The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World-Chapter 66 - 65: A Sensational Surprise

Is kneading the dough actually meant for plate presentation?

Everyone began whispering again.

Ren Mingqing and Zhang Zhen exchanged a thoughtful glance.

Yao Shi didn’t interrupt Fu Yu.

Watching the dough on the cooking bench, he was rather expectant.

Ten minutes later.

Fu Yu reached out and took the dough from the bowl, placing it on the board.

Judging by the feel, the proofing had gone very well.

He kneaded the dough until it was smooth.

Kneading requires a lot of strength.

You have to apply force carefully, not just once and lose strength.

This was easy for Fu Yu.

After all, a chef’s daily work is repeatedly tossing in the wok.

Both hands, especially the power in the left arm, are substantial.

So while kneading, Fu Yu put all the pressure on his left arm, leveraging his wrist.

In the past, Fu Yu would have stopped halfway through kneading.

By this point, the dough would be well kneaded.

But now, with the intermediate skill of dough handling, even if it looked fine, it still felt a bit lacking in his hands.

So Fu Yu deliberately extended the kneading time.

After all, kneading longer not only makes the dough consistently better but also promotes more gluten through protein development.

Other than being a bit tiring, there’s no harm.

After kneading, Fu Yu placed the dough back in the bowl and covered it for more proofing.

And at this moment, Ren Mingqing’s eyes lit up!

This kneading posture and technique looked immensely professional.

Also, the kneading time was just right.

When instructing trainees, he often emphasized not being afraid of hard work when kneading; thoroughly kneaded dough results in better texture.

Unexpectedly, Fu Yu seemed quite knowledgeable about dough work.

Another ten minutes passed.

Fu Yu again kneaded the dough evenly.

This time, he rolled the dough thin.

Then he gathered it into a ball.

After sealing it, he brought it to his mouth, looking like he was about to blow into it.

At that moment, Ren Mingqing suddenly understood!

Fu Yu was going to make a dough balloon!

This guy had mastered such a "showy" cooking technique?

A dough balloon is a skill-demanding task.

Whether it’s the dough’s ingredient ratio or the force used while blowing, it greatly tests the chef’s technique.

This dough technique was circulated due to a white dough chef from Shanxi showcasing it in a competition.

Since it has been appearing in public in recent years, it has yet to spread widely.

Even Ren Mingqing had only seen it once in a short video, found it interesting, but after finding no cooking method for it, he let it go.

In his view, although the dough balloon is creative and eye-catching, it’s not very practical.

No one would order a round pancake as the main course at a banquet.

However, he didn’t expect Fu Yu to think of using this method for plating a red dish.

Indeed.

Fu Yu brought the ball-shaped dough to his mouth and began to blow.

The dough slowly ballooned.

Ren Mingqing was a bit excited.

No doubt about it!

It was indeed a dough balloon!

Watching the dough gradually blown into a large ball, Ren Mingqing confirmed his judgment.

Once the dough was sufficiently blown, Fu Yu pinched the seal tight to ensure no air would leak.

By this time, the surrounding people were utterly shocked.

Can dough be played with like this?

Red chefs originally didn’t know much about dough skills.

Seeing Fu Yu effortlessly blow the dough into a round, balloon-like shape, they were astonished.

My god!

Is it really that amazing?

Fu Yu placed the dough balloon on the baking tray for roasting.

The white dough gradually turned golden brown and crispy.

Ren Mingqing was pleasantly surprised by Fu Yu’s method.

In Yao Shi’s eyes, it seemed like a martial arts enthusiast had found a secret martial arts manual.

Excited!

Thrilled!

Can’t wait to learn this cooking skill.

For such a dough balloon, if paired with soy sauce prawns for plating, it would have to cover the entire dish.

Imagine, when the dish is served, the customer sees a golden ball on the plate, they’ll definitely find it very creative.

Then, when the dough balloon is broken open, it reveals the beautifully plated soy sauce prawns inside.

