Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 125 The Braised Pork Belly Shining with Light: What an ingenious and brilliant idea! (First Update in 4K)
Just as Xia Ming had predicted, some contestants on the field were indeed misled by the descriptive words.

The 160 judges present were actually selected from 42 divisions, averaging about 4 judges per division.

Xia Ming only drew two people from his area, and he recognized both of them, so he connected the dots and realized that the other judges were also judges from the morning session.

Keep in mind that the morning's matches didn't end until 10:30.
According to his estimation of the judges, none of them went hungry. After all, they could choose not to eat the really bad food, but they would still try the food that looked good.

Otherwise, the scores wouldn't be convincing, so after a whole morning, I don't even know how much rice I ate, no wonder I couldn't eat lunch!

However, many contestants don't have Xia Ming's keen observation skills.

Upon hearing the host mention that the judges were still hungry, some of them began to have ulterior motives.

After all, the criteria for judging whether a person is hungry or not are slightly different.

This incident was also documented in the match between Xia Ming's team and Chen Xiaodong's team!

Some people, unable to compete with others in choosing dishes, can only compensate in other ways. The most obvious breakthrough is that they think the judges are still hungry.

So they took advantage of the time difference, quickly made what they thought were decent dishes, and sent them in.

But this is exactly what the question setter has set up.

Looking at the judges leaning slightly forward on the screen, Xia Ming smiled slyly.

"They never consider the big picture; they only focus on their own victory or defeat."

"Even if you don't realize it at first, you should notice it when it's time to grab the vegetables."

Based on the vitality of the product, Xia Ming roughly estimated that the good product rate was about 6%, and the excellent product rate was very low.

In this situation, there definitely won't be enough raw materials to go around for 500 people!
Excluding the option of using inferior raw materials, problems will arise no matter how the remaining people are allocated.

"Therefore, the organizers have subtly included two key pieces of information."

"First, some things may be rotten, but that doesn't mean they are all rotten, or that they were rotten from the beginning."

"For example, some radishes may have withered or rotted due to pests or diseases, but as long as the rotting time is short, their leaves will not be affected in the short term."

"Also, even if the seaweed is rotten, you can still find usable parts if you look closely."

"The same goes for shrimp. Dead shrimp are indeed not as fresh as live shrimp, but compared to other ingredients, the taste of normal prawns will change in stages within 1 hour of death."

"If it is processed early, at least 85% of its texture can be preserved. If it is fried or stir-fried to mask the difference, the gap between it and fresh ingredients can be greatly reduced."

At this point, Xia Ming raised his head.

“The ingredients are right on the table, and the usable parts are inside. Many people are blinded by freshness and perfection, and only think about how to fill the stomachs of 16 judges.”

"Even if I see a tiny bit of usable ingredients, I'll consider whether the quantity is enough for 16 servings. In the end, I feel the quantity is too small and choose to give up."

"But the competition organizers never made any demands on the portion sizes of the dishes, because they always understood that the judges themselves couldn't eat that much!"

"Therefore, in this round, the so-called 'ingredient restrictions,' 'seasoning restrictions,' and 'selection competition' are not the most crucial points."

"The most crucial information was buried beneath all the explicit details of the question from the very beginning."

"By cleverly combining ingredients under such extreme conditions, we can make the most of what we have and ultimately create a dish."

"What we seek is not quantity, but 'ultimate refinement'."

"Jury"

As the judges' gazes turned toward Gate 1, the conveyor belt finally revealed the entire plate.

On the white plate, 16 pieces of braised pork were neatly arranged.

The braised pork belly has an enticing caramel red color, is glossy and translucent, and shimmers with a pale yellow glow under white light, as if it were lightly covered with golden gauze.

When the judges got close enough, they could see the light shining on the fat layer and clearly see the lean meat underneath, which meant that the fat had been completely "transparent"!

The creamy texture is so delicate it melts in your mouth; a gentle press might even release some juice.
Visually, this braised pork is absolutely top-notch!
Another judge took a deep breath and realized that although there wasn't much braised pork, the aroma was extremely pleasant.

The rich aroma of pork, combined with the fragrance of plums, the unique aroma of caramel, and a hint of fruity and vegetable notes in the aftertaste, creates a refreshing and mouthwatering experience, even without the intensity of complex spices.

