Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 168 Various Meat-Filled Noodles, and a Neat Piece of Pork in a Crystal Bowl. (Bonus Chapter for 3K Views)

[Judging from her appearance, is He He making noodles?!]

What are "mian guo"? Are they fruits made of dough?

[The person upstairs must be a fake cooking enthusiast! They don't even know about Master Zhao Hui's new style of noodles and dumplings? That's a dish served at state banquets and sporting events!]

[I remember now, it's that guy from "Huaxia Old Canteen"! He's a true master, so amazing!]

[I just remembered! Dates made from flour look even more realistic than real dates!]

As time passed, netizens gradually recognized the dish He He was preparing.

The judges understood it from the start.

"So it really is Zhao Huilian's pasta. I remember that it has very high requirements for details."

Hearing You Zhangwen's words, Wei Yan nodded.

"That's more than just high; it's downright obsessive about details."

"I originally thought that Fangshan was already quite detailed, but compared to that, it's really nothing."

"Speaking of which, I've also tried the dough figurines he makes. They taste exactly like the fruit they're made of. I personally think his dough sculpting skills are comparable to those of molecular gastronomy in Western cuisine."

Who is Wei Yan? For him to say such a thing about Zhao Huilian is enough to show how skilled he is at making noodles.

"Of course, Zhao Huilian has an entire pastry team on his side, and the development of new products cannot be handled by one person alone."

"I wonder how much He He has actually learned. You know, the new-style pasta is not just something that looks like fruit."

At this point, Wei Yan glanced at Xia Ming's side.

Xia Ming looked at the process and found that it was similar to He He's.

But upon closer inspection, Xia Ming's situation is clearly more complex.

Wei Yan had considered that Xia Ming might start with the appearance, since the most common comparison of pastries is their shape.

But unlike He He's fabricated story, Xia Ming's story was much more colorful.

Oil pans, steamers, and even ice cubes are prepared.

If he hadn't seen the title mentioning "pastries" and "meat," he would have thought that Xia Ming could create molecular gastronomy right there with the right equipment.

Sui Wubai didn't pay attention to He He, but kept his eyes on Xia Ming the whole time.

From his every move, Sui Wubai gradually began to make sense of the dish.

"This is probably not a Soviet-era shipping depot."

"But that doesn't make sense either. The boat snacks in the Soviet area emphasize the overall artistic presentation and have a strong literary and artistic atmosphere, while the taste comes second."

"This cuisine was originally designed to attract business customers, so it should definitely make the most of its strengths."

Sui Wubai felt that Xia Ming was more like a combination of "Western-style pastries", "modern pastries" and "Soviet-style boat pastries".

"Could it be that Xia Ming has also found a unique path in the pastry industry, a path that belongs only to him?"

As time went by, everyone was surprised to find that He He's progress was gradually catching up with Xia Ming's.

In fact, this was something He He did intentionally.

She researched a lot of information about Xia Ming last night and learned a very important point.

Xia Ming absolutely loves going first!

A blogger compiled all of Xia Ming's achievements into a table and presented a series of detailed analyses, creating a profile of him by comparing ingredients and referencing production processes.

In describing Xia Ming's weaknesses, the blogger proposed a weakness inference that is not actually a weakness.

Xia Ming has a 100% win rate when going first; he's practically never played second. Players have to prepare their dishes before him, otherwise they'll be put on the defensive.

He He learned this trick, and now she's going all out, using her skills to save time in every aspect.

Finally, with little time left, she managed to plate the dish before Xia Ming could finish.

Seeing Xia Ming still preparing food across from her, He He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally caught up! Come on! Let me see if you can also be invincible in this year's New Chef Competition."

"You know, my cooking isn't so easy to prepare!"

Indeed, under such intense pressure, He He unexpectedly unleashed his potential and cosplayed as Qian Youdao on the spot.

The "new style of noodles" that I didn't have a complete grasp of before, under such skillful application, revealed an unexpected and wonderful presentation.

He He felt that even if Master Zhao Huilian came to see it, he would definitely be satisfied with this dish.

At this moment, the viewers in the live stream also realized what was happening.

[He He finished first this round! Does this break Xia Ming's first-move curse?]

[What "first-mover advantage" curse? Xia Ming relied on his real skill, okay? His previous speed was mostly due to the type of dish, but this time, I feel he made something much more complex than He He.]

Anyway, some bloggers have posted summaries saying that the first-mover advantage has a 100% win rate, and I'm also very curious about how Xia Ming will deal with it this time.

[No, let's not talk about who goes first or not. Look at He He's cooking, it's really beautiful!]

[It really is lifelike! The person is beautiful, and the food is beautiful too! Miss He He is amazing!]

As the viewers' attention in the live stream focused on He He, her dish was placed in front of the judges. The judges looked up and saw an exquisitely crafted fruit basket in front of them.

The basket contained a variety of fruits, including apples, peanuts, dates, and Buddha's hand citron, each with a unique shape and looking very tempting.

