BXBX NOVEL Chapter 74 - 74: Seize Every Opportunity
After presenting his dish, Zhang Chen returned to his spot and continued to introduce his dish.
“This dish, Seize Every Opportunity, uses both beef brisket and pork hind leg. As is widely known, the texture of beef brisket is loose and contains many cavities. 1 have thinly sliced the pork hind leg along its grain and filled these cavities one by one.”
“That is the origin of the name of this dish.”
“The specially treated beef brisket went through several cooking procedures, resulting in a dish that embodies both the flavors of pork and beef.”
“The pork hind leg is low in fat content, making it slightly tough to chew. However, its blend with the beef brisket allows it to fully absorb the fat from the brisket, fundamentally changing its taste and texture.”
“In turn, this gives the beef brisket more depth during cooking, enhancing its flavor.”
“Aside from this, the dish also contains…”
Zhang Chen evidently had his introduction well-prepared, delivering it with perfect facial expressions and tone.
As he introduced his dish, close-ups of the eleven food recommenders tasting his food were projected onto the big screen.
The fine details of Seize Every Opportunity were displayed on a high-definition electronic screen for every audience member to see.
Although it looked like a piece of beef brisket, cleaving it revealed a unique dish, its cut surface filled with snowflake-like patterns. It caused an immediate uproar in the audience.
The snowflake pattern resembled that found in high-quality beef, but was in fact thin strands of pork that stood out due to their different color after cooking.
Concealing the pork hind leg within the beef brisket’s cavities showed mastery of cooking skill, rendering the audience in awe.
Hearing the gasps from the crowd, the delight in Zhang Chen’s eyes intensified.
He felt he was tantalizingly close to victory.
A moment later, all eleven food recommenders had finished tasting, and his introduction ended at just the right time.
The host hurried out with a smile on his face. “According to the competition’s data, Zhang Chen has obtained a total of three First-level Food Recommender Badges in Dongxia city: the Grey Feather Badge, Deer Antler Badge, and Fish Scale Badge.”
“We now ask Ms. Zhang Ting, Mr. Liu Yunju, and Mr. Zhou Qing to provide their comments on Zhang Chen’s dish today!”
This is an exclusive segment of the elimination competition, one that the contestants from the previous two rounds of elimination have also experienced.
As the Food Recommenders who granted the badges and thus the right to participate in the competition, they have the most complete understanding of the contestant’s culinary skills and can provide detailed evaluations.
Zhang Chen subtly clenched his hand, remembering how he had obtained his badges from each of the three Food Recommenders.
Out of the three Food Recommenders, Mr. Zhou Qing was the strictest. Zhang Chen only passed his test on the second attempt, and even then, Zhou Qing believed that there was still room for improvement in his cooking skills.
Mr. Liu Yunju is well-known for his pleasant disposition. Even though he tests unconventional cooking with wild ingredients, he would patiently provide guidance for the test candidate to learn something new.
Ms. Zhang Ting was legendary for her eccentric temperament and difficult personality. However, she tested skills in preparing poultry, which was Zhang Chen’s forte. As a result, he passed her test on the first try and smoothly obtained the Grey Feather Badge.
All three Food Recommenders had their unique characteristics, and Zhang Chen wasn’t sure what kind of comments they would give for his Seize Every Opportunity.
“I’ll go first.” Ms. Zhang Ting was a short-haired woman with sharp facial features. She looked at the finished dish of Seize Every Opportunity in front of her and then glanced at the contestant that she had some memory of.
“Compared to the dish you prepared for my test, the seasoning of this Seize Every Opportunity has significantly improved. However, 1 believe if you replaced the pork hind leg meat with chicken drumsticks, this dish would be even better.”
At these words, the facial expressions of other Food Recommenders turned somewhat strange.
It was said that Ms. Zhang Ting had been chased and scared to tears by a chicken when she was young and had since developed an immense interest in poultry ingredients.
It was anyone’s guess whether this interest originated from love or resentment.
“Let me say a few words.” Mr. Liu Yunju adjusted his glasses and expressed his usual kind smile. “This dish is extremely innovative. I’ve never heard of such a method before. Is this your original creation?”
“Yes, this is a dish I created on a whim, using the ingredients available in the No. 97 ingredient repository,” Zhang Chen replied with a smile.
“This is a very interesting dish with a high level of cooking difficulty, but its flavor is well worth the effort.” Liu Yunju gave his evaluation.
It was now Mr. Zhou Qing’s turn to evaluate.
“If I’m not mistaken…” Zhou Qing looked at Zhang Chen calmly. “It was a year ago when you passed my test. At that time, 1 expressed my opinion that your culinary skills needed improvement, and that you barely qualified for the Fish Scale Badge.”
“Yes, Mr. Zhou Qing, I have taken your advice to heart.” Zhang Chen’s face showed a sincere expression.
“Now a year has passed.” Zhou Qing glanced at the consumed dish of Seize Every Opportunity in front of him. “Your improvement is much greater than 1 expected.”
At Zhou Qing’s evaluation, Zhang Chen showed a look of surprise and delight.
Although Zhou Qing didn’t give any specific comments on this dish, his words “you’ve improved more than I expected” were already enough!
“All three Food Recommenders have given their evaluations. At this point, contestant Qin Lang has yet to emerge from the Competitive Standard Kitchen. Let us wait and see, what dish will he bring us!” The host exclaimed aloud.
For a moment, countless eyes were drawn to the kitchen where Qin Lang was.
Inside the Competitive Standard Kitchen, Qin Lang had finished slicing all his tofu and cut the rapeseed and carrots into fine strands similar to the tofu. He blanched them in hot water.
The soup he had been simmering on the side was almost ready.
He turned off the heat, scooped out the ingredients, and then gradually added in the pork hind leg that was minced to a mush. When the minced pork cooked and rose to the surface, he carefully scooped it out with a slotted spoon, leaving a pot of clear chicken clear soup.
Sampling it with a small spoon, Qin Lang nodded in satisfaction.
Although constrained by the available ingredients, making this soup somewhat unauthentic, its final presentation didn’t differ much from the chicken clear soup he was familiar with.
It was just right to use it as the soup base for the Wen Si Tofu.
He poured the chicken clear soup into a pot, heated it over low heat until nearly boiling, and then gradually added in a water and starch mixture. While adding this, he lightly stirred with a spoon.
To get the best results from the Wen Si Tofu, a veloute was necessary.
If the soup was not thick enough, the tofu and vegetables would sink to the bottom, affecting the presentation. Too thick, and it would affect the taste.
Striking the right balance requires experience.
He added the drained tofu and vegetables and continuously stirred them with the back of a spoon, hugging the surface of the soup, thus separating the tofu and vegetable strands completely within the soup.
When the cooking time was about right, he ladled the Wen Si Tofu into the pre-heated soup bowls.
“All done!”
Qin Lang exhaled lightly. Only then did he realize that Zhang Chen had completed his cooking while he was engrossed in his work.
“Let’s go, it is our turn now.”
“Gudulu!”
Dan Bao nodded solemnly, his face determined and battle-ready.
End of chapter bonus:
[Wen Si Tofu]