Ingredient Processing

"Hey, come here!"

Huang Youwei was stopped by a stylish urban woman as he was walking towards the hotel kitchen with the foam box in his hand.

"What's in the box?" The beautiful woman asked.

Huang Youwei chuckled and said, "A young man came to sell fish meatballs just now, claiming they were made with special techniques and no additives." "I asked him to leave the samples so we could taste them and see if they're as good as he claims."

The beautiful woman frowned, hummed, and whispered, "Huang Fatty, you're taking advantage again." If our hotel doesn't want their products, why keep the samples? "It's giving them a chance to criticize us!"

Being scolded, Huang Youwei didn't dare to argue back. He blinked his small eyes and said, "I took a look, and these fish meatballs are really well-made."

"Not bad?" The beautiful woman was surprised and smiled, "If you, Huang Fatty, say it's not bad, it must be quite good." Let's go to the kitchen and taste it together. "I'm also hungry!"

"Alright, Miss Zhao, after you!" Huang Youwei extended his chubby hand with a smile and a bow.

The beautiful woman didn't hesitate and walked straight to the hotel kitchen. Zhao Xueying was the general manager of Star Moon Bay Hotel. Huang Youwei was the head chef's son. Despite his sharp and sarcastic face, he was not a bad person.

It was already past mealtime, and there weren't many people in the kitchen. Huang Youwei personally took charge and made three dishes using the fish meatballs as the main ingredient.

There was fish meatball soup, braised fish meatballs, and deep-fried fish meatballs, all of which were common dishes, but Huang Fatty's skill made them exceptional.

"Not bad, Huang Fatty. Have you improved your skills?" Zhao Xueying tasted the braised fish meatballs, and her eyes lit up as she smiled.

"Really?" Huang Youwei was a big eater, and Zhao Xueying, as the third daughter of the Zhao family and the manager of Star Moon Bay Hotel, had definitely tasted a wide variety of delicacies. Her discerning taste was not to be underestimated. If she praised his improved skills, it meant the dish was a success.

Huang Youwei put a fish meatball in his mouth, closed his eyes as he chewed, then picked up another one with his chopsticks and continued to eat.

"This fish meatball is good." Manager, I think it's quite good. "At least, I can't make it myself." Huang Youwei had eaten most of the three dishes himself before wiping his mouth and speaking.

Zhao Xueying nodded and said, "It's indeed good." Although the ingredients are not expensive, the freshness of the fish meatballs is almost perfect. If we used more expensive ingredients, the taste would be even better. "How much is this processed fish meatball per kilogram?"

"Six hundred!" Huang Youwei frowned and said, "Six hundred?" A bit expensive. The ingredients are just ordinary fresh fish, so the cost shouldn't be too high.

"Alright!" Zhao Xueying could tell, and so could Huang Youwei. Both of them had already formed an opinion on the fish meatballs brought by Li Zhi.

"Do you want to buy some?" Huang Youwei asked with narrowed eyes.

Zhao Xueying thought for a moment and said, "Call him and see if he can handle processing on behalf of our hotel." "We'll provide the ingredients, and he'll be responsible for the processing."

"Okay!"

Huang Youwei called Li Zhi, who was looking at freezers in a supermarket. He needed to buy one tonight, or else there would be nowhere to store the hundred or so catties of fish meatballs at home.

"Is this Manager Li?" Huang Youwei's voice came through, and Li Zhi smiled and said, "Yes, I am Li Zhi." "Are the fish meatballs I brought to your liking?"

Huang Youwei looked at Zhao Xueying and squinted his eyes as he said, "The taste is average, and the fish used is not of high quality." The ingredients are only average, but I am interested in your fish meatball processing technique. "Are you willing to sell it?"

What is the fish meatball processing technique?

Li Zhi chuckled and said, "Huang, are you joking with me?" I rely on this technique to make a living.

"One million!" Huang Youwei did not ask Zhao Xueying and directly quoted a price. He could afford this amount himself, so he didn't need to consult Zhao Xueying.

Both of them understood that Li Zhi's fish meatballs were not valuable, but the valuable thing was the technique used to make them.

"Eight million." If you're truly interested, eight million, and I'll sell you the equipment," Li Zhi said with a smile. He didn't mention the technique, but the equipment. He had been a spendthrift in the past, so he was capable of being ruthless. If Huang Youwei truly intended to purchase the fish meatball processing equipment, he could resell it for eight million and not incur any losses.

"Eight million?" Huang Youwei's small eyes widened, and he almost cursed out loud. He couldn't believe how audacious Li Zhi was. Even someone who had just returned from Africa wouldn't be this audacious.

"Yes, eight million." As an expert, you should know that you get what you pay for. "My technique is worth eight million!" Li Zhi said with a smile.

Huang Youwei looked at Zhao Xueying, who shook her head gently, and then said, "I can't come up with eight million." How about this: I want to commission you to process a batch of fish meatballs on behalf of Star Moon Bay Hotel. We'll provide all the ingredients. Is that okay?

"Sure!" Li Zhi agreed with a smile. "There's no problem with that." This is relatively simple. Processing fish meatballs costs three hundred yuan per kilogram. For every kilogram of fresh fish, we produce 200 grams of fish meatballs. Each processing batch must not be less than a hundred catties. If you want to preserve the original flavor of the ingredients, there will be a loss of twenty catties due to machine cleaning. If it's not too strict, there's no need for this loss. Generally, apart from top gourmet experts, the average person will not be able to taste the difference.

The loss due to machine cleaning was something Li Zhi fabricated. Even the most top-notch gourmet expert wouldn't be able to taste the difference between fish meatballs made with the original ingredients and those with a bit of other fish meat mixed in. Perhaps there were such extraordinary people, but Li Zhi had never seen one.

Huang Youwei frowned and covered the phone's microphone, looking at Zhao Xueying, and asked, "Manager, this kid is quite audacious." He charges three hundred yuan for processing a kilogram of fish meatballs, and each processing batch must not be less than a hundred catties. For every kilogram of fresh fish, 200 grams of fish meatballs are produced, and twenty catties are needed to clean the machine.

Zhao Xueying thought for a moment and said, "No problem." "Tell him to process two hundred catties for us!"

"Okay!"

Li Zhi didn't expect Huang Fatty to agree so readily. After thinking for a moment, he placed an order for two hundred catties and gave the factory address to Huang Youwei. The latter said he would bring the ingredients to the factory the next day and then hung up the phone.

Processing two hundred catties of fish meatballs would earn him sixty thousand yuan in processing fees alone. In addition, Li Zhi's factory would also retain one-third of the products for themselves.

In theory, one kilogram of fresh fish could produce 375 grams of fish meatballs, but this was the maximum yield. If there was too much wear and tear, no one knew if the yield would decrease. This was not a favor to the other party, but rather a little extra for himself. If the factory was going to produce for them, they should also leave some samples for the factory to taste.

Industry norms, whether they existed before or not, Li Zhi didn't know. In any case, the rules in his factory were set by him!