The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 421 Another showdown at the peak!
"Lost..."

"We've lost completely..."

After taking a sip of soup, Cui Zi looked dazed and stumbled off the stage, her hair disheveled, making her look as if she had aged more than ten years in an instant.

Qin Lang watched the other person's departing figure with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Did my dish really hurt the other person that much?
With that thought in mind, he picked up a meatball and put it in his mouth.

The meatballs, made from a mixture of eighteen kinds of meat, are indeed quite unique in taste. They are exceptionally delicious and chewy. With Cui Zi's excellent seasoning, they would be a delicacy anywhere.

However, after careful tasting, Qin Lang could indeed detect a deeply hidden disharmony that was masked by the seasoning.

This made him marvel once again at the white-haired old man's prowess.

At this moment, he was completely certain that this old man of unknown origin was definitely a highly skilled spirit chef.

He might even be more impressive than a Level 2 food recommender like Mr. Li Yuantu.

I don't know where the association found this person to be a judge.

"Good luck, Qin Lang. I'm going to wander around the other arenas." Du Ziyan patted Qin Lang on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"Aren't you going up on stage now?" Qin Lang's expression was somewhat strange. "My advantage will only get bigger and bigger towards the end of the arena competition."

After all, he can continue to prepare for the subsequent dishes during the upcoming match.

"Isn't that even more interesting?" Du Ziyan chuckled. "Don't forget, I have cooking speed-up."

"Time constraints mean nothing to me."

After saying that, he waved his hand and walked off the stage with a flourish.

“This guy…” Qin Lang shook his head helplessly.

The last time I saw Du Ziyan, he wasn't like this. It seems that the lobster duel really made him see things differently, and his mentality is noticeably different from before.

At this moment, he couldn't help but envy Du Ziyan's carefree attitude.

However, facing challenges from chefs on the stage is also a form of training, not to mention having a sharp-tongued judge like the white-haired old man.

At his current level of culinary skill, his biggest fear is not being able to find what he's lacking. As long as there's a problem, there's room for improvement.

As the host's enthusiastic voice rang out, the competition resumed. Although Qin Lang had won two consecutive matches and the dishes he presented looked quite impressive, it was not enough to scare away the chefs present.

Soon, new challengers emerged.
-
"Let's give a warm round of applause to Qin Lang for successfully defending his title for the sixth time!"

"With the culinary arena battle nearing its end, there is only one last chance for a duel. Will Qin Lang be able to defend his title once again and become the ultimate champion of our free arena?"

"Let's welcome the final challenger!"

As the host's enthusiastic voice rang out, Du Ziyan strode onto the stage.

"As far as I know, just now, this contestant Du Ziyan chose to challenge the fish arena. After successfully challenging the arena, he voluntarily gave up his title as the champion and came to our arena to challenge Qin Lang."

So, what was the outcome of their duel?

"Let us wait and see!"

Upon hearing the host's words, Qin Lang's expression immediately turned strange.

The fish champion... could it be Di You?
Having been defeated by Du Ziyan once again, I wonder how Di You is feeling right now. I hope he doesn't lose his composure.

“Ever since we parted, I’ve been looking forward to this battle.” Du Ziyan rolled up his sleeves, his eyes gleaming.

"Qin Lang, are you ready?"

"Of course." Qin Lang chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll definitely give you a surprise in this match." He had made time to prepare for the previous matches.

He didn't want to lose to Du Ziyan again.

"It seems the two chefs have faced off before, which makes this match even more anticipated," the host announced loudly.

"Now, please have the two chefs enter the cooking unit."

"The answer will be revealed in half an hour!"

As the host finished speaking, Qin Lang nodded to Du Ziyan and turned to walk into his standard cooking unit.

Looking at the various ingredients on the table, he spoke softly.

"Egg Baby, are you ready?"

"Now, it's time for you to step in."

"Gurgle!" Egg Baby's eyes were full of high spirits.

Is it finally time to use something fresh and new?
It's always ready!
A faint blue light flashed, and Qin Lang produced a kitchen knife covered with ice cracks in his hand.

It was a miraculous kitchen knife obtained from the Traveler's Book!

Egg Baby revealed a knowing look, leaped into the kitchen knife, and then, with the fresh and powerful energy enhanced by the kitchen knife, it indiscriminately covered all the ingredients on the table.

In his duel with Du Ziyan, Qin Lang chose a vegetarian dish.

Furthermore, this is not a dish that looks like a vegetarian dish but actually uses a lot of meat ingredients, like boiled cabbage in clear broth.

It is a vegetarian dish that does not use any meat in the entire cooking process, and its pure vegetarian ingredients have made it so popular that it can be served at state banquets alongside boiled cabbage in clear broth.

Such a vegetarian dish is naturally not simple; the main ingredients alone include three kinds of mushrooms, six kinds of fungus, nine kinds of bamboo shoots, and one kind of mushroom, totaling nineteen kinds.

The "three mushrooms" refer to button mushrooms, straw mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms.

The mushroom refers to the white button mushroom.

The button mushroom, also known as the white mushroom, got its name from the fact that it is abundant in the Mongolian grasslands and needs to be processed and sold in the Zhangjiakou area.

This mushroom has a higher nutritional value than most other mushrooms, so it remains one of the more expensive types of fungi.

Straw mushrooms are a type of fungus popular in the Fujian and Guangdong regions. They are shaped somewhat like quail eggs, and the cap does not fully open but rather covers the stem. The gradient brown color on the surface is also very attractive.

Shiitake mushrooms are a type of mushroom that is easily confused with shiitake mushrooms. The two are similar in color, so some merchants often use shiitake mushrooms to impersonate shiitake mushrooms.

In fact, shiitake mushrooms are smaller, smell more fragrant, and taste better. The biggest difference between them and dried shiitake mushrooms is that dried shiitake mushrooms do not wrinkle after drying, while dried shiitake mushrooms wrinkle severely.

The six types of fungus refer to golden fungus, silver fungus, wood fungus, elm fungus, stone fungus, and osmanthus fungus.

Wood ear mushrooms are quite common, with a black or dark brown surface and a crisp, tender, and smooth texture. They are delicious whether stir-fried, boiled, or served cold.

But even fewer people can truly distinguish between silver ear fungus and golden ear fungus.

Many people might think that the white fungus sold in the market that is more yellowish is golden fungus, and that the whiter fungus is silver fungus.

But actually, both are white fungus. Those that are whiter are often artificially bleached.

The base of the white fungus is light yellow, while the open ear flaps are white, presenting a gradual color gradient, like a flower spreading out.

A genuine golden ear fungus is entirely the same color as gold and shaped like a brain flower, making it almost instantly recognizable.

(End of this chapter)