Four-color lobster
The first Guangdong Cooking Competition is a program jointly organized by the Guangdong Provincial Government and Guangzhou Television Station. It aims to promote Guangdong as a province with a rich food culture and let the general public see the strength of this province with a rich food culture.
Ma Xiuli sat upright, listening to Jian Jianan read out the precautions of the competition and the various honors.
Jian Jianan spoke seriously, using the voice he'd learned from TV hosts, reading out the words word for word: "...The first Guangdong Province Cooking Competition, to be held today, is a major event for Guangdong Province and even the whole country. Our province encourages the people to actively participate, show their talents and grace in the competition, and promote our province's diverse cuisine!"
Ma Xiuli was visibly more nervous. Her hands, hanging on both sides of her body, kept grabbing her clothes, as if she wanted to tear two holes in the edge of her skirt.
Jian Jianan continued, "...It's reported that this competition will be recorded in its entirety by Guangzhou Zhujiang Television and will be broadcast three days after the competition..."
After Jian Jianan finished reading, he closed the registration form and looked at Ma Xiuli with a smile: "What's wrong, Sister Xiuli? What are you nervous about?"
Ma Xiuli wiped the sweat from her hands and sighed involuntarily, "I've only been learning for a short time, and I'm already representing Jinhuiju in a competition! I'm always worried about getting eliminated in the first round and embarrassing everyone."
Jian Jianan comforted her: "Sister Xiuli, please don't say that anymore. You grew up next to the stove. You learned a lot from watching Grandpa Ma cook. Besides, you have been leading the Ma family troupe for a while now, and they have received rave reviews and have never failed. Don't underestimate yourself!" She said firmly. Ma Xiuli was so talented, in her opinion, she should be more confident!
Ma Xiuli smiled bitterly: "You like me, so of course you would say this to comfort me, but, but I don't believe in myself at all."
"Besides, this has to be recorded and broadcast. If I make a fool of myself on the court, it will be recorded and broadcast everywhere. Right now, the thought of this possibility makes my head spin and I wish I could crawl into a crack in the ground!"
Jian Jianan didn't try to comfort Ma Xiuli as he did before. Instead, he asked, "Sister Xiuli, what do you want to do? Do you want to withdraw from the competition and hand over the championship? Or do you want to beg for mercy from Lu Zude, marry him, and give him Master Ma's ancestral recipe?"
Ma Xiuli gritted her teeth and shook her head firmly: "No, no, no, I will never do that!"
Jian Jianan smiled and nodded, "Yes, that's right. I know you won't do this and don't want to do this, so this cooking competition is our last chance! Sister Xiuli, think about it, as long as you win, you can stand at the center of the Ma family class and become the head chef. No one will disobey you!"
Ma Xiuli was inspired by the grand blueprint described by Jian Jianan and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I will!"
Jian Jianan finally breathed a sigh of relief. That was good.
This is not only Ma Xiuli's last chance, but also her own chance.
If Jian Jianan wants to take over the family's Jinhuiju business, he must establish his authority within it. The best way to do this is to support people who belong to his own faction.
This was also one of the reasons why she came forward to help Ma Xiu Li and praised her highly.
Once Ma Xiuli gets the family recipe and becomes the next generation heir and leader of the Ma family, her influence will be great and she can also assist herself.
In addition, Su Qinxuan is no longer satisfied with the model of slowly opening one store at a time. Her mother wants to open other Jinhuiju Tea House chains in Guangdong Province at the same time, and open them in major cities across the province to make a name for themselves.
Is there any more influential publicity platform than the simultaneous broadcast by TV stations across the province?
By then, Ma Xiuli will win the championship and be recognized by Ma Zhiping, get the ancestral recipe, and at the same time promote Jinhuiju. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?
Even if it is not the last chance, it is a rare good opportunity. If you want to do this again in the future, it will be difficult.
