Siheyuan: Revenge of the Stupid Pillar

The moment He Yuzhu held the kitchen knife, it was like a knight with a sharp sword in his hand, roaming the world and being invincible.

He Yuzhu waved the kitchen knife with an elegant posture and a focused expression. With only the sound of "crackling", a potato in his hand was instantly turned into potato shreds. His movements were as smooth as flowing water, and he completed the task in one go, leaving everyone stunned.

Ran Qiuye's eyes opened wider than copper bells, full of surprise and excitement. It was the first time he felt that a man cutting vegetables could be so handsome.

"You are such a cool man, so distinctive, so outstanding. Your melancholy eyes, stubble, and amazing knife skills have all deeply fascinated me..."

Several of Master Wu's disciples were also shocked by He Yuzhu's knife skills. They were stunned and dumbfounded.

They never imagined that this ordinary young man would have such superb swordsmanship.

After being surprised, the expressions of the few people became solemn. They realized that they had made a huge mistake and underestimated the young man in front of them.

Just talking about swordsmanship, the opponent is not inferior to their master at all. If they really lose the competition, it will be a huge disgrace to their Emei Restaurant.

"Impossible! The chef is a national treasure-level cooking master and a master of Sichuan cuisine. How could he lose to an unknown kid?"

After He Yuzhu finished cutting the potatoes, he glanced at Master Wu and found that he had also finished cutting. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He didn't expect that this ordinary old man had such good knife skills.

The difficulty in finding opponents further aroused his competitive spirit.

He Yuzhu soaks the shredded potatoes in clean water and adds an appropriate amount of white vinegar to prevent oxidation and blackening and wash away the starch on the surface. This way, the fried shredded potatoes will be more crispy and less likely to stick to the pan.

After about ten minutes, take out the shredded potatoes from the clean water and then put them into boiling water again. The time should not exceed one minute. This will maximize the crispness of the shredded potatoes.

The preliminary preparations have been made, and now all that’s left is frying, which mainly tests the chef’s control over the heat.

He Yuzhu and Master Wu smiled at each other, both showing appreciation.

The two nodded slightly to each other and began the final competition.

They both lit the stove fire at the same time, and after the pot was heated, they added cooking oil. After the oil was hot, they added onions, ginger, garlic and dried chilies.

After a while, pour in the shredded potatoes, stir-fry quickly over high heat, then add salt, MSG and white vinegar to season.

Finally, add green pepper shreds and appropriate amount of chili oil and continue to stir-fry.

The iron pot was like a toy in the hands of the two men, they played with it as they pleased, leaving everyone speechless.

Almost at the same time, both of them turned off the fire, and two plates of delicious spicy and sour potato shreds were ready.

The two looked at each other and made a gesture of invitation.

"Master Wu, please!"

"Master He, please!"

They both picked up their chopsticks and tasted each other's spicy and sour potato shreds.

He Yuzhu: "It has a smooth texture, is sour and spicy, and has a long aftertaste. Master Wu has great skills!"

Chef Wu: "The taste is sour and spicy, which makes people intoxicated. Chef He's cooking skills are admirable!"

Ran Qiuye looked at the two plates of fragrant spicy and sour potato shreds, swallowed hard, and asked shyly, "Master He, can I have a taste?"

He Yuzhu smiled warmly, "Of course!"

Upon hearing this, Ran Qiuye picked up the chopsticks and couldn't wait to taste the food, followed by a series of praises.

"Oh my god, I didn't know that spicy and sour potato shreds can be so delicious, your cooking skills are really amazing!"

"Master, can we have a taste too?"

Upon seeing this, Master Wu's apprentices also asked to taste it.

These people are all outstanding chefs. Just by watching the two people cooking, they realized that their cooking skills may be comparable.

This discovery instantly caused a storm of shock in their hearts. How old was the other party? How could his cooking skills be comparable to those of the master?

Their master is a leading figure in the chef world. He has been immersed in the kitchen for decades and has acquired his current cooking skills. How could he also have such superb cooking skills?

Several people were shocked and in disbelief.

Several people picked up their chopsticks to taste the food, hoping that He Yuzhu's spicy and sour potato shreds would be "good-looking but not tasty".

When they put the spicy and sour potato shreds in their mouths, they were disappointed. The potato shreds were very delicious. At least they couldn't cook such delicious spicy and sour potato shreds.

Ran Qiuye said excitedly: "Both plates of shredded potatoes are delicious. I really can't tell which one is more delicious!"

Although Master Wu's disciples were reluctant to admit it, they were indeed equally matched.

Master Wu said generously: "Master He should have won. After all, this is my home court. I had an innate advantage, so I was able to tie with Master He. So Master He is more skilled."

He Yuzhu said anxiously, "Master Wu, this is wrong. A good chef is not afraid of any venue. I believe you can cook the same delicious dishes in my home venue."

"Besides, I was the one who chose the dishes for the competition, so I took advantage of the situation. Besides, hot and sour potato shreds are my best dish, so I should be the loser!"

He Yuzhu admired the old man in front of him very much. He had such good cooking skills because of the system, but the other party did not have a system. He had real skills and knowledge, so he was a real master chef.

Master Wu looked at him with admiration and said in a gentle tone, "Master He, how about we settle the usual?"

He Yuzhu thought for a while and nodded slightly.

Master Wu smiled and said, "Master He, you must be He Yuzhu from the steel mill, right?"

"Master Wu, do you know me?" He Yuzhu looked surprised.

Master Wu explained with a smile: "I heard Chef Cao from the State Guest House mention you, but I wasn't sure it was you at first."

"You were able to point out the shortcomings of my apprentice's dishes, so I thought you were a food connoisseur. Then you said your last name was He, so I guessed that you must be He Yuzhu, so I proposed to compete with you in cooking."

"Chef Cao has been praising you a lot, saying how great your cooking skills are. I didn't believe it at first, but now I finally do. It's true that the younger generation pushes the older generation forward, and each generation is better than the previous one. It's time for us old guys to retire!"

Hearing this, He Yuzhu finally understood why this old man wanted to challenge him to a cooking competition, and said humbly:

"Master Wu, please don't say that. I still have a lot to learn!"

Master Wu said solemnly, "Master He, let me formally introduce myself. I am Wu Yusheng, the head chef of Emei Restaurant."

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Hello, Master Wu. My name is He Yuzhu, deputy director of the canteen of the steel mill."

"Wait, what did he say his name was, Wu Yusheng?"

Wu Yusheng, a national treasure-level cooking master and Sichuan cuisine master, was invited back to China by the Prime Minister and founded the Emei Restaurant.

This great chef not only cooked for Chiang Kai-shek, but also for the leader, and both dishes received unanimous praise. He is a master chef at the Chinese hall of fame.

Emei Restaurant, surname Wu, about fifty years old, I should have thought of it earlier.