Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 11 This is a match you can't win, and yes, I'm talking about "the bald cook."

The fight is so intense! I think the bald cook's almost done too!

[The Guizhou beef noodles made with Litsea cubeba by the "bald cook" – the noodles are actually pink when the beef broth is mixed into the flour, it looks so beautiful!]

[What's the use of looking good? It's not a beauty pageant. To be honest, the yellow croaker dish made by the handsome chef is much more tempting—simple yet sophisticated.]

The plating at "Bald Cook" was really great; the overall Litsea cubeba flavor looked even richer.

Is that sparkling water? What does sparkling water made from Litsea cubeba taste like?

If I had to describe it, it's similar to unsweetened lemonade that's been seasoned with pepper.

As the time drew closer, fine beads of sweat appeared on the "bald cook's" forehead.

Because his noodles were made to order, it took him longer than Shuai Xiaojian's. It took him 10 minutes after Shuai Xiaojian rang the bell to finish all the dishes.

On the second floor, Xia Ming narrowed his eyes slightly. From his vantage point, he could see that the dishes made by the two of them had a distinct personal touch.

The dish that Shuai Xiaojian made was a cold dish called "Sour Tomato Rice Noodles". The sour tomatoes were stewed with Litsea cubeba and pickled chili peppers from Guiqu District. The rice noodles were also soaked in Litsea cubeba. Xia Ming could easily imagine the simple yet strong and refreshing taste of this rice noodle dish.

Another dish is the hot dish "Sour Rice Oil Yellow Croaker". The pickled chili peppers from the area are combined with boiled rice oil to form a sour rice oil sauce, which is then paired with "yellow croaker" cooked in water with wood ginger dew. The flavor is mild and simple.

On the other hand, the head chef and cooks should have prepared three dishes.

One dish is "Cold Litsea cubed beef with sour sauce", another is "Litsea beef noodles with cold soup", and the third is "Iced Litsea sparkling water".

Seeing the bald cook's plating, two contestants on the second floor smiled.

"It's a sure thing! Your district's sour soup paired with uniquely flavored cold beef noodles, plus uniquely tasted sparkling water, I can't even imagine how rich the flavor of this dish will be."

"Yeah, I feel like the bald guy's side looks more creative, while the handsome chef's side is too simple and seems a bit mediocre."

Hearing their assessment, Xia Ming snorted coldly.

"It's definitely a sure thing, but the bald cook is definitely going to lose."

Upon hearing his words, the host, who had just strolled over, was taken aback.

A sure loss?

Goodness, that was the most pointed comment he'd heard after his trip.

The host's eyes lit up, and he strode towards Xia Ming.

"I think I just heard the 'Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef' contestant say that Bald Cook is bound to lose. I'd like to ask what made you come to that conclusion?"

Xia Ming looked at the camera coming from the other end and rubbed his nose.

"No matter the theme, it is good to bring out the essence of the ingredients, but we cannot forget the most basic feeling of eating just because of a theme."

The host winked.

"Feelings? Hmm. Ice and Fire Chef, could you elaborate on how you felt?"

Xia Ming watched the bald cook push the dishes into the blind selection hall and shook his head slightly.

"The temperature in the venue is just right. I can't feel any heat even though I'm on the second floor. I guess the air conditioning on the judges' side is also very comfortable."

"Cold dishes are nice, but not too much of a good thing. Cold beef with cold broth, and if I'm not mistaken, he put ice cubes in the sparkling water."

Having said that, Xia Ming said no more.

It wasn't that he enjoyed being a riddle teller; he simply wanted to liven up the chat in the live stream.

His words had essentially revealed the answer, but he imagined that with his current reputation, the comment section would be quite exciting.

As he expected, the comments section immediately turned on him, mocking him.

[What's wrong with eating it cold? It's summer now, and everyone drinks iced sparkling water in the summer!]

[Yeah, I eat braised dishes and cold noodles at home every day, and then I take a sip of Coke, and it's so refreshing!]

[You ungrateful wretch! If they hadn't lent you charcoal before, you would have been eliminated long ago. And now you're still whining here. What's wrong? You're too cowardly to take a commanding position, and now you're jealous?]

