Wei Mingguo didn't know until he saw it...

And when he saw it, he was taken aback!

This cutting technique is the authentic old Hangzhou Cuisine standard method!

The fish is cut with seven and a half cuts!

In 1956, when Hangzhou organized a city-wide recognition of 36 famous Hangzhou dishes, West Lake Vinegar Fish ranked second, among which the seven and a half cut method for West Lake Vinegar Fish is this method.

Unlike many chefs today, who don't understand what Hangzhou cuisine is, they're just imitating and have changed it to seven cuts.

It's not authentic at all!

Watching Huang Tao's seven and a half cuts, Wei Mingguo couldn't help but exclaim in amazement: "Wow, this 'seven and a half' cutting technique is truly remarkable!"

Seven and a half cuts?!

This is the authentic cutting technique for West Lake Vinegar Fish in Hangzhou cuisine!

This knife technique!

Only those traditional old chefs use this ancestral seven and a half cutting technique when making this dish...

After all, the authentic seven and a half cut method for West Lake Vinegar Fish is quite difficult.

Currently, many chefs don't use seven and a half cuts but seven cuts instead.

Hearing this, chefs like Ma Qingxiong below the stage were slightly surprised but also deeply ashamed.

Because they use seven cuts!

Old Qin wasn't surprised at all and felt it was expected.

After all, he had always deeply admired Huang Tao's culinary skills from the bottom of his heart.

Old Zhu's admiration for Huang Tao continued to rise rapidly.

The audience showed an expression of "I don't understand, but I'm greatly impressed."

"Elder Wei, what exactly is the 'seven and a half' cutting technique? Could you explain it to the audience on site?"

Hearing about this cutting technique for the first time, Liu Qianqian was puzzled, so she gracefully stepped to the side of Wei Mingguo, smilingly handed him the microphone, and inquired.

Of course!

She wanted to use this opportunity to enliven the atmosphere at the scene.

"Elder Wei, please do share~"

"Elder Wei, I've only heard that the cutting technique for West Lake Vinegar Fish is seven cuts, never heard of seven and a half! Please enlighten us!"

"..."

The audience below the stage was all eager and enthusiastic.

"Since everyone wants to hear, I will talk about this 'seven and a half'."

Wei Mingguo nodded sagely, pointing at the sliced fish fillets by Huang Tao, and explained in detail:

"The first cut is a complete cut, splitting the fish into two pieces. That means splitting the fish body into two pieces after opening the belly of the grass carp, with the belly facing towards oneself. The piece connecting the spine and tail is called the male piece, the other side is the female piece."

"The second cut is to remove the fish's teeth, which is called the second cut. This is what old Hangzhou cuisine chefs do, but nowadays, most just remove the teeth directly by hand."

"The third cut is on the male piece, starting from the back of the fish fins and going to the fish tail, with a total of five cuts."

"Commonly known as the 5 peony flower cuts, starting 4-5 cm behind the male piece's fish gill, make a slanting cut every 4.5 cm. When cutting, the knife blade should cut a small incision vertically on the fish body first, then tilt the knife at a 45-degree angle to the head. The third cut is located between the ventral fin and the dorsal fin, and this cut needs to break through the fish fillet, dividing it into two parts. Then continue to make two more peony flower cuts in the rear half of the male piece. Except for the third cut, the depth of each cut is about 4 cm. When retracting the knife, it is crucial to almost touch the fish's spine but not cut through the fish body."

"When the fish meat is heated later, these 5 cuts allow the fish meat and skin to shrink evenly, the cuts to crack open, become larger and turn outward, making the fish fins lift up, presenting a lively look when serving."

"The last half cut presents a crescent shape, with the female fish fillet facing up and the skin facing down, starting the cut from the fish tail, inserting the knife tip at the thick part of the edge of the fish fillet, and following the edge from the tail to the head in a crescent arc."

"This cut is finished in one go, with a depth of about 2 cm, without cutting through or damaging the fish skin below. This cut mainly speeds up the meat's maturity and also reveals whether the West Lake Vinegar Fish is made authentically..."

These words made the audience feel enlightened.

And they couldn't help but think, "Oh my, all these years, maybe what I've been eating are fake West Lake Vinegar Fishes."

If they were to say this thought out loud,

Wei Mingguo would certainly answer truthfully: That's right! What you all have been eating is fake West Lake Vinegar Fish!

"This 'seven and a half' is the earliest cutting technique in Hangzhou cuisine, and only those who truly understand West Lake Vinegar Fish know that this cut requires creating wave-like patterns in the fish. Unfortunately, in this efficiency-oriented society, there are few who can do this anymore."

Wei Mingguo said with a face full of helplessness.

Many head chefs of hotels and restaurants who heard this all hung their heads in shame.

For convenience.

They basically just make a single cut.

After all, it's not obvious from the appearance, so why bother with such a complicated process while cutting?

Even in their hotels and restaurants, they don't use grass carp for this dish anymore but switch to mandarin fish or bass.

Omitting West Lake grass carp would reduce the earthy taste of the dish.

They even try frying instead of poaching to greatly improve the taste.

However, it increasingly deviates from the authentic West Lake Vinegar Fish...

Seeing Huang Tao's persistent pursuit of culinary perfection today, seeing Huang Tao's meticulous dedication to cooking, they felt even more inferior!

