The beginning is only when you become a chef

Chapter 10: Make unique tourist dishes

Beer fish?
Xia An tried hard to control his facial muscles and not let his expression collapse.

Lijiang City, Yangshuo beer fish is very famous, right?
But it’s the same as Hang Zhou’s “West Lake Vinegar Fish”, a classic tourist dish.

The local dogs shook their heads when they saw it.

The local people of Hangzhou are puzzled and dumbfounded by the popularity of "West Lake Vinegar Fish".

I don’t understand why foreign tourists, when they come to Hangzhou, crowd into Hangzhou restaurants to try a so-called Hangzhou specialty dish.

The same is true for beer fish.

I don’t know when it started, but the entire Lijiang City, every street and alley, is filled with signs for beer fish.

In Lijiang City, there is a dish that you will regret for the rest of your life if you don’t eat it. This dish is Lijiang beer fish. So much for the blah blah blah…

As a result, tourists from other places really believed the propaganda, and their curiosity to try new things was aroused, so they crowded into every popular online store.

Uh-huh!

“I will always choose Three Wonderful Fishes!”

Xia An complained fiercely in his heart.

Although he has only lived in Lijiang City for more than half a year, if Xia An had to choose, he would eat the "Three Wonders Fish" ten thousand times.

In the kitchen opposite.

When Hojo Midori saw the food battle questions displayed on the screen, she was also stunned.

Big confused face.jpg
Tong Kun's slightly awkward words came out from the microphone:

“The two contestants can just make the Yangshuo beer fish taste like what they want it to taste like.”

He himself did not expect to choose this topic.

Stupid question bank!

Tong Kun cursed in his heart and sat down.

There were video recorders on both sides of the judging panel, so even if Tong Kun wanted to pay more attention to Hojo Midori, he didn't dare to do so.

There will be a dedicated enforcer for each late-night food battle, who will review whether the process and results are fair and just, and then record them for archiving.

"Director Tong, that female student from Totsuki from Japan is your junior, right?"

Ms. Liang Guiqin, the editor-in-chief of Lijiang Food News, turned off the microphone in front of her and started a joking conversation.

"Cough cough."

Tong Kun quickly explained:
"I worked as the head chef at the Chinese restaurant in Yokohama for three years. The owner of that restaurant at that time was the father of this female student from Totsuki."

Another judge, a man with a slicked-back hair and a name tag reading "Manager Liu Hong", couldn't help but cover his mouth and yawn lazily:
"Old Tong, take it easy. There's no need to risk your career as a director for your former boss."

"Do you know how many people are watching your position?"

As he spoke, the judge Liu Hong saw Tong Kun's wry smile, and suddenly lowered his voice and asked curiously:
"Old Tong, you are the director, you are more informed."

"The Qixing Pavilion next door is holding a Nine-Star Master Chef Food Battle. Who are the judges? I heard that the Queen Lan Qingya is here?"

Hear the words.

Even the female judge Liang Guiqin couldn't help but prick up her ears to listen to the gossip.

Tong Kun nodded:

"The Queen Lan Qingya is one of them."

“The other two judges are also very important.”

The male judge Liu Hong was immediately annoyed by Tong Kun's half-answered and half-hidden riddle style:

"Tell me who the other two are!"

……

[The chef panel has temporarily switched to food battle mode. 】

[Goal has been triggered: Cook the unique "Beer Fish", the dish rating is not less than four stars, and win the food battle. ]

[Complete the goal to gain 1 attribute point. ]

[Currently, there is a high probability of obtaining the skill/talent fragments of the food battle opponent (drugging). ]

Xia An got what he wanted and received the panel target information.

When you see a food battle victory, you will gain 1 attribute point.

Xia An's heartbeat was already accelerating. If he gained this attribute point, he would have 2 attribute points, and he could basically complete the "Liehingxian Taishan" safely.

However, when Xia An saw the next reward text displayed on the panel, he wanted to rub his eyes hard.

I couldn't believe it.

"What is this? Can you get coins from your opponent?"