Therefore, Ma Xiuli's battle is not only for herself, but also for the overall situation. She can only win and not lose.
In her opinion, the possibility of Ma Xiuli failing is very small. After all, she is talented in this area. Moreover, it is even more terrifying for a genius to work hard. Even Lu Zude, who shouts and complains about being tired and suffering after weighing the spatula twice, is definitely not as good as Ma Xiuli!
Jian Jianan believes in his own vision!
As long as Lu Zude doesn't play any tricks, and the two of them compete fairly, Ma Xiuli will definitely win in the end!
In this way, the encouraged Ma Xiuli gradually became more confident and began to prepare wholeheartedly for the cooking competition ten days later.
But her opponent, Lu Zude, was not in such a good mood.
Lu Zude was quite annoyed when he came here today, because the things that were originally set in stone were completely disrupted. He originally thought that if he asked his master Ma Zhiping to marry Ma Xiuli, wouldn't that be a perfect opportunity to get the recipe and the position of the leader of the Ma family?
Wouldn’t it be great then, to have the best of both worlds?
Although he didn't like Ma Xiu Li that much, Ma Zhiping was an elderly man after all. Sooner or later, there would be a day when he would be buried and he would no longer be able to look after Ma Xiu Li or give orders in the Ma Clan. Wouldn't that mean he could do whatever he wanted and act in a whirlwind manner without anyone bothering him?
Ma Xiuli is talented and gifted? When the time comes, she can use it for her own benefit, so he doesn't need to be jealous.
Maybe Jian Jianan and Su Qinxuan would have some small opinions, but he and Ma Xiuli have become a family, and these are family affairs, so they shouldn’t interfere too much, right?
It was a beautiful idea at first, and Ma Zhiping was very tempted by the plan he proposed, and was about to personally take action to bring the two people together.
But unexpectedly, Jian Jianan suddenly appeared and started a cooking competition with her.
With Su Qinxuan and so many people watching from the front, it was impossible not to join.
Isn't this a complete mess?!
Lü Zude knew his own strengths and weaknesses. If they were to actually compete, he would most likely be no match for Ma Xiuli. It would be helpful if he could use some tricks. However, the cooking competition was being recorded by Zhujiang TV and would be broadcast on television. If he wasn't careful and the truth was revealed, wouldn't his tricks be known to everyone?
That won’t work, no, absolutely not!
Nothing works, nothing works, and Lu Zude remained restless until a few days before the competition, which was in stark contrast to Ma Xiuli who was calm and focused on preparing the dishes for the competition.
As a result, when Lu Zude saw that Ma Xiuli was oblivious to what was happening outside, he became even more angry and annoyed, and even hated her.
I hate that Ma Xiuli doesn't stay at home to take care of her husband and children, but instead comes out to compete with men for various positions. Can't you see that I have condescended to marry her? Can't she be more sensible?
Secondly, she hated Ma Zhiping for not keeping his promise. She had clearly made an agreement with the master when she visited him that day, and he also agreed to her plan of killing two birds with one stone. However, after what Jian Jianan and Su Qinxuan said, he wavered again and agreed that the two of them could participate in the cooking competition at the same time. In the end, whoever won would inherit the Ma family troupe and also get the ancestral recipes. This made Ma Zhiping very angry.
Ma Xiuli was deeply hurt by her own frustrations, having given up on becoming a chef and content to be a food prep worker in the kitchen. But then, Jian Jianan, as if he had recognized Ma Xiuli's incredible culinary skills, immediately unearthed them. Su Qinxuan, too, listened to everything his daughter said. He had no doubt that if Jian Jianan ever claimed the Earth was square, Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping would applaud and praise their daughter's cleverness.
All these factors completely disrupted Lu Zude's plan, and his well-planned plan came to nothing. Naturally, Lu Zude was not convinced. He thought about how he had worked like a slave in the Ma family troupe for more than ten years, suffered so much and put in so much effort, but in the end he couldn't get any good at all, and was even forced to do things under a woman he had always looked down upon. Lu Zude felt chills all over his body just thinking about this scene, and he couldn't accept it.
