up himself, using slices of bamboo shoots to roll up the duck meat.
As Su Jinrong put the rolled dough into his mouth, he chewed it carefully with an expression of enjoyment on his face.
After eating, he savored the taste and said, "Well, it really tastes great."
When Feng Ruoruo saw the way grandpa ate, she quickly got down from her seat and ran to grandpa's side: "Grandpa, grandpa, you should make it for Ruoruo too. Ruoruo wants to eat that way too."
Su Jinrong smiled and agreed: "Okay, make one for our Ruoruo too."
Then, Su Jinrong started to roll one for his granddaughter.
Feng Ruoruo ate it and found it was indeed delicious. It had a sour and crispy outer layer, and crispy skin and soft and juicy meat inside. The little girl was very satisfied with the meal.
"Great! Grandpa's way of eating is really good."
Everyone followed suit, including Feng Yifan, who also learned how to eat from his father-in-law.
After putting the food in his mouth, Feng Yifan's eyes suddenly lit up. It seemed that all the things he had been confused about finally became clear to him at this moment. He finally knew what was missing from the crispy duck roll.
In fact, although Feng Yifan added some vegetables and made sauce with vegetables.
But what the crispy duck rolls really lack is not the taste of vegetables, but a crisp vegetable texture.
Now, rolling the thin slices of vinegar-fried winter squash on the outside just makes up for the lack of taste.
The sour and crispy squash slices, paired with the duck meat wrapped in crispy duck skin, really remove the greasiness instantly, leaving behind a very simple taste.
After Feng Yifan finished eating, he looked at his father-in-law and said, "Dad, this is a great idea."
Su Jinrong smiled and said, "In the eyes of many people, Chinese food must be greasy, but in fact, Chinese food is not only greasy. We also have our own way to eliminate the greasy taste. So Yifan, you must think more and change everyone's inherent perception."
Feng Yifan nodded: "Yes, Dad, I understand."
What his father-in-law said is also Feng Yifan’s own direction, and he has been working hard in that direction.
We need to change people’s inherent perception of Chinese food and create more high-end Chinese food.
Let Chinese food go abroad and truly face the world.
Su Jinrong and his son-in-law stood there thinking for a moment before he smiled and said, "Okay, is it time to serve the next dish? We are all waiting for it."
Feng Yifan came back to his senses and nodded with a smile: "Well, the dishes at the back will be served soon."
Next, Feng Yifan used various duck viscera to make a stuffed eight-treasure dish, used duck breast meat to make a cashew duck recipe, and used diced duck legs to cook stir-fried diced meat.
It can be said that such a table full of duck feast really opened everyone's eyes.
Yue Qingsong's mother tasted the dishes one by one and couldn't help but sigh: "Yifan is really amazing. He can make so many dishes with just one duck, and each dish is so delicious. This meal is so satisfying."
Qi Yan also said: "It is really amazing. Each dish may not seem to have a strong flavor, but it tastes great."
Hearing everyone's praise, Feng Yifan responded with a smile: "Thank you for the compliments. As long as everyone likes it, it means that my research and development this time is successful."
Su Jinrong nodded and said, "Well, your research and development this time was indeed very successful. You made good use of the Su Zao soup and presented the duck marinated in the Su Zao soup in other ways. The taste is really great. It seems that you should have a direction for the recipe of the Su Zao soup next time."
Feng Yifan nodded: "Well, I have a direction, but I still need to try again and again."
Feng Ruoruo couldn't help but say, "Come on, Dad. Ruoruo supports you."
Feng Yifan smiled and responded to his daughter: "Okay, thank you Ruoruo."
Qi Yan was a little surprised and asked: "Brother Yifan, I think your dishes are already very good, why do you seem to be not very confident when you talk to Uncle Rong?"
Feng Yifan fell into deep thought when faced with this question.
In fact, if you really want to say it, in his previous life, he had indeed become a world-class cooking master, and was even hailed as the "God of Cooking" by the media.
But to be honest, Feng Yifan was not really immersed in Chinese cuisine in his previous life.
Some of his innovative dishes are still more Western in style, with Chinese elements in them.
