Chapter 8 Winner

Shaoan's face was gloomy. He pounded the table hard and said angrily, "Old woman, what do you mean by this? Are you saying that my dish is not up to standard?"

Chef Abei shook his head and said, "That's not the case. It's rare for you to have such a high level of cooking at your age. It's just that this dish is not perfect yet and there is still a lot of room for improvement. I look forward to the day when you can present it in its entirety."

After hearing what Master Abei said, Shaoan's expression looked better.

"Next is Xu Qing's dish."

Master Abei looked at the judges.

Hong Xi shook his head and said, "There's nothing much to say, just two words - perfect!"

"Not bad, I didn't expect that ordinary garlic pork could be so delicious!"

"It's really hard to describe in words. It's beyond my imagination!"

"This taste is so mysterious! I have made garlic pork countless times, how can it be so delicious? Master Abei, what is going on?"

Chef Abei explained: "Everyone knows how to make garlic pork, so I won't go into details here. The advantages of Shaoan's dish are the precious ingredients, the knife skills and the stir-frying skills, but the disadvantage is the control of the overall taste. Xu Qing is completely the opposite of Shaoan. He uses ordinary ingredients, ordinary knife skills, and simple dishes that do not require advanced skills. The essence of this dish lies entirely in the taste. He uses a subtle sauce ratio to elevate the taste of the whole dish to an unimaginable height. It is really amazing."

"The refreshing garlic aroma, the soft pork, and the crispy bamboo shoots, the flavors of these three are perfectly blended together through the coordination of the sauce, indistinguishable from each other, boosting each other, and indistinguishable from each other, like a perfect circle. The different tastes of pork and bamboo shoots expand the layers of flavor, and the mellow sauce perfectly fills the gap between the two, buffering the thin and conflicting flavors, and the flavors become thicker and more memorable in the mouth."

Chef Abei walked to Xu Qing's stove, picked up the sauce he had prepared and took a sip.

"The main ingredients are minced garlic, chili oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, etc. The soy sauce is made by boiling pepper, star anise, etc. in ordinary soy sauce. The taste is very unique. However, this is not enough. There is another flavor hidden in it. It is this unique flavor that makes the taste of the sauce thick and long-lasting."

Everyone recalled the taste that remained in their mouths. Sure enough, there was a unique, rich and mellow fragrance lingering on the tip of their tongues. However, whenever they wanted to savor it carefully, the taste became extremely obscure and difficult to grasp.

"Master Abei, what exactly is this ingredient?" someone asked hurriedly.

Master Abei looked at Xu Qing, who nodded immediately and said, "Actually, it's..."

"It's sesame!"

A childish voice shouted loudly.

Everyone was shocked, wondering who was shouting here.

Turning around, I saw that it was Master Abei’s youngest son Liu Maoxing.

He's just an eight or nine-year-old kid, what can he understand?
Liu Keling was also startled and quickly grabbed Liu Maoxing's clothes: "A Mao, don't talk nonsense."

Xu Qing sighed in his heart, this kid's keen sense of taste is really not exaggerated, he can taste it even if there is only a little bit.

Xu Qing said, "Yes, it is sesame, or sesame paste to be more precise. I roasted the sesame seeds and ground them into a paste. The sesame paste has a smooth and rich texture that spreads delicately in the mouth, cleverly neutralizing the overly spicy taste of garlic and chili peppers, leaving a long aftertaste and adding a sense of heaviness to the light sauce."

Chef Abei praised: "The sauce is used as a bridge to connect two completely different ingredients, meat and vegetables, soft and crisp, fragrant and refreshing. The sauce is used to blend the two into one, but the taste effect is far better than the sum of the two. Ah Qing, you always bring me unexpected surprises."

Xu Qing smiled modestly and shyly.

low profile.

Where is this?

Shaoan's face was as black as charcoal. Chef Abei looked reluctant and sighed: "Therefore, the five judges unanimously decided that the winner of this cooking competition is Xu Qing. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Master, and thank you to all the judges."

Xu Qing clasped his fists and bowed to each of them.

The other chefs shook their heads and said, "We didn't do anything. We just came to taste the food. You won this duel with your own strength."

"Yes, you deserve it, Ah Qing!"

"enough!"

Amid the congratulations of the crowd, a loud roar suddenly rang out.

Shao An was panting heavily, his face full of reluctance: "How am I inferior to him? Whether it's skills, ingredients, cooking methods, or experience, I am far better than him! How can a mere dish of garlic pork beat me? I understand, you let him win on purpose just to drive me away, right! Otherwise, how can a country boy like him beat me!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the judges' expressions changed.

This is a serious slander on their professional ethics.

Even the usually gentle Master Abei was now furious: "Shaoan, how can you say that?"

Shaoan became even more excited when he saw that everyone was angry with him. He thought that everyone was angry because their dirty thoughts were exposed by him, and that they had realized the cruel truth that was hidden.

It’s not that he doesn’t work hard, it’s that this world is too dark!
Xu Qing glanced at him. How old is he, but he is still so immature.

"Shaoan, you will understand if you try it yourself, if you still have a little sense of being a chef."

Xu Qing handed him the remaining garlic pork.

Shaoan took the dish and sneered in his heart. Did this kid really think that he could win because of his ability? How dare he hand the dish to him? How stupid!
He must expose this ridiculous scam!

Then, let’s see what others have to say!

Immediately afterwards, Shaoan's face suddenly changed.

All the resentment and resentment in my mind were driven away, leaving only the feeling of delicious food.

Every chewing of the teeth, every drop of sauce tasted by the tip of the tongue, the soft and smooth pork belly with alternating fat and lean meat, the fibers are soaked in the fragrant sauce, paired with the crisp green bamboo shoots, fresh and crisp, the sauce cleverly blends the two together, as if setting off a storm in the mind, sweeping all the senses.

The wonderful taste that fills the mouth makes the body and mind excited and tremble.

There is only one word that can describe this feeling, and that is happiness.

Shaoan put down his chopsticks dejectedly.

He can deceive everyone, even his own heart, but he cannot deceive his tongue, his sense of taste.

His keen sense of taste, developed through years of training, clearly told him that he had lost, completely.

(End of this chapter)