Chapter 387 Fried Noodle Fan
“This plating is quite creative.”
"Yes, it's quite cute."
Amidst laughter, the two contestants looked at each other, glanced at the crowd, and started to communicate with each other by winking.
The other contestants all had smiles on their faces, but since the contestant who made the dish might be right next to them, they didn't comment.
Zhao Xiaojing controlled the corners of her mouth that were raised too high and took a closer look. Well, although this contestant really didn't have much talent in plating, he was strangely cute when she looked closely, and he must be taking the competition very seriously.
While the peacock's belly is round and its feathers appear broad and plump, reminiscent of a middle-aged peacock, its head is quite childlike, as if it were made by a child. And while its tail takes up half the plate and looks sloppy and garish, its colors are certainly vibrant. And who says a peacock has to be elegant and refined? Why not a sloppy and refined look?
However, since it’s the theme of noodles, then this side is... ?
Zhao Xiaojing's brain was working rapidly as she searched the crowd.
According to the order of tasting dishes, there will be only four people left. Their own dishes have been eaten, so the contestant who makes this dish will be one of the other three.
The green shirt used instant noodles, which is obviously not in this dish, so they're ruled out. That leaves one contestant with dried noodles and one who chose a particularly rich selection of ingredients. The competition is about noodles, and just now, from the edges of the cucumber and lemon slices, I saw that the food underneath is fried food, not noodles. So, the noodles for the noodle theme can only be...
Hidden in the tail of unknown ingredients!
And this tail that looks like a pot brush... a tail that looks like a pot brush?
Oh, it's noodles! Made by the noodle contestant!
Holmes Jing instantly spotted a contestant in the crowd who looked nervous, blushing slightly, and staring at the big screen awkwardly.
After getting the answer, Zhao Xiaojing was satisfied and also stared at the big screen.
On the big screen, after Da Zhuang used a serving chopstick to peel off a few cucumber feathers, the food in the peacock's stomach was finally revealed.
Zhao Xiaojing finally knew what those strange ingredients the noodle contestants used for.
It turned out to be a fried hodgepodge, with fried shrimp, fried eggplant boxes, and fried chicken nuggets. These ingredients were placed together in the same sloppy yet exquisite manner.
"This contestant is quite attentive. I was wondering why use lemon? It seems it is used to pair with fried foods. I like it this way. Squeeze lemon juice on it, and even the oiliest fried foods won't be greasy anymore." The technical judge next to Dazhuang said as he picked up the tasting paper cup and fork on the side.
"But our theme is noodles, right? Does the batter coating the fried food also count?" The ordinary judge next to him asked in a low voice.
"Who said that? This is fried noodle fans, how can it not be considered a noodle theme? I'll go first this time." The technical judge immediately used a fork to pick up a shrimp and chicken nuggets, then took out a slice of lemon from the peacock's back, squeezed it gently, and dripped the juice on it.
"This is made of dried noodles. It can be considered a decoration, but it is edible. Some restaurants used to display dishes in the past, but it is rarely used now. The contestant who made this dish must be a chef in the restaurant, but he definitely doesn't do the dish display himself on a normal day." Seeing that the ordinary judges didn't seem to understand, Da Zhuang explained while taking out a disposable glove and putting it on. He gently broke the peacock tail, separated a small piece and handed it to the judge.
The ordinary judge took it, put the fan into his mouth with some doubt, chewed it for a while, and then showed surprise, "Delicious! You really are a professional!"
"Delicious?" The judge who was eating fried shrimp with lemon juice looked puzzled and glanced at Da Zhuang. "Give me a piece."
Da Zhuang seemed a little surprised. He broke off a piece and handed it to another technical judge, then broke off another small piece and put it in his mouth. "They even seasoned it specially?"
After hearing this, the judges around him, some wearing gloves and some holding forks, all took action.
"What do you mean by 'actually'?" The first person who tasted the noodle fan looked at Dazhuang with a suspicious look.
"Ahem, this... means that this dish is delicious!" Da Zhuang paused and smiled brightly at the judge who asked the question.
"Haha, before, this was just for decoration. He only said it was edible, he didn't say it was delicious!" another technical judge ruthlessly exposed it. "Before, it just had a crispy texture. It's just fried noodles. It doesn't even have any flavor. How can it be delicious? But this contestant's fan is clearly carefully crafted. I thought all these fancy things on the outside were just for coloring and to make it look pretty, but I didn't expect it to be for flavoring. Not bad, not bad."
After this scientific explanation, the judges finally understood what was going on and their focus shifted to the noodles. Some even squeezed lemon juice to eat with the noodles, while the fried stew was rarely eaten.
Zhao Xiaojing originally thought that she had not learned enough, so she not only could not recognize this kind of thing, but had never heard of it before. Unexpectedly, few of the contestants in front of the screen knew about it. After listening to the judges' explanation, they all looked confused and discussed in a low voice.
“How come I’ve never heard of this dish?”
"I haven't heard of it either. I often go to mid-range and high-end restaurants. Even if it's not often made now, but the judge looks young. If he has eaten it, I should have eaten it too."
"Maybe it's not Jiangcheng's food?"
"How many restaurants in Jiangcheng have you seen that serve authentic Jiangcheng cuisine? Tell me, what kind of cuisine does Jiangcheng have? Aren't the eight major cuisines better than ours?"
"Well, that's because our Jiangcheng is all-encompassing. We eat the spicy Sichuan and Chongqing cuisine, the spiciness of Hunan cuisine, the sweetness of Jiangnan cuisine, and the freshness of Cantonese cuisine!"
"That's right! That's why we haven't eaten it. It has nothing to do with whether it's a Jiangcheng dish or not. I'm afraid it's probably not delicious, so it won't be widely spread!"
"No, no, no, Jiangcheng really has this dish. I remembered it!" A contestant in red who had been frowning and thinking silently while listening to everyone's discussion suddenly spoke.
"Huh? Where?"
"Is it the restaurant in the new Times Square in the new city area?"
"No! You will never guess it. I just felt that he looked familiar. I felt like I had seen him somewhere. Now I finally remembered! This judge has a really high EQ. I thought about the direction of the restaurant for a long time!" The contestant in red looked at Da Zhuang on the screen and shook his head.
"What do you mean, isn't it a restaurant?"
"No! Do you remember the Yucunsi Chef who was very popular in Jiangcheng two years ago? At that time, as soon as you opened the video software, you would see their advertisements. There were vegetables that changed color when poured with boiling water, had flowers and leaves falling off, big peach desserts that needed to be smashed open with a hammer, ice cream that would smoke, and desserts in the shape of a brush!" The contestant in red gestured anxiously with his hands.
"It seems to be the case..."
"Didn't it close down a long time ago?"
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