No, he must think of some way, do something, to break this situation. At least, at least he must continue to maintain his position in Jinhuiju!
Lu Zude walked and soon he was almost near his home. He calmed himself down and wanted to take out the key to open the door, but he didn't expect that a voice from behind suddenly called him.
"Chef Lu, wait a minute, Chef Lu, please wait for me, I have something to tell you!"
Lu Zude was startled by the sudden shout. When he turned around, he saw that it was He Jiao who was shouting his name.
Could it be that he is here to poach people again?
He Jiao ran up to Lu Zude breathlessly and said with a smile, "Chef Lu, you're really hard to find. I've been looking for you for a long time but I can't find you. But that's normal. You're busy. You're a top chef at Jinhuiju, so it's normal to be busy."
Lu Zude was already in a bad mood, and was preoccupied with the provincial cooking competition. He didn't want to deal with He Jiao, so he said unhappily, "What are you doing here? If you have nothing to do, get out of here and don't get in the way."
He Jiao has been running a restaurant for many years and has experienced countless ups and downs. How could he take Lu Zude's rude words to heart? Upon hearing this, he immediately patted Lu Zude's shoulder, and the two of them acted like brothers. "Hey, hey, hey, Xiao Lu, don't be so quick to get angry. Let me have a good word with you."
Lu Zude was annoyed: "What do you want to say? If you have nothing to say, don't say anything. I might as well go to bed and sleep!" The name also changed a lot, from "Chef Lu" to "Little Lu." It was very unpleasant to hear.
He Jiao didn't want to be pretentious with Lu Zude and said immediately: "Brother, I know what you have been worried about recently. Didn't I rush over as soon as I received the news? Don't worry, I am here to give you advice, you will be fine!"
Lu Zude was furious. What? Was the news that he was going to compete with Ma Xiuli already known to everyone? How come everyone knew about it? And this He Jiao, was he here specifically to point out this and mock him?
He Jiao immediately followed up, "Xiao Lu, I know your cooking skills. To be honest, I've also eaten at Jinhuiju, otherwise I wouldn't have known that your cooking skills are first-class. I admire you very much. How about this, you come to my restaurant, I promise you will do great things and open up a new world!"
Lu Zude was confused. Could this be someone trying to poach his employees?
Although Lu Zude was self-aware and knew that he was a mean person and not a good person, and was conceited and self-willed, he was also a man of principles.
His principle is not to betray the Ma family. After all, it was his master Ma Zhiping who helped him get started single-handedly. It can be said that without Ma Zhiping, there would be no Lu Zude.
If he accepted He Jiao's invitation, wouldn't that be a blatant betrayal of the Ma family and his master?
In the Ma family, everyone is loyal and righteous, we are all brothers and will never betray each other!
Seeing Lu Zude's resistance to him, He Jiao almost couldn't maintain the smile on his face, but a second before Lu Zude closed the door, He Jiao quickly stuffed his business card in.
"Chef! Chef! Don't be so decisive. Leave some room for each other so we can meet again in the future. This is my business card, take it. It's not expensive anyway. If you change your mind later, come find me anytime. I'm always here!"
Lu Zude looked at the business card held between He Jiao's fingers as he reached in through the crack of the door, and remained silent for a long time, as if he was having some ideological struggle.
A few minutes later, he took it as if possessed.
It’s nothing, isn’t it? He just accepted it, and he didn’t mean to contact me! Thinking of this, Lu Zude gradually calmed down.
There was a door separating them, so Lu Zude missed the smile on He Jiao's face.
If there is one, there will be two. Lu Zude can't resist it.
