A Bite of Douluo Continent

But in reality, among the three head chefs of Ming Ting Que, the most skilled was the last one, Chef Jin.

This made my previously relaxed heart jump again.

...

After leaving the kitchen, Qi Han quickly realized that the head chef of Ming Ting Que had left around the same time as him.

After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly came to his senses.

Did the two people happen to finish at the same time?

Well then, let's see what dishes he's cooking.

"Would you like to try my third dish?" Qi Han smiled politely and spoke to Ming Tingque and the others who came up from the stands to join Chef Jin.

"Thank you very much." Zhao Yangfan had already seen Chef Jin's confident expression, and his mood instantly improved as he felt more at ease. He smiled and said, while the three chefs standing behind him nodded, indicating that they wanted to try it.

As soon as Chef Jin got his hands on the Wensi Tofu, he immediately cast a questioning glance at Chef Song beside him. Chef Song looked slightly bewildered, looked down at the Wensi Tofu in his hand, and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

This is not a Ginkgo biloba known for its poetry and etiquette.

No?

Chef Jin raised an eyebrow, then seemed to understand something.

Did Qi Han underestimate his opponent?

Could it be that his overwhelming victory in the previous game made him lower his guard?

It's not impossible, after all, he's young, and I heard that Hanshi Restaurant is newly opened, so maybe they don't even know him...

Gu, you were so nervous for nothing.

Chef Jin chuckled inwardly, then picked up a spoon and casually scooped up a spoonful of Wensi Tofu and put it in his mouth.

This soup looks pretty good, but I wonder what it tastes like... hmm?

Ok? !

Chef Jin's eyes widened suddenly.

After swallowing one spoonful, he didn't hesitate to scoop up a second spoonful and put it in his mouth, his face full of incredulous astonishment.

This is... tofu?

Those delicate white strands that melt in your mouth, as fine as hair—you're telling me this is tofu?!

The intense and rich flavor of the chicken broth and the mellow aroma of the soybeans filled his mouth almost instantly. The delicious taste, which was so amazing that it almost made his soul tremble, made Chef Jin's hands tremble slightly.

Lost.

After just two bites, Chef Jin had his answer.

Not only did they lose, they crushed them.

It was a crushing defeat with an enormous gap that no external factors could affect.

Under normal circumstances, the rich and savory flavor of meat dishes will naturally mask the fresh and delicate flavor of the vegetables themselves. Adding meat to vegetable dishes can certainly enhance the flavor of the dish, but this flavor comes from the meat, not the vegetables themselves.

If that's the case, why not just eat meat directly?

The cooking of vegetables should return to their original form, using cooking techniques to bring out the fresh and natural flavors of the vegetables themselves, creating a taste that people will linger over.

This is the culinary philosophy that Chef Jin has always upheld.

At this moment, Qi Han's Wensi Tofu not only has the deliciousness of chicken soup, but the rich aroma of soybeans can also perfectly blend with the savory flavor of meat, even overshadowing the brilliance of the meat.

This was a direction and approach he had never considered before.

The others from Ming Tingque also gradually turned pale after tasting the Wensi Tofu served during the Cold Food Festival.

The contrast is too obvious; this is simply a dish that Jade Dew can't surpass.

This time, Ming Tingque lost, and it was a crushing defeat.

Chef Song's face was somber, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Since Qi Han didn't use the Ginkgo biloba, then he shouldn't have to take responsibility for not reporting the situation of the Ginkgo biloba in a timely manner after inquiring about the Cold Food Festival, right?

Zhao Yangfan, standing in front of Chef Song, turned deathly pale.

He couldn't accept this outcome; the Mingtingque he had painstakingly built was about to become a wedding dress for the Cold Food Festival.

A week-long promotion of the Cold Food Festival within his own home would be enough to make Ming Tingque a laughing stock and cause his reputation to plummet.

Will you find a way to retaliate against Hanshi afterwards?

No, Zhao Yangfan never thought of taking revenge on Hanshi, because he clearly remembered that it was His Majesty's order to have him find Hanshi to compete for food.

So... Your Majesty knew from the beginning that Hanshi's strength far surpassed Mingtingque's, right?

He just wanted Ming Tingque to lose to Han Shi?

The decree to revitalize Minker Street suddenly flashed through his mind, and Zhao Yangfan's eyes widened abruptly.

I understand, I understand everything!

Your Majesty... just to attract more people to Mingke Street, for such a small purpose, you have crushed the hard work and reputation accumulated by generations of Ming Tingque into dust.

My Zhao family has served the royal family for generations, and most of the income of Mingtingque went into the royal family's pockets, but in the end we have come to this end.

Suddenly, Zhao Yangfan felt a surge of resentment towards the royal family.

He didn't hate Hanshi for winning fair and square against Mingtingque; he only hated the emperor who had sent him into the line of fire yesterday.

Zhao Yangfan clenched his fist tightly in his sleeve, leaving a bloody mark on his palm.

...

"What's this dish called?" After a long silence, Chef Jin suddenly spoke up.

