On the third day of September, the capital's cooking competition kicked off in the main room with a deafening sound of gongs and drums. WWw,QuanBeN-XiaoShuo,CoM
Xiao Yueye didn't understand the nature of this competition at first, but she realized it later after hearing Yin Caiju's introduction. It can be regarded as an authoritative competition in the culinary world. Winning first place in this competition is basically equivalent to gaining recognition from chefs all over the world.
The venue for this competition is "Longze Tower". Xiao Yueye has been very busy before, so I don't know. In fact, this competition is a bit similar to some "female" programs he watched in his previous life. He auditions first, and then goes through layers of screening. , basically those who can come to the capital to participate are all good players.
This competition is different from the general recruitment of chefs for the royal family, or other culinary exchanges. The competition has no requirements for the identity of the contestants. It doesn’t matter whether you represent a restaurant or you represent yourself. As long as you have enough skills in the first place and good skills in the second. As long as you have enough money, you can do anything.
Moreover, most of the best in this competition in each realm were recruited into the palace as royal chefs. This is the highest honor for a chef!
Yin Caiju originally represented herself this time, but she was originally the chef of "Longzelou". She couldn't stand the other party's persuasion and finally agreed to represent "Longzelou". After all, Yin Caiju's cooking skills are known to "Long Zelou", and as the host, they are qualified to send one person to the finals directly.
"Bang!" The host didn't know what was going on. Every time he wanted to speak, he would bang the gong and drum next to him, which made the chefs who were close to him frown.
At this moment, in the lobby on the first floor of "Longze Building", there are nearly twenty outstanding chefs from all over the country. Each one has a stove. The ingredients are all the same for everyone. As for the rest, most of them are brought by themselves. . After all, many people have some "secret recipes", so naturally they have to be prepared.
Xiao Yueye was standing next to Yin Caiju who looked cheerful at the moment. Their combination was really eye-catching. It's not that there are no women who can be chefs, but to become a first-class chef, the only one who is qualified to stand here is Yin Caiju. Female chefs are naturally inferior to male chefs in terms of physical strength. When they are in charge of the pot, they rely on their control of strength. In addition, in this era, it is very taboo for girls to show their faces, so naturally there are fewer.
And Xiao Yueye beside Yin Caiju is also one of the reasons why he is attractive. Otherwise, this guy is so handsome! Wearing a neat white chef's robe, he made the already majestic man look like an immortal from heaven. The first thing anyone who saw him would think was that he was a chef. It was obvious that he was a rich man!
Fortunately, these chefs are experts in cooking, and the rest are just average. Otherwise, if they knew that the robe on Xiao Yueye was made by Rourou Yansha at "Tianyi Tailor" and was worth nearly a thousand taels, I don't know what their expressions would be.
Xiao Yueye secretly rejoiced in her heart. Fortunately, the venue was closed and no one was waiting except for the guards, referees and others. Otherwise, if someone recognized him, there would be an uproar.
"...Okay, I won't say any more nonsense. Now I will announce the material for the first round: tofu! Yes, it is tofu! Although it has entered autumn, the autumn tiger still exudes its unique charm. As we all know, tofu has a smooth taste.
I don’t know if this host was a storyteller before, but he keeps talking nonsense.
As soon as Yin Caiju heard that it was tofu, she took out a few pieces of tofu from the basin and put them on the chopping board. Then she frowned in silence, thinking quickly about what to cook.
Just when everyone was thinking or preparing to cook, the talkative host threw another punch: "Everyone, I forgot to tell you that you only have a quarter of an hour for this first dish. Look at the hourglass over there, it’s officially starting now!”
Damn it! Everyone is scolding this guy in their hearts, why didn't you say it earlier! A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and all the plans in many people's minds had to be abandoned.
Yin Caiju's eyes were fixed, and she made an instant decision. She handed the tofu to Xiao Yueye and said in a low voice: "Brother Xiao, there are very few dishes that can be made in a quarter of an hour. Most people use eight-treasure tofu to cook tofu. , Mapo Tofu, etc., although they are ever-changing, there is nothing new about them. What I want to make now is called Blossoms."
