Knife Skills, Cutting Techniques and Mise en Place
This domain tests measurable knife output: uniform block dimensions, correct grain direction, controlled 花刀 depth, and a station that is fully prepped before the wok is lit.
Blocks and the cuts that make them
- 直刀切 for crisp vegetables; 推刀切 for boneless meat; 拉刀切 for fibrous or sinewy cuts; 锯刀切 for soft items such as cooked meat; 铡刀 (double knife) for 茸 and 末.
- Standard sizes: 丁 1–1.5 cm, 粒 0.5 cm, 末 under 0.3 cm, 片 2–3 cm across by 0.2–0.3 cm thick, 丝 0.2 × 0.2 × 6 cm.
- Grain direction: 横切牛羊 shortens fibres for tenderness, 斜切猪, 顺切鸡 to hold shape.
- 花刀: 鱿鱼 麦穗花刀 cut to about four-fifths of the depth; 腰花 十字花刀; 黄瓜 蓑衣花刀 stays hinged.
Mise en place
Order of 上浆: salt, then 黄酒, then 蛋清, then 淀粉, rested 10–15 minutes at 0–4 °C. 碗芡 is mixed in advance so the wok is never held while you measure.
Worked example
青椒肉丝. Cut 猪里脊 into 6 × 0.2 × 0.2 cm strands across a slight diagonal. For 200 g pork, 上浆 with 盐 2 g, 蛋清 10 g, 淀粉 8 g, 水 15 g. Cut the 青椒 into 0.2 cm strands of the same length. Reasoning: identical cross-sections mean both components finish within 40–60 seconds of 旺火, so texture stays consistent.
Traps that cost marks
- Uneven 丝: the thin ones break, the thick ones stay raw, and the examiner sees it on the plate.
- 花刀 too deep and the piece falls apart; too shallow and it will not curl.
- Slicing beef with the grain, producing a chewy result.
- Prepping sauce after the oil is hot, which burns the aromatics.