The hundred or so judges were all instantly energized. Some of them, who were far away, didn't even have time to observe carefully before pressing the button in front of them.

The judges had already made their decision. Just by the aroma and luster, they knew that this braised pork was definitely exceptional, so they naturally raised their hands and pressed the button.

It was a pity for the judges sitting in the middle. They wanted to take one more look, but the people in front acted quickly, and the people behind placed their blinds, leaving them waiting foolishly.

When they heard the crackling sound of lights turning on, they realized what was happening and quickly pressed the buttons.

For a moment, the continuous sound of buttons being pressed echoed in the judges' panel.
Xia Ming's side has a display showing how many judges pressed "want to eat".

At this moment, the display screen lit up in the blink of an eye, and although there were some omissions, they were all gradually filled in!

Because of Xia Ming's outstanding performance, the AI ​​camera gave him a longer shot this time, and the audience was shocked to see all the lights on in the judges' panel turn on.

How many lamps are there in this area!

[The statistics in the top left corner show 148/160; in the blink of an eye, 148 people have pressed the button.]

[It's 154 now, I seriously suspect the last 6 weren't captured in the initial photo.]

[157 points now, plus 3 more, am I going to win a Grand Slam?!]

[159 already, are you really aiming for the maximum score? This braised pork must smell amazing; the judges, regardless of their cuisine, would all want to try it!]

[When I make money in the future, I'm definitely going to buy a phone that can smell amazing. Judging from the judges' expressions, this thing must smell incredible!]

[It's still 159. Which judge ultimately didn't shoot? That's pretty impressive, considering it went against everyone else's opinion.]

[Out of 160 judges, only 16 got to taste the food. This judge was probably slow to react; once they realized they couldn't try it, they gave up.]

[My OCD is killing me!]

Just as the viewers in the live broadcast room were wondering which judge was more unconventional, a relatively young judge raised his hand.

"Um, could you please call a staff member backstage? I pressed the button too hard, and it seems to be stuck."

When the judge said that his button was stuck, some of the judges around him burst out laughing.

They were wondering why the young man wasn't taking pictures; after all, "wanting to eat" was just an intention.

The intention is not recorded in the final score, so the judges are quite generous with the scores for well-done dishes.

Although they couldn't eat it, it still boosted the restaurant's popularity. Not to mention, dishes like Xia Ming's, which truly engage all the senses, deserve a grand slam, which would be a win-win situation.

At first, I thought the young judge had noticed something different, but it turned out that the button was stuck.
It was a complete misunderstanding.
The viewers in the live stream were stunned; they hadn't expected such an unexpected incident, and it was quite funny.

[This judge: I really want to stand with everyone, but the button says no!]

[What seemed like a Grand Slam victory left a regret, turned out to be a cold sweat for the judges.]

If the buttons don't work, you have to replace them. A touchscreen would be so much better!

[Perhaps the organizers initially felt the crackling sound would create tension; they probably didn't expect to encounter such a strongman.]

Staff arrived quickly and fixed the button problem. After that, all the lights on the judges' panel turned on.

Just then, the braised pork circled around and returned to Xia Ming's side from Exit 8.

According to the rules, Xia Ming will divide it into 16 portions and place them on the "serving robot" next to him. The robot will then deliver them to the first 16 judges who press the "want to eat" button.

Xia Ming took out a warm plate from underneath and quickly divided the 16 pieces of braised pork into portions, which the robot then steadily delivered.

The judges who ultimately secured the spot to taste Xia Ming's braised pork dish soon saw their tasting meal.

Judge number 17, who was the Cantonese cuisine judge in Xia Ming's previous group, was the second judge to give him a perfect score after the Hunan cuisine judge.

Of course, he doesn't yet know that he's tasting Xia Ming's cooking.

However, as a chef and judge, he was quite satisfied with the braised pork in front of him.

"When I was looking at it on the conveyor belt before, it wasn't as obvious as it is now. Now that I'm closer, I realize that although this piece of meat isn't big, its quality is indeed top-notch."

After carefully admiring it against the light, Judge No. 17 silently ignored the envious gazes of the judges beside him, picked it up carefully, and put it in his mouth.

