Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 158 Fifteen seconds to decide life and death, could it be... the taste of memories? (3K Second Update)
Xia Ming knew that this trick would have little effect on the other chefs.

Qu Yuyu, for example, has long been able to concentrate wholeheartedly on hosting banquets under various extreme circumstances.

When she gets serious, she'll completely ignore even the slightest noise.

Similarly, he discovered that He He, Bai Heng, Li Yuan, and Han Tianyan were all like this.

Qian Youdao's mental focus depends on the situation; the stronger the opponent, the more concentrated his mental energy becomes, and vice versa.

Qiao Ruoning's thinking is too unpredictable; she doesn't need anyone else to influence her, and she can generate countless wild ideas on her own.

Zheng Zeqian didn't seem to notice this, since he had been looking rather lazy, and it was uncertain whether he or Bai Heng was stronger.

Even the most useless tricks can be effective if used on the right person.

Just like Sun Xingyao now.
Of course, Xia Ming's move wasn't entirely to interfere with Sun Xingyao. Because of the nature of pork kidneys, he still hadn't been able to extract the Blood Soul from the remaining blood strands in the kidney.

Because these changes in the blood spirit will affect the quality of the pork kidney dish itself.

Adding these somewhat mystical steps is to make the final presentation more plausible.
Now that everything was ready, Xia Ming no longer tried to hide his feelings.

Pour out most of the oil from the wok, then add minced scallions, ginger, and garlic to sauté until fragrant. Adding vinegar to the side of the wok adds the first hint of aroma to the stir-fry.

Then the pork kidneys were immediately put into the wok, tossed twice, and most of the broth burst in, filling the competition area with the unique aroma of pork kidneys.

The other groups of contestants couldn't help but look over at Xia Ming, and in that brief moment of eye contact...

With a flick of his wrist, Xia Ming used a ladle to cook the pork kidneys, which tumbled in the pot like waves. The high temperature removed all the excess moisture from the sizzling sauce, and in an instant, the pork kidneys were evenly coated with the sauce.

Finally, add a suitable amount of Sichuan peppercorn oil to the pot. As the temperature rises, the original burst of juices and the Sichuan peppercorn oil instantly blend together, giving the pork kidneys an unparalleled oily sheen.

Xia Ming then took the food out of the pot without any hesitation.

As the pork kidney slices were laid out on the white plate, Xia Ming pressed the finish button.

From the moment the food hit the pan to the moment the light came on, Xia Ming spent a total of 20 seconds, including 15 seconds of stir-frying and 6 seconds of deep-frying. The entire dish took a total of 21 seconds.

After Xia Ming's light flickered twice, Sun Xingyao's light finally came on.

His stir-frying time was 24 seconds, which perfectly met the acceptable time in the traditional recipe for stir-fried pork kidneys. The pork kidneys were oily and glossy, and although there were no side dishes, they looked really good.

Sun Xingyao breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the stir-fried pork kidneys land smoothly, only to find that Xia Ming had already taken the dishes and headed towards the judges' table.

"Wait, is this guy crazy?!"

"You're making a big fuss about it, but you didn't even stir-fry the pork kidneys for more than 20 seconds? You probably have no concept of what's cooked!"

Sun Xingyao took a deep breath.

He knows a lot about stir-fried pork kidneys!
The mainstream stir-fried pork kidneys are generally divided into three styles: "Shandong", "Hunan", and "Sichuan". In the local cuisine, there is a dish called "stir-fried tender pork kidneys in oil".

Among the first three, Shandong cuisine is the authentic "stir-fried pork kidney" and also represents the pinnacle of "stir-frying" skills, emphasizing the combination of tenderness and crispness of pork kidney under a complex flavor.

The key to Hunan-style stir-fried pork kidneys is their chewy texture. The dish must include small red chilies and chili peppers, and sometimes garlic leaves and celery stalks are also added.

These side dishes are all meant to mask the fishy smell of the pork kidneys.

Hunan-style pork kidney dish has oil underneath, which soaks into the kidney, giving it a succulent texture.

Sichuan-style stir-fried pork kidneys are also known for their tenderness and crispness, but unlike Shandong cuisine, Sichuan-style pork kidneys are served with fermented broad bean paste or pickled peppers, along with a large amount of dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, resulting in an extremely numbing and spicy flavor.

Similar to Hunan cuisine, Sichuan cuisine's stir-fried pork kidneys is also a dish that is heavily oiled.
As for the so-called "exploding oil and tender waist" in this last dish, it is actually a false concept.

Because stir-fried pork kidneys are very popular and profitable, some food stall owners and small restaurant owners have come up with a pseudo-concept of "tender kidneys" in order to attract tourists.

This method completely abandons the crispness of the pork kidney, focusing only on its tenderest texture. It originated in Sichuan and Chongqing, and is the well-known "20-second pork kidney" dish.
Originally, this method of attracting customers was fine, but some stall owners, in order to become famous, adjusted the cooking time for the pork kidneys.

Finally, we saw the emergence of 15-second kidney stir-fry, 10-second kidney stir-fry, and now it has evolved to 8-second kidney stir-fry.
If it were like Shandong cuisine, where the pork kidneys are deep-fried beforehand, then it would be barely acceptable. But in reality, the 8-second pork kidney dish doesn't have this step.

In other words, the marinated pork kidneys are put directly into the pot and cooked for 8 seconds, and the point is to sell them the tenderness of the pork kidneys.

But in reality, Sun Xingyao was very clear that even on a professional stove, cooking pork kidneys in 8 seconds was extremely risky. Often, the outside being cooked did not mean the inside was cooked, and even if the inside looked cooked, it did not mean it was actually cooked.

