Chapter 114: Hot and Sour Chicken Feet
What? 85 points?
Mark, who was originally waiting for a perfect score, felt terrible after hearing this score.
He immediately pushed open the small barrier and strode up to Mo Qingyan and Gao Moqi.
He questioned the two people: "What kind of food anchors are you? You only gave 85 points to my Feng Xing Qing Shan dish? What qualifications do you have to give me only 85 points for this dish?"
That’s right, Mark gave this dish of fried cucumber and chicken feet a very nice name, called Feng Xing Qing Shan.
In his opinion, although this dish is simple, it definitely tastes good.
After all, he came here this time to promote his cooking skills, so of course he would not have a perfunctory attitude.
Even those big pot dishes sold outside, the heat cannot be controlled as well as these two food live broadcasts.
But it’s definitely not that bad.
He is not a fool and would not do something half-heartedly to ruin his own reputation.
If these two amateur guys knew a little bit about tasting food, even if I don’t give them full marks, I’d give them at least 99 points.
Unexpectedly, I only got 85 points.
This made Mark suddenly feel that the dish he had carefully prepared was for the dog.
When I first heard their comments, I thought they were knowledgeable.
Unexpectedly, like that female anchor, she is also an amateur.
Even though the female anchor was an amateur, she at least gave the show a perfect score out of spite.
But the two people in front of him only gave 85 points. How could Mark not be angry?
"Do you two know anything about food? If you don't, then don't be a food anchor. You're only harming yourself and others."
Mark's words can be said to be very hurtful.
At least, in words, he completely denied Mo Qingyan and Gao Moqi's comments on his dish.
Even the professionalism of the two "food anchors" Mo Qingyan and Gao Moqi was denied.
Although, in Mark's mind, they had no professionalism at all.
The female anchor sitting not far away heard that Mo Qingyan and Gao Moqi only gave this dish 85 points. A look of surprise.
Because in her opinion, this dish tastes very good, and it can be said to be the most delicious dish she has ever eaten.
It is even more delicious than those so-called delicacies from land and sea.
However, such a delicious and large dish was only given 85 points?
When the female anchor saw Mark rushing up to Mo Qingyan and Gao Moqi to question them, she couldn't help but complain in her heart.
These two people were speaking very clearly just now.
With millions of fans, she thought they were very professional!
Are they really just for show?
Mark's voice was so loud that everyone who was queuing outside the cabin could hear it.
When they heard Mark questioning Mo Qingyan and Gao Moqi, they immediately started talking.
"What's going on? Those two food anchors only gave Master Ma a score of 85?"
"A dish like this only gets 85 points? Are these two people here to cause trouble?"
"Yes, I just took a few bites, and the chicken feet were so delicious. I have never eaten such delicious chicken feet!"
"Those are chicken feet. They are uncultured."
"Oh, it's all the same. It's OK as long as it tastes good. This dish is so delicious, but it was only given 85 points? Isn't that just to cause trouble?"
"I've said it before, these so-called food anchors are just for show, without any real skills. Only professional gourmets have real skills."
"Master Ma is also unlucky. He didn't expect that he would come here with good intentions to promote his food, but he would meet two half-baked food anchors. Aren't these two people here purely to ruin Master Ma's reputation?"
…
Almost all of those people, like Mark, disagreed with Mo Qingyan and Gao Moqi's evaluation.
The audience in the live broadcast room held the opposite opinion.
"Oh my god, what a big shot Mark is. He's not satisfied with 85 points?"
"Yeah, even if it's the food that Brother Mo made himself, Brother Mo only gave me 80 points. If I can get 80 points from Brother Mo, I'm really lucky!"
"The most important thing is that the senior judges also gave it 85 points. You can say that our brother Mo is an amateur, but the senior judges are professional first-level state banquet-level gourmet judges. Giving you a score for a dish of a second-level state banquet-level chef is like using a butcher knife to butcher a pig. It's a small material that has been put to good use."
"You're not qualified yet. Does Mark really think his food is made of gold?"
…
To be honest, Mo Qingyan was quite harsh in rating the dishes.
Almost on par with Gao Moqi.
