Chapter 174: The First Half Competition

However, this action was captured by the camera. Even the judges could not help but laugh. They exchanged glances and found it funny.

“Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter. What kind of member is on Xu Le’s team!”

“I feel like I can do it too.”

“Why isn’t a game host playing his games, why did he switch to cooking?”

“Li Qing is a sneaky dog.”

“It’s Lion’s Head Meatball again. Xu Le made it on the show previously. Is he planning to give up now?”

“I feel that he’s being perfunctory. Why didn’t Xu Le try to create a new dish?”

“Isn’t the Master Chef also making Lion’s Head Meatball? What’s there to criticise about the famous Huaiyang dish?”

…

Xu Le did not know about the intense discussion in the live-stream. After the team was done rolling the meatballs, he stretched his sore shoulders.

Then it came to the essence of the entire dish—dealing with the chinese asparagus.

He placed the diced chinese asparagus at the side with cold water.

The pumpkin paste that had been smashed in the blender had an alluring golden color. After pouring it into the pot, he added in the diced chinese asparagus. After it boiled, it would be ready after thickening the gravy three times.

The fish meat itself had a fresh smell. Even if it was pressed with ginger, there would be a faint lingering smell. Moreover, this dish was very light, so the fishy smell was inevitable.

Coupled with the chinese asparagus sauce stewed with the pumpkin paste, the medicinal fragrance emitted by the chinese asparagus was covered by the fragrance of the meat. The unique taste it carried was just enough to conceal the fishy smell. With the two combined, the taste would be even more perfect and delicious.

The broccoli was cut into small flowers. After adding salt and olive oil, they could be put aside for use later.

The casserole was simmered for an hour and a half. The leaves that covered it gradually turned snow-white and transparent. The fragrance of the baby vegetables melted into the soup, minimizing the stench of meat.

After the hot lion’s head meatballs were scooped out, it was covered with a spoonful of pumpkin paste mixed with chinese asparagus. Beside it, there was a small broccoli flower. There was yellow and green color in the dish, and it instantly captivated one’s attention.

Finally, it was decorated with a wolf berry, which tied in with the main theme of medicinal cuisine.

Xu Le knew that Lu Yuxi liked lion’s head meatballs the most, so he subconsciously turned around and handed her a spoon. “Try one?”

Lu Yuxi did not stand on ceremony. She took off her gloves and came to taste it. Her arms were so tired that she could not lift them up. She took the spoon and her hands were trembling.

Seeing this, Xu Le hurriedly held her hand and fed her. “Why didn’t you say that you were tired? The meat filling is almost done. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. Go and peel the prawns. Let my father do the rest.”

Xu Zhexian’s eyes widened. “Lele, is there a possibility that my arm hurts too…”

The comments section exploded with laughter.

“I’m dying of laughter. Xu Le really has double standards for people.”

“As a motherly fan, I am feeling concerned now.”

“He has a completely different attitude towards a beautiful woman and his biological father.”

“What a son.”

The lion’s head meatball melted in her mouth. It was sweet and soft. All the ingredients inside had been cut into cubes in advance, so when she chewed, she could vaguely taste the crispness of the water chestnut. The fragrance of the fish and the five spices lingered in her mouth.

Lu Yuxi nodded and said, “The taste is a little different. There’s a hint of Chinese medicine taste in my mouth just now. It’s very fresh and has a more layered taste than when it was boiled.”

As she spoke, she gave Xu Le a thumbs up. In order to make Xu Le feel more at ease, she specially added, “Don’t worry, it tastes so good. It will definitely be liked by everyone.”

When Lu Yuxi began to peel the river prawns, she vaguely sensed what staple dish Xu Le was going to make. However, she did not say anything and only separated the prawns, shells, and shrimp roe and categorized them.

This process was complicated. She lowered her head and worked patiently. Xu Zhexian, who was standing opposite her, held his waist and finally finished smashing the last catty of meat stuffing and sent it into the fridge.

Lu Yuxi said, “Xu Le, don’t tell me you want to make two main dishes in the next round?”

At the mention of this, Xu Le was slightly stunned. He stopped arranging the plates and said, “I only realized it after you said that. Oh, then let’s make two dishes.”

Lu Yuxi choked. She looked at Li Qing, who was setting the plates, and thought that she had no say in cooking, so she said, “Then you guys discuss.”

Li Qing was focused on setting up the plates and could not be bothered to think about it. He waved his hand and said, “It’s fine. Don’t forget that he’s the Little Master Chef. We just have to do whatever he says.”

Finally, all three dishes were pushed out. Next was the half-hour tasting and voting segment.

What Xu Le was most concerned about was the dishes pushed out by the Master Chef. They were braised lion’s head meatball, fried seafood with scallions, and light conch slices. It was expected. After so many rounds of competition, he had long realized that this was not a coincidence.

With a sneer, he turned away and ignored it.

Two identical pieces of light conch were placed on the table like blooming red peonies. They looked especially good. Mr. Cai Lan’s eyes lit up and he said, “I know this dish. When it was first developed, it shocked the entire country. It seems that the two contestants are extremely confident in their culinary skills.”

The conch meat was fresh and sweet. The overall taste was sour and sweet. It was appetizing and satisfying. There was no difference in the taste of the two dishes, including the ingredients and heat control. They seemed to be made by the same person. They were exactly the same and were very perfect.

After so many matches, the judges gradually realized that the production team had used some tricks. Hence, they tacitly fell silent and directly voted.

“What are they doing? Why aren’t they talking? Stage supervisor, go over and rush them!”

Chen Yeqi flew into a rage. It was obvious that he was very dissatisfied with their negative attitude. He shouted, “After receiving the money, shouldn’t they do their duty?”

Chen Zui knew that the thing that his younger brother had been planning for more than ten years was about to be released. The closer it was to its release on the market, the greater the psychological pressure he felt. Hence, he rolled his eyes at him for once and did not nitpick.

Finally, the second dish was displayed. The difference was that one served braised octopus and the other served fried seafood with onion oil.

The braised octopus was chewy and the braised meat inside was the finishing touch. The fatty meat was crispy and not greasy, and the lean meat was chewy. The onion oil fried seafood, lobster meat, octopus, sea bass, and abalone were all filled with the fragrance of the onion oil. Even if they were different types of seafood, the other dish could perfectly control the heat and ensure that it was tender and refreshing when fried.

“The combination of octopus and braised meat isn’t common, but the more common and traditional this dish is, the more you can see the chef’s foundation skills. It’s really not bad.”

The judge smiled and said, “This dish goes very well with rice. It would be even more perfect if it could be paired with a bowl of white rice.”

“It’s very easy to fry oyster meat until it’s tough, but this one is fried with onion oil. One side is golden and the middle is very tender. After the show is broadcasted, can I ask how it was made?”

After a round of comments, the judges smiled in unison when they saw the last lion’s head meatball.

The reason was simple. Stewing was too inferior to frying with soy sauce. If one was not careful, it might carry a fishy smell and affect the overall taste.