The first taste is the thick sauce on the outside of the braised pork. The sauce is sweet with a hint of plum sourness and a touch of salty flavor, and you can also taste a hint of lemon in the center.

Just as he was about to savor the sensation, his teeth had already touched the fatty layer of the braised pork.

It felt as if the fat was easily sliced ​​apart by the teeth without any extra effort.
The next second, his hand holding the chopsticks suddenly trembled violently, his pupils dilated abruptly, and he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

"This...this meat?"

As the fatty part of the braised pork melted in his mouth, he felt a golden light materialize before his eyes, and the texture of the lean meat spread from the tip of his tongue throughout his entire oral cavity.

My taste buds and stomach, which had been dulled by the morning's fuss, were awakened by the complex aroma of plum in the meat.

A million thoughts exploded in my mind, and the movements of my lips and teeth became instinctive.

With each chew, his smile deepened.

The golden light before my eyes gradually materialized.
He felt as if he had become a carefree boy riding a pig, frolicking and playing in the boundless plum garden.

The dew, accompanied by the sweetness of caramel and the tangy flavor of dried plum, fills the entire mouth. The hint of saltiness in the sour aftertaste of plum elevates the feeling of freedom to an even higher level.

Just as the little pig under his feet had its ears transformed into wings, carrying him to soar freely in the boundless sky.

"It's so clever. Not only does this meat have no fishy smell at all, but it's also not dry at all."

"Under normal circumstances, one would certainly assume that meticulous pre-processing has been carried out, but in this harsh environment, many methods are difficult to implement."

"So, it's a clever use of fruits and vegetables, right?"

The judges, immersed in the sky, felt bubbles floating before their eyes, with various fruits and vegetables gradually emerging from them.

"Apples absorb excess oil."

"Dried plums can neutralize the greasiness of pork."

"The sauce on this surface must be made from sugarcane juice."

The judges breathed a sigh of relief and pondered for a moment.

"A variety of vegetables have been added to this!"

"Scallions, some kind of leafy green, a little bit of onion, and..."

The judges felt that there were several types of bubbles in the sky, but they couldn't pinpoint their exact source.

But he was certain that Xia Ming's method was to put the vegetables and lemon juice into the water along with the pork belly when he first started processing it.

This allows the blanched pork belly to absorb a hint of vegetable aroma.

Afterward, the pork belly was cut into small pieces, cooked with some sugarcane juice, and quickly colored before being stewed in hot water.

When stewing, add a small amount of salted plum meat scraps that have had their outer shells removed.

"The outer layer of salted plum meat is not actually pure salt, but sugar frosting. After being marinated with a large amount of sugar and salt, the salt flavor has basically entered the plum, while the sugar and a very small amount of salt are extracted to form the white frosting."

"So salted plums are not eaten directly; they are usually used to soak in water."

"This contestant separated the extract from the outside of the preserved plum, soaked it in hot water to extract the saltiness from the plum, and used it to replace salt."

"Because the flavor of plums cannot be removed at this point, it is necessary to make dishes that match its flavor profile. The sweeter braised pork belly requires less salt, and its main function is to enhance the flavor and reduce greasiness."

"Therefore, it is a perfect match with plum brine. After the cane sugar juice is used for coloring, all the ingredients are put into a pressure cooker to stew until they are tender. The resulting broth is then used to further process the braised pork."

At this point, judge number 17 paused.
Then he began to frown, because he realized that there seemed to be something wrong with this line of thinking.

"No, when coloring with sugar syrup, can you really achieve this flavor without dark soy sauce or regular soy sauce if you follow these steps?"

Just as he frowned, judge number 21, who was a few seats away, spoke up.

"Your line of thinking is correct, but you've missed two things."

"First of all, the umami flavor of this braised pork does not come entirely from the pork. I tasted a hint of chicken in it. Therefore, the sugar is not caramelized with hot water, but with stock."

"It's just that the broth has had excess oil removed and not much salt added, so it's hard to tell from the first bite."

As he spoke, Judge No. 21 let out a long sigh of regret.

"As for the second point, it's the chef's unparalleled ingenuity."

"Without soy sauce, I managed to cobble together a small bowl of plum soy sauce using the ingredients I had on hand."

(End of this chapter)