Lu Zude quickly put this matter behind him and prepared for the competition wholeheartedly. He seemed to be competing with Lu Xiuli. They stayed in their respective preparation and practice rooms and did not leave until very late. He would not turn off the lights until Lu Xiuli turned off the lights.
And so, ten days later, the day of the first Guangdong Provincial Cooking Competition arrived.
Early in the morning the day before the competition, Jian Jianan, his family, and several invited friends traveled all the way from Shenzhen to Guangzhou, the venue of the cooking competition.
This city is the capital of Guangdong Province. It is also a large developing city with a long history, a rich food scene and a vibrant economy.
This was also Jian Jianan's first time in Guangzhou. She stared at the surrounding scenery, as if she wanted to remember the prosperity of the roadside deeply in her mind.
There were many pedestrians on the road, which was wide, long and straight. Every small shop on the street was crowded with people. As I walked, a strange aroma of beef offal wafted out.
It really deserves to be called a city of food!
Jian Jianan kept praising in his heart.
Everyone eats this kind of delicious food every day, no wonder she is so picky. If she were in Yi's shoes, she would also be very picky!
But then, Jian Jianan became even more anxious. She was worried about Ma Xiuli. What if there were so many good things and the food made by her sister Xiuli was not popular? You know, the judges of the first Guangdong Cooking Competition were all tasteful gourmets in the province. She was really worried about her sister Xiuli!
But Jian Jianan had no other way to solve this problem. After getting off the car, she and Ma Xiuli went to two different destinations. The contestants stayed in separate hotels, while Jian Jianan went to another hotel with her parents and a group of friends.
The two of them had never even met each other, so she had no idea what to do. She could only hope that Ma Xiuli had practiced cooking for so many days, so she would be able to do it!
Jian Yangping, Su Qinxuan, Yang Tao and several hotel employees were walking in front, followed by four children. Shan Jiqing and Jian Jianan were walking in one row, and Duan Duan and Lin Chuan were walking in the last row.
The two of them were invited by Jian Yangping and Su Qinxuan to accompany Jian Jianan. The parents also agreed. It happened to be winter vacation and both parents of the two children were working and had no free time to take care of the children. Since Jian Jianan invited them, they simply let the children come along.
Anyway, Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping are both influential figures in the school, and their parents believe that this family will not sell Lin Chuan and Duan Duan. When it comes to raising children, it doesn't matter if they are a little rough.
As they walked, Duan Duan excitedly expressed his thoughts to Jian Jianan, "Oh my god, this place is so nice. I've never been here before. Thank you so much, Nan Nan. If you hadn't invited me, I definitely wouldn't have come."
She turned her head as she walked, looking around the hotel's interior. The four big words "Donghu Hotel" were shining with gold. This big sign could be seen at a glance even from dozens of meters away.
After entering the hotel lobby, Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping went to check in the children.
Then, Jian Jianan took the room arrangement and paragraphs and went into his own room.
As soon as Jian Jianan entered the room, he threw himself up, "I'm so tired!"
"It's so comfortable here! The bed is so soft!" Unlike the tired Jian Jianan, Duan Duan was excited and full of energy. He threw himself onto the bed and kept jumping up and down as if he was using the bed as a trampoline.
She saw Jian Jianan with a blank expression on his face, as if he was thinking about something, so she went over and asked with concern: "Nannan, what are you worried about?"
Before Jian Jianan could answer, Duan Duan immediately comforted him, "Are you worried that Sister Xiu Li won't be able to get first place? Or is it something else?"
Duan Duan patted Jian Jianan's shoulder and said, "Don't worry. Sister Xiuli has been practicing for so many years and is a disciple of the Ma family. Didn't you tell me that you once overheard Grandpa Ma Zhiping sigh and say, 'It would be great if Ma Xiuli was a boy?' Doesn't this just prove that Sister Xiuli is so talented that it has even changed Grandpa Ma's attitude?"