This ensures a visual impact while adhering to the restaurant’s original plating design.

By adding just one dough balloon-making process, the overall appearance of the dish is elevated to a higher level.

He could even foresee the future sales potential of this plating design.

This could definitely become a major feature of the restaurant, and could even be promoted for a period of time!

Fu Yu stood by the oven, watching the dough balloon cook.

When it seemed just right, he quickly took out the dough balloon.

The golden-colored ball exuded a faint aroma of baked flour.

While the dough balloon was still warm, Fu Yu dipped a toothpick in warm water and began to trace circles around the sealing edge.

The dough at the dampened area gradually became moist, and the toothpick left a shallow mark that deepened little by little.

By now, the dough balloon had completely cooled, making the shell crispy.

With a feel for precision and speed, Fu Yu tapped gently at the seal with the back of a spoon.

Once, twice, by the third tap, a whole piece of intact dough fell off.

The edges of the incision were neat and tidy, with the dough balloon’s exterior unblemished.

Fu Yu held the dough balloon and covered it over the previously plated soy sauce prawns.

The finished product looked exactly like the sketch from the [Special Family Feast Menu].

The visual effect of the dough balloon plating was astonishing.

The surrounding crowd marveled in astonishment.

This is incredible!

This is the first time I’ve heard dough can be blown into a balloon!

Expert level!

In an instant, everyone’s gaze towards Fu Yu changed.

When faced with someone truly capable, people can’t help but feel admiration from the bottom of their hearts.

Zhang Zhen hadn’t worked long at the music restaurant, but he used to be a head chef at a big hotel.

He used to participate in the cooking and plating design of some dishes in the kitchen.

And, he had seen dough balloons before.

But at the time, he hadn’t thought that this could also be used as a decorative plating element.

Thus, Zhang Zhen was completely amazed by Fu Yu’s operation.

Fu Yu carefully placed the dough balloon over the soy sauce prawns, then took the ground cumin seasoning and sprinkled a small amount on the dough balloon.

This ensured that if a dining customer suddenly wanted to taste the dough balloon, it wouldn’t affect the taste.

As Fu Yu finished, Ren Mingqing suddenly began clapping.

Instantly, the kitchen was filled with applause.

Yao Shi clapped his hands and stepped forward, admiring the dough balloon on the plate.

After a while, Yao Shi looked up at Fu Yu: "Beautiful! You really know how to surprise people! Where did you learn this amazing skill?"

Fu Yu smiled: "It looks difficult, but once you get the proportions right, it’s actually quite simple. I learned it from a teacher at school. I thought it was interesting, so I wanted to try it."

Yao Shi nodded and praised: "Indeed, this plating effect is excellent."

[Ding! NPC Chef Yao Shi’s task: Complete a soy sauce prawn dish with innovative plating design, requiring an impressive result, has been successfully completed, receiving the reward: Stir-Frying Technique Improvement]

[Stir-Frying Technique Improvement: It can effectively increase stir-frying efficiency, address deficiencies in the process, and reduce the strain on the wrist while holding the pan, allowing for better stir-frying operation]

The next second, a flood of knowledge suddenly poured into Fu Yu’s mind.

This sense of fullness, never experienced before, made him shiver uncontrollably.

When this feeling subsided, he suddenly realized that he did indeed have many operational issues during cooking earlier.

This stir-frying technique improvement... is amazing!

Fu Yu’s dough balloon plating skill impressed everyone present.

After everyone dispersed, Yao Shi suddenly said: "Xiaofu, do you think the dough balloon making method can be shared?"

Fu Yu was taken aback: "What?"

Yao Shi said seriously: "Here’s the thing, I want to apply your dough balloon making method to the restaurant’s dish plating, so I want to temporarily hire you to work part-time at my place, mainly responsible for teaching the kitchen staff how to make dough balloons. As for the part-time pay, I will compensate you like a formal employee. Given your special situation, you’d work one day a week with payment settled daily."