Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 268 Behind the truth lies an even greater mystery: the unsolvable "Jade Tofu" (First Update)
"Something's not right with this chicken and tofu!"

Sui Wubai frowned. The delicate texture of the chicken, mixed with the other tofu, made the umami flavor in his mouth even brighter.

This is the unique flavor of meat, and the oily texture that is extremely difficult for vegetarian dishes to imitate.

but.
wrong!

Even if it has absorbed the rich broth made from pork bones, chicken tofu should not have this oily and heavy feel.

After all, according to common sense, if chicken puree is to be reformed into the form of tofu after absorbing impurities, the first step is to remove the excess oil.

Too much oil can damage the protein gel structure in chicken mousse, preventing the proteins from tightly cross-linking and losing their adhesive properties.

Chicken puree prepared this way can only form small clumps and cannot achieve the firmness of firm tofu (old tofu, brine tofu).

"So it should be degreasing."

"But if you completely remove the oil from the minced chicken, it will be too hard, and the steamed chicken will not be able to achieve the perfect tofu-like shape."

"So, Xia Ming must have considered the chicken mousse part, but the problem is that, given the current oily texture, it is still a paradox."

"unless."

Sui Wubai's yearning for the underlying logic of cooking transcends his exploration of the dreamlike experience of cooking.

So, he forcibly interrupted his thoughts, opened his eyes, and while Chef Wang was still engrossed in the culinary experience created by Xia Ming, he picked up a piece of "chicken and tofu" from the plate.

Then, use a spoon to poke it open from the middle.

As the "chicken and tofu" was cut in half, Sui Wubai finally understood where that oily texture came from.
At the same time, he also uncovered the secret behind why "Jade Tofu" can achieve a "gradual change in aroma".

But there was not a trace of joy on his face at revealing the truth, because...
The chicken and tofu in front of me is wrapped in a half-melted broth cube...

This led him into an even greater confusion.
Commentary booth

Looking at the close-up of "chicken and tofu" in front of Sui Wubai, the judges all showed thoughtful expressions.

Ding Yongxing frowned slightly and spoke.

"It looks like a reuse of the 'unsaturated steaming method'."

Ding Yongxing felt that Sui Wubai had not participated in the previous judging, so he was unaware of the "positive and negative sensory cuisine" that Xia Ming had previously created.

It's normal to be surprised and puzzled after seeing the mystery inside the filling.

Actually, they weren't much better off; they just had experienced it first and developed some resistance.

But after he spoke, no one else responded.

This made Ding Yongxing wonder if he had misunderstood.

About ten seconds later, Bai Susu was the first to shake her head.

"I don't necessarily think it's the 'unsaturated steaming method'."

"Because the core of Xia Ming's previous use of this technique was to quickly heat the external temperature and slowly retain the internal temperature. The key was to lock in the juice and achieve the effect of bursting."

Cheng Xieyun nodded as well.

"Yes, if it were 'bursting,' that would be true, but the current situation is clearly more complicated."

"Based on Xiao Sui and Xiao Xu's descriptions, the logic behind the 'gradual change in aroma' is most likely due to the slow seepage of the meat broth inside the chicken and tofu into the vegetable broth. However, if this is the case, there is a problem."

At this point, Tan Zhifeng chimed in.

"The question is, in what form do the juices inside the chicken and tofu flow into the vegetable broth?"

Ding Yongxing raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps, the hole was left in the first place."

"Wait, no, if the chicken and tofu had holes from the beginning, then its structure isn't completely sealed..."

"If it's not completely sealed, steam will seep in, making the 'unsaturated steaming method' impossible."

"But if no holes were left in the beginning, it means the filling is wrapped inside the tofu. Since it's sealed, it can't seep out."

"After all, chicken puree isn't a sponge; its structure becomes stable and its texture firm after steaming."

"Is it possible that the container was sealed during steaming, but an opening was left on top when it was served?"

"That should prevent it!"

Upon hearing this, Yin Shengjiang touched his forehead.

"The speculation is correct. It is indeed possible to do it this way, but the premise is that the opening can only be made at the top of the tofu."

"This ensures that the filling of the dish won't seep into the tofu broth before it's served."

"In this case, if you want to achieve a gradual change in aroma, you'll have to let the diners do the cooking for you."

For example... I'll help you knock down this tofu dish!

Ding Yongxing fell silent.
He watched the entire conversation between Sui Wubai and Chef Wang, and he also knew Chef Wang's personality.

In front of his master, he was as helpless as a child, and he would do everything very carefully. Even when scooping tofu, he would never use too much force.

That is
The collapse of "Jade Tofu" was very likely part of the original design.

After figuring this out, Ding Yongxing's facial features were contorted in pain.

After summarizing the current situation, he realized that Xia Ming's "Jade Tofu" was like a sophisticated instrument, with each step interconnected. Perhaps from the moment this dish was served, all the seemingly unexpected situations that followed were part of the original design.

Then
A tofu dish should be served unaffected, but collapse completely when the diner tries to eat it.
Even after collapsing, it can still achieve a gradual change in the soup's flavor.
Is this kind of cooking actually feasible?