Jian Jianan could naturally feel his friend's comfort. "I know. I know everything you said. If nothing interfered with Sister Xiuli, she would have likely won and won first place. But this is where things go wrong. I can't help but think of some distractions. If something goes wrong on the road to first place, it will be bad."
Jian Jianan did what he said. After resting for a while, he immediately went to his parents' room to remind them.
"Mom, Dad, Sister Xiaotao!" Yang Tao was also discussing something with her parents in the room. Jian Yangping and his wife booked a suite, and they used the public living room as a temporary reception room, or you could call it a temporary conference room.
After Jian Jianan finished greeting, he immediately expressed his concerns: "We purchased all our ingredients on our own initiative after registering. The cooking competition committee is not involved in providing raw materials. I am always worried that something might go wrong with the raw materials."
It is said that a good cook cannot cook without rice. There is a lot of truth in this. Ma Xiuli is an excellent cook, but if she doesn’t even have the ingredients, how can she cook? How can she let others see her superb cooking skills? This is all just illusions and castles in the air!
Yang Tao didn't take it seriously. She knew that Jian Jianan was a smart kid, but the first Guangdong National Cooking Competition was a rare event. There were so many people watching and everyone's eyes were fixed on it. Who could do anything tricky in front of so many people?
Yang Tao smiled and said, "Nannan, I know you're nervous, but your worries are actually unfounded. You have to believe that the competition committee invited us, and they must have made every possible preparation. The raw materials are well kept, so there's no need to worry about anything getting lost."
Jian Jianan frowned, "If you rely on mountains, they will fall, and if you rely on people, they will leave, but if you rely on yourself, nothing will happen."
It's not that Jian Jianan doesn't believe in the committee's thorough preparations, but she thinks there's nothing wrong with being cautious in everything, and it's more reassuring to act carefully and make second-hand preparations.
Jian Jianan asked back, "That's not what I meant. Dad, Mom, and Sister Xiaotao, do you remember the Lion Head Goose incident on the New Year's Day opening of the Nanbei Restaurant? We could say we completely trusted the Liu family, but then they maliciously withheld the raw materials. If we hadn't thought of other solutions, not to mention the three-day New Year's Day holiday, the entire Nanbei Restaurant would not have been able to withstand this blow!"
This incident left the three adults in front of him with lingering fears. Jian Jianan was right, they needed to prepare well.
Su Qinxuan winked at Yang Tao and said, "Xiao Tao, go check the ingredients and verify with the competition committee. Be nicer in your tone and attitude. After all, we're just checking and haven't determined whether they will do this. It would be best if nothing goes wrong. If something does go wrong, we can prepare a solution in advance."
Yang Tao always followed orders, so when she heard this, she nodded and said, "Okay, Sister Qin, I'll do it now."
Su Qinxuan turned to face her husband and said, "Old Jian, I'll leave the preparation of the raw materials to you. After all, you have a discerning eye and are the best at selecting goods."
Jian Yangping accepted his wife's praise very complimentedly, "No problem, leave it all to me!"
He had worked in the Nanbei Restaurant for several years, and had transformed from a man who could only help his wife boil water and light the stove to one who could pick out the most precious and excellent ingredients from all kinds of dry and wet goods. Moreover, Guangzhou was close to the sea and had rich resources, so it was not difficult for him to find alternative ingredients.
Jian Jianan gradually felt relieved after watching his mother listen to his words, accept his opinions, and then issue a series of decisive orders.
Su Qinxuan waved to her, and then Jian Jianan went into her mother's arms like a spoiled child.
"Okay, okay, I've finished everything for you. I think our Nan Nan doesn't have anything to worry about now."
Su Qinxuan patted Jian Jianan's shoulder lovingly. This was a warm moment that belonged only to them, mother and daughter.
"Yeah!" Jian Jianan nodded solemnly, then looked up at his mother.
Su Qinxuan found it funny, tapped her nose, and asked him, "Nannan, you've been involved in our business many times since you started junior high school. What do you think of it? Do you like it or hate it?"