Xiao Yueye nodded and asked: "What should I do? How should I make these tofu?"
Yin Caiju quickly picked out red and green peppers, as well as cucumbers and carrots, washed them in water and handed them to Xiao Yueye: "Brother Xiao, cut the tofu into plum blossom shapes. It should be thin but not fall apart, and the pieces should be stacked together. Chili peppers Go and shred the cucumber, peel and shred the carrot, and I'll prepare the ingredients."
Xiao Yueye nodded to show her understanding, took a very thin kitchen knife from the chopping board, turned it in her hand, and brought out a stream of light. Cutting tofu is a special test of knife skills, especially Yin Caiju who requires the tofu to be cut into plum blossom shapes, and it must be thin without falling apart. The rations provided by "Longzelou" are the relatively common old tofu on the market, which made many people murmur.
Xiao Yueye took action. He uses the push-cut method in the "cut" formula, which is more suitable for fragile items like tofu. He pressed the tofu lightly with his left hand and raised his right hand, bringing out an arc of light and drawing it down quickly. Just when he was only an inch away from the tofu, the right hand holding the knife became trance-like and ethereal. Only the overlapping shadows of the hand and the knife could be seen. The boy watching on the side thought he was dazzled.
When Xiao Yueye stopped, the tofu on the table had not changed at all, which made the boy watching sigh in disappointment. Xiao Yueye smiled softly, very satisfied with his move.
In fact, if the boy could get closer, he would find that these pieces of tofu seem to have remained unchanged, but in fact there are fine and very shallow knife marks on the surface of the tofu. This shows that these pieces of tofu have It had been cut into pieces a long time ago, but because Xiao Yueye's technique was too fast, it could remain in its original state.
But this is just the beginning. Cutting the tofu into plum blossom shapes is the key point and the most difficult part. Xiao Yueye took a plate with a plum blossom pattern and placed it next to it, took a deep breath, and let out a light scold!
He slapped his left hand fiercely, and a small and even internal force came from under the chopping board, which shook all the tofu into the air. With the difference in force, at this time, the waiter on the plate opened his eyes wide. Watching the tofu that he thought had remained unchanged split into pieces, transparent and crystal!
Right now, Xiao Yueye narrowed his eyes, quickly replaced his right hand with a carved knife, and swung it between the tofu with lightning speed. His speed was so fast that the boy on the side could only see streaks of silver light flickering among the white tofu. But what surprised him was far more than that. The tofu slices that fell down flew quickly, and all the tiny crumbs flew around, and the tofu slices landed on the plate just right.
It may be a coincidence that one piece is like this, but what about two pieces, three pieces, or countless pieces
The silver light disappeared, and the ground around was covered with tiny tofu crumbs. There were quite a few on the boy's face, but he didn't care. He opened his eyes wide and took two steps forward.
Is this still tofu? It’s simply a work of art!
Pieces of plum blossom-shaped crystal clear tofu are stacked on the plate, shining with a strange brilliance, and these tofu slices just fit together to form a huge, white plum blossom!
This knife skill is simply unpredictable!
At this time, Yin Caiju happened to mix the seasonings in her hand. She glanced at the tofu slices cut by Xiao Yueye and smiled, but she didn't show the slightest hint of surprise. There is no way, I have been hit and shocked too much in the past few days, so I don't feel much now.
In Yin Caiju's bowl was the juice she had prepared. She carefully poured it on the tofu. She didn't know how she prepared it. The juice was not yellow or purple-black, but had a light pink color.
"What did you mix it with? Well, it seems to have a plum blossom fragrance."
Yin Caiju's hands remained unchanged and she answered quickly: "Salt, monosodium glutamate, salad oil, broth, and a dry powder made from plum blossom petals that I got from Sister Rourou. Brother Xiao, look. See if the water in the pot is boiling? Put the steamer on it."