Sui Wubai had been carefully observing Xia Ming and missed He He's brief announcement.

At that moment, she looked back at the big screen and finally knew the name of He He's dish.

【All Four Seasons Gather】

Looking at the various lifelike fruit-shaped pastries in front of him, Sui Wubai nodded and inwardly praised them.

"The vegetables and fruits in each form have distinct aromas, ensuring that the aroma is also present after the visual presentation. They truly deserve to be called the successors of Master He."

Although there might not be many other garnishes on the plate due to time constraints, Sui Wubai felt that this did not significantly affect the overall impression.

"As long as the taste is guaranteed, even a simple plating can look incredibly elegant when it comes to pastries."

After admiring He He's work for a few moments, he no longer hesitated and followed the others, picking up his chopsticks to try the dishes.

Just as Sui Wubai was picking up a peanut, Yin Shengjiang next to him had already put an orange into his mouth.

As his teeth gently closed, Yin Shengjiang could clearly feel the unique tenderness of the pastry.

The orange-scented peel, along with a texture similar to a steamed bun, spread in his mouth. Yin Shengjiang nodded subconsciously, thinking to himself.

"The skin is well-prepared, and the taste and aroma are very good."

Next comes the filling.

The chicken he ate had a sweet and sour taste reminiscent of orange juice.

The chicken meatballs still retained some fibrous texture, which suggests that a portion was specifically cut and added in after the meatballs were minced before stir-frying.

The combination of fruit and chicken is harmonious, without the usual fishy smell of meat.

The savory flavor of the chicken blends perfectly with the sweet and sour taste of the orange, making it a rare fruit and meat dish in Chinese cuisine.

After carefully considering it, Yin Shengjiang finally understood.

"The sweet and sour taste of oranges does not come from fresh orange segments, which is understandable, since real oranges would become very soft and tender after being cooked at high temperatures."

"The taste is guaranteed, but the membrane of fresh oranges cannot be completely removed. When eaten with chicken, you can feel fibrous tissue similar to tendons, which affects the final taste."

Therefore, to avoid this problem, Hehe chose to use orange puree made from canned oranges, without too many restrictions.

Because the factory uses an "acid-alkali treatment" method to dissolve and remove the orange peel when it leaves the factory, canning can not only guarantee the time but also the taste.

"The only slight drawback is that, as a semi-finished product, canned goods contain a lot of sugar during the production process, and the taste of the sugar syrup has already blended with the oranges themselves."

"In terms of taste, the sweetness in the sweet and sour flavor is a little too much. If you want to emphasize the details, you can actually add a little orange vinegar to the chicken, which will make the flavor more layered."

Yin Shengjiang felt that He He had done a very good job. Putting aside the details, being able to make the dough so exquisitely in such a short time was already the best among the contestants.

Of course, due to time constraints, He He basically did not make the same fruits and vegetables repeatedly, so the taste experienced by each judge was more random.

For example, Mao Xianzheng, who ate the cabbage filling, felt that putting aside the noodles and fruit, the filling of cabbage and pork was rather mediocre.

Sui Wubai ate peanuts, which were served with chicken breast, and the taste was similar to the traditional "Kung Pao Chicken".

Putting aside the pastry itself, the flavor of this "Kung Pao Chicken" also deserves a brief mention.

In fact, Sui Wubai believes that the combination of dough and fruit filling is more suitable, and changing it to meat filling always feels a little out of place.

However, thanks to Hehe's good ingredient pairings, the dish still retains its integrity.

Because the portions were small, everyone received one. After the fruits and vegetables were distributed, the last basket was also edible. It contained egg and meat filling and was cleverly wrapped, which improved the judges' overall impression of the dish.

He He could clearly see that the judges' attitudes were good, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as she left the judges' table with her plate, the lights on Xia Ming's side came on.

When the host brought Xia Ming up, He He saw that Xia Ming's dish was covered by a large transparent lid, which was filled with white smoke. He was also curious about what was inside.

However, since she had already left the judging panel, she was unable to observe.

At this moment, all I can do is sit back down in front of my stove and watch.

The judges were also very excited to see Xia Ming's cooking. Thanks to Xia Ming's previous performance, everyone wanted to know what kind of dish he would ultimately present.

Sui Wubai also noticed the name Xia Ming Cuisine.

"【Meat】? What a simple and unpretentious name!"

However, Tan Zhifeng became serious upon seeing the name, because in his memory, dishes named with single characters by Xia Ming usually brought "extra" surprises.

As the judges were pondering this, Xia Ming suddenly ripped open the lid.

As the white dry ice smoke gradually dissipated, the judges held their breath in front of the camera.

After a while, the smoke dissipated, and the judges' eyes revealed a look of astonishment.

The reason was that there was an iron plate in front of them.

On the iron plate, in the center of a crystal bowl, lies a perfectly shaped piece of pork belly. (Is it pork belly?)

(End of this chapter)