Her son Jian Jiabei is so annoying that he always tries to escape from the family business. But her daughter likes him very much. She has liked him since the beginning when the family started setting up a stall. But she doesn't know how long this liking can last. Can she persist until now?
Jian Jianan chuckled, "I quite like it. I don't find it hard at all. Whenever I have some free time, I can't help but think about what loopholes there are in our family business, what I can do to remedy them, or what loopholes can be plugged in advance. Every time I come up with an idea, I feel a little more accomplished. So, mom, you don't have to worry about me being tired or hard-working. I enjoy it!"
Even if Jian Jianan didn't really enjoy it, Su Qinxuan could tell that her daughter was truly enjoying it.
He just patted her shoulder and said nothing more.
She looked at her little daughter with tenderness in her eyes. She knew how much hardship a woman had to go through to get to where she is now. Su Qinxuan was the one who understood this the most.
Now, she wants to clear the obstacles ahead for her daughter and build a smooth road to success for her.
She believed that her daughter, who was already very talented, would be able to achieve great things in the future and give herself and her lover a big surprise!
"Okay, okay, it's time for you to go to bed now. Mom still has some things to do. When your dad comes back from buying ingredients, we will both go to bed."
"Okay, goodnight, Mom!"
Jian Jianan said goodbye to his mother contentedly, skipped through the corridor and returned to his room. Duanduan had already been sleeping soundly on the bed. When he heard Jian Jianan come in, he just raised his head and said vaguely, "Nannan, you are finally back." Then he tilted his head and continued to fall into sweet dreams.
Jian Jianan quickly washed up and lay back on his bed. He covered himself with the quilt, closed his eyes, and began to look forward to the official competition the next day.
On the day of the competition, Jian Jianan opened his eyes on his own initiative at the urging of his biological clock before Yang Tao came to knock on the door. When Duan Duan got up with a dizzy head waiting for his brain to start up, Jian Jianan was already fully armed and ready to go out.
The paragraph was anxious. Oh my God, her deskmate was not only a business genius, but also a time freak. He always arranged his schedule in an orderly manner and executed it perfectly.
Jian Jianan watched the paragraph as if it was played at double speed, and found it very funny: "Luoluo, I was a little excited today, so I got up a little early. Just prepare as usual. I'll calm down first. It's okay!"
I was very moved by these words. Her deskmate is not only a time monster but also so considerate. If Boss Jian doesn't succeed, who will?
The two of them packed up and followed the group to have breakfast, and then headed towards the competition venue.
Zhujiang TV set up a shed in the TV venue, which was equipped with all kinds of kitchen utensils and other equipment. The only difference from the kitchen where Ma Xiuli often stayed before was that there was a large camera in the middle, and its presence could not be ignored.
Ma Xiuli knew that this was what she would face later.
Ma Xiuli stood among the contestants with her head down, not attracting any attention at all. She was thinking about something when suddenly, she heard a clear and tender voice coming from the front.
"Sister Xiuli! Come on!"
The official competition has not started yet and the cameras are not recording, so the staff did not prohibit people from making noises.
Ma Xiuli was very moved when she heard Jian Jianan's encouragement. She was about to go over and say something to her when something strange happened.
It was the staff responsible for keeping the contestants' stones that were making all kinds of noise and shouting.
One staff member exclaimed in shock: "What's going on? They were all fine when I saw them yesterday when I got off work. How come they are all dead today?"
Another staff member went to the front and saw two lobsters lying in the cardboard box in front of him. Although there was still water, they were sunk to the bottom and motionless. Even when he used his hands to pry off their lobster tentacles, there was no reaction. It was obvious that they were dead.
This won't work. All the ingredients for this competition are kept by the staff. As for seafood, which is delicate and difficult to preserve, they are all kept in water tanks and oxygen is provided to ensure their survival.
