Cooking System: Street Food Rules

On the internet.

The Fairy Fish, which had spectacularly failed across the web, earned the nickname "Flipped Fish."

No one could steam it to produce the same effect as Jiang Feng.

Some internet celebrities tried to grab attention by posting edited videos, but netizens quickly exposed them, leading to harsh criticism.

「At this moment, within the Hunan Cuisine Association.」

In the field of Hunan cuisine, the Hunan Cuisine Association held a high status.

The Fairy Fish, as a lost dish of Hunan cuisine, was one that few people could make.

Although everyone knew the general method, all the chefs understood that many subtle details must be involved.

Otherwise, so many people wouldn't have failed to reproduce it.

"This dish must have many details. Jiang Feng definitely has the complete recipe, or at least he knows how to prepare this dish perfectly," one of them remarked.

"I want to buy the recipe from him at a high price," Lin Weihai, the association president, announced at an internal meeting.

The others looked at each other in disbelief.

"Buy the recipe? Is that necessary?" one person asked.

In this era of information sharing, recipes for almost all dishes could be found online.

Of course, some of the better instructional videos required a membership or were pay-per-view.

Lin Weihai nodded. "It's very necessary.

As you all know, every type of cuisine has many famous dishes.

Similarly, every cuisine has exceptionally impressive signature dishes, the kind that can truly anchor a meal.

For example, Fujian cuisine's Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Sichuan cuisine's Boiled Cabbage in Clear Soup, Zhejiang cuisine's Longjing Shrimp, Jiangsu cuisine's Wensi Tofu, not to mention Shandong Cuisine, which originated from imperial kitchens, and the diversely prepared Cantonese cuisine.

However, Hunan cuisine is lacking in such top-tier signature dishes.

It's not that they don't exist; they've been lost to time.

We need a high-end dish that can be served on grand occasions.

The Fairy Fish is such a dish!" Lin Weihai declared. The others exchanged glances again.

They hadn't expected to hear such a perspective.

But on reflection, it made sense.

Hunan cuisine, rich in variety and techniques, was very popular.

However, at state banquets, relatively few Hunan dishes were featured.

This was because there were few grand dishes that could truly impress on such occasions.

These types of dishes demanded considerable effort in preparation, and their flavors and textures must achieve a certain high standard.

The Fairy Fish met these criteria.

However, if one could not replicate the many intricate details, they might never succeed in making it.

Lin Weihai had previously attempted to recreate the Fairy Fish, but his success rate was low.

This made it impossible to promote it widely.

After watching Jiang Feng's video, he instantly felt that Jiang Feng was the one who could perfectly recreate the Fairy Fish.

"I will communicate with Jiang Feng about this matter," he said.

"Many people are learning how to make the Fairy Fish now, which I think is great.

We at the Hunan Cuisine Association definitely need to learn this dish.

It would be of great benefit to our development," he added.

Once Lin Weihai made his decision, the others naturally voiced their agreement.

Still, they harbored doubts.

After all, Jiang Feng was merely a young man in his early twenties, while Lin Weihai was the esteemed president of the Hunan Cuisine Association.

The idea of Lin Weihai learning cooking from Jiang Feng was truly unprecedented.

"President, how about I go and learn it? Once I've mastered it, I can teach everyone else," a man in his thirties suggested.

This man was Lin Weihai's apprentice, Zhang Wei. He held a position in the association. Privately, he called Lin Weihai "Master," but in public, he addressed him as "President" to maintain professional decorum.

After all, professional titles were to be used in the workplace.

Lin Weihai nodded; he had already considered this.

It was indeed more appropriate for his apprentice to handle this.

After all, it wouldn't reflect well if the association president were seen learning cooking from Jiang Feng.

Having Zhang Wei learn it was the perfect solution.

Thus, Lin Weihai took the initiative to arrange the contact.

Soon after, Jiang Feng received a call from the Hunan Cuisine Association.

Zhang Wei was very polite and courteous, so Jiang Feng responded in kind.

Upon learning their intentions, Jiang Feng found it quite interesting.

"You want to learn the recipe for the Fairy Fish?"

"But I've already taught everything that could be taught in the live broadcast," he said directly over the phone.

"The most I didn't teach was the chicken broth recipe, but that shouldn't affect the preparation of the Fairy Fish, right?"

"Boss Jiang, you taught it, and we studied diligently, but we still can't replicate it successfully. Something's always a bit off," Zhang Wei replied.

"There must be some secret technique, right?

We're willing to pay a high price for it, please!

The Hunan Cuisine Association really needs to make this dish."

"For a recipe, we're willing to pay 200,000," Zhang Wei stated immediately.

It was only natural for Zhang Wei to think this way. After all, the Fairy Fish dish had been a failure across the entire internet, with no one succeeding.

He believed there had to be some hidden detail.

Or perhaps, that detail was hidden in the chicken broth Jiang Feng prepared.

Jiang Feng considered this carefully.

The Fairy Fish dish, while appearing simple to make, actually demanded a high level of skill from the chef in terms of knife work, heat control, and overall technique.

