The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 301 Steamed Crab?

"Thank you, Mr. Ren Qiu."

Upon hearing Ren Qiu's bold statement, Qin Lang couldn't help but express his gratitude.

"However, I am here this time for the Food Recommender assessment."

“And me.” Fatima pushed up her glasses and spoke calmly.

"Oh?" Ren Qiu's eyes lit up, and her smile deepened. "That's wonderful! I'm also very curious about your culinary skills."

"In that case, the test for you is..."

"Wait a minute, Dad!" Ren Xi grabbed Ren Qiu. "Qin Lang just promised me he'd have a crab-fighting contest with me!"

Ren Qiu turned to look at Qin Lang.

Qin Lang nodded, indicating that it was indeed true.

"There's actually such a thing..."

Ren Qiu stroked his chin, quickly came up with a new idea, and grinned, "Since that's the case, why don't we combine these two things?"

"Our assessments as Food Recommenders are usually not adversarial, whereas the assessments of Spirit Holders always require adversarial participation to pass."

"So today, let's learn from the Spirit Master's assessment and add some elements of confrontation!" Ren Qiu smiled and patted his daughter's shoulder.

"The subject of the assessment is crab."

"I have plenty of Leaping Lake crabs here, feel free to use them."

"Xixi will first prepare a dish that fits the theme, and then the two Spirit Chefs who are participating in the assessment will complete dishes with the same theme."

"As long as you do better than Xixi, you'll pass."

"how?"

Qin Lang and Fatima both looked at Ren Xi.

According to this assessment method, Ren Xi's cooking skills directly determine the difficulty of this assessment.

Although it's a bit unusual, it sounds quite interesting.

"I think it's a good idea!" Qin Lang was the first to express his opinion.

“Same.” Fatima pushed up her glasses. “This Food Recommender assessment was something I decided on a whim.”

"I want to see if there are differences in the culinary philosophies between the Higashion and Ferri regions."

"Oh? From the Feli region?" Ren Qiu glanced at Fatima with some surprise. "This assessment is getting more and more interesting!"

"Bring it on!" Ren Xi grinned. "I won't go easy on you just because this is an assessment~"
-

"Dangdangdangdang~"

Ren Xi carried a plate of golden-red dishes out of the kitchen and placed it on the dining table. "This is my crispy fried crab. Please enjoy!"

A rich aroma of crab mixed with the scent of fried food filled the entire restaurant, making Qin Lang and the others who were waiting swallow hard.

"Haha, it seems Xixi really gave it her all." Ren Qiu chuckled as she picked up her chopsticks. "This crispy fried crab is the first dish I taught Xixi, and it was passed down to me by my father."

"At the same time, this is also the original food of Xixi's first food spirit."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lang and Fatima's expressions became more serious.

A recipe passed down through three generations must have undergone numerous improvements and optimizations. Moreover, this was the first dish Ren Xi learned, so she must have mastered its essence.

It's not easy to win with a dish like this!
"Mmm~" Ren Qiu picked up a spoonful and put it in her mouth, a satisfied smile appearing on her face. "Very good!"

"Perhaps your arrival put some pressure on Xixi, because the crispy and fragrant stir-fried crab she made today was a bit of an exception!"

"That's true," Ren Xi said with a smile. "I also felt my cooking was particularly good today, but..."

She turned to look at Qin Lang and Fatima, a sly glint in her eyes. "That makes it even harder for you to defeat me~"

Ren Qiu gestured, "Come on, try some!"

Qin Lang didn't stand on ceremony anymore and picked up a piece of crispy fried crab with his chopsticks.

From the outside, the crispy fried crab is a golden-red ball about the size of a longan. It has a distinct fried smell and traces of frying. You can also see the spice powder left over from frying on the surface of the ball.

After observing for a while, Qin Lang put the crab ball into his mouth.

The next moment he started chewing, his eyes widened suddenly.

The moment the crispy outer layer broke open, the rich crab flavor exploded in Qin Lang's mouth like a bomb, instantly filling his mouth and nose.

Within that rich and delicious flavor, there is the unparalleled sweetness of crab meat, as well as the delicate and delicious taste of crab roe.

In just a moment, Qin Lang realized that the crab meat inside had no seasoning at all; the natural flavor of the ingredients was already so amazing.

What amazed him even more was the crispy crust on the outside of the crab balls.

If the freshness of the ingredients themselves accounts for 90% of the flavor of this dish, then the puff pastry, which is also filled with the freshness of crab and is covered with the complex flavor of various spices, perfectly completes the last 10%!
That unique crispiness is definitely not a fried pastry made simply with the three-piece frying set (starch, egg liquid, breadcrumbs)!
Qin Lang picked up the second crab ball and examined it carefully.

Soon, he saw countless tiny red particles on the golden-red pastry.

"This is... a crab shell?"

Qin Lang couldn't help but show a surprised expression.

By grinding crab shells into powder and adding a small amount to the puff pastry, the texture of the pastry can be adjusted, while also adding a crab flavor...

That's quite an interesting idea.

Moreover, the oil used to fry the crab balls was probably specially rendered crab oil, rather than ordinary cooking oil.

In addition, the spices used in the subsequent stir-frying process are also quite particular. Ordinary spices can easily mask the taste of crab, but in this crispy and fragrant stir-fried crab, all the flavors that Qin Lang tasted were enhancing the crab's freshness.

After putting down his chopsticks, Qin Lang couldn't help but give Ren Xi a thumbs up.
"sharp."

Upon receiving Qin Lang's affirmation, Ren Xi smiled and turned to look at Fatima beside her.

The latter also silently put down his chopsticks, a fighting spirit gleaming in his eyes.

"Please let me handle the rest of the cooking."

Ren Xi's crispy and fragrant stir-fried crab dish had already ignited her competitive spirit.

"No problem." Qin Lang smiled. "You go first."

Coincidentally, after tasting the crispy and fragrant stir-fried crab, the crab dish he originally planned to use for the food recommender assessment seemed a bit unreliable.

We need to switch to a more powerful one.

Fatima nodded and stepped into the kitchen.

After about an hour's wait, Fatima emerged from the kitchen, carrying a large flat plate, which she gently placed on the dining table.

"Please enjoy the lake-themed crab dishes."

As she put down her plate, the room fell silent.

On the side of the flat plate, which is about the size of a washbasin, is a bright red crab with its body bound by hemp rope. The large blank space on the plate is outlined with a lake blue sauce. The lake blue and the white of the plate intertwine, looking as vivid and delicate as ripples on lake water.

It must be said, this is a very lifelike dish, but...

Cao Dongdong blinked and couldn't help but voice everyone's thoughts.

"Are you sure this isn't just ordinary steamed crab?"

(End of this chapter)