Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 261 Stir-fried Blood-Flavored Crispy Pork Belly, Xia Ming Unlocks the Hidden Menu Blind Box Mode! (Second Update)

Banquet Hall

Old Wang and Tang Renjie sat on one side, chatting and laughing.

Although the former is not extremely knowledgeable about many aspects of Chinese culture, they have integrated well into urban life in China.

Furthermore, Lao Wang has high emotional intelligence and knows how to create a good show. He seems very amiable. Although it's impossible to judge him from a professional perspective, his occasional abstract descriptions allow viewers to understand the feelings conveyed by the dishes through strange means.

Tang Renjie was once ridiculed for his "always preferring sweet and sour or salty and savory flavors," but recently he has turned his reputation around by giving "frank reviews" of certain restaurants.

The two chatted about food and local customs, which brought a lot of laughter to many viewers in the live stream.

Tang Renjie's fan base largely overlaps with that of the "Hua 5th Level Competition Live Stream Room," but Lao Wang's fans are not so closely aligned. After seeing the live stream, they are all curious as to why the two are collaborating.

After some clarification, viewers discovered that both players were in the "Hua 5 Level" competition venue, and some interested people then used this channel to access the official live stream.

The situation was similar for other bloggers. After these dozens of bloggers broadcast live, the popularity of the official live stream also reached a new high.

As a result, the commentary booth became a little busier, as they needed to provide professional explanations for the various shots the director switched to.

Just as everyone was doing their jobs, the dishes that Tang Renjie had ordered were served first.

Upon lifting the first lid, Tang Renjie exclaimed in surprise.

"Holy crap, this is the first time I've ever seen yellow croaker jelly made so translucent."

"In all my years of doing restaurant reviews, this is the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

Hearing Tang Renjie's exclamation, Old Wang quickly fanned away the remaining mist.

Upon seeing the "two-color yellow croaker jelly," Old Wang exclaimed "Wow!"

"Brother Tang, is this a dessert? It looks crystal clear, like jelly."

Tang Renjie examined it carefully against the light.

"No, it's not. This is a yellow croaker!"

Old Wang raised his eyebrows when he heard this.

"Yellow croaker? And there are gold bars in here??? No wonder it looks so beautiful, it smells like money!"

Tang Renjie was also a little dumbfounded when he heard this, not knowing whether Lao Wang was really ignorant or joking.

"A large yellow croaker, from the sea, a large yellow croaker!"

"Oh, I get it! It's that really expensive yellow croaker that's cooked to be incredibly fresh. I've had that before!"

"Right, they're not particularly expensive now, it's the wild ones that are expensive!"

Tang Renjie hummed in agreement, then took out his phone and took a close-up photo of his fans in the live stream.

"It's incredibly transparent; this stuff must have a secret recipe."

"It's a bit disheartening. Couldn't the organizers have given everyone a few more vouchers? This 188 voucher is of this quality; the 'Chrysanthemum Glass Cup' is truly worthy of a state banquet."

After sighing twice, he lifted the lid of the plate on the blood side as well.

When he looked into the plate, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

The plate was filled with small squares of three colors: dark brown, light pink, and white.

There was a paste hanging on the three blocks that he couldn't see, and next to it were a few perilla leaves and a few pieces of golden-brown rice crust.

"With this kind of configuration, is this considered a main dish or a side dish?"

According to Tang Renjie's own speculation, the perilla leaves and rice crust were probably used as condiments for the blood-filled soup in the middle.

Just as he was analyzing the situation, Old Wang let out another exclamation.

"Wow, this lemonade goes so smoothly! It's different from the lemonade sold outside!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Renjie quickly took a sip of his lemonade.

As the icy sensation entered his throat, Tang Renjie's eyes lit up, and he picked up the cup with a thoughtful expression.

"Hey, this isn't a perfume lemon! What is it? Let me try some more."

Tang Renjie was unaware of the previous situation and subconsciously assumed that Xia Ming had used "fragrant lemon" when ordering.

This is quite normal, because in recent years, fragrant lemons have become very popular in beverage shops in China. This lemon variety, originally from Taiwan, is loved by many diners for its rich aroma when ripe.

This product has virtually no flaws in terms of taste, but its application is quite limited.

Firstly, its strong aroma can cause a clash of flavors when paired with strongly flavored foods.

Furthermore, perfume lemons are not suitable for situations requiring a "high acidity" flavor. They are most commonly used in Western cuisine as a final touch to add fruit acidity, and "perfume lemons" are rarely used.

Because it is not sour enough, it cannot bring out the flavor of certain Western dishes.

