Chapter 424 Ming

Yan Xian laughed heartily, "Yes, you are really to my taste. It is a great pleasure to meet someone like you and have a cooking duel with you! I really have to thank the Tai Chi cooking world for this. It was they who sent me such a good opponent like you. Next time I meet them, I will thank them very much."

Xu Qing thought of Jinghua and said, "I'm afraid that the next time I see you, that person you once defeated will seek revenge on you."

Yan Xian was not afraid at all, and instead was eager to try. "If it's such a refreshing cooking duel, I would not mind having it as many times as I want. Unfortunately, not everyone is like you and me, and cooking duels are not always enjoyable..."

Yan Xian sighed and didn't finish his words, but Xu Qing could understand some of his meaning.

Yan Xian was from the dark cuisine world. Xu Qing had dealt with the dark cuisine world more than once or twice, and was very familiar with their style of doing things. According to the style of the dark cuisine world, they would either resort to all means or gamble with their lives, and would win at all costs. And the losers usually did not end well.

A truly fair and exciting cooking showdown is probably hard to come by in the dark culinary world.

Judging from Yan Xian’s expression, the cooking competition he encountered probably didn’t leave him with a good impression.

The style of the dark cuisine world is very different from Yan Xian's. It really surprised Xu Qing that someone like Yan Xian could endure the dark cuisine world and become one of the five tigers of the dark cuisine world.

If it were him, it would be painful for him to stay for even a second longer.

Yan Xian waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about these troubles. From now on, we will rely on our own abilities."

Xu Qing nodded, "Okay."

After that, the two separated and prepared their own ingredients.

When the meaning of "Ming" is extrapolated to eyesight, the required ingredients are clearly revealed.

That is animal liver.

Traditional Chinese medicine has long held that eating liver can improve eyesight, and modern medicine has also confirmed that liver does contain nutrients that are good for vision, such as retinol. The vitamin A contained in liver can help maintain normal vision and prevent blindness and dry eyes, so eating more foods containing vitamin A is good for the eyes. Carrots and animal livers among vegetables contain a lot of vitamin A.

Among animal livers, pork liver has the highest nutritional value. Pork liver contains a large amount of vitamin A, second only to sheep liver. In addition, it also contains many other nutrients.

Although the vitamin A content of lamb liver is higher than that of pork liver, the fat content is also higher.

As for other animal livers, each has its own shortcomings. Chicken liver has a high cholesterol content, goose liver has a high fat content, and beef liver contains certain harmful substances, so it is not advisable to eat too much.

Compared with other types of liver, pork liver is the best choice overall in terms of nutritional value and benefits to the body.

As a regular guest on the dining table since ancient times, the cooking methods of pigs have been constantly innovated. People have explored every part of the pig to the fullest extent. It can be said that there are few parts of the pig that cannot be eaten, and few parts that do not taste good. The whole body of the pig is a treasure.

This shows how much people love pigs.

After all, people are too lazy to delve into things they don't like. Only things that you truly love are worth people's continuous exploration and creation, improvement, and making them more delicious.

There are many ways to cook pork liver. The most common way is stir-frying. Pork liver is very tender. After putting it in the pan, just stir-fry it quickly and it will be served. It tastes crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and it is delicious and refreshing.

You can also use pork liver to make soup. The stewed pork liver is fresh, smooth and delicate, melts in your mouth and is quite delicious.

Both approaches have their advantages.

The cooking time for this test was one stick of incense. After thinking about it, Xu Qing finally chose to use pig liver to make the soup. He had helped Master Abei make bamboo fungus liver paste soup, which was a medicinal food made with pig liver as the main ingredient.

If we want to meet the requirements of the "Ming" test this time, stewing the food is the most appropriate method.

The soup is as clear as water, which just fits the theme of "Ming".

It takes a little longer to stew the soup, but one stick of incense is enough.

Xu Qing followed the same method used to make bamboo fungus liver paste soup and first made the pig liver into a paste.

His knife skills are now much better than before, and the liver paste he makes is much better than before in both color and brightness.

This piece of cut liver paste is as bright and lustrous as a ruby.

On the other hand, Yan Xian also chose pork liver, but the preparation method was different.

Yan Xian chose the same method as in the previous test, which was stir-frying.

Wash the pork liver and cut it into thin strips. Then stir-fry it with green peppers and other ingredients. Add seasonings such as onions, ginger, garlic, and chilies. It seems similar to the method of stir-frying eel, but there are differences.

Pork liver is tender, and the most feared thing is overcooking it. Normal pork liver is tender, juicy, crisp and refreshing. After being overcooked, it becomes dry, hard and very chewy, and feels like rubber when bitten, which is very challenging for your teeth.

But pig liver cannot be eaten raw. If it is not cooked for enough time and heat, the half-cooked pig liver will have a strong fishy smell and taste bad. At the same time, the taste is not good and it is soft.

If you want to fry pork liver to perfection, you need considerable experience and ability.

And this is naturally not a problem for Yan Xian.

His super hearing allows him to fully perceive the sounds made by ingredients. Different sounds represent different degrees of doneness, as if the ingredients are communicating with him, telling him clearly when to turn them over, when the ingredients in the pot are at their most delicious, or if they are a little undercooked and need a little more time.

For ordinary people, cooking relies on feeling and experience.

For talented people, cooking is an intuitive understanding. They don’t need anyone to tell them, and they don’t even need experience or recipes. They just intuitively know how to make the dish.

For someone like Yan Xian who possesses extraordinary senses, cooking is more like communication, communication without words.

It was as if the flames, the ingredients, and even every drop of water in the pot had their own language, telling him what they needed and how they could show their best side.

Cooking is a solitary journey. There is no room for two people on the stove, and only one person can hold the spatula.

But cooking is also about companionship and understanding. The chef’s understanding of himself, the dishes and the diners invisibly accompanies him in this seemingly lonely process.

A chef who abandons these is truly lonely.

How can a chef who understands all this feel lonely?
Yan first immersed himself in the wonderful sounds made by the food, listening to their soft whispers and feeling the joy of the delicious food being born from his hands.

　I still owe two chapters, waiting for the supplement
　　
　
(End of this chapter)