So now that Feng Yifan has obtained the ancestral recipe from his father-in-law, his thoughts have changed a little.
Continuing on the path of the previous life would obviously be a very easy shortcut, but it would lack challenge for the individual.
So now, Feng Yifan’s idea is to challenge himself to integrate Western cooking into traditional Chinese cuisine.
In other words, we should add Western elements to Chinese food, rather than adding Chinese elements to Western food.
He wants to better develop and promote Chinese cuisine by incorporating Western elements into it.
Still following the traditional Chinese flavor and cooking style, integrating Western cooking techniques and adding some Western seasoning elements, thus achieving an innovative approach. And it can promote Chinese cuisine and let the world see the essence of Chinese cuisine.
Feng Yifan thought about this and replied to Qi Yan: "It's not that I don't have confidence, but I am more rigorous. I need to try many times to see if each dish can really be used to make a business."
Upon hearing this, Yue Qihao couldn't help but ask: "Uncle Feng, as long as the food is delicious, can't we sell it to others?"
Feng Yifan shook his head: "No, if a dish is only for family consumption, then we may not need such high requirements, as long as it tastes good. But if we want to sell it to diners, because diners consume it, then we should strive for excellence and let diners get pleasure and satisfaction through the deliciousness of this dish."
When Yue Qihao heard this, he was surprised and said, "Wow, that seems to be very difficult."
Grandma said to him, "Do you understand now? No matter what you do, it is not easy to succeed. If you want to be a chef like your uncle Feng, you have to work harder than others to finally achieve success beyond others."
Yue Qihao thought for a moment and said, "I know, grandma. Just like me studying, I have to study harder than others."
Su Ruoxi laughed after hearing this: "It seems that Haohao is a child who loves to study."
The boy's grandmother naturally did not hesitate to praise him: "Well, in the final exam last semester, he ranked second in the class."
Yue Qihao immediately said, "Grandma, don't say the second one."
Su Ruoxi said quickly, "Second place is already very good. Our Ruoruo didn't even get the second place in the kindergarten this semester. Ruoruo, you have to learn from your brother."
Feng Ruoruo immediately went into her mother's arms after hearing this: "Mom, don't say that. Ruoruo didn't get enough red flowers. If you say that again, Ruoruo will be unhappy."
Yue Qihao said unconvincedly: "Aunt, second place means I'm not good enough."
Lu Cuiling smiled and said, "Well, actually second place is already very good, and being able to maintain second place is also very impressive."
The grandparents present basically thought that second place was good, and encouraged Yue Qihao to keep it up, thinking that being able to stay in second place was impressive.
After the grandparents had finished speaking, Feng Yifan spoke up: "Well, I think second place is not enough. Haohao, you should continue to work hard and strive to get first place next time. Uncle doesn't want you to stay in second place. I hope you can strive for first place. Come on."
Originally, after listening to what his grandparents said, Yue Qihao felt that second place was indeed a good choice.
But now after listening to Feng Yifan's words, he was encouraged and reaffirmed his determination to work hard to get first place.
Feng Yifan went on to say: "Haohao, you have to remember that the one who will be mentioned and remembered by everyone is definitely the first. The second may not be bad, but it is far from being the best."
Everyone was a little surprised. They didn't expect Feng Yifan to say such words to the child.
He then said to his daughter: "Ruoruo, you must also remember that no matter what you do, you must try your best and strive to be the first. Don't be satisfied with being second."
Feng Ruoruo didn't quite understand what her father said, but the little girl still knew that she had to work hard to be the first, so she smiled and nodded and agreed: "Okay, Ruoruo will definitely get first place."
Yue Qihao followed up and said, "Okay Uncle Feng, I will definitely work hard to get first place next time."
The two children agreed promptly. Feng Yifan smiled and said, "Okay, then reward us two children with a piece of duck meat each."
As he said this, he used a serving chopstick to give each child a piece of cashew duck cubes.
Under the persimmon tree in the Feng family's small courtyard, the dinner was still a happy one, and under Feng Yifan's guidance, the seed of hard work was planted in the hearts of the two children.