Chapter 217 The battle of cooking is not over yet.
Chen Mo had no choice but to bite the bullet and start. He first poured the batter into the bowl containing the meat chunks, mixed it haphazardly, and then put the chunks into the boiling oil pot one by one.
Oil splattered everywhere, and he couldn't dodge in time. Several red marks were burned on the back of his hand, but he didn't dare to stop. He could only grit his teeth and continue to fry.
Chen Chen's side didn't go much better. Although the filling with added water could be formed into a ball, it was soft and mushy, and it was fried in oil.
The outer crust quickly burned, but the filling inside was not fully cooked and gave off a strange pickled vegetable smell.
Meanwhile, on Su Yingxue's side, steam slowly rose, and the fresh aroma of steamed sea bass filled the air. The sweet and fresh taste of the fish instantly wafted through the air.
Su Yingxue poured a spoonful of hot soy sauce over the steamed sea bass and sprinkled it with chopped green onions. The fish was tender and juicy, with a natural sweetness from the sea.
Another dish is a steamed mixed grain vegetable dish with yam, lotus root and mushrooms. It is soft and refreshing. The crispness of the yam and lotus root is mixed with the sweetness of the red dates. It has a sweet aftertaste and looks very fresh and delicious.
Finally, Su Yingxue stewed a pot of mushroom and tofu soup in a clay pot, which was so delicious that it made your eyebrows fall off. Every bite allowed you to taste the most authentic flavor of the ingredients. The whole process was oil-free but the aroma was irresistible, and even the staff next to her couldn't help but take a second look.
The judges glanced at the dishes, seemingly discussing the creations of Su Yingxue's group. They looked pretty good.
Looking at the finished product in the pot, Shen Yu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She turned to Su Yingxue and said, "Sister Su, thank goodness you're here. Otherwise, without oil, I would have panicked. We would definitely be at a loss for what to do now."
Lin Qiao was still wiping the table, watching as the group worked together to prepare the dishes. Not bad. Her usually irritable face immediately softened considerably.
Xia Paopao quickly set up the kitchen utensils, watching Zhu Lili's group across from her still frantically working. She stuck out her tongue at them and made a face.
"I knew it! Our team was going to win! Hehehe!"
Su Yingxue smiled, her gaze falling on the busy figures of Zhu Lili's group, a hint of indifference flashing in her eyes: "Advantages gained through trickery are never sustainable, and true strength never needs to be built up with ingredients."
Looking at Su Yingxue's group's relaxed and composed demeanor, and then looking down at her own pot of dark, strangely-tasting fried pork and burnt eggplant slices, Zhu Lili felt both angry and anxious.
"How did it get like this? What are we going to do?"
Chen Chen and Chen Mo stood aside, their faces full of frustration. They could barely hold onto their tools. The mistakes they made in the chaos just now made the already salt-deficient dish even worse.
They never expected that after Zhu Lili and her gang went to great lengths to steal all the cooking oil, they would ultimately be defeated by a small bag of salt, and that Su Yingxue would actually be able to steadily escape the predicament with oil-free dishes.
"Stop! All of you, stop!"
Chef Wang stared at the failed fried pork and eggplant fritters in the pot, then roared, his face turning a frighteningly pale, "Serving up something like this is just asking to be scolded to death by the judges! Throw it all away and start over!"
Zhu Lili trembled at his shout, but knew this wasn't the time to argue, so she quickly nodded: "Yes, redo it! Chef Wang, you need to think of something quickly, time is running out!"
Chen Chen and Chen Mo snapped out of their daze and quickly scooped the failed dish out of the pot and dumped it into the trash can. They hurriedly cleaned up the cutting board, not even bothering to rub the burns on the backs of their hands.
Chef Wang took a deep breath to suppress his anger and quickly adjusted the plan: "Use the fermented soybean paste sparingly, but use all the pickled vegetables and fermented black beans. Only make three dishes—braised pork ribs, crispy fried pork, and steamed pork ribs with fermented black beans. Focus on getting them done quickly!"
He quickly assigned tasks, and the three of them immediately got to work. Chen Chen cut the meat and blanched it, Chen Mo ground the fermented black beans and prepared the steaming ingredients, and Zhu Lili stared at the stew pot. The only sound in the entire work area was the rapid clanging of kitchen utensils.
Su Yingxue's team has successfully completed three dishes.
The steamed sea bass was bright in color, the steamed mixed grains were fragrant, and the mushroom and tofu soup was bursting with freshness. The three of them were calmly arranging the dishes, their movements elegant and meticulous.
Su Yingxue also selected some flowers from the flowers arranged by the organizing committee to plate the dishes, trying to make them look more beautiful and harmonious.
Shen Yu also went to help, making the originally ordinary dishes more outstanding.
The atmosphere in Zhu Lili's group was already extremely tense. The countdown from the production team sounded one after another, from ten minutes to five minutes, and then to the last minute. Each countdown sounded like a death knell.
"One minute left! The competition is about to end! All contestants, please get ready!"
The three of them were busy controlling the heat and plating the food. Just as the staff shouted "Time's up," Chef Wang finally placed the last plate of crispy fried pork steadily on the tray, his fingertips showing white marks from the excessive force.
Zhu Lili slumped into a chair, panting heavily. Chen Chen and Chen Mo were also completely exhausted. Looking at the dishes on the tray, a glimmer of relief flashed in their eyes.
Su Yingxue glanced at Zhu Lili's group briefly, then looked away and, together with her teammates, pushed the tray towards the judges' table with composure.
This battle between oil-free and salt-free ingredients has finally reached its final judging moment.
In front of the judges' panel, the two groups presented their works in turn. Su Yingxue asked Shen Yu to be the guide.
Shen Yu stepped forward first and introduced in a clear and calm voice: "Distinguished judges, all three dishes in our group are based on the core principle of 'oil-free and fresh'."
The first dish is steamed sea bass. Ginger and cooking wine are used to remove the fishy smell. After steaming, a little light soy sauce is drizzled on top to preserve the fresh and tender original flavor of the fish to the greatest extent.
The second dish is Steamed Three Delicacies with Mixed Grains, which combines yam and lotus root with mushrooms, and is naturally sweetened with red dates and goji berries, resulting in a soft, glutinous and refreshing taste.
The third dish, mushroom and tofu soup, was simmered in a clay pot for two hours. The broth was made from the natural flavors of the ingredients, resulting in a light yet flavorful soup that truly brought out the essence of the food.
As soon as she finished speaking, the judges were already drawn in by the aroma of the dishes. Huang Yifei looked at the bright red sea bass on the plate, tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, and her eyes were full of approval.
Immediately afterwards, Zhu Lili stepped forward, trying to remain calm, but her tone betrayed her nervousness: "Our group brought three main dishes. The first is braised pork ribs, seasoned with fermented bean paste and oyster sauce, slow-cooked until flavorful, with a rich sauce."
The second dish of golden fried pork was cooked to perfection, with a crispy exterior and tender interior.
The third dish is steamed spare ribs with fermented black beans. The fermented black beans are mixed with oyster sauce for added umami, and steaming locks in the flavor, resulting in a tender texture.
Chef Wang stood to the side, his palms slightly sweaty, his eyes fixed on the judges' expressions. He knew that the lack of salt could be compensated for entirely by seasoning, and whether he passed the test depended entirely on the judges' taste evaluation.
Chen Chen and Chen Mo clenched their fists, nervously awaiting the final result. This duel, sparked by ingredients, would ultimately be decided by taste.
How did this cooking competition turn out? We eagerly await the judges' feedback.
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