Mo Qingyan is even more demanding when it comes to the dishes she cooks.
However, I am more tolerant towards the dishes cooked by others.
This 85 points is definitely a high score given by Mo Qingyan.
After all, many of the dishes he cooked himself only got this score.
Therefore, Mo Qingyan certainly did not agree with Mark's statement that they were not qualified to rate.
"You said I'm not qualified to rate this dish and don't understand gourmet food. I won't say anything to you, after all, I'm not a professional gourmet. But you said the senior judges are not qualified to rate this dish and don't understand gourmet food, then I don't agree with that."
"Senior judge?" Mark was stunned.
Gao Moqi took off his hat and sunglasses.
When Mark saw it, he was instantly surprised.
"High judge? Why you?"
Mark didn't expect that one of the food anchors was actually Gao Moqi.
In their chef world, who doesn’t know Gao Moqi!
He is a first-class state banquet gourmet judge for young people.
That's professionally certified.
And he just said that the senior judges were not qualified to rate his dish?
Oh my god, what on earth was he talking about?
Mark quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, Judge Gao, I didn't know it was you. If I knew it was you, I would never say that."
Gao Moqi did not comment on his words, "If it's not me, then other people are not qualified to comment on your cooking?"
"How can others compare with you. You are a true professional gourmet." Mark didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said.
Gao Moqi had a blank expression on his face. "I remember that you became a second-level state banquet chef five years ago."
"That's right, at that time, Judge Gao, you had just become a second-level state banquet gourmet judge." Mark remembered it clearly.
Because, at that time, Gao Moqi, who had just become a second-level state banquet-level gourmet, became a judge for his final.
It was also because Gao Moqi overcame all objections and finally gave him a high score that he successfully advanced to become a second-level state banquet chef.
Therefore, Mark was very grateful to Gao Moqi.
"But now I am a first-level state banquet gourmet judge. And you are still a second-level state banquet chef."
After five years, Mark is still stuck as a second-level state banquet chef.
Mark's cooking and talent ranked him among the top five people Gao Moqi had ever met.
Five years ago, Mark became a second-level state banquet chef.
At that time, Gao Moqi thought that within two years, he would become the youngest first-class state banquet chef in China.
But five years have passed.
Mark, however, has been standing still.
In the second-level state banquet chef competition last year, he was almost squeezed out by others.
Over the years, he has not made any progress at all. On the contrary, because of his arrogant character, he became complacent and gradually lost the original spirit of cooking skills.
Gao Moqi's words made Mark blush instantly.
He knew that Gao Moqi's words were not meant to humiliate him.
Rather, it means that he has not made any progress in all these years.
Not only has there been no progress, but there has also been a regression.
Because last year, he almost got relegated.
In that year, Gao Moqi, who was at the same level as him, became a first-class state banquet gourmet in the second year.
Now, it has become famous overseas.
Served as a gourmet judge abroad.
The gap between the two is simply heaven and earth.
"I told you before, don't be too proud or impatient. But you didn't do it." Gao Moqi actually values people with excellent cooking talents.
Once we notice that they are starting to go the wrong way, we can't help but remind them.
He had warned him the previous year when Mark had nearly lost the game.
Unexpectedly, he didn't take it seriously at all.
Mark defended himself, "Judge Gao, I listened to you. So today I'm going to set up a stall here to sell lunch boxes so that ordinary people can also taste my cooking skills."
In Mark's opinion, being able to let these ordinary people eat his cooking at such a cheap price is already the result of his lowering his status again and again.
After all, a second-level state banquet chef like him cooks in state banquet restaurants or at state banquets.
It is simply a pipe dream for ordinary working-class people to want to eat the food he cooks.
"Yes, they tasted the dishes you cooked. But did you accept their honest evaluation?" Gao Moqi questioned him, "If I were not a gourmet, you would not accept my evaluation just now, right?"
"They spoke very well of me. They gave full marks to all my dishes. Only you, Judge Gao, are a professional judge, so you score my dishes so strictly." Mark felt that there was nothing wrong with what he did.
"My friend also gave your dish a score of 85 just now. Did you hear that?" Gao Moqi asked him.
