Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"As long as you do your best in everything you can and control all the details, the Flowing Light Cuisine is actually not that difficult."

It's a pity the ingredients provided this time weren't very good; it was just ordinary duck. Otherwise, I feel this dish could have been even better.

Bai Yuan said with a regretful expression, "Once I start cooking, I think about climbing to the highest peak and creating the most perfect dish, so I feel sorry for dishes that haven't reached their full potential."

"Do your best in everything you can, and control every detail. That's how you achieve 'flowing light cuisine'?"

"Going a step further..."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's Versailles-like speech, the room suddenly fell silent.

Do you want to hear what you are saying?

This really proves the saying true: I exerted all my strength to reach that hall, and was about to stand at the entrance, becoming one of the strong within. But then, a voice drifted out from inside: "I'm really bad!"

"In short, let's enjoy the food first."

Master Baiyao's voice rang out: "No matter what, the competition comes first. Since the contestants have presented their dishes, we, as judges, should taste them."

"Three-layer duck is a famous dish from Gaoyou, Jiangsu. The Gaoyou ducks there have tender and elastic meat with an excellent taste. It has a rich aroma and unique flavor, combining the natural freshness of duck meat with a unique fragrance."

Zhang Xingyuan's voice rang out from the side, his eyes also filled with shock.

He thought he could easily outshine Bai Yuan with his shimmering dish, but he never expected Bai Yuan to be able to do it too! And judging from the stable shimmering light on the duck's body, his skill level is significantly higher than Bai Yuan's!?

Isn't this a bit too much?

"Not only that, the salted duck eggs from Gaoyou are also exceptional! They are renowned for their bright red and glossy yolks and tender and delicate egg whites."

While using chopsticks to separate the duck meat, Master Baiyao talked about the salted duck eggs of Gaoyou, a nostalgic expression on his face. Just thinking about the taste made people linger!

"The sauce is rich and savory, the meat is tender and juicy, and the layers of flavor are exceptionally distinct! The domestic duck, as the outermost layer, provides abundant duck fat and succulent duck meat. The wild duck adds flavor with its firm meat and unique gamey taste."

The live pigeon meat is tender and absorbs the broth that seeps in from the outside perfectly. The live quail inside is even smaller and more delicate, with delicious meat.

The final layer of wild pigeon is the perfect finishing touch, locking in the essence of the previous four layers while its belly is stuffed with diced bamboo shoots, diced ham, and diced shiitake mushrooms—a symphony of flavors! The deliciousness is simply breathtaking!

The chopsticks remove pieces of meat from each section, and the broth and ingredients slowly flow out along the cuts, carrying a rich and delicious aroma that instantly fills the entire room!

"Let me try it!"

"It smells so good! I'm so hungry! I can't take it anymore! Just one hundred bites! Just one hundred bites!"

The audience below the stage had already reached their limit after being subjected to the aroma of the boneless fish with three kinds of delicacies. Now, the aroma of the five kinds of ducks came again, causing many audience members with low self-control to rush uncontrollably to the competition field.

If it weren't for the staff stopping the crowd and the pre-set cordon, the scene would probably be in complete chaos by now!

"It's amazing! The five flavors blend together perfectly, yet you can still taste each individual flavor. It's like listening to an elegant symphony, where each character plays its part! Even on its own, it's outstanding!"

The skillful old lady opened her eyes and spoke slowly, describing it perfectly: any part of this menu is of luminous quality.

Of course, combining these glowing dishes into a luminous dish is not as simple as just adding ingredients; it requires a lot of experience!

"At your age, you can actually make luminous dishes. How do you practice your cooking skills? It's just too abnormal!"

An Pangzi bluntly expressed the thoughts of everyone present, and all eyes turned to Bai Yuan, eagerly awaiting his answer and hoping to learn from him.

