The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 198 Zhao Qian's Second Food Spirit
"You guys, don't get so close, be careful not to accidentally hurt each other."

Inside the kitchen, Qin Lang wielded his knife with lightning speed, carving on the surface of an orange, speaking without even looking up.

Zhao Qian and the other two, who had almost pressed their heads against Qin Lang's knife, were startled and quickly pulled their heads back.

"There's nothing I can do, your carving is so detailed, you can't see it at all unless you look closely," Cao Dongdong couldn't help but complain.

"Haven't I already carved a few?" With the final cut, Qin Lang put down the orange with its exquisitely carved surface.

Beside him were several already carved oranges.

"Who told you to carve different patterns on every orange?" Zhao Qian couldn't help but mutter under her breath.

Her words were also agreed upon by Cao Dongdong and Yu Zaozao.

"But... the orange carving is finished, is it time to officially begin?" Yu Zaozao swallowed expectantly.

Having just enjoyed a combination of grapes and crab, what will it taste like to try a combination of oranges and crab?
Ah~ I can't wait!

"Almost." Qin Lang stretched, then removed the top of the orange, scooped out the pulp, and placed it in a small bowl, leaving only a small amount of juice in the small urn formed by the orange peel. He then put the orange top back into the orange urn, which was carved with exquisite patterns, and placed it back on the table.

After carving all the oranges into orange jars in the same way, Qin Lang walked to the steamer next to him.

The steamer lid was opened, revealing a bright red crab with its shell and claws already cooked inside.

As the rising steam filled the air, a rich aroma of crab instantly filled the kitchen.

Smelling the fresh, non-fishy aroma of crab, Qin Lang nodded slightly.

Meanwhile, everyone around and the food spirits swallowed hard, their eyes fixed on Qin Lang's hand, eager to see what he would do next.

Even under the watchful eyes of everyone, Qin Lang remained calm and composed. He calmly put on a pair of heat-resistant gloves, then quickly took a crab out of the steamer with one hand and took out scissors with the other.

There are eight tools for dismantling crabs, but that's just to make the crab-eating process elegant. For a skilled chef, a pair of scissors is enough.

Skillfully cut off the crab legs and claws, take out the crab meat and put it in a small bowl, put the remaining crab shell in another plate, and then open the crab shell to pick out the crab roe and crab meat.

Before long, all the crabs in the steamer were dismantled.

A bowl overflowing with crab roe and crab meat made the crowd watching the crab being dismantled with great interest swallow hard once again.

Wouldn't it be amazing to go up there and take a big gulp?

However, seeing the scissors in Qin Lang's hand gleaming coldly under the light, everyone forcibly suppressed this dangerous thought.

Heat oil in a wok until it reaches 60% of its maximum temperature. Cut scallions into sections and ginger into slices, then add them to the hot oil and fry until they turn slightly yellow. Remove them from the oil.

Next, reduce the heat to low and pour in the crab shells left over from removing the crab.

As the hot oil came into contact with the crab shell, the oil in the pot gradually turned a reddish hue as it churned.

At the same time, the aroma of oil seemed to be infused with an incredibly delicious crab flavor.

Once the hot oil in the pot has completely turned into a clear orange-red color, the crab oil is ready.

After carefully draining the oil from the steaming, fragrant crab shells and setting them aside, Qin Lang added the crab roe and crab meat and began to stir-fry the crab meat.

A truly perfect crab meat dish requires both crab roe and crab paste, but Zhao Qian only bought female crabs, so Qin Lang can only make do for now.

Unlike regular crab meat, he also needs to add the orange pulp that was previously scooped out during the stir-frying process.

Once the stir-frying was finished, the rich aroma of crab and the sweet scent of orange filled the entire kitchen. The crab meat was then filled into the prepared orange jar.

Rice wine, rice vinegar, and water are poured into the bottom of a steamer, and the orange jar is placed inside. The twenty-minute wait passes quickly amidst the aroma of oranges wafting from the steamer.

Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, Qin Lang slowly opened the steamer.

Along with the billowing hot air came a strange, intensely rich aroma.

The rich flavor of crab roe blends perfectly with the lightness of crab meat, complemented by the fresh aroma of orange and the unique fragrance of rice vinegar and rice wine, creating an intoxicating experience.

Once the steam dissipates, the bright orange crab-stuffed oranges inside the exquisitely carved orange jars gleam with an alluring luster.

After admiring the final product for a moment, Cao Dongdong couldn't help but speak up, "Now we can eat it, right?"

"Eat up," Qin Lang said, handing over a small spoon with a wry smile.

"Yay!" Cao Dongdong rushed forward excitedly, without even taking the crab-stuffed oranges out of the steamer, he spotted one, opened the lid and scooped out a spoonful.

"Ow~"

Cao Dongdong put a spoonful of crab-stuffed orange into his mouth, hissing and panting, clearly burned. But even so, he didn't spit it out. After the crab-stuffed orange cooled down, he savored its flavor, waving his thumb at Qin Lang and mumbling incoherently.

Seeing this, Zhao Qian and Yu Zaozao couldn't help but step forward and carefully lift an orange jar from the steamer.

Zhao Qian had quite a few Leaping Lake Crabs left, so Qin Lang made enough for the Spirit Food as well. Seeing the Spirit Food looking on eagerly, he smiled and brought out orange jars for them, keeping the last one for himself.

Take a bite of crab-stuffed orange, and the rich umami flavor of crab roe intertwines with the light orange pulp, creating a complex and vibrant taste that makes your tongue dance with delight.

After taking a bite, Qin Lang nodded slightly, "Without crab roe, it's still a bit lacking."

Many people prefer crab roe to crab paste. However, crab paste is stickier and has a smoother texture, while crab roe is sweeter and has a texture similar to egg yolk. The two complement each other perfectly, and when combined, they give crab meat a richer flavor.

After finishing all the crab-stuffed oranges in the orange jar, Qin Lang's eyes couldn't help but show a hint of anticipation.

Thanks to the exceptionally high quality of the ingredients, this imperfect crab-stuffed orange is already far superior to any crab-stuffed orange I've ever tasted in my past life.

He couldn't wait for the semi-finals three days later.
-
"Dangdangdang——"

Three days later, on the morning of the third day, as Qin Lang and his two companions gathered to head to the arena for the semi-finals, Zhao Qian excitedly summoned a brand-new Food Spirit from the Tianxuan Star Vein and placed it in front of Qin Lang and his companion.

"Your second food spirit?" Qin Lang looked interested and quickly took out his phone.

"drop--"

[Type: Spirit Eater]

[Level: Lv1]

【Taste attribute: fresh】

Elemental Attribute: Wood

【Culinary Technique: Essence Locking】

[Combat Skill (excluding self-learned combat skills): (Wood) Willow Leaf Throwing Knife]

[Experience Value: 0/100]

It's a wood-type food spirit?
Egg Baby, standing to the side, couldn't help but gasp.

Oh no, this guy is immune to its [Light Sleep Fragrance]!
(End of this chapter)