"If the cooking time is too short, it will cause many problems with the pork kidneys. Moreover, I have removed all the side dishes. Under such circumstances, if I want to stir-fry pork kidneys, I can only follow the Shandong cuisine method."

"In Shandong cuisine, there are extremely high requirements for the crispness and tenderness of pork kidneys, and the sauce must not be too oily. Under such circumstances, cooking pork kidneys in less than 20 seconds is simply a pipe dream!"

"This guy deliberately adjusted the time so he could get his food served before me!"

Sun Xingyao had seen online clips about Xia Ming, including one from a food blogger who analyzed that Xia Ming particularly liked to "cook first." It's generally said that the first to cook is always the loser, but Xia Ming always wins, so the food blogger suspected that his dishes might be specifically designed to target certain opponents.

Of course, this was just speculation, and he had no evidence. Many people in the comments section also disagreed with his view.

"To gain an advantage by deliberately adjusting the cooking time, what a despicable act! They have absolutely no professionalism as a chef!!!"

Sun Xingyao knew that even if he took the food and waited to the side, it would be a little while before it was his turn to give his evaluation.

However, he wasn't worried. The golden time to enjoy stir-fried pork kidneys is within 10 minutes, especially for dishes like their competition, which don't have side dishes. Since there's no need to consider the taste of vegetables, they can actually be preserved for longer.

Within 10 minutes, the judges would have already finished Xia Ming's dish. Sun Xingyao felt that although he was a step behind, it didn't actually matter.

Just as Sun Xingyao was cleaning up the excess oil around the plate and steadily covering the pork kidneys with another bowl, leaving a gap, she was...

Xia Ming's pork kidney dish has been served to the judges.

As the AI ​​camera zoomed in with a close-up shot, viewers in the live stream all swallowed hard.

The reason is that, under the lens, Xia Ming's stir-fried pork kidneys achieved the ultimate in appearance.

The knife pattern on the waist flower was completely smooth, with each crease curled up like a sparrow's tongue, without any sticking or debris. It perfectly matched the characteristics of "wheat ear scales".

Then look at the color of the sauce.
The pork kidneys are coated with a layer of translucent light amber sauce, a color created by simmering the juices and a touch of vinegar.

The sauce is just right, neither too thick nor too thin, coating each slice of pork kidney perfectly. It avoids being greasy or having dry parts showing due to insufficient sauce.

Finally, there's the oily shine.
The surface of the pork kidneys gleamed with a fine sheen of oil, and under the lights of the competition venue, it displayed a particularly beautiful golden-yellow oil film, which was the most vibrant color left over from the deep-frying and then stir-frying over high heat.

Its edges are marked with a very light brown char, and upon closer inspection, the texture of the inner flesh can be faintly seen.

It will definitely be a result of controlling the "ripe on the outside and tender on the inside" to the extreme.

[I can't take it anymore, just one enlarged picture is making my mouth water. I'm going to find a place to eat pork kidneys tonight.]

[The craftsmanship is amazing! The previous chrysanthemum-shaped glass dish was beautiful, but I couldn't imagine what it would taste like. This one, I really want to eat it right away!]

After watching this stir-fried pork kidney dish, and then thinking back to the restaurants around my house, their knife skills are so much worse. The ones we get there are always cutting it haphazardly.

[Frying for less than 20 seconds and deep-frying for about 6 seconds—once it's cooked through, it's absolutely the best stir-fried pork kidney!]

It seems a bit difficult to cook it all the way through. The stir-frying time was too short.

Based on the steps and details taught by my master, stir-frying pork kidneys for 20 seconds, if done correctly, should ensure they are fully cooked. If the time is reduced further, they might be slightly bloody, but I didn't see any blood, so they must be cooked through.

[It's obvious. Xia Ming's skills far surpass those of ordinary players. If he didn't have this much skill, how could he be called an emperor?]

It's hard to say if he's a chef from Sichuan or Chongqing; stir-frying there is faster, maybe it's just a habit?

Just as the live stream was debating Xia Ming's pork kidney dish, the seven judges at the table already knew most of it.

Sui Wubai smelled it, looked around, and then nodded silently.

"It was cooked exceptionally well; the technique was impeccable."

Tan Zhifeng, who was standing to the side, touched the plate and noticed that Xia Ming had managed to heat it up in such a short time. He nodded vigorously in approval.

"The details are impeccable, the presentation is superb. I wouldn't be surprised if this dish appeared on the judging panel of a 'Level 6' Chinese competition."

"This also shows that all his skills have reached the level of 'Hua Level 6'. As for the on-the-spot adaptability and balanced assessment of multiple skills required for 'Hua Level 7', I think he has no problem with that either."

This means that Tan Zhifeng, a veteran "Hua 7 level" chef, no longer regards Xia Ming as a junior, but rather treats him as someone on the same level.

Yin Shengjiang was clearly demonstrating to Xia Ming. He held chopsticks in one hand and tilted the plate at a 45-degree angle with the other, and not a drop of oil dripped from the side of the plate.

With just this one move, it's impossible for the other judges to give it a score below 90.
"It's still too comprehensive. This is beyond the level that Wei Yan's potential can reach; it's a real, once-in-a-century genius comparable to Xia Yitian."

With a slight sigh, Yin Shengjiang adjusted Xia Ming's level to "Hua 7". Then, he picked up the serving chopsticks and started eating from the plate.

At this moment, he was particularly curious to know how well such a genius could bring the taste of this dish to life.

Not to be outdone, the other judges devoured the pork kidneys on the plate before the next round even began, leaving only a few drops of sauce.

Then, Mao Xianzheng stroked his beard and put the pork kidney into his mouth with a smile.

Just as he was enjoying the pork kidney with a smile, a look of astonishment suddenly appeared on his face because he could actually eat a whole piece of it from the pork kidney.
The taste of memories.
(End of this chapter)