"How else can you practice? Just keep practicing the basics. When you see or eat a delicious dish and feel interested, go home and try to recreate it. Then, try to understand its strengths and weaknesses, grasp the strengths and improve the weaknesses to take the taste of the dish to the next level."

Bai Yuan didn't hide anything. After thinking for a moment, he began to speak. The first thing was to practice the basic skills extensively every day, which was the most basic of the basics.

Secondly, you need to have enough passion for cooking and be willing to try new things. If you have these two things, you will improve very quickly!

Chapter 82 The Second Stage of Radiant Cuisine: The Final Victory!

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple! Cooking should be a joyful thing. Only when you have the anticipation of freshly made food will you want to do your best."

Bai Yuan spoke with a serious expression, then took a pair of chopsticks, picked up a large piece of meat from the five ducks, and put it into his own bowl.

He couldn't possibly leave all the dishes he painstakingly prepared for the judges.

He made this dish mainly because he wanted to eat it, and it was also a good opportunity to test his knife skills, so he just got started.

"Damn it, you actually stole food from the judges! No way, I want some too!"

Seeing Bai Yuan's extremely relaxed behavior, Zhang Xingyuan, who was suppressing his craving and silently waiting for the judges' scores, immediately became unhappy.

So he also brought a set of bowls and chopsticks, stood next to Bai Yuan, and joined the battle to eliminate the food.

Unlike his boneless fish with three kinds of seafood, Bai Yuan's dishes are much larger in portion, so much so that even three to five people can't finish them in a short time.

"You two are really unconventional, but Brother Bai Yuan is right about one thing: cooking should be a joyful thing."

Perhaps we've forgotten that in the beginning, the purpose of making food was simply to make the person who eats it happy.

Watching Bai Yuan and Zhang Xingyuan keep reaching for the food in front of them with their chopsticks, Master Baiyao couldn't help but look up at the sky and ponder his own true nature.

"My true feelings? I never expected to hear such an answer from a person more than sixty years younger than me. It's truly shameful."

The skillful old woman murmured to herself, but Bai Yuan's calm words were like a thunderclap, waking her from her dream and making her suddenly realize what was happening.

The main thing is that no one would have said this to her before, and even if they did, she might not have listened to it; she would just feel a little nostalgic.

Bai Yuan chose the perfect moment; when she was trembling with shock from Liu Guang's cooking, his words struck her heart directly!

"It seems that Tianci isn't the only one blinded by the prospect of becoming a higher-level chef; we are too!"

Shaking his head, Master Baiyao smiled bitterly, finally understanding the problem.

That heart, which was purely dedicated to creating better dishes and constantly striving to improve, was abandoned by him in some unknown period of time.

Although he still wants to make more delicious dishes, his heart has completely changed and he no longer has the talent to support him, so it is naturally difficult for him to make any progress.

"My true self..."

An Pangzi put a piece of duck meat mixed with ham and bamboo shoots into his mouth, savoring the rich flavor, and muttered to himself.

"One word can subdue three heroes"—that's exactly what Bai Yuan just said.

"Alright, let's start scoring."

Suddenly, Master Baiyao's expression turned serious. He decided to continue the competition and exchanged a glance with Granny Qiaoshou and Fatty An beside him.

The audience held their breath, their eyes filled with anticipation, as the fragrance had almost dissipated and most people had returned to their senses.

When they learned that they had been influenced by the fragrance and almost rushed onto the judges' panel, they were all incredulous, because it was an unconscious action.

"Before rating, I suggest you try this dish in a different way, and you will have a completely different experience."

Seeing that the three were about to start rating, Bai Yuan looked at the dishes in front of him and suddenly spoke up. He then took a few steps forward and came to stand in front of them.

The most amazing thing about this dish is that it's not actually tasted directly; that would at most make it a relatively exquisite culinary experience.

As the product of his full effort, how could it possibly be just a simple dish of flowing light?!

"Could there be some hidden secret in this dish?"

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Master Baiyao's face showed a hint of doubt, and then he began to examine him carefully.

