Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

Seeing that Chu Yunsheng had sat down, Mr. Lin continued talking, while the drone in the sky switched to introduce the last judge.

Compared to the other two local chefs, this chef, representing the National Culinary Association, was ten times more prestigious. His appearance immediately drew cheers and excitement from those around him.

"I hope everyone can perform well, and I will recruit those who perform exceptionally well into the Food Association."

Huang Tian is not old and has an ordinary appearance.

He always had a smile on his face when he spoke, giving people a sense of unfathomable depth.

After Mr. Lin, one of the judges, finished introducing the judges, the situation became clear.

"It's actually the head chef of the Emperor Hotel!"

"I once ate at the Emperor Hotel, and the food was absolutely delicious, but it was too expensive. One meal cost me a whole month's salary!"

"This is the price for a top-tier chef's dish, but you earn quite a lot a month."

"Of those who can buy tickets to get inside, how many don't have money?"

There was a brief silence at first, followed by an amazing cheer.

As the most luxurious hotel in Xiamen, the Emperor Hotel's main business is not even a restaurant, but accommodation.

Even so, its incredibly delicious taste has become a memory for many people.

"I finished!"

Excited heart, trembling hands.

As the judges appeared on stage, someone in the audience finally shouted loudly.

"Coconut curry shrimp, a classic Southeast Asian dish, please have the three judges try it."

The man's voice had a strong Thai accent. Because he came to China to participate in a competition, he had specially enrolled in a Chinese class before coming to learn Chinese.

It's just that because the time was short, it was a bit unpleasant to listen to.

However, the core of the competition is evaluating the dishes, and there is no intention to delve into the contestants' accents, since the vast majority of those who come here are foreigners.

The truly Chinese culinary schools are actually in the minority.

As the dishes were served to the judges, the three judges' eyes were instantly fixed on the food in front of them, and their faces showed different degrees of anticipation.

"Devein the shrimp by cutting along the back, then add chili threads, lemongrass, cilantro roots, shallots, and garlic..."

"The cooking method should be to first put the shrimp heads and shells into the pot, press out the essence of the shrimp brain with a spoon, and extract a small amount of shrimp oil at the same time to fully release the flavor of the shrimp heads. Then add shallot strips and garlic slices, and after the caramelized layer in the pot is dissolved, add coconut milk and Thai yellow curry commonly found in the market..."

"It has a slight fish sauce flavor, and the shrimp should not have been fried, but boiled directly."

Looking at the dish presented in a small pot in front of them, the three judges quickly analyzed its preparation process, exchanging their opinions.

This is also a basic operation for master chefs.

Everyone is a master of theory, able to deduce the cooking process by working backward from the dish.

"Then let's try it."

As they were talking, Chu Yun Sheng was the first to pick up his chopsticks and take a bite of the curry shrimp in front of him.

The moment his chopsticks touched the thick, amber-colored sauce, a tropical storm of coconut and spice aromas swept out of the pot.

The shrimp meat trembled slightly on the chopsticks, coated in golden curry sauce, revealing an enticing flavor.

"The shrimp brain essence is completely integrated into the coconut milk."

Chu Yunsheng said with his eyes closed, his tongue analyzing the collision of various flavor molecules, a wonderful taste welling up: "It's not made with ready-made shrimp broth, but with freshly pressed shrimp head oil. This kind of freshness can never be replicated by industrial products."

"Judging from the degree of emulsification, the chef must have added the coconut milk in three batches."

The aroma is first released at high heat, the base is formed at medium heat, and a final touch is added before turning off the heat to maintain freshness.

Huang Tian was swirling her spoon in the sauce. She scooped up a spoonful of sauce, which shone with a silky sheen under the light: "The perfect 28-degree tilt angle—this is the standard for sauce consistency that only a master chef knows."

"The sweetness of coconut milk and the spiciness of curry, the richness of shrimp brain and the freshness of lemongrass, the saltiness of fish sauce and the sourness of lime... each pair of opposites has found a balance."

Chu Yun Sheng smacked his lips, savoring the rich flavor on his tongue, a look of enjoyment on his face.

Huang Tian drew a molecular structure diagram in his notebook: "The most remarkable thing is the transition between layers. It's not a step-like discontinuity, but a natural flow like the tides. This chef... he knows how to paint with flavor."

"Have you tasted it...?"

On the other side, Xia Tianci suddenly paused, his pupils widening slightly: "It's roasted coconut powder! What's sprinkled on the surface isn't ordinary coconut shreds, but ground coconut meat that's been roasted to a golden brown at high temperatures."

That faint, almost imperceptible aroma of caramel...

"The chef who can blend so many flavors to such an extent must be quite skilled."

As soon as the words were spoken, all three of them turned their gazes toward the man not far away.

The man wore a confident smile. This dish was his masterpiece, something he had practiced countless times in school. He never expected to encounter the same dish in the selection competition.

What a blessing!

"It seems the three judges are quite satisfied with this contestant's dish, so let's begin scoring!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, the host, microphone in hand and expressiony, used words to guide the emotions of the audience and get the judges to start scoring.