Xiao Yueye responded, opened the pot and saw that the water was still bubbles. He frowned and knelt down, the fire in the stove was a little low. Looking left and right, Xiao Yueye raised a smile, held the fire stick, and felt an inner energy. Suddenly, the fire in the stove was bright, and the firewood seemed to burn faster than usual.
The water in the pot quickly started to boil, and Xiao Yueye quickly put the steamer on top.
The boy next to him opened his mouth wide, not knowing how to describe his mood.
Just now, what was that, sorcery? As soon as the man touched his hand, the fire in the stove suddenly became stronger. Others can't see it, but his angle is just right!
Xiao Yueye didn't know this. After Yin Caiju poured the sauce, he put the plate on the steamer.
"Brother Xiao, I'll leave the remaining shreds to you. I'll light the fire." Yin Caiju looked at the funnel and estimated the time.
When Xiao Yueye cuts shreds, he directly uses a straight knife. This knife technique is to place the blade on the anvil close to the raw materials, hold the raw materials firmly with the left hand, press the knuckle of the left middle finger against the blade, and slightly bend the index finger and ring finger. When holding the knife in your right hand, the blade should be lower than the joint of the middle finger of your left hand and slightly higher than the object being cut. The distance the middle finger of your left hand retreats is equal to the thickness or length of the object being cut. The blade keeps moving up and down, and the middle finger retreats equidistantly. , use the wrist force of the right hand holding the knife, and drop the knife straight and evenly, so that the cut object can be neatly formed.
Xiao Yueye decided not to show off his sword skills anymore. Even so, the speed of his hands made the boy who was always staring at him dumbfounded. How can this still be a human standard? Not only that, the force of his attack was just right, and there was no sound of stamping on the chopping board. This kind of knife skill is really incredible.
Especially when Xiao Yueye cut out all the red and green peppers, carrots, and cucumbers as required, the boy was speechless. The size and length are exactly the same! If the length and size of your chili shreds are the same, it doesn't matter. But Xiao Yueye's knife skills made the chili shreds, carrot shreds, and cucumber shreds all look exactly the same!
What kind of concept is this
The boy asked himself that he had never seen anyone with such terrible sword skills, and suddenly, an idea sprouted in his mind.
There was not much sand left in the funnel, and the talkative host appeared again: "Everyone, there is still a little bit of time left, please hurry up. If you pass the time, even if your tofu burns out, it will smell like abalone. , it’s useless.”
He thought he was telling a joke, but he didn't see the anger in the eyes of all the chefs.
It’s already this time, and you’re still here chirping!
Yin Caiju took the steamer away and was about to take out the plates inside, but she let out an "ouch".
Xiao Yueye looked over and realized that the girl had burned her hand in a moment of anxiety. He sighed, grabbed it and helped her blow it, and then quickly took out the tofu from the steamer.
He dared to swear that he had absolutely no other intentions. But this action made Yin Caiju have endless reverie. She touched her little hand, her face turned red.
Xiao Yueye didn't pay attention to this and patted her: "Caiju, hurry up, the time is almost up."
Yin Caiju groaned and looked at the tofu on the plate with a smile on her face. She carefully placed Xiao Yueye's cut shreds around the tofu, creating a flowery scene.
"Bang!" The host banged the gong fiercely and announced loudly: "Time's up!"
Most of the chefs had also finished, but a few who still wanted to continue were organized by the waiters on the side, and some acted arrogantly and were directly deprived of their qualifications.
Xiao Yueye and the others were ranked eighteenth. Looking at those who had been deprived of their qualifications and those who had not finished, Xiao Yueye discovered that her table was actually the finale!
The dishes on each table were placed on trays by the waiters next to them, covered with a gold cover, and placed in order at the referee's seat.
As Yin Caiju expected, there are now a total of fifteen plates of delicacies, seven of which are made of mapo tofu!
Although these people are smart and innovative, they still cannot change the essence of Mapo Tofu! It would be fine if all the judges were old men. After all, older people's sense of taste deteriorates.
But this time, some of the seven judges were great scholars, some were celebrities, and one was an imperial chef. Their average age was only over forty.