"I heard it." Mark said, "I know that your friend gave the same score because you gave him 85 points."
Otherwise, how could he give the same score as the high judge?
"No, no, no, Master Ma, I think you misunderstood."
Mo Qingyan shook her head and said, "I gave it 85 points not because of the high judges. But because your dish is only worth 85 points at most."
After hearing what Mo Qingyan said, Mark couldn't help but look him up and down, and saw that he was also wearing a hat, and he had pulled the brim down.
I couldn't help but ask, "Are you also a professional gourmet judge?"
The person in front of me is dressed very similarly to the judge just now.
It feels like these two people are like the emperors of the past, who came out on a secret visit in clothes.
"No, no, no." Mo Qingyan took off her hat, revealing her delicate face, and smiled: "I'm not a gourmet judge. I'm just an ordinary amateur cooking enthusiast."
When Mark saw Mo Qingyan's face, he recognized it instantly.
"It's you? The loser?"
The reason why Mark recognized Mo Qingyan was not because he was a fan of Mo Qingyan.
Instead, he had read the hot news about Mo Qingyan's previous squandering of money.
In addition, Gao Moqi gave Mo Qingyan his first recommendation spot for the Level 3 National Banquet Chef Competition.
It is even more impossible for Mark not to know Mo Qingyan.
In fact, the reason why this dish is sold for 100 yuan per serving is because of watching Mo Qingyan’s live broadcast.
The delicious food made by Mo Qingyan actually got full marks from Gao Moqi.
In Mark's opinion, it was because Mo Qingyan used good ingredients.
If ordinary ingredients were used, it would be impossible to produce such a perfect taste.
The previous cold noodles made with ordinary ingredients were just a creative and opportunistic approach.
Mark knew very well that Gao Moqi's evaluation of food was based not only on taste but also on innovation.
Mark thinks that his current dish "Phoenix Walking in the Green Mountains" is definitely an innovation.
After all, he used the cheapest and most common ingredients to make this delicious dish, which is the most common home-cooked dish.
Even the most soulful broth is made from chicken bones.
"Yes, it's me."
Mo Qingyan has gotten used to people calling him a prodigal son.
I even felt that this title was a compliment to him.
After all, the more famous this prodigal's reputation is, the more opportunities he has to complete his mission of prodigal son.
Of course, you will get more rewards.
"I know you're a great cook. The judges were full of praise for your cooking skills. But the dishes you cook are delicious because you use high-quality ingredients. If you use ordinary ingredients like me, I don't believe you can make dishes that the judges will give full marks to."
Mark's words were equivalent to saying directly that Mo Qingyan's so-called good cooking skills were entirely supported by those good ingredients.
If it weren't for those high-quality ingredients, Mo Qingyan's cooking skills would be just so-so.
"Okay, since you feel that my cooking skills are not qualified to rate your dishes, let's have a competition." When someone questions his cooking skills, Mo Qingyan likes to use his cooking skills to solve the problem.
After all, no matter how much you say about this kind of problem, it is better to use your strength to make the other party shut up quickly.
"You want to compete with me in cooking?" Mark said in disbelief, "You know I'm a second-level state banquet chef, right?"
"I know, but so what? Are you, a second-level state banquet chef, afraid of losing to me?" Mo Qingyan challenged Mark.
"Would I be afraid of losing to you? What a joke. Since you can't see my own cooking skills clearly, then I'll let you see it clearly." Mark didn't take Mo Qingyan seriously at all.
What about three-fresh dumplings, kumquat lemon tea, and cold noodles.
It is very innovative though.
However, it is only because it is new that those who have never eaten anything good would praise it so much.
This time he will let Mo Qingyan see clearly the gap between him and the state banquet-level chefs.
At the same time, he also wanted Gao Moqi to take a good look and see that he had indeed corrected himself and that his cooking skills had improved compared to before.
"Then can I be your judge?" Gao Moqi said to the two.
Mo Qingyan smiled and said, "Of course there is no problem, as long as Master Ma doesn't misunderstand that you are partial to me."
Mark chuckled, "How is that possible? The senior judge is extremely fair and rigorous. Even if you are his friend, he will not violate professional ethics."
