Chapter 50: Chapter 50: What is Exquisite
Translator: 549690339
Twenty minutes passed in a blink of an eye, amidst the occasional wafts of citrus aroma emanating from the steamer.
Under the expectant gazes of Dan Bao, Qin Lang slowly opened the steamer. Along with the burst of steam, there emerged an intoxicatingly rich, extraordinary fragrance.
The aroma was dominated by the scent of crab; the profound richness of the crab roe and crab paste effortlessly blended with the lightness of the crabmeat, further enhanced by the fresh scent of oranges and the unique fragrance of rice vinegar and rice wine.
All these elements fused together, creating the bewitchingly distinctive experience that was the Crab-Stuffed Orange.
Having placed the eight portions of Crab-Stuffed Oranges from the steamer onto individual plates, each designed to securely hold one serving without any wobble, Qin Lang put them all into the Food Fight kitchen cabinet car. He glanced at Dan Bao beside him, “Shall we go out now?”
Dan Bao nodded vigorously, his face full of anticipation.
Qin Lang had prepared a total of eight servings of Crab-Stuffed Oranges!
Minus the six meant for the Food Fight judges and the opponent, the remaining two were for Qin Lang and himself!
Once the Food Fight ended, he could finally taste this dish that was so delicious that once was never enough!
In another kitchen adjacent to Qin Lang’s.
Just as Qin Lang had predicted, Tang Xie had not finished his cooking yet.
“Ding— ”
A notification sound rang in Tang Xie’s kitchen, causing a slight pause in his actions.
He straightened up, grabbed a towel from the side to wipe his sweaty forehead, a more cautious look in his eyes.
Qin Lang had finished already?
There were about fifty more minutes left in the two-hour cooking time limit was this guy super-fast or what?
A regular Food Fight might be one thing, but this time’s Food Fight theme was “exquisite”.
He glanced at the dish in front of him, which was starting to take shape, his expression slightly tense.
Faced with this theme, the first thought that came to Tang Xie was to perfect the aesthetics of the dish.
Moreover, there happened to be a dish he knew that met this requirement.
“Exquisite” meant continuous improvement.
Even if the dish was completed, one could constantly refine it in details, making it more sophisticated.
Therefore, Tang Xie was ready to finish his dish at the very last minute before the time limit.
But Qin Lang’s early finish had somewhat disrupted his rhythm.
The experienced Tang Xie knew very well: The longer the time interval between the completion of two competing dishes, the more disadvantageous it would be for the one finished later.
As judges kept savoring the earlier dish, it would undoubtedly make a deeper impression in their minds.
Thus, the plan might need to change a little.
Looking at the two Food Spirits fluttering around him, Tang Xie made up his mind.
“We need to speed up too!”
Outside the kitchen, the five judges, who had been waiting for a long time, were each occupied with their own activities.
Unlike Spirit Battles, Food Fights inevitably had waiting time before the dishes were served.
As professional judges, they could not just sit idle during this waiting period.
After their initial chitchat, the five judges passed the time in their own ways.
In the middle seat, the chief judge, Huang Shu, was engrossed in reading a gourmet food magazine.
Sitting next to her, the female judge surnamed Qi, who had participated in the judgment of Qin Lang’s previous Food Fight, was taking out her makeup bag to touch up her makeup.
The chatty Judge Zhou was engrossed in his phone, scrolling through a social media app, occasionally cracking a mysterious smile.
As for the other two male judges, they were engaged in hushed whispers, discussing something.
This lasted until they heard a notification tone from the judging panel in front of them.
Here it is!
In an instant, their expressions turned solemn, transitioning into judging mode.
Regardless of Huang Shu’s magazines, Judge Qi’s makeup bag, or Judge Zhou’s phone, they all swiftly and discreetly tucked these items into the drawers of the judging panel. The remaining two judges who were huddled together also separated at once, not letting Qin Lang, who was wheeling out his kitchen cabinet car, notice a thing.
“Skilled”
“Good day to you, esteemed judges.” Qin Lang once again admired the professionalism of the Food Fight Judges, he steadily pushed the kitchen cabinet car in front of the judging panel, “My Food Fight dish is ready.”
While speaking, he glanced at the closed kitchen door on the other side, sensing a sense of predictability.
Preparing the Crab-Stuffed Orange was not a quick process.
Yet compared to the Food Fight topic of “Exquisite”, the cooking speed was considerably swift.
Turning back, Qin Lang, along with Dan Bao, served the dish onto five plates from the kitchen cabinet car and put them in front of the five judges.
“Crab-Stuffed Orange, please enjoy.”
While he was not garrulous, he was also not terse in his speech.
Given that they were accustomed to Spirit Chefs who wouldn’t hesitate to sing praises of their own dishes, Qin Lang’s laconic manner, apart from Judge Qi who had already seen it once, took the other judges by surprise.
However, their attention was primarily focused on the dish before them.
After observing for a moment, various expressions appeared on the faces of the five judges.
They silently began tasting.
“Exquisite”, as a theme, belonged to the abstract group of Food Fight themes.
Everyone has a different interpretation of such an abstract theme.
The five judges certainly would not unify their interpretation, achieving so-called consensus.
The Food Fight’s charm lies in the Spirit Chef’s expressing their understanding of the theme through their cooking. This is best reflected in the served dishes.
For instance, the main judge, Huang Shu, did not deem “exquisite” to mean the appearance of the dish, but the refined taste of the dish.
More specifically, she preferred delicate, understated flavors.
Therefore, when she smelled the Crab-Stuffed Orange, she was instantly surprised.
The light, refreshing aroma of the rice wine and rice vinegar blended with the scent of the orange.
All of this acted as the background, emphasizing the brilliant and impressive crab aroma.
Just smelling this aroma, Huang Shu was tempted to taste it all at once.
She slowly picked up a crab powder stuffed orange from the plate beside her with her chopsticks, its unique sheen from the crab oil sparkling under the lights, and took a bite.
An intensely rich umami flavor instantly spread throughout her mouth.
Throughout the entire process of cooking the Crab-Stuffed Orange, not a pinch of salt was added. Hence, the crab powder that Huang Shu tasted still retained the authentic taste of crab.
The crab meat was fresh with a hint of natural sweetness, the crab roe and paste were even richer in flavor. The two blended perfectly during the preparation of the crab powder, further enhanced by the addition of the orange flesh by Qin Lang, which brought about a few delightful changes.
The orange flesh, with its hint of tanginess and sweetness, perfectly offset the brininess of the crab meat. Additionally, it subtly amplified the freshness of the crab meat.
With every bite, a trace of rice vinegar and rice wine lingered in her mouth, refusing to dissipate for a long time.
These hints of flavors did not mix into the overall taste of the Crab-Stuffed Orange. However, they attach themselves like a shadow, fiddling with Huang Shu’s olfactory nerves, and together with her taste buds, induced a thrilling sense of delight.
Huang Shu’s eyes widened in an instant.
This was a dish that completely aligned with her understanding of ‘exquisiteness’!
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