Looking at this situation, an experienced staff member speculated that the lobster's death was probably caused by someone cutting off the oxygen supply tube at some point last night.
But even if they knew the truth, they would not admit it. They immediately started to blame each other, and some even blamed Jinhuiju.
"What kind of lobster did you buy? It's so delicate and not fresh at all. It's dead before it even had a day to live!"
Ma Xiuli vaguely caught the word "lobster" from their shouts and conversations, and she felt that something was wrong.
Because the ingredients she was going to make today were related to lobster, and it was called Four-Color Lobster. It was a dish she and her father came up with, and it had always been their Ma family's specialty.
Four-color lobster, as the name suggests, its preparation is naturally related to lobster, and lobster is one of the particularly important ingredients. Without lobster, this dish will definitely not be made.
Ma Xiuli was suddenly in despair. She thought on the bright side that the lobster was dead, but its meat could still be used for cooking. This was the only way as a last resort.
However, the taste of dead lobster meat and fresh lobster meat are completely different, one is as different as heaven and earth. Any experienced foodie can taste the difference, and these experienced judges can taste it even better. This is God's will to kill me!
She had prepared so much for so long, with so much care and so much hardship, but in the end she failed because of a small ingredient. The more Ma Xiuli thought about it, the more hopeless she felt. She felt that this was God's punishment for her not doing her duty and trying to seize the position of heir to the Ma family.
Lu Zude, who represented Jinhuiju in the competition like Ma Xiuli, also noticed this farce. He lowered his head and hid it in his hat, so others could not see his expression at all.
The competition room where Lu Zude lived happened to be at the beginning of the corridor, and the room was not soundproofed well, which meant that he was always the first person to know if someone passed by.
Therefore, when Lu Zude was resting in the room yesterday afternoon, he vaguely heard some noise outside the room.
It seemed like someone was saying something like, "Raw materials: lobster or something."
Lu Zude had experienced many storms and waves, so he connected the two cases immediately after hearing this. It sounded like someone wanted to cut off the power to kill the lobsters and various seafood ingredients.
Lu Zude originally wanted to step forward to stop it, but then he changed his mind and realized that the dish he was going to prepare had nothing to do with seafood. He was preparing a dish called "Baked Chicken with Bean Paste", which did not require seafood at all.
For some unknown reason, he thought of Ma Xiu Li again. The name of the dish she reported was exactly four-color lobster.
He Jiao's promise to himself, "I will definitely help you win the championship!" came to his ears again.
So Lu Zude gritted his teeth, lay back on his bed, covered himself with the quilt and went to sleep.
His face is now full of pride. Anyone with a discerning eye can see it and will be touched by the various emotions on his face. Therefore, in order to conceal the pride on his face, Lu Zude has to hide his head so that others cannot see his expression.
Just when Ma Xiuli was completely desperate, Jian Jianan, who was not looking, had a relaxed look on his face and raised his hand very generously.
"Here, there are new ones prepared!"
In an instant, everyone on the field had different expressions.
He Jiao and Lu Zude couldn't control their facial expressions for a moment and looked over at the same time.
The lobster is dead. According to common sense, the raw material is gone. Ma Xiuli is the only contestant in the whole venue who uses lobster as raw material. Ma Xiuli is bound to be eliminated. Not to mention getting a good ranking in the preliminary round, she can't even enter the finals.
But the people at Jinhuiju were well prepared. Yesterday, at the suggestion of his daughter, Jian Yangping immediately left the hotel and went to the largest floating market in Guangzhou at that time. It was the center of trade and almost everything could be bought there, naturally including lobsters.
Jian Jianan winked at Ma Xiuli, signaling her not to be nervous, "We have new ones, let's change them now!"
Then Jian Yangping and Su Qinxuan immediately stepped forward to negotiate and handed over the second batch of lobsters they brought.