Of course Mark was more than happy to have Gao Moqi be a judge.
"Okay." Gao Moqi said, "Then the theme of this competition will be chicken feet. You should each make a dish with chicken feet as the theme within two hours."
Mo Qingyan and Mark looked at each other, then stood up and stretched out his hand, “Amateur cooking enthusiast, Mo Qingyan.”
Mark stretched out his hand and shook it with him, “Second-level state banquet chef, Mark.”
Then, the two let go of each other. Then he walked to the stove.
Mark asked the young man to inform the people queuing outside that he would temporarily stop selling fast food because he was going to compete with Mo Qingyan.
When the people outside heard that the recently very popular prodigal son* Mo Qingyan in H City was going to compete with Mark, a second-level state banquet chef, they immediately became excited.
"Mo Qingyan? The Mo Qingyan who sells kumquat lemon tea?"
"Yes, it's him. The national prodigal son, Mo Qingyan. I didn't expect that he would come as well."
"He wants to challenge the second-level state banquet chef?"
"It's such a pity not to be able to watch such a wonderful game."
"Why can't I see it? Isn't Mo Qingyan live streaming? Can't I just go into his live streaming room and see it?"
"Oh, yes. Mo Qingyan is broadcasting live today! Quick, search for his live broadcast room and go in to watch the game."
…
At this time, the audience in the live broadcast room also prepared melon seeds and were ready to watch the game.
"What do you think Brother Mo can cook?"
“What dishes can be made with chicken feet?”
"There are so many things you can cook, fry, stir-fry, stew, bake, or braise. As long as it's made by Brother Mo, I think it will be delicious."
…
After Mo Qingyan walked into the stove, she did not immediately look for side dishes or anything, but went straight to the chicken feet.
The chicken feet that Mark uses are all fresh chicken feet.
It's not frozen. Moreover, the nails of each chicken claw have been trimmed.
Mo Qingyan picked out some larger ones with thicker texture.
Mark saw that Mo Qingyan didn't take any side dishes, but directly chose chicken feet. He frowned slightly.
That’s right, the theme is chicken feet.
But there are so many chicken feet here, just take any you want.
Why rush to get the chicken feet right away?
Could it be that Mo Qingyan was afraid that he would take all the chicken feet?
Of course, Mo Qingyan couldn't be afraid that he would take all the chicken feet.
Instead, Mo Qingyan was preparing to make spicy and sour chicken feet.
Therefore, the chicken feet need to be processed in advance.
After Mo Qingyan selected the chicken feet, she added two spoonfuls of salt.
Then add warm water and start scrubbing with your hands for about a minute.
In this way, the blood and dirt in the chicken feet can be scrubbed out.
The fishy smell will be reduced a lot.
Then rinse it twice with clean water and put it in a basin for later use.
Next, boil water.
Put scallion and ginger slices into the pot and bring to a boil. This will allow the flavors of the green onion and ginger to be fully cooked out.
After the water boils, turn to low heat and put the chicken feet in.
Then add white vinegar and white wine to remove the fishy smell.
Most people like to use cooking wine when cooking, but Mo Qingyan likes to use high-concentration white wine.
Do not use high heat when cooking chicken feet, as this will cause the chicken feet to become loose.
It has to be cooked slowly over low heat. This is the only way to allow the chicken feet to take shape quickly and not be overcooked so easily.
Wait until the water in the pot starts to boil and swirl, then cover the pot.
Simmer for another 7 minutes.
Seeing Mo Qingyan boil the chicken feet directly in water, the audience in the live broadcast room were a little confused.
"How is Brother Mo going to make boiled chicken feet?"
"Just now I thought Brother Mo was going to blanch the chicken feet, but I didn't expect that he was just going to cook them directly."
"These boiled chicken feet have no taste, right?"
"I think Brother Mo might want to cook the chicken feet first and then stir-fry them. This way the chicken feet won't need to be stir-fried for too long. The meat should be more tender?"
…
Mark was slightly stunned when he saw Mo Qingyan boiled the chicken feet in plain water right from the start.
Then he frowned.
Boiled chicken feet in plain water?
Humph, this is totally nonsense.