To be honest, that makes sense. Three cold dishes are really hard on the stomach!

[This amount of food isn't even enough to feed a chicken, what's the harm to its stomach? This is a food competition, creativity and highlighting the ingredients are the most important things. Do you really think your family eats communal meals?] Just as the comments were arguing fiercely, the director switched the camera to the "blind tasting room".

At this moment, Xie Tingfeng, Zheng Yongqi, and Zhang Yong were also chatting idly.

Zhang Yong spoke first.

"What kind of dishes do you think this group of contestants can make with Litsea cubeba?"

Zheng Yongqi paused for a moment, then replied.

"I think there should be fish in it, as Litsea cubeba and fish should go well together."

Nicholas Tse smiled slightly.

"Anything is fine, but I hope for more creativity and to try some dishes I've never seen before."

Just as the three were chatting happily, the conveyor belt in front of them began to slowly roll. This meant that the chef and the contestants had placed the dishes on the conveyor belt. According to the blind tasting rules, whichever three dishes appeared first, they would taste them first.

As the tray emerged from the dark conveyor belt, Nicholas Tse's first sight was a patch of lush greenery.

"Is it the flower of Litsea cubeba? It seems to have a faint fragrance."

Zhang Yong, who was standing to the side, also nodded with a smile.

"Yes, it has a very pleasant taste."

As the conveyor belt stopped, three plates of food came to a steady stop in front of the three judges. Looking at the decorations around the plates and the cold soup and noodles with cold beef cubes in the center, the three judges tacitly poured the soup into the bowls.

Then, first try the cold noodles, followed by the sparkling water.

On the other side, Bald Cook and Handsome Xiao Jian were watching the judges' reactions from their respective lounges. At this moment, Handsome Xiao Jian showed no sign of worry.

"Young man, you still need more practice. You'll only understand cooking after you've made many mistakes. The greatest truths are the simplest!"

Sure enough, just as the judges finished eating the cold noodles and then drank the sparkling water, all three of them frowned slightly for a moment.

Inside the playing field.

The judges' performances in the blind tasting area are not shown to the contestants and chefs present. This is to ensure fairness and prevent anyone from being inspired to make adjustments on the spot.

After judging that "Bald Cook" would definitely lose, Xia Ming continued to look at the other contestants below. The second group happened to be "Old Rascal of the Stove," who had advanced by making "Spicy Crab."

This time, the ingredient he received was crayfish from Qianjiang. But unlike everyone else, who were all busy preparing their own dishes, he sat there calmly and leisurely waiting.

Xia Ming raised an eyebrow as he looked at the raw materials that had already been processed. He seemed to understand what the old man was planning to do.

"The requirement for hot wok hei (the smoky aroma imparted by a hot wok) is indeed a good idea to finish the dish in the last few minutes. It allows us to see if he can advance and also helps me better judge the judges' preferences."

Just as he was staring at "Old Man with the Stove," the large screen next to him suddenly displayed the settlement screen.

Chef "Handsome Little Sword" vs. Contestant "Bald Cook"

Rating: 3:0

Chef "Handsome Little Sword" wins

As the message scrolled across the big screen, all the contestants except Xia Ming changed their expressions.

Meanwhile, viewers in the live stream who watched the entire judging process were also shocked.

Because the three men had the same opinion about the bald cook.

They considered him a creative and innovative young chef, but
He shouldn't have made three cold dishes.

Nicholas Tse went even further and pointed it out directly.

"If a cold noodle dish is served with a cold meat dish and a bowl of cold soup, then when I eat it, my mouth will feel cold oil."

"Finally, pairing it with a cold drink leaves the cold oil in my mouth, which is a very unpleasant experience."

At that moment, the comments section recalled what Xia Ming had said at the beginning.

"Cold dishes are nice, but not too much of a good thing. Cold beef with cold broth, and if I'm not mistaken, he put ice cubes in the sparkling water."

At this moment, some viewers in the live stream realized that Xia Ming had been on the second floor all along, silently seeing through everything.
(End of this chapter)