If you defeat Hojo Midori, this female student from Totsuki will drop the [Drugging] talent fragment, which will be a vivid interpretation of what it means to make a fortune.

But others are getting gold coins from old guys. Do I have to specifically look for those boys and girls in Totsuki Academy and target the energetic high school characters to get gold coins?
This is too heartbreaking!
But why does it sound a bit evil and sexy?
"This is my first food battle in my life, I must win!"

Xia An calmed down his emotions and quickly calmed his feverish mind, pondering the key information on the panel: "unique" and "dish rating no less than four stars".

Is it unique?

Do you want to create a style that is completely different from those of the slutty and cheap products in the internet celebrity stores?
Of course, Xia An has not forgotten that he has already mastered the Cantonese cuisine to a [minor level]. Apart from that, another cuisine he has roughly mastered is Sichuan cuisine, but he is only at the [beginner] level.

The knowledge of the cuisine is there, and if he wants to make a four-star dish that meets his goal, he must drag the topic into an area that he is familiar with.

"The core flavor of beer fish is beer, right? Or is it spicy and sour, or fresh and salty?"

Xia An began to brainstorm.

"But the characteristics of Cantonese cuisine are that it is light and refreshing, fresh but not vulgar, and it must reflect the original flavor of the ingredients."

If the two are forced to merge, what will the collision look like?

Xia An raised the corners of his mouth, and he was eager to try it, not afraid of making any dark dishes at all.

The idea is complete.

jingle!

Xia An pressed the call bell on the kitchen counter.

A female steward came running over: "Chef Xia, please tell me what ingredients you need."

"What kind of fish can you offer?"

The female storekeeper replied: "Carp, grass carp, hairbone fish, swordbone fish, sweet-scented osmanthus fish...all are guaranteed to be fresh!"

Hairbone fish, also known as stone cliff fish, is a specialty of Lijiang City and is also the main fish used by popular restaurants to make beer fish.

Swordbone fish is more valuable than hairbone fish, its meat is more tender, and its price is no less than one hundred yuan per pound.

There are choices, and it doesn't cost money. If Xia An hesitates for a second, it would be disrespectful to the Late Night Cooking Association.

quickly!

The staff member in charge of transporting food pushed a water truck to Xia An's kitchen.

Xia An was startled when he saw the swordbone fish swimming in the waterwheel.

This fish is of amazing size, probably nearly one meter long and weighs more than ten kilograms.

Xia An put on gloves and a waterproof apron, reached out his hand, and skillfully caught the big fish. He threw it on the kitchen counter with a loud "bang". He then pulled out a heavy boning knife from the knife rack and hit the fish's head hard with the back of the knife. The big fish, which was still struggling on the kitchen counter, suddenly fainted.

The loud noise startled the three judges who were chatting.

"Hey, what's going on?"

Liu Hong, the food supply chain manager, who had been yawning and rubbing his eyes, witnessed on the live broadcast screen a series of detailed operations of Xia An catching the fish and then slaughtering the fish with a sharp knife.

He instantly became alert and sat up straight:
"Lao Tong, what's wrong with you? Are you deliberately trying to trick your former boss's daughter? Just looking at his knife skills, he's not some novice late-night chef who hasn't reached a certain level yet!"

Tong Kun:? ?

He opened his mouth.

Confused.

Ms. Liang Guiqin, the editor-in-chief of Lijiang Food News, is already laughing:

"This is done in one go, with a tight rhythm but not chaotic. This is the knife skills at the minor level."

On the broadcast camera.

Xia An stood in front of the kitchen counter with a serious look in his eyes. The kitchen knife in his hand swung out continuous knife shadows. The one-meter-long swordbone fish on the chopping board, whose internal organs and gills had been removed, was cut into neat pieces of meat in just two or three seconds.

The cameraman behind the scenes of the venue continued to zoom in, and these evenly thin and distinct pieces of fish were neatly stacked on the broadcast screen.

Seeing these smooth pieces of fish meat stacked like works of art, the judges couldn't help but be amazed.

(End of this chapter)