Everyone stared intently at Li Huan.
He poured the broth into the pot, prepared the tofu, and placed it beside the pot for later use.
Live loaches were thrown into the bucket.
Princess Jianning said, "Lord Li, hurry up and cook! What are you waiting for?"
Li Huan laughed and said, "It's still early. I'll start making this 'Loach Drilling into Tofu' dish after you've all voted for Elder Jin!"
Princess Jianning asked, "Is there enough time?"
Li Huan said, "Of course there's enough time. Cooking 'Loach Drilling into Tofu' doesn't take long, just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
Wei Xiaobao reminded him, "Voting doesn't take the time it takes to drink a cup of tea!"
Li Huan laughed and said, "After the voting, His Highness will have to talk with the contestants and ask them if they are willing to return the items, which will inevitably take a while longer."
"Hahaha..." Wu Sangui laughed loudly, "Lord Li is very shrewd in his calculations, he understands me very well, hahaha..."
Feng Xifan said, "Since Lord Li says so, let's first taste the dish of the last contestant in this round!"
Wu Sangui looked at Chen Jinnan: "Good, savor Elder Jin's masterpiece from the Mountain and Water Gang!"
Wu Yingxiong hurriedly announced, "Please welcome Elder Jin of the Mountain and Water Gang!"
Chen Jinnan, leaning on a cane in one hand and carrying a large plate in the other, walked to the front of the referee team with a stoop and placed the plate on the octagonal table.
On the plate was a miniature landscape made up of various ingredients.
The scene depicts a person standing in the snow, looking up at a plum blossom tree.
Princess Jianning exclaimed, "Enjoying plum blossoms in the snow!"
"Cough cough cough..." Chen Jinnan coughed a few times on purpose to match his old age, and then said with a smile, "Princess has a good eye. The name of the dish I cooked is - Appreciating Plum Blossoms in the Snow!"
Feng Xifan hurriedly asked, "How do we eat it?"
Chen Jinnan said, "Eat with your mouth."
The audience erupted in laughter.
Some people laughed as they walked toward the high platform, hoping to get a better look at Chen Jinnan's "Plum Blossom Appreciation in Snow".
Feng Xifan said, "I know how to eat with your mouth. What I'm asking is, which parts of this dish are edible?"
Chen Jinnan said, "I don't understand what Lord Feng means. These are dishes; you can just open your mouth and eat them. Why ask which ones are edible?"
Wu Yingqi laughed and said, "Teacher Feng thinks that the people and plum blossoms in this dish should be considered as embellishments, not as the main edible ingredients."
Feng Xifan nodded: "The young prince has read more books than I have, and his ability to express himself is better than mine!"
Holy crap, they're really seizing every opportunity to flatter me!
Chen Jinnan said, "I understand, everyone. Every ingredient in this 'Plum Blossom Appreciation in Snow' dish is edible!"
Wu Sangui laughed out loud: "Hehehe, the eight judges, tasting the little man and plum blossom tree in this dish, it's not even enough to fill their teeth."
Feng Xifan chimed in, "Your Highness is absolutely right; the portion of this dish is far too small."
Princess Jianning said, "Elder Jin, your figurines and plum blossom trees are indeed exquisite, but the portions are really too small. Haven't you considered this serious problem?"
Chen Jinnan said, "Of course I've considered it."
Wei Xiaobao said, "Since you've considered it, you should make the plum blossom tree bigger, and put eight little people under the tree so that the referees can all eat the little people."
Duolong hurriedly asked, "There are only six referees, why are there eight little figures?"
Wei Xiaobao said, "Make two more so I can eat more!"
Duolong grinned: "Yes, yes, Lord Wei has a big appetite, eat a few more little people!"
Chen Jinnan said, "Want to eat a few more little people? It's very simple!"
He returned to the stove and brought over another plate.
On the plate are a dozen or so small figures.
Chen Jinnan laughed and said, "If you like eating little people, there are still some here."
Wei Xiaobao asked in surprise, "Why didn't you put all these little figures under the plum blossom tree?"
Chen Jinnan said, "It's more artistic to stand alone in the snow and appreciate plum blossoms than to appreciate them with a group of people!"
"Excellent!" Wu Sangui exclaimed loudly. "Elder Jin is right! Appreciating plum blossoms in the snow must be done with a sense of atmosphere!"
Doron pointed to the little figure on the plate: "What's this made of?"
Chen Jinnan said, "Please, sir, guess."
Without hesitation, Duolong replied, "Radish."
Chen Jinnan shook his head: "You guessed wrong, it doesn't need to be carved from radishes."
Princess Jianning asked, "Could it be made of dough?"
Chen Jinnan said, "The princess guessed wrong too."
Wei Xiaobao said, "It's not made of minced meat, is it?"
Chen Jinnan said, "Lord Wei guessed wrong too. Young Prince, what's your guess?"
After a moment's thought, Wu Yingqi said, "I guess it's made from rice!"
Chen Jinnan said, "Even the young prince guessed wrong!"
Wu Sangui urged, "Elder Jin, stop playing riddles and reveal the answer quickly."
Chen Jinnan reached out and picked up a small figurine, squeezed it, and said with a smile, "Look, the little figurine is very elastic. Actually, it's made of rice cake!"
Everyone suddenly realized.
Chen Jinnan said, "There's still minced meat inside the little one's body!"
Wu Sangui exclaimed in surprise: "So it's stuffed!"
Chen Jinnan said, "Some of the little figures are filled with meat, some with red bean paste, and some with sesame and white sugar."
Wu Sangui laughed and said, "Wonderful, absolutely wonderful! Different fillings can satisfy different tastes."
Wei Xiaobao said, "Making little figures with rice cakes and various fillings is something I didn't expect. So, what ingredients are used to make plum blossom trees?"
Chen Jinnan said, "The plum blossom tree is made with brown sugar!"
"Brown sugar?" Wei Xiaobao asked curiously, "How can brown sugar be made into a plum blossom tree?"
Chen Jinnan said, "Put some lard in the pot, then add brown sugar, stir-fry repeatedly until it becomes syrup. While it's hot, shape the syrup into the shape of a plum blossom tree. After it cools down, it can stand upright on a plate."
Wei Xiaobao gave a thumbs up: "Amazing! Your cooking skills are amazing!"
Feng Xifan asked, "The plum blossom tree is made by boiling brown sugar, so what are the plum blossoms made of?"
Chen Jinnan said, "The plum blossoms on the tree are carved from the finest ham."
Wu Sangui nodded: "This 'Plum Blossom Appreciation in Snow' dish is very innovative and skillful, and deserves praise. However, we should not only look at the appearance of the dish, but also appreciate its taste!"
Princess Jianning said, "Your Highness is right, let's eat these little people quickly!"
Wei Xiaobao swallowed hard and chuckled, "I'm going to eat the plum tree and all the plum blossoms!"
"Wait a minute!" Wu Yingqi said, "I wonder what this snow-white dish is made of?"
Chen Jinnan said, "Your Highness asks a good question. Snow White is made with crucian carp meat and egg whites, and there is another ingredient under the snow."
Wu Yingqi asked, "What ingredients?"
Chen Jinnan said, "Flesh and skin jelly!"
"Oh?" Wu Yingqi's eyes lit up. "I love pork skin jelly the most!"
Princess Jianning said, "I also love to eat pork skin jelly!"
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