Chapter 114 - 114: Show off Skills
Qin Lang was somewhat surprised by Fu Hang’s words, but in his view, this was a good thing.
Although cooking on stage without any cover would expose his cooking process to everyone’s eyes.
But the cooking processes of the others would also be exposed to his eyes.
In order to win that cow, no one would likely hold back their abilities.
In this way, Spirit Chefs could learn and draw from each other.
Lei Ke, who was standing not far from Qin Lang, quickly calmed down.
However, his thoughts differed from Qin Lang’s.
He was not worried about his cooking process being exposed to others because he would constantly innovate and quickly improve his cooking methods.
No one could learn his strongest cooking method, because he was forever on the path to becoming stronger.
His gaze inevitably fell upon Qin Lang.
So… this time, he could watch Qin Lang’s cooking in person?
He was eager to do so.
“I’ll go first!”
Fu Hang’s reminder did not dampen everyone’s enthusiasm.
A young man quickly stood out from the crowd, took the beef tenderloin from the iceberg, and began his own cooking process under the watchful gazes of the crowd.
Two Food Spirits fluttered around him.
One of them kept circling over the young man’s head during his cooking process, sprinkling a brilliant glow that enveloped the young man and the ingredients he was working on.
This was the first time Qin Lang had ever seen another Food Spirit deploying a Food Skill.
After all, during past Food Fights and competitions, a Spirit Chef’s cooking process would not be known to the public.
Soon, Qin Lang recognized the Food Skill that the Food Spirit was using.
Food Skill: Concentration Enhancement.
This skill could help a Spirit Chef remain steady and maximize their abilities during cooking. This Spirit Chef using this skill right from the start was clearly planning to go all out.
His other Food Spirit was also using a Food Skill during the cooking process, similar to the Full Freshness, with the Spirit occasionally blowing a few puffs of air onto the beef tenderloin.
And each time the Food Spirit blew, the already tender beef tenderloin seemed to become even softer.
Noticing this detail, many of the Spirit Chefs on the field, including Qin Lang, showed a grave expression.
Food Skill: Ingredient Sublimation.
This skill could modestly enhance the most prominent features of the ingredient.
The most prominent feature of beef tenderloin is its tenderness, so this Food Skill could make the beef tenderloin even more tender.
The first Spirit Chef to make a move surprisingly possessed such a threatening Food Skill. It seemed that this competition would be intense.
Suddenly, the first Spirit Chef completed his cooking.
His dish was divided into smaller portions and delivered to each guest by his assistant.
“This is a special dish that I prepared for this Beef Tasting Banquet, Lotus Bag Tenderloin.” The Spirit Chef spoke softly, introducing the dish he had cooked. “The tenderest tenderloin in beef is wrapped in lotus leaves, infusing the beef completely with the aroma of lotus leaves.”
“The aroma of lotus leaves activates the deepest flavour of the beef.”
“Please enjoy.”
As he talked, the crowd in the field had begun tasting it.
Qin Lang also received a portion.
It was a piece of beef tenderloin wrapped and tied up in lotus leaves. A strange and wonderful aroma was currently seeping out through the gaps in the leaves.
As he cut the tied string, the fresh scent of lotus and the robust smell of beef exploded from the opened lotus leaves, making both Dan Bao and Spicy swallow in unison.
It looks and smells so delicious…
Qin Lang attentively savoured the beef tenderloin, a cut that maintained a surprising tenderness despite being cooked to well-done. He relished the delectable taste on his lips and teeth, a taste mixed with the scent of lotus leaves, his face involuntarily betraying a look of approval.
While unquestionably augmented by the Food Spirit’s culinary skills, it was, even more, an exhibition of the Spirit Chef’s own culinary prowess.
The formidable strength of the first competitor, the first Spirit Chef to cook, gave Qin Lang a sense of pressure.
“Time for me to have a go!”
No sooner had the first Spirit Chef finished cooking than the second, unable to restrain himself any longer, hurried up onto the stage.
The cut he chose was beef brisket.
With the cooperation of his Food Spirit, this Spirit Chef’s culinary talent in no way fell short of the first chef’s. His dish, called Zhajiang Beef Brisket, brought out the loose texture of the brisket to the fullest, with every mouthful bursting with juicy flavour, receiving universal applause.
Following him were the third, fourth…
Spirit Chefs, one after another, passionately displayed their signature cooking styles in front of all. Their diverse array of Food Spirit Skills gave Qin Lang a real eye-opener.
Those who receive invitations from Fu Hang to participate in the Zhen Niu Pavilion’s Beef Tasting Banquet are never weak.
They had mostly received a second-level Food Recommender Badge, or they don’t have a badge but possess corresponding culinary skills to that of a city-level champion.
Even though it was not called a competition, it was a face-off at a higher level than the City-level Cooking Competition.
It also served as a chance for the Spirit Chefs to learn from each other.
As a Spirit Chef demonstrated his cooking, the other chefs often observed intently, absorbing nutrients that could improve their own culinary skills from the chef’s cooking.
Lei Ke watched quietly as a Spirit Chef cooked on the stage, but his eyes occasionally glanced towards Qin Lang.
Isn’t this guy going up to the stage?
He really is patient.
In that case, I’ll go first!
After the Spirit Chef cooking finished and Lei Ke tasted his dish, he got up and strode towards the cooking station in the middle of the space.
“I’ll take over for the next cooking,” said Lei Ke.
Qin Lang put down the plate in his hand and watched Lei Ke on the stage with a serious look.
After witnessing the cooking of dozens of Spirit Chefs, he was curious to see what kind of dish Lei Ke would bring.
Standing on the cooking station, Lei Ke took a deep breath and then turned around to choose a large cut of beef from the numerous cuts still on display in the mock iceberg behind him.
However, his choice surprised many of the Spirit Chefs in the room.
It was the beef neck.
Unlike the cuts beside the neck, this cut was somewhat inferior due to its texture, so few chefs who had already cooked chose it as their main ingredient for the show.
Because of this, the large piece of beef neck in Lei Ke’s hand was quite intact.
Seeing Lei Ke’s choice, Fu Hang crossed his arms and wore an interested look. Lei Ke, the champion of the Danju City’s Cooking Contest, impressed him significantly, even though Lei Ke fell short in the Dongxia City Cooking Competition a few days ago.
The beef neck, edging the rib eye, is a well-used part of the cow, full of connective tissue.
It has an eye-catching marbling, but it is rather chewy.
Cooking it to the right flavour isn’t easy.
During Fu Hang’s cooking demonstration, he used a stewing method.
By simmering the beef in a pressure cooker, the connective tissue was thoroughly tenderized.
However, Fu Hang had a strong feeling that Lei Ke’s cooking method would be completely different from his.
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End of chapter additional content:
[Braised Beef Noodles]