Just now, when Tang Renjie saw the "stir-fried blood cubes", he was thinking that it was a bit strange to pair this with perfumed lemon. Now that he has tasted it, he realized that it was not like that at all.

"The real skill lies in the details. It's not natural lemon; it must have been artificially added."

"But wait everyone, let me take another sip!"

Tang Renjie gulped down the lemon water in a few mouthfuls, and he could feel the smoothness of the lemon water, but he still had no clue about the recipe.

Looking at the comments from his viewers in his live stream, he stroked his chin.

"It tastes a bit like pomegranate juice, but I also feel like I can taste a bit of tea. It's slightly sour and smooth. After drinking it, it's like having an appetizer, and it immediately stimulates my appetite."

As he spoke, he drank, and when he finished speaking, Tang Renjie realized that he had actually finished the lemonade.

Seeing Lao Wang excitedly introducing the product to his viewers in his live stream, Tang Renjie decisively placed two more orders.

"Guys, to be honest, this lemonade tastes much better than perfume lemonade!"

As he spoke, he gave a thumbs-up.

"I give this to you. This stuff is like a soup to me. Before I knew it, my appetite was stimulated."

"Let's not wait any longer, the place Lao Wang ordered is a bit slow, let's start eating!"

As he spoke, Tang Renjie patted Old Wang beside him, who was completely captivated by the lemonade!

"This is delicious! Refreshing!"

As he was talking, he felt someone taking a picture of him from the side and moved closer.

After being cleansed by lemon water, he now has great confidence in the two dishes on the table.

To soothe the stomach, Tang Renjie recommends starting with hot dishes.

"I just took a close look at this stir-fried blood tofu. The white stuff is tofu, and the dark red stuff is probably pan-fried blood tofu. I rarely see this way of eating it."

"As for this pink one, I've never actually seen one before!"

Xia Ming's specially made pig's blood only circulated in a very small area of ​​Sichuan and Chongqing. Since his shop closed, even the shop where Fang Xiao's father worked no longer needed it.

Naturally, not many people have heard of this name.

But the most impressive thing about true fans is that they can analyze Xia Ming from every angle. They even managed to find the shops where Xia Ming had spent a short time through his social media accounts.

Upon seeing the pale pink pig's blood, viewers in the live stream immediately recognized it. [This is "special pig's blood" made with Xia Ming's exclusive recipe, which was briefly sold in Sichuan and Chongqing.]

【Oh, this is pig's blood? Could it have been dyed with dragon fruit juice?】

[It's undyed; it's like this. I've had the pleasure of trying it before. The taste is very different from regular pig's blood. The blood flavor is reduced, but it's incredibly tender and smooth. Especially when paired with the broth of Maoxuewang (a Sichuan hot pot dish), you can even taste the crunch!]

[Is this even possible? How can blood clots taste crunchy?! Did they add something to them?!]

[Nothing was added. Uncle Hat verified this at the time; it's probably a matter of technique!]

【You guys even found this out? You're amazing!】

Xia Ming's fan club welcomes everyone to join! The preliminary group number is...

Some people watched from two different live streams, so the news from the official live stream quickly reached Tang Renjie.

Tang Renjie's eyes widened when he saw that it was pig's blood.

"This thing? Pig's blood? Holy crap, they even have this kind of technology? It's on the crispy side, is it for real!?"

Hearing the exaggerated claims made by netizens, Tang Renjie's curiosity was piqued.

Seeing this, Old Wang spoke up directly.

"Pig's blood? I can't eat pig's blood! I can't eat that! Fish jelly is okay! I'll try the fish jelly first!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Renjie realized that Old Wang was Iraqi, and people there do not eat pork due to their religious beliefs.

Seeing this, he immediately moved the yellow croaker jelly closer to Old Wang, and then continued to look at the "blood square".

Based on his past experience, the sauce poured over the pig's blood was probably an indication that they should eat the dish with it.

So he started by trying the crispy rice crust, which was easier to eat.

With a spoon, the blood was evenly spread on the rice crust, and Tang Renjie couldn't wait to open his mouth and stuff it in.

As the rice crust entered his mouth, Tang Renjie was the first to feel its crispness, accompanied by the peppery aroma of the rice grains.

"It's fried perfectly!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Renjie smelled a salty and spicy flavor.

The taste wasn't strong, but it invaded the mouth very quickly, reaching the throat in the blink of an eye.

Just as he was about to chew and describe the main flavor of the sauce to the audience, his teeth came into contact with the blood cube very quickly.

"click"

A very, very faint crackling sound rang in Tang Renjie's mind; this was the first wave of crispness brought about by bone conduction in his mouth.

