The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 541 Strange-Flavored Grilled Fish vs. Tea-Scented Squid
Before seeing the stall, Qin Lang was still wondering where the amazing chef came from, who could serve two different dishes at the same time and maintain such an astonishing speed. Only after seeing the situation clearly did he realize that his guess was wrong.

In reality, there were actually two stalls where people were queuing.

The two stalls were right next to each other, so they looked like one stall, and the people queuing up automatically formed a single line.

Qin Lang was very familiar with the busy figures in front of these two stalls.

One of them had a shiny bald head, so there was no need to worry about finding hair or other unhygienic items in the food. Who else could it be but Du Ziyan?
At this moment, he put on the familiar headband again, and amidst a lively shout, his hands almost danced in afterimages as he cooked quickly but methodically.

On the other side, the one with a tense expression, not saying a word but moving at an equally fast pace, focused almost entirely on cooking, was Dylan.

Upon hearing Qin Lang's voice, the two of them looked up at the same time.

Then, their actions became surprisingly synchronized.

The two people walked out from behind the stall at the same time, strode up to Qin Lang, and handed him a freshly made dish.

"Try it!" x2
Hearing the two speak in unison, Qin Lang's expression became quite interesting.

He didn't know what had happened, but judging from the way the two of them were acting, he had no choice but to try these two dishes.

"Then I'll try it." Qin Lang took the delicacy from Du Ziyan's hand. It was a large piece of fish fillet, probably made from some kind of sea fish. As soon as he got his hands on it, he smelled the rich and complex aroma that he had been smelling all the way.

"Strange-flavored braised fish, a new dish I developed." Du Ziyan raised his chin at Qin Lang, a hint of confidence on his face.

"Braised fish?" Qin Lang raised an eyebrow slightly.

The word "扒" in traditional Chinese cuisine refers to a cooking technique, often used in Shandong cuisine. It means that the food is blanched, deep-fried, and then simmered in soup until tender and flavorful.

However, the "ba" in Du Ziyan's "strange fish ba" dish is not the same as the "ba" he is familiar with.

Before him was a piece of fish fillet, fried until crispy and golden brown. Qin Lang curiously picked it up and took a bite, then his expression changed slightly.

The first burst of flavor upon tasting the fish fillet is an amazing crispy aroma, followed by a complex fragrance from multiple spices that lingers on the palate.

What surprised Qin Lang even more was the way these spices were incorporated into the fish fillet meat.

That wasn't the traditional stewing or boiling method, but rather...

"smoked?"

"Haha, you can really taste it!" Du Ziyan raised his eyebrows, revealing a smug look. "This is a special smoking method that I recently learned, which allows the flavor of the spices to be perfectly integrated into the ingredients."

"Furthermore, the smoky flavor that comes with smoking can be perfectly combined with the flavor of frying, which is why this 'strange-flavored' braised fish is made."

"Very impressive." Qin Lang gave Du Ziyan a thumbs up.

After swallowing a bite of fish, the lingering freshness of the fish mixed with the flavors of various spices in his mouth was still so memorable.

This is absolutely a dish you'll never forget once you've tasted it.

"Try mine." Dai Lan couldn't contain herself and pushed the food she had prepared in front of Qin Lang.

"Okay." Qin Lang handed the remaining braised fish with strange flavor to Danbao and Lala, and then took the food that Dailan handed him. His expression became surprised again.

"It's squid?"

Squid is a difficult ingredient to flavor because it has a very chewy texture. It is often cooked by grilling or similar methods, where seasonings are sprinkled on the surface of the grilled squid to compensate for its bland taste.

But Dylan's dish was quite unusual.

Because this dish isn't prepared by grilling, but rather using a method similar to dipping sauce, the squid barely shrinks, and its smooth surface is coated with a dark brown sauce and a touch of chili. "Tea-scented squid, try it," Dylan said expectantly.

"Tea fragrance?" Qin Lang was taken aback again upon hearing this name.

He did feel that the squid dish had a unique refreshing taste, but he didn't associate it with tea at all.

Because this didn't seem to match the aroma of tea he remembered.

Driven by curiosity, Qin Lang picked up a ring-shaped piece of squid and put it in his mouth.

As he chewed, the squid pieces, which had been soaked in the sauce for a long time and had fully absorbed the juices, burst with juice in his mouth. It was a unique blend of sour, salty, and spicy flavors, with a refreshing lemon-like taste, but even more so. Combined with the specially prepared salty and spicy sauce, it gave Qin Lang a feeling of great appetite.

After taking a sip, Qin Lang couldn't help but ask, "The tea aroma you're talking about, it wouldn't be that unique sour taste, would it?"

“Not bad.” Dai Lan nodded slightly. “This is a very popular sour tea in Guanling City. Its production process is very special. It is easy to carry and can supplement some necessary trace nutrients for seafarers on the high seas.”

She paused slightly, "I tasted it by chance and felt that this sour tea was perfect for adding to the dipping sauce."

"After some research and development, this tea-scented squid was created."

"Amazing." Qin Lang gave Dai Lan a thumbs up.

The other person hadn't arrived long before him, yet he was able to adapt to local conditions and develop new dishes based on local elements, demonstrating his exceptional culinary skills.

"So, what's going on between you two?"

"Well~" Du Ziyan scratched his head, "I was planning to look for you, but I couldn't find your stall on several busy streets."

"It was during this process that I met Dylan."

"So we decided on a whim to have a friendly match."

As he spoke, Du Ziyan proudly waved his certification card.

"Two hundred and forty-five signatures."

"It seems I'm going to be in the lead for now."

“That’s not necessarily true.” Dylan calmly took out her certification card. “I’ve already obtained two hundred and forty-three signatures.”

"Our sparring is not over yet."

"You two..." Qin Lang's expression suddenly became interesting.

From their brief exchange of words, he had already guessed their method of sparring.

They actually used the number of signatures to determine the winner.

No wonder the two of them were together; they even queued in the same line of customers.

"Qin Lang, want to join us?" Du Ziyan grinned at Qin Lang. "If you're willing to join this sparring match, we can recalculate the signing."

"You two can just practice your skills," Qin Lang shook his head. "I have to go back to the restaurant kitchen to prepare food later."

"The restaurant kitchen?!"

(End of this chapter)