Thinking of this, Ding Yongxing could no longer bear it.

"How about I do it this time? I'm just too curious."

"I believe the viewers in the live stream are also eager to know the secret of this dish!"

Upon hearing Ding Yongxing's words, viewers in the live stream, realizing what he meant, immediately flooded the screen with comments.

[Please take it apart quickly, I'm so curious!]

What's going on? What are the judges saying?

[For those who don't understand, the chicken and tofu dish contains a broth cube, which is the source of the gradient. However, to achieve the current state, the diner needs to manually push the tofu over. The problem is, you can't be sure the diner will actually push the tofu over, so this dish may have a hidden mechanism—it tips over at the slightest touch of a spoon.]

[Wasn't this a Level 5 cooking competition? How did it turn into a study of tofu structure?]

The engineers were overjoyed. I have a hunch that this "tofu cube" might be different from what everyone sees on the outside; its internal structure is extremely fragile, something Xia Ge had planned from the beginning.

[Imagine this is a large building. The neat rows of glass on the outside don't mean the inside is completely full. Right? Just count the number of tofu pieces and you'll know!]

Just as netizens were beginning to understand Ding Yongxing's intentions, Sui Wubai had already noticed this.

By this time, he had roughly counted the number of tofu pieces on the plate, and also estimated the portion that Chef Wang and he had eaten, and found that the "number of tofu pieces" was too small.

"This means that the so-called 'tofu cube' is not solid; it is a hollow structure made of tofu blocks."

Just as Sui Wubai felt he was getting closer to the truth step by step, Xu Jumo's jade tofu also came up.

Seeing that Chef Wang was still engrossed in the aroma of tofu, Sui Wubai turned around and walked to Xu Jumo's side.

"Old Xu, the structure of this tofu should be different from what we see outside. Be extra careful when you scoop it up, start from the top. I want to see what it looks like inside!"

Xu Jumo understood immediately and nodded repeatedly. Then, he carefully took the spoon and slowly scooped the top layer of "Jade Tofu".

Judging from his gentle movements, anyone who didn't know better would think he was stroking his lover's long hair.

Even though his movements were so subtle, the structure in front of him still collapsed with a crash when the spoon reached halfway to the edge of the "jade tofu".

As Xu Jumo watched the pieces of tofu fall into the broth, splashing some soup droplets, but all of them were stopped by the deep plate, he understood why this "Jade Tofu" had to be served in such a deep container.

Xia Ming had anticipated that some soup would splash when the tofu was poured, so he deliberately used a container to prevent the soup from splashing onto the diners.

Seeing that Xu Jumo was so careful but still managed to knock over the "Jade Tofu", Sui Wubai's curiosity intensified.

He was certain that he had found the right direction, but the problem was that the secrets hidden in Xia Ming's tofu dish might be even greater than he had imagined.

Just as he was pondering whether to go and observe the others, Chef Wang, who was standing to the side, finally woke up!
"It's unbelievable! Four kinds of tofu, perfectly combined with the broth, especially the chicken tofu, which was incredibly smooth and flavorful from start to finish."

"It's delicious, it's absolutely delicious!"

Seeing Chef Wang's appearance, Sui Wubai's eyebrows immediately rose.

Actually, he could privately consult Xia Ming about the secrets of making tofu, and even if Xia Ming didn't tell him, the commentary team certainly wouldn't just stand by and watch.

My main purpose this time was to bring Chef Wang along for growth and experience.
Chef Wang has been the main character in his short videos for so long that he sometimes really thinks he has reached the pinnacle of cooking. This time, we're giving him a wake-up call so that he can work even harder in the future.

After all, Xia Ming is becoming increasingly beyond his abilities, so Sui Wubai has virtually no chance of bringing him into his sect.

Even if one's most respected teacher were to be resurrected, there's a high probability that this disciple would not be accepted into the school.

Therefore, Chef Wang is the future of the sect. Although he is a bit lazy and dull, he is still one of us behind closed doors.
With the development of the internet and the rise of AI in cities today, few people are willing to spend years doing odd jobs to gamble on a future; everyone wants to make quick money.

Fortunately, some of the older generation are still alive, and the middle-aged generation can still hold the fort.
However, apart from Xia Ming, the younger generation generally has some problems.

Don't underestimate Chef Wang just because he's nothing compared to Xia Ming. In the entire culinary world, he's already considered a very good apprentice.

After all, he's still not that old; his skills can be improved, and his perspective can be broadened!
Sui Wubai is at an age where he can easily work for another 20 years, so it's good for Chef Wang to teach and guide him slowly.

However, sometimes when Chef Wang's basic skills are lacking, Sui Wubai notices and gets quite angry.

"Say it again? How many kinds of tofu?"

"what!?"

Upon hearing his master's words, Chef Wang's excited face instantly froze!

Ah! How many kinds of tofu? Aren't there four kinds?

No, I didn't guess this time!!! This time, it was through food!
Could it be that we ate the wrong thing?
Just as Chef Wang was having second thoughts, Ding Yongxing's "