Therefore, simply giving someone the recipe wouldn't be enough for them to successfully make it.

"What I can teach, I truly have taught during the live broadcast. You know how it is with cooking; everyone has their own methods and habits," Jiang Feng said.

"If I were to teach, it would have to be one-on-one guidance to really impart the skills.

With this kind of skillful cuisine, even if you know the recipe, you wouldn't necessarily be able to make it.

So, you're hoping to buy a recipe, but I honestly don't know what such a recipe would even entail at this point."

Hearing Jiang Feng's words, Zhang Wei seemed to have a thought and said,

"In that case, Boss Jiang, could you guide me in making the Fairy Fish? Or perhaps we could invite you to give a class? How about this: 400,000 for one class, just to teach me how to make the Fairy Fish."

This offer made it quite difficult for Jiang Feng to refuse.

After all, Zhang Wei was very sincere, and 400,000 was not an insignificant sum.

"That's no problem," Jiang Feng agreed. "If you can ensure the Fairy Fish is passed down, it will be a good thing for Hunan cuisine."

Moreover, he was planning to open a restaurant in Changsha, so maintaining a good relationship with the Hunan Cuisine Association was advisable.

When one is away from home, having more friends means more opportunities.

And the chefs in this area generally respected the association. If Jiang Feng had connections with the association, hiring chefs would become much simpler.

Top-tier chefs would undoubtedly be willing to work at his Hunan Cuisine Restaurant.

Since he had decided to go into business, there were many factors to consider.

As Jiang Feng was already in Changsha, he received an invitation to visit the Hunan Cuisine Association the very next day.

He provided Zhang Wei with one-on-one instruction on preparing the Fairy Fish, while Lin Weihai, the association president, observed from the side.

They were very courteous to Jiang Feng.

After all, the Fairy Fish dish was crucial for the prestige of Hunan cuisine.

For any high-end banquet, the Hunan Cuisine Association needed to present several top-notch dishes.

Fairy Fish was one such dish.

Furthermore, at top-level banquets, all fish served must be completely boneless. Even if a whole fish was presented, it had to be a variety that allowed one to eat the flesh without encountering any bones.

The reason was simple: you couldn't have guests spitting out fish bones while eating.

Doing so at a state banquet would be highly impolite.

These were a kind of etiquette known only to insiders.

The preparation method for Fairy Fish was perfect for this. The fish flesh would fall from the bones, leaving no bones behind, and the resulting broth was exceptionally flavorful, making it ideal to be served as a soup or consommé.

Therefore, the Hunan Cuisine Association valued this dish highly.

Only when Jiang Feng began teaching him did Zhang Wei realize that Jiang Feng had been right: everything that could be taught had already been covered in the live stream.

The rest was all about the subtle details.

On the first attempt, Jiang Feng noted that Zhang Wei's chicken broth was too rich. This resulted in steam that was too heavy and couldn't penetrate the interior of the fish.

The second time, Jiang Feng pointed out that his knife work was inadequate. Some areas of fish were cut too large and fell off before they were fully cooked. Other areas were cut too small and, even when fully cooked, were hard to detach.

On the third attempt, Jiang Feng noted that Zhang Wei hadn't controlled the heat well. Considering the amount of chicken broth and the size of the fish, the flame needed to be a bit stronger.

There was no sentiment involved; it was all pure technique.

People assumed that by simply following the steps, they could make the Fairy Fish, unaware of the unseen details crucial to its success.

"This time, the chicken broth ratio is perfect, the cuts are uniform, and I've adjusted the heat properly," Zhang Wei said, after preparing another clay pot of chicken broth following several failures. "Will it be a success this time?" he asked.

Jiang Feng nodded. He is, after all, a chef from the Hunan Cuisine Association with a strong aptitude for learning.

He could basically master it after just a few lessons.

"It could work, but the chicken broth is a little lacking," Jiang Feng instructed. "When it comes back to a simmer, some of the broth will enter the fish. This will make the final soup a bit scant, and the fish flesh might be exposed.

So, you need to have the chicken broth reach over three-quarters of the pot's height.

That should be about right."

Zhang Wei, following Jiang Feng's instructions, added more chicken broth.

Then, he began another attempt.

Zhang Wei's attempt took a considerable amount of time. Meanwhile, Jiang Feng accompanied Lin Weihai to visit the Hunan Cuisine Association's historical exhibition hall.

The fact that Lin Weihai, the association president, personally gave him a tour spoke volumes of his status.

News of this quickly spread within the Hunan Cuisine Association, and many chefs learned about it.

Their respect for Jiang Feng deepened.

Jiang Feng was not only famous but also possessed genuine skill.

The dishes he had created were proof of his incredibly profound and unfathomable background.

Everyone wanted to build a connection with such a person.

Jiang Feng, however, didn't dwell on it. He simply hoped that the Fairy Fish could genuinely be passed down. After finishing his instruction with Zhang Wei, he left the association to attend to his own matters.