Mark turned around and started blanching his chicken feet.
Here, spicy and sour chicken feet are also available.
However, the spicy and sour chicken feet here are not served cold, but spicy and sour fried chicken feet.
It was such a hot day, Mo Qingyan felt that making some hot and sour cold chicken feet would be perfect.
While the chicken feet were cooking, Mo Qingyan prepared a basin of ice water.
As soon as 7 minutes are up, turn off the heat, remove the chicken feet and put them in ice water to chill.
Thermal expansion and thermal contraction, this step solidifies the gelatin in the chicken feet, making the meat of the chicken feet chewy and tough.
It is also easier to remove bones.
Refrigerate for five minutes until the chicken feet are completely cooled.
Take out the chicken feet and then start preparing to debone them.
There is one more step before deboning.
That is to remove the fishy smell.
Mo Qingyan picked up a small knife and cut a hole about two centimeters below the chicken leg bone. Squeeze out the contents.
This thing is the source of the fishy smell of chicken feet.
Then make a cut on the large bone and small bone of the chicken feet.
Then, break the chicken feet up and down at each joint.
Then you can use a knife to completely remove all the chicken feet bones.
Move quickly and be gentle.
This way, when removing the bones, the shape of the whole chicken foot will not be destroyed too much.
Mo Qingyan's technique was very skillful and her bone removal movements were incredibly smooth.
He had a small knife in his hand and was playing with it happily.
The movements are neat and clean.
However, in just a dozen seconds, Mo Qingyan completely removed the bones of a chicken foot.
The people in the live broadcast room were stunned.
"I've seen Brother Mo handle lobsters before, so I knew he had good knife skills. But seeing it again now still surprises me."
"Yeah, it's so silky."
"But why did Brother Mo remove the bones from the chicken feet?"
"Yeah, how can you chew chicken feet without bones?"
…
Mark also saw Mo Qingyan deboning the chicken feet, and was slightly surprised by Mo Qingyan's knife skills.
He only watched the live broadcast replay of Mo Qingyan making three-fresh dumplings, kumquat lemon tea and cold noodles.
I didn’t see the replay of Mo Qingyan’s live broadcast of making steamed lobster with garlic vermicelli.
So, I don’t know how good Mo Qingyan’s swordsmanship is.
Therefore, he was a little surprised to see Mo Qingyan remove the bones of the chicken feet in just a few strokes.
It seems that Mo Qingyan is quite good at swordsmanship!
However, being good at knife skills does not mean being a good cook.
Besides, there is not much meat on the chicken feet, so you should chew them for the texture.
Once the bones are removed, the chicken feet cannot be cooked any further.
If you cook the chicken feet a little bit, they will become almost inedible.
What's more, Mo Qingyan's chicken feet had already been cooked before being deboned.
If you cook it a second time, the meat will be overcooked.
This Mo Qingyan, it seems, is just a half-baked person.
Forget it, let’s just make my own food first.
Although the ingredients are similar, it is a competition and Gao Moqi is the referee.
Of course Mark couldn't be that casual.
He must prepare this dish carefully.
He wanted to see what Mo Qingyan could come up with without those precious ingredients.
After deboning all the chicken feet.
Add appropriate amounts of minced garlic, chili pepper, salt, and sugar.
Then add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and balsamic vinegar in a ratio of one:2:3 respectively.
Add appropriate amount of sesame oil and chili oil.
Finally, add a little boiled water. Then place in the refrigerator for an hour.
This hour seems a bit long.
So, Mo Qingyan returned to her previous seat and started chatting with Gao Moqi.
When Mark saw this, his mind was full of question marks.
That guy, just put the vegetables in the refrigerator and just leave them there?
Mark frowned as he looked at Mo Qingyan who was chatting enthusiastically with Gao Moqi.
What the hell is that guy doing?
It was the first time Mark saw someone cook chicken feet like this.
Could it be that the guy knew that he couldn't make delicious food with such simple ingredients as chicken feet?
So, just mess around with it and be done with it, right?
When he thought of this, Mark’s brows frowned even deeper.
He suddenly felt a little regretful about competing with Mo Qingyan.
If Mo Qingyan's level is just this.
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