All the tension in Ma Xiuli's body calmed down when she touched the spare lobster. She seemed to have returned to the first time she cooked.
She was very young at that time, only about seven or eight years old. There was no one to guide her. She was just hungry and her parents were not back, so she had to learn to cook for the first time in her life.
Ma Xiuli clearly remembers her first cooking experience.
First, wash the rice roughly, then add water into a large pot and turn up the heat.
Then wash, cut and cook the vegetables.
Maybe she was really gifted. It was her first time cooking, and even though her parents were not watching, she still managed to cook successfully. Add some stir-fried sweet potato leaves, and a simple lunch was ready.
She still remembers that when her parents came back, they were very surprised to see that a little girl like her had prepared lunch and was waiting for them. They kept praising her for being sensible and well-behaved and knowing how to share the burden of the family.
When Ma Xiuli thought of this, she couldn't help but have other questions in her mind. Since when did the adults' praise disappear and turn into all kinds of abuse and obstruction? And she, the kitchen is obviously her favorite place, why would she not want to set foot there because of a few sarcastic words from others?
Perhaps everyone goes through this stage, but now, she has struggled out of her confusion, woke up, and wants to seek a new way of life.
Ma Xiuli raised her head and glanced at the audience. Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping were nervous, but Jian Jianan's eyes were full of encouragement. When she saw Ma Xiuli saw her, she even stretched out her hands to cheer her up. There were many more people, Yang Tao, Ye Cang, Zhang Dezheng...
Many colleagues, familiar or unfamiliar, were cheering her on. Why shouldn't Ma Xiuli continue to work hard?
The next second, the game timer started, Ma Xiuli lowered her head and concentrated on preparing.
Four-color lobster is the dish she is going to make today.
She had many reasons for carefully selecting the four-color lobster dish for this competition.
First of all, this is a show-off dish.
Nowadays, lobster is still a precious food that is not available to ordinary people. Even the North-South Hotel does not serve lobster every day.
Knowing about lobsters is already a threshold that excludes most chefs, and how to deal with them is even more complicated, but these are not difficult for Ma Xiu Li.
She used bamboo sticks to process the lobster quickly and accurately. Ma Xiu Li took out the whole lobster meat from the abdomen, cut it into appropriate sizes and placed it on a plate for preparation.
Next is to deal with other side dishes. As the name suggests, lobster is the main ingredient of the four-color lobster, but there are other side dishes that complement the lobster.
Ma Xiuli first fries the cashew nuts and blanches the broccoli, then arranges them in a circle on the fruit plate.
The lobster head and tail that had just been cut off could not be thrown away. Ma Xiuli blanched these two parts and placed them one after another on the plate. At this point, a complete lobster already had a head and a tail, and only the middle part was left.
But the middle part is the most difficult and exciting part.
The lobster meat that had just been cut and set aside is now put to use. Ma Xiuli heats oil in a pan, takes out the lobster meat after frying it, and pours in a little cooking wine. The main ingredients are now ready.
Although Ma Xiuli's movements are simple, how to handle lobster meat is a special test of a chef's skills. If the heat is too high, the lobster meat will be tough, and if the heat is not enough, the lobster meat will not be cooked. Only by mastering the oil temperature can one accurately prepare the most tender and delicious lobster meat.
Ma Xiuli then used various soups, seasonings and starches to make a sauce, apricot-colored cashew kernels, yellow bamboo shoots, green celery, and white lobster meat, and poured these four things into the circle just formed by broccoli, and the job was done.
The four-color lobsters are bright and elegant in color. When put together to form the body of a lobster, they look really beautiful.
"Game completed!"
At the moment when the time returned to zero, the staff shouted four words, and Ma Xiuli also abided by the rules of the game and put down the equipment in her hands without moving any more.
Next is the time for the judges to evaluate. The evaluations of the judges will directly determine whether Ma Xiuli can pass the preliminary round and successfully participate in the finals.
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