Chapter 345 Two Heavyweights
"Dang Yongge isn't a host anymore. He's famous for something else now," Wen Jin said with a mysterious smile. "He's now a food critic. He's eaten all over the world, and he writes books, publishes magazines, and appears on variety shows—all about food. He's become so well-versed in food that it's hard for others to pay him a fortune to try food at their restaurants. They have to ask for connections."
"Why? Can he become famous just by going to a tasting shop?" Su Yuchen was puzzled.
"Because he has a sharp tongue! Not only when he talks, but also when he eats. Although he's not a chef, he's been eating for so many years that his tongue is incredibly sensitive. He can tell with just one bite whether a dish is cooked correctly, overcooked or bland, even down to a few grams of salt missing. Often, when chefs improve upon his suggestions, the dishes sell quite well. Michelin-starred restaurants abroad often invite him, but he's gotten older in recent years and hasn't been traveling as much."
"So that's how it is. There are top talents in every field." Zhao Xiaojing sighed.
"Hello, the dishes are all here, including stir-fried gluten, stir-fried double crisps, secret stinky mandarin fish, dry-pot chicken feet, and fried eggplant." As he was speaking, two waiters came in with trays, a base, and a pot of water, and served the dishes and tea at once.
The stinky mandarin fish and chicken feet were both heated on their bases. Su Yuchen lowered the heat and quickly greeted the two. "This place has the most annoying shortcoming. They insist on waiting for all the dishes to be cooked and served all at once, and by the time they're served, many of them are already cold. Eat these three while they're hot; they'll lose half their flavor if they cool down a bit."
"Okay." Zhao Xiaojing nodded and looked at the stir-fried gluten that Su Yuchen strongly recommended.
This dry-fried gluten dish, mixed with celery, onions, and dried chilies, is stir-fried until lightly browned and covered in a dense layer of sesame seeds. It's incredibly fragrant and stir-fried, and it's incredibly tempting. Zhao Xiaojing was the first to grab a bite. "It's really flavorful—it's both burnt and numbing, and the spiciness is incredibly intense," she said.
"I know it's Xiao Su's style after just one bite! As long as you add plenty of peppercorns and chili peppers, the dishes cooked out will be delicious." Wen Jin took a bite and shook his head, then quickly picked up the water on the table and took a big gulp.
"Haha, it's not that spicy actually. Not even as spicy as the chili oil made by Mirror. Uncle Wen, you can have the eggplant. It's not spicy. If not, I'll order two lighter dishes later."
"I was choked by the peppercorns, not that I can't handle spicy food." Wen Jin waved his hand, turned around, picked up another piece of fiery crispy food with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. "Wow, this one looks strong, but it's not as strong and stimulating as the previous one!"
"Maybe it's because there's too much oil. The spicy and numbing flavors are all dissolved in the oil and buffered for a bit. You have to taste the aroma first before you can feel the flavors wrapped in the broth. The gluten is stir-fried, so the spicy and numbing flavors are all directly present." Zhao Xiaojing analyzed after taking a bite. "It's crispy! But it feels like something's missing."
"It's missing the soul-touching taste of stir-fried gluten!" Su Yuchen took a bite of celery and a bite of gluten, and then a bite of onion and a bite of gluten, and kept praising it, which made Zhao Xiaojing and Wen Jin amazed.
"Is it really that delicious?" Wen Jin took another bite with his chopsticks in disbelief, then quickly drank a glass of water in a few gulps.
"Tear the gluten tomorrow and I'll make it for you." Seeing that Su Yuchen liked it, Zhao Xiaojing ate a few bites and found that the taste was actually not complicated. After trying a few times, she seemed to be able to make it herself.
"Really! Then remember to buy a few more tomorrow morning, otherwise Xiao Wu's two chopsticks will be gone." Su Yuchen's eyes lit up.
"Really? I'm going to buy two pounds tomorrow. It's enough. And this Fiery Double Crisp, although the flavor isn't quite right, it tastes quite fresh. It's crispy and tender, and the texture is great. I'm going to try it tomorrow too."
"You're not here to eat, you're here to learn from me!" Wen Jin looked at Zhao Xiaojing and shook his head. "You're about to compete, and you're still thinking about researching new dishes. Why don't you improve your cooking skills?"
"Hey Uncle Wen, to be honest, I should be fine with stir-fries now. No matter how I practice, I won't improve much. The problem is the main dishes. I don't have many that I can show off. I have nothing to do now, so it's good to study other people's dishes to broaden my horizons."
"You are so leisurely, why don't you study the stinky mandarin fish? I didn't expect that the stinky mandarin fish smells so good!" Wen Jin moved the stinky mandarin fish in front of him to the middle.
"Then what I ordered is not bad. There is one dish that Uncle Wen is satisfied with." Su Yuchen raised his chin proudly.
No one would say good things when they smelled something, especially when it came to food. After getting used to it, everyone was already used to it. When Su Yuchen said this, the three of them laughed out loud.
The smell of stinky mandarin fish is a bit like rotten meat, but it has a unique stinky and fragrant taste when you put it in your mouth, and the fish meat is surprisingly tender.
"I don't think it's possible to figure this out. It seems like a unique pickling technique, and I don't think it's possible without someone to teach me." Zhao Xiaojing took a sip of the broth and shook her head. "Uncle Wen, if you have time someday, let me know in advance and come to our restaurant for dinner. I'll make you some pot roast pork."
"Mm! Uncle Wen, the pot-roasted pork elbow made by Jingzi is really good. It tastes better than the takeaway I had at the Shandong restaurant last time. When you have time, you must come to our place to try it!"
"A Shandong cuisine restaurant? Shandong cuisine is quite different from the food here. How can you make this?" Wen Jin asked in surprise.
"It was mainly due to some pointers." Zhao Xiaojing touched her nose and then put the blame on the two chefs she met at Su Yuchen's house for learning how to make the pork elbow. "The two chefs I met before had some experience with the key to this dish, so I learned from them."
"That's amazing! Oh, I forgot, I just mentioned that other important figure, Nan Rongquan, is the master of Shandong cuisine and the owner and head chef of Yipintang."
"Is it that amazing? Why haven't I heard of it?" Su Yuchen finished half a plate of gluten in a blink of an eye, looked up and asked in confusion.
Zhao Xiaojing also opened her eyes wide and turned her head to wait for Wen Jin's answer.
"Of course he's amazing! He's a top-notch chef and a national culinary intangible cultural heritage inheritor. A few years ago, he represented the country in promoting traditional culinary culture and skills around the world. His family has been chefs for generations, and his late father was also a state banquet chef. But it's normal that you haven't heard of him. These veteran craftsmen don't have the same fame as celebrities, so people who don't pay attention to this field don't know about them."
"Is that so? Then this competition is in jeopardy. I probably won't get a ranking. When such a heavyweight comes out, it's definitely not a small fight." Zhao Xiaojing sighed.
Fortunately, the system's task was to advance through the auditions. If she really had to get a ranking, she would not be confident.
"We're not here to win a rank, we're here to broaden your horizons," Wen Jin said earnestly, putting down his chopsticks. "No matter what you do, experience and perspective are crucial. Sometimes a word or two of advice from a professional can save you ten years of trouble."
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