The host got one thing right, that is, now is the season of autumn tigers.
The seven referees were very excited when they saw the first plate of Mapo Tofu. By the end of the meal, they were all sweating profusely. Xiao Yueye maliciously guessed that their stomachs were probably burning now.
Although those who can participate in the finals are all masters, even Xiao Yueye can see the difference between the upper and lower. Among the mapo tofu, there was a guy who cooked it very well. A referee tried it and found that the tofu was very elastic and could actually stand up.
There are also experts in other types of tofu. For example, a guy who makes tofu taste like chicken is absolutely amazing.
Finally it’s Xiao Yueye and the others!
The host knocked the gong and said with a smile: "Okay, here is the last contestant, the representative of 'Long Ze Lou', Master Yin Caiju! Her work is called 'Blossoms of Flowers', please taste it!"
A boy opened the golden cover, and everyone suddenly screamed and screamed.
"What a beautiful plum blossom!" A referee said in admiration, stroking his beard.
That's right, a huge white plum blossom bloomed on Xiao Yueye's plate, and upon closer inspection, it turned out that this plum blossom was composed of dozens of small plum blossoms. The most amazing thing is Yin Caiju's seasoning. The pink juice passes through the steamer and penetrates into the tofu, giving off the same pink color, making the plum blossom almost exactly the same as the real one.
And the small decorative flowers composed of pepper shreds, carrot shreds, and cucumber shreds are all clustered together, creating a beautiful blooming brocade.
"Good! Good sword skills!" A referee saw the trick first and said in amazement.
"Yeah, I didn't expect to have such powerful sword skills. It's actually the first time I've seen it in my life!"
“I never knew tofu could be cut so thin!”
"Have a taste!"
The referees scrambled to put a piece of plum blossom into the bowl, and exclaimed again, shocked that the plum blossom would not fall or break.
After they tasted it, they all put down their chopsticks and closed their eyes in silence.
People around were talking a lot: "What happened to the referee?"
"I guess it's too delicious?"
"I don't think so. I want to say that maybe it's because it tastes too bad. Didn't you see that the referees all put down their chopsticks?"
As soon as this person finished speaking, all the referees screamed strangely, opened their eyes wide, and rushed to stuff the remaining tofu into their mouths.
After finally waiting for them to finish eating, and looking at everyone's dumbfounded looks, the referees smiled sarcastically, and there was that Yu Chuyan.
"It's delicious. It's so delicious! I was so excited after eating the previous ones that I suddenly ate this plate of flowers. After entering my mouth, I felt like I was in a world of ice and snow. The tofu was mixed with the faint fragrance of plum blossoms, mixed with The flavor of the tofu itself floods into my stomach, it’s so delicious! And the shredded chili, cucumber, and carrots on the side are also very flavorful, and the combination is just right, so good!”
Another man who looked very elegant continued: "To be honest, I was really careful at the beginning. It would be a pity if the tofu tastes bad if it is such a good knife. But I didn't expect it to be so delicious. As soon as I took the tofu in my mouth, all the heat in my body melted away. The girl's cooking skills are really good. If we say that the knife skills are amazing, the girl's grasp of the ingredients, the control of the heat, and the skill of preparing the sauce are really amazing. It’s amazing to me!”
Of course, it goes without saying what happens next. The group of Xiao Yueye and Yin Caiju successfully advanced to participate in the next round of competition. And everyone's eyes on these two people have changed at this moment, with jealousy, passion, envy, admiration, and speculation.
The next round of competition is tomorrow. Xiao Yueye and Yin Caiju can be said to have "ran away". There is no other way. There are too many people chasing after them for autographs. In order to prevent her identity from being leaked, Xiao Yueye had no choice but to hold Yin Caiju and perform Qing Kung Fu, and then she returned home smoothly.
Yin Caiju felt the wind blowing on the eaves and smelled the manly smell coming from Xiao Yueye's body, and couldn't help but be fascinated again. . . . . . (QuanBeN-XiaoShuo.com)