Just as he was surprised, a little juice flowed out from the crisp texture.

He realized it in an instant.

"Boil first, then fry, this..."

Before he could even process what was happening in his mind, something like a crispy tofu exploded in his mouth, along with the fresh and tender taste of tofu after being bitten open.

For a split second, he froze in front of the camera as if his computer had crashed, then his brows relaxed and a look of joy appeared on his face.

Upon seeing his appearance, the viewers in his live stream instantly understood!

Good heavens, this guy really enjoyed his meal!

[They immediately jump into the second stage, and then they'll just keep saying "awesome!"]

[Please forgive my lack of cultural knowledge, but I can sum up everything with just one word: awesome!]

[It's so delicious that the salty and sweet flavors are completely gone; it must be so good it's about to grow wings!]

At that moment, Tang Renjie felt that the flavors in his mouth had blended together perfectly.

You can clearly feel the "crispness" in your mouth!
The pig's blood has distinct layers of flavor. The crispy texture after frying complements the tenderness of the blood, which eventually blends with the flavor of tofu, unconsciously reminding him of the best Mapo Tofu he has ever eaten.

After enjoying himself for a while, he finally recovered.

"This dish is similar in texture to Mapo Tofu, but the ingredients taste completely different."

"To make pig's blood this good, it's among the best in the whole country, it's amazing!"

"Holy crap, if this weren't a competition, I'd be eager to see what the secret recipe is! This stuff definitely doesn't contain starch; it's completely different from blood sausage!"

Just as he was praising it, Old Wang next to him also put the "two-color yellow croaker jelly" into his mouth.

Judging from his blissful expression, he was completely immersed in the double sensation of the fish and the icy coolness!
Seeing the two of them like this, everyone understood that both dishes were very delicious.

Because Lao Wang could only eat one dish, many viewers in Tang Renjie's live stream urged him to try the fish jelly as well, so that he could explain the differences between the two dishes.

However, Tang Renjie still felt that it would be inappropriate not to eat the food if he had reserved the perilla leaves.

Just as his hand was about to touch the perilla leaf, their "Secret Menu A" was delivered separately.

Seeing that there were two small scoops of ice cream, Tang Renjie smiled and handed one to Lao Wang, then put his own aside.

"Sigh, is this all you're giving me? That's not generous!"

"Haha, just kidding. Xia Ming's dishes are absolutely great value for money. I dare say you can't get this price anywhere else outside this door."

"Everyone, I'll try the perilla leaf one first!"

Just as Tang Renjie went to get the perilla leaves, Lao Wang noticed that the ice cream scoop wasn't very big. Since he couldn't handle spicy food very well, he thought he'd use the ice cream scoop to press it down first.

Old Wang scooped some in with a small spoon and found that there were pale yellow jelly-like particles inside.

He hadn't read "One Meal Makes You Famous," so when he saw jelly in the ice cream, he just assumed it was normal.

I scooped up half a ball and put it in my mouth.

As the icy sensation spread in Lao Wang's mouth, his brows relaxed considerably. This ice cream had a slight sea salt flavor, which was perfect for relieving the spiciness.

Just as he was happy with the wise decision he had made.

The next second, his body trembled violently.
In a daze, a huge black shadow carrying a sky full of ice crystals swept towards him!

Just as Old Wang was stunned by the "turtle frozen ice cream"!
Xia Ming adorned the rice milk-flavored ice cream, which he had ground and then rapidly churned by hand, with fruit on it, and placed it on the conveyor belt to be sent to the "Upside-Down Moon Society" table.

Without hesitation, he picked up a roasted potato from the side, mashed it, and ground it.
This is "mashed potato ice cream" prepared for another table.

Watching Xia Ming in his kitchen combine various ingredients and apply different principles to create ice cream or ice cream products with different textures.

The judges in the commentary room were all stunned.
Tong Song took a long time to utter a sentence.

"Isn't this a bit against the rules?"

Tan Zhifeng read through the rules and found that initially only the value of the "gifted dishes" could not exceed that of the "priced dishes," and there were no strict restrictions on the gifts themselves.

"It only said that four free gift slots were provided, without emphasizing that the slots had to be filled, or saying that the free gifts couldn't be multiple items from the same category."

"In other words, if Xia Ming considers 'complimentary' as 'oumakase (chef's custom-made dishes),' he could even give each table a different item since it doesn't count towards revenue!"

After hearing his words, the commentary booth fell silent again, because they realized that in this mode, as long as Xia Ming had enough stamina, he could provide a variety of different "gifts".

Then this thing essentially becomes
盲盒
That's right, an unknown and mysterious food blind box!
(End of this chapter)