But after looking for a long time, he couldn't find anything different, so he could only cast a puzzled look at Bai Yuan, who had said those words.

"I cleaned out all the bones from this five-layered duck dish, even the smallest cartilage and brittle bones."

In other words, you can enjoy the deliciousness of this dish from top to bottom in a very comprehensive way, just like eating cut cake.

As Bai Yuan spoke, a kitchen knife appeared in his hand, and before anyone could react, he began cutting up the remaining five ducks.

In an instant, the five sets of ducks that were originally shaped like ducks turned into small square pieces, and each of these small pieces was composed of duck meat, wild duck meat, pigeon meat, quail meat, and wild pigeon meat in that order.

Interspersed between the meat pieces are extremely thin slices of ham, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms to enhance the umami flavor. With one bite, you can experience all the flavors of the dish at once!

"Come on, this is the second form of this dish! Five-cubic-meter duck!"

Bai Yuan placed the prepared small pieces into a white porcelain plate and then placed it in front of the three judges. He smiled and said that the most impressive thing about this dish was that it allowed people to taste five ingredients at the same time!

The flavor created by the intermingling of different types of poultry is much richer than that of a single or two types of poultry, and by a significant margin!

"This format feels a bit like Western food. If you put some sauce on the side, it's a standard Western plating."

Looking at the small cube in front of him, Master Baiyao couldn't help but complain, "If you add some sauce to this small cube and decorate it, isn't it just Western food?"

"Chinese food and Western food are just different in form. The true definition of cuisine is always the same: delicious."

Bai Yuan calmly shared his understanding of cooking.

Master Baiyao nodded after hearing his words. Indeed, there is only one standard for judging whether a dish is good or bad.

Whether it tastes good or not.

Its form is actually just a carrier.

"The second phase of the 'Flowing Light Cuisine' is largely the same, except for the change in how it's served. What kind of difference will there be in the taste?"

Master Baiyao pondered for a moment, then picked up the dish with his chopsticks. The small cube was surprisingly firm and did not fall off.

"Perhaps this is the true way to eat this dish."

Suddenly, the idea popped into Master Baiyao's mind. He then put the dish into his mouth, and the next moment, the umami flavor exploded in his mouth!

Rich, full-bodied, with a hint of broth.

Bamboo shoots, ham slices, and shiitake mushroom slices enhance the texture of the five-layered duck, while also elevating the flavor of the duck meat and making its layers of flavor more distinct.

And because only scallion knots and ginger slices are added, this dish showcases the flavor of the ingredients themselves.

But that's enough. The umami flavors of the five kinds of poultry are layered together, each distinct yet blended together, creating an indescribable taste!

The first thing that hits you is the delicate and mellow flavor of the duck meat, which carries a deep, natural freshness that slowly unfolds.

Then, the wild flavor of wild duck meat is subtly added, giving the dish a touch of untamed spirit and vitality, while creating a subtle contrast with the mildness of domestic duck meat.

Then, the sweetness of the pigeon meat and the delicacy of the quail meat intertwine, their unique umami flavors dancing lightly in the mouth!

Finally, the flavor of the wild pigeon meat spread and permeated the rest of the dish, elevating its deliciousness to a new level! Its firmer texture and richer umami flavor are undoubtedly the finishing touch to this dish!

The explosion of so many elements in an instant is completely different from the feeling of savoring it little by little at the beginning, and the impact is extremely strong!

"This is really true!"

"Ride freely, above and below the heavens!"

Close your eyes, and you feel as if you have transformed into a phoenix, with all sorts of fragrances intertwining and turning into tail feathers to increase your speed.

The phoenix spreads its wings, and all birds bow down in awe. This spirit of roaming freely across the heavens and earth is truly awe-inspiring.

"It's not just luminous cuisine, it's the absolute pinnacle of luminous cuisine. The immersive experience it provides is something that ordinary cuisine can't offer!"