"This?" Qi Han's expression turned strange. After a couple of seconds of hesitation, he spoke, "A budget-friendly version of Wensi Tofu?"

Chapter 520 I'm in a hurry (Seeking monthly votes and recommendations!)

"A low-end version?" Although he had never heard of such a concept before, Chef Jin could easily deduce the meaning from Qi Han's words.

He became even more silent, and his breathing seemed to become heavier.

Silently setting down the empty Wensi Tofu Soup Bowl, Chef Jin couldn't help but clench his fist.

I have a feeling that this young man in front of me is really asking for a beating!

Qi Han was oblivious to the fact that he was about to be beaten up; at that moment, he was carefully examining the Jade Dew dish made by Chef Jin.

On the plate was only a simple cabbage. This cabbage looked much like it had just been picked. The leaves were unfurled and firm, and the stem was tightly closed together. On the cabbage leaves were crystal clear dewdrops. Under the light, the dewdrops were translucent and had a bright, tender green color, giving people a feeling of vitality.

After examining it for a while, Qi Han finally picked up a cabbage leaf with his fork and put it in his mouth to chew.

The greenish-white stems were thick and tender, lacking any of the vitality of vegetables, yet possessing an elasticity and fullness that blanching alone could not provide. This alone amazed Qi Han.

Most vegetables have a raw, unpleasant smell when they are freshly picked. This smell is called "vitality" and needs to be boiled for a certain period of time to completely release and dissipate. This process is called "breaking the rawness".

While blanching removes the raw taste of vegetables, the downside is that the vegetables won't be as crisp and tender as when they're fresh. After all, the texture of vegetables naturally changes after being boiled for a period of time.

This Jade Dew, while devoid of any life force, retains absolutely no change in taste. To achieve this, the vegetables must have very little of the raw, unpleasant smell when freshly picked, and must be cultivated and grown using a special method before being carefully selected.

What does a cabbage taste like, without any raw vegetable smell but with a crisp and tender texture like freshly picked vegetables?

Qi Han now knows.

With each bite, the juice from the thick stem bursts out easily, filling his mouth with a strange and unique fresh flavor.

The flavor is not strong or oily, but rather sweet and delicious.

At the same time, the dew clinging to the vegetable leaves slowly melts into your mouth, creating an extremely fresh and delicate flavor, somewhat similar to the vegetarian broth of Dinghu Shangsu, but with a richer and more complex taste.

The slightly sticky texture gave Qi Han a slight surprise.

Thickening with cornstarch?

This was the first time he had ever discovered a technique similar to thickening sauce in the world.

The thin cornstarch slurry altered the consistency of the broth, allowing it to adhere completely to the vegetable leaves like dewdrops. This made the dish more perfect and harmonious in both appearance and taste.

This dish is in no way inferior to crab-stuffed orange.

After swallowing a bite of vegetable leaf, Qi Han couldn't help but secretly exclaim how close he had come to disaster.

If he uses Mapo Tofu in this round, he'll probably lose outright.

...

Among the judges, countless people couldn't help but exclaim in amazement at the appearance of these two dishes.

Wu Henian, sitting at the very front, had a rather complicated expression on his face.

I never expected it to end like this.

Of the two dishes, he first tasted Ming Ting Que's Jade Dew, a dish that resembled freshly picked cabbage, which gave him an incredibly amazing feeling.

Chef Jin lives up to his reputation. He is indeed a royal chef who has insisted on cooking only vegetables for more than 30 years. He has reached a state of perfection in the art of cooking vegetables. Wu Henian believes that it is difficult for any of his dishes to surpass this Jade Dew.

This dish is almost on par with the crab-stuffed orange dish from the Cold Food Festival. It's not easy to beat this dish.

At this crucial juncture, Qi Han underestimated his opponent and, instead of bringing out the Ginkgo biloba, presented a seemingly ordinary soup.

How could Wu Henian not be anxious?

Gu Ruanran, after rinsing his mouth and tasting a low-end version of Wensi Tofu, Wu Henian's original annoyance vanished.

It turns out that Qi Han wasn't underestimating his opponent, but rather brought out a new dish that wasn't on the menu?

The taste of this Wensi tofu was unlike anything he had ever tasted in his life; its wonderful flavor was simply irresistible, and what was even more amazing was Qi Han's knife skills.

What kind of exquisite knife skills are required to cut such a soft and fragile ingredient as tofu into tofu strips as thin as hair?

Just thinking about it makes Wu Henian realize that he is not as good as him.

Qi Han's knife skills and culinary abilities seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Upon closer reflection, Wu Henian felt that Hanshi (a type of cold food) was no ordinary dish.

"Brother Henian, what exactly is the origin of this Cold Food Festival?" After taking a delicious sip of Wensi Tofu, Ye Ansheng couldn't help but ask, "I misjudged him. I didn't expect him to actually be able to defeat Ming Tingque."

“I don’t know either.” Wu Henian gave a wry smile. “This young man seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Chefs are supposed to follow a lineage, but I’ve never heard of any of the dishes he’s made in all these years.”