Chapter 123 Mi Rujunzi
Fang He replied: "Every grain of rice in this bowl is chicken."

"Oh?"

After hearing Fang He's answer, the three examiners couldn't help but become curious.

Is every grain of rice chicken?

This is surprising.

The three examiners said no more, picked up the bowl, picked up a piece of white rice with chopsticks and put it into their mouths.

The first thing you feel is the aroma of chicken fat. The fresh and mellow fat wraps every grain of rice, and your mouth is filled with the mellow taste when you take a bite. Chicken fat is different from other animal fats. It is not as thick and greasy as other animal fats. Instead, it maintains a refreshing and smooth taste while having its own unique delicacy and oiliness, and the aroma fills your mouth and nose.

Then comes the dense texture of the rice. The plump and slightly elastic rice grains release a rich aroma when gently ground by the teeth. The rice is fragrant, glutinous and soft inside, gently wrapping around the tips of the teeth, like a soft little hand, gently teasing the taste buds.

At this time, the unique flavor of the chicken wrapped in the rice is instantly released during the grinding of the teeth. Each grain of rice is permeated with the rich aroma of the chicken, and the essence of the whole chicken is stuffed into each grain of rice.

With every bite, it doesn’t feel like rice, but rather chicken that looks and tastes like rice. The smooth and rich flavor paired with the unique sweetness of rice elevates the freshness of the chicken to a higher level.

And the taste in your mouth is not just the taste of chicken, but also the fragrance of chicken bones and chicken fat, as if there is really a whole chicken hidden in this tiny grain of rice.

Grains of rice jump freely in the mouth, like lively chickens, showing off their charm on the taste buds.

The more you chew, the more obvious the aroma of chicken becomes in your mouth. In the end, your mouth is full of the aroma of chicken, and even your saliva is tainted with the taste of chicken. The essence of chicken is thoroughly released, firmly occupying every inch of your taste buds.

The three examiners put down their bowls and chopsticks in satisfaction. What Fang He said was not an exaggeration at all. Every grain of rice really was chicken!
It seemed that not only the rice grains, but even their mouths and tongues had turned into chicken, soaked in the flavor of chicken.

The examiner nodded repeatedly and praised: "This White Jade Chicken is indeed as good as its name. It is excellent. But how did the flavor of the chicken permeate into the rice?"

Fang He said: "I used three chickens to make this White Jade Chicken. The first chicken was used to steam the broth. After a long time of steaming until the chicken meat melted in the broth and the chicken bones became soft and tender, I then used the broth to soak the rice grains so that the rice grains fully absorbed the flavor of the broth. The second chicken was used to extract oil, concentrating the deliciousness of the whole chicken in the chicken fat. The third chicken was used as a cooking utensil. I hollowed out the chicken's belly, stuffed the solidified broth, chicken fat and rice into the chicken's belly for steaming. During the steaming process, the aroma of the broth, the fragrance of the chicken fat and all the essence of the chicken itself fully permeated into the rice. In this way, every grain of rice can be filled with the aroma of chicken."

The examiner suddenly realized: "So that's why. The chicken is not found in the white jade rice because the delicious taste of the chicken has been completely integrated into the rice. The presence of the chicken is superfluous."

Another examiner asked: "Fang He, the taste of your dish is excellent. So, what is the connection between this dish and 'the height of a mountain is not high'?"

Fang He replied, "The whole "Humble Dwelling" expresses the author's noble character. I think that noble character is like the white jade rice, which is flawless and full of grains. The rice grains are distinct and round in appearance, but they are not attached to other grains and maintain their independence. Just like a gentleman treats others with harmony and humility, does not seek to form cliques for personal gain, is independent of the world, and is content with his own life. Only in this way can he be called a modest gentleman."

The examiners nodded in agreement. "Very good, using pure white rice with distinct grains to represent a gentleman's noble character is very good!"

An examiner announced loudly: "Fang He from Shangping Hall has passed!"

This is the fourth qualified candidate, and now there is only one spot left.

The examiners went to the other chefs who raised their hands and tasted their dishes one by one.

However, with the four qualified candidates as the examples, these dishes tasted a little worse and were not on the same level as the first four.

Even among the chefs who had stayed temporarily before, there were very few who could be compared with these four.

After all, the four people were the elite among the elites, and they were far superior to others in terms of the taste of the food, cooking skills, and understanding of the topic. Even if the taste of others was just a little worse, it was like a chasm in front of those exquisite dishes.

In the end, Xu Qing was the only chef present whose dish had not been tasted.

The examiners slowly walked up to Xu Qing, only to see that his desk was empty.

The older examiner frowned and asked, "You have raised your hand to indicate, where is the dish?"

"We are about to start now." Xu Qing replied. Hearing this, the three examiners all looked a little unhappy.

An examiner was shocked and asked angrily, "You were idle before and only started cooking at the critical moment? This hastily prepared dish is pure deception!"

Another examiner said with a sullen face, "If that's the case, you can just leave. The special chef assessment is not a place where you can fool around."

Xu Qing replied: "That's not the case. It's just that my dish must be made fresh."

"Freshly made?"

And it has to be done in front of the examiners?

The examiners looked at each other.

They saw that Xu Qing's expression was very serious and he didn't seem to be perfunctory about the dishes.

Considering what I learned about Xu Qing's experience before, perhaps this talented young man is really unique.

The older examiner said, "Well, then you can start."

Xu Qing nodded and was about to prepare to cook when he suddenly heard a voice coming from a distance.

"Let me have a taste, too."

The familiar voice startled the three examiners and they turned around hurriedly, only to see Chef Long Hongze walking towards them.

The three examiners half-knelt on the ground and said respectfully, "Master Chef Long."

As soon as these words came out, the place suddenly became noisy and lively.

Chef Long actually showed up in the preliminary examination room and wanted to personally taste the dishes made by the young man!
In an instant, countless envious, jealous and hateful eyes were cast towards Xu Qing.

Jiang Cheng and the other four also had complicated expressions.

"The only person who can take the exam for a top-grade chef at such a young age is him."

"Is the rumor true? Did he really defeat the top chef from the imperial kitchen?"

"Indeed, the elder of the Guangdong Chefs Association who was on good terms with my master saw it with his own eyes. It is said that he defeated the top chef with his absolute strength, causing that person to lose his confidence at the time."

"However, if Chef Long is to be the judge, I'm afraid he will have a hard time passing this test."

"It's the same for us. We still have to face Chef Long in the next game."

Upon hearing this, the four of them sighed in unison.

The first test had already exhausted them, and now they had to face Chef Long in the second test. They really didn't know what to do.

Jiang Cheng said: "Let's go over and take a look."

The other three nodded. It was a good thing for them that Xu Qing was the first to face Chef Long. At least it allowed them to prepare more.

(End of this chapter)