"It's rare for someone so young like Boss Huang to master such an impressive 'seven and a half' cutting technique!"

"Elder Wei, you flatter me."

"Boss Huang, you're too modest!"

Wei Mingguo stood next to Huang Tao, glanced at the water in his pot, and said with a face full of praise: "Not bad, not bad, the amount of water in the pot is just right."

The water for boiling the fish should not be too much.

It should not submerge the pectoral fins when boiling.

Otherwise, the fins will sag downwards and not stand upright when served.

Huang Tao smiled as he noticed the water in the pot starting to simmer gently.

He then began to place the fish in the pot.

First, he placed the front half of the male piece, which includes the head part with the spine, skin side up in the pot.

Immediately afterward,

he placed the tail part also with the skin side up in the pot.

The fish head and tail connected in the water to form a circle, resembling a whole fish.

Then he placed the female piece from the left side of the male piece, parallel to it.

The fish heads aligned, spines connected, forming the shape for serving the dish.

Otherwise, after taking it out of the pot later, due to the softness of the fish, it would be difficult to adjust, affecting its appearance.

After settling everything.

Huang Tao picked up an empty bowl, filled it with clear water, set it aside, and waited.

Wei Mingguo, who was very satisfied with Huang Tao's technique of putting fish into the pot, saw this action and understood, waiting to see his next move, curious if he could

quickly.

The water in the pot began to boil.

Huang Tao, holding a large spoon, skillfully skimmed off all the foam in the pot, then immediately poured half a bowl of the clear water beside him into the pot.

The water in the pot instantly stopped boiling.

After a while.

It started bubbling again, gradually boiling.

When the water in the pot boiled again, Huang Tao once again poured a little clear water along the edge of the pot.

The water in the pot stopped boiling once more.

"Elder Wei, what is Boss Huang doing? Why doesn't he let the water in the pot keep boiling?" Liu Qianqian animatedly asked.

"It's not that it can't keep boiling, but it's easy to cook out the moisture contained in the fish. If it keeps boiling, it's also easy for the fish to become loose. So, adding water to the pot is to prevent the moisture from being cooked out of the fish, making the fish more moist and tender when it's done."

"I see!"

"This seemingly simple water addition is actually a test of the chef's control over the heat. If the amount of water added each time and the cooking duration are not well controlled, it can result in inconsistently cooked fish."

Wei Mingguo smiled lightly.

It was a smile of pleased satisfaction with Huang Tao's method.

"Looking at Elder Wei's expression, Boss Huang seems to have controlled the heat well at this step!" Liu Qianqian grinned.

"That's indeed the case."

Wei Mingguo nodded.

Three minutes later.

When the water in the pot boiled again, Huang Tao no longer added water to the pot, letting the water boil completely.

After another 20 seconds!

He held the pot and gently shook it.

Allowing the fish in the pot to slowly rotate in the boiling water.

He picked up a large skimmer.

Scooped into the pot.

Three large pieces of fish were scooped into the skimmer and placed steadily onto a pre-prepared plate.

The positioning of the shapes was perfect!

Two male slices in front and back, connected together, with a slightly shorter female slice on the side.

After taking care of these.

Huang Tao drained part of the soup used to cook the fish.

Leaving about 250 grams in the pot.

Then he poured cooking wine and soy sauce over the fish to give it some color.

In another pot.

He used the fish broth to make a glassy sauce.

The success of the dish hinges on this!

He placed the pot on the stove, reheated it.

Added sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and minced ginger for flavoring.

He continuously stirred inside the pot with a spoon.

This action was to speed up the integration of the seasonings and also to prevent the sugar from sticking to the pot after melting.

When the broth in the pot started to boil again, a fragrant aroma wafted out...

Making one's mouth water!

He slightly stirred the prepared cornstarch and added a little into the pot.

Continued stirring.

Soon, the reddish-brown broth in the pot became thicker.

When the glassy sauce was done, he drizzled a bit of yellow wine into the pot.

Firstly, to enhance the aroma, making the sauce's fragrance richer.

Secondly, to remove any fishy odor!

After all, it's grass carp!

Even if it's starved for a few days and cleaned thoroughly, the fishy smell can't be entirely avoided.

At this moment, a small amount of yellow wine can suppress the fishy smell.

And adding it later won't affect the fresh taste of the fish, instead, it will enhance the freshness to perfection.

Wei Mingguo leaned over to see the thickness of Huang Tao's sauce.

Whether a plate of West Lake Vinegar Fish can meet the fine and glossy standard mainly depends on whether the sauce is evenly mixed.

No oil should be added to the sauce, otherwise, the dish won't taste fresh and clean.

The thickness of the sauce must also be accurately controlled, or the color could become dull and unappetizing.

If the sauce can't coat the fish, not only will the fish look patchy and falling apart, but it will also taste bland.

Wei Mingguo glanced at the sauce Huang Tao made, very satisfied, and praised, "The thickness is great! The color is exceptionally well-mixed!"

He didn't expect the sauce made by Boss Huang to be so perfect, he even felt a bit inferior!

Wei Mingguo's anticipation for this West Lake Vinegar Fish was through the roof!

"You're too kind!"

Huang Tao held the pot in one hand and a spoon in the other, pouring the prepared glassy sauce over the fish.

Even the other empty spots on the plate were covered.

He sprinkled some minced ginger on top.

The West Lake Vinegar Fish was almost complete!

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