"This dish tastes and feels great, but it's too bland. I didn't notice anything special about it by the end."

"Indeed, this is a big problem for fine dining. But it's not the biggest problem; this dish has another fatal flaw."

"There's a problem with the ending note."

The lime leaf powder has too large a particle size, creating a gritty sensation on the tongue. The correct method is to freeze it with liquid nitrogen before grinding.

As the voice faded, the three people present stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes toward the man who had become somewhat smug because of their praise.

The head chef of the Emperor Hotel pointed out the biggest problem with this dish.

As a top-tier celebrity chef, he deals with all kinds of high-end cuisine every day, and the people who come to his hotel to eat are all wealthy people with discerning palates. If the details are not polished to perfection, it is difficult to satisfy them, so he immediately noticed the problem.

"25 points."

Xia Tianci was the first to speak, giving his score.

"31 points."

After a moment's thought, Huang Tian was the second to speak. As the chief judge, he could only give a maximum score of 40, but for this dish, he could only give it 31.

"26 points. I think this dish is pretty good. At least the beginning was done well."

Chu Yunsheng smiled and scored 26 points. He had been to Thailand for a while when he was young and loved Southeast Asian cuisine. He was pleasantly surprised to be able to eat here today.

"82 points! The judges gave a total of 82 points! Congratulations to Basong Charonpong! He became the first contestant to score over 80 points!"

Looking at the man in front of him, judge Mr. Lin quickly searched his mind for his name, and then excitedly introduced him to the audience.

As a professional judge, Mr. Lin had seen the photos and names of all the contestants on his side before going on stage, so he could call out the names of every face.

Is 82 points considered a high or low score?

The thought crossed Alice Nakiri's mind: Although she only saw Basong Charonpong's dish through the big screen above her head, she could tell from its appearance that it was only a first-class dish, far from being a special-class dish. Could she really get 82 points just like that?

If that's the case, then the competition doesn't seem so difficult after all...

Chapter 406 Megumi Tadokoro's Creativity, Lychee Shrimp Balls

"My dish is finished too."

"And I."

Seeing the first person go up and get a high score, the others who were still hesitating also stepped forward and placed their dishes in front of the judges.

In contrast to the meticulous tasting when evaluating the first person, the subsequent dishes were only tasted once each because the queue was too long.

Then you get a score that's neither high nor low.

Occasionally, they'll make a really good one, which makes them want to have a couple more bites, but that's about it. If they can give it 80 points or more, that's already considered a high score.

However, it's unclear whether it was due to the lack of skill among the people present or the difficulty in achieving a score of 90.

So far, more than 20 people have gone up, and the highest score they have received is only 88 points.

"Please enjoy the orange salad shrimp."

Erina Nakiri placed the dishes in front of the judges and gestured for them to proceed.

"This looks pretty good. The colors are refreshing, the aroma is rich, and most importantly, it looks beautiful. It's the kind of dish that ladies would like."

The fruit basket carved from oranges resembles a small lantern, with the orange peel carefully cut into wavy edges, and a few strands of uncut orange pith still attached to the edge.

Smelling the sweet fragrance in the air, Chu Yun Sheng couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes, I can smell a blend of lemon and lime aromas in it."

Combining shrimp and oranges, two completely unrelated ingredients, to create a dish that tastes quite good is a great idea.

Huang Tian's eyes grew brighter as he ate, and he looked up at her face, nodding slightly with admiration in his eyes.

Talented individuals who can innovate and bring new life to cuisine are exactly what the culinary world needs today! With more people like them, the culinary world can truly flourish!

"The appearance is impeccable, but the core of a dish is still the taste. Can you still taste the original flavor of shrimp when it's coated with so much weird sauce?"

Xia Tianci voiced the doubts of the audience, and as he spoke, he used his chopsticks to pick out the shrimp balls from the orange and examined them carefully.

The milky white shrimp balls are plump and round, coated with a thick, wonderful sauce, as if gently lifted by snow-white clouds, with a few strands of pale yellow condensed milk wrapped around them like ribbons.

The sauce glistened slightly, like a thin layer of glass, making each shrimp ball look crystal clear and tempting, causing onlookers to swallow hard.

The orange bits scattered throughout resemble fragments of gold, while the lime zest, like tender buds in early spring, are sprinkled on the sauce.

Such visually appealing dishes are hard to eat.

Especially the girls in the audience, who were staring longingly at the shrimp balls that Xia Tianci picked up with his chopsticks.

If it were them cooking this, they would definitely take hundreds of photos, dress themselves up beautifully, and post a nine-grid photo collage on their WeChat Moments.

Instead of so easily destroying its beauty.

pity.

They are not judges.

"Try them all."

Because there were other people waiting behind them, they couldn't linger too long on one dish, so they exchanged glances and simultaneously put the food into their mouths.

The wonderful flavor spread through their mouths along with the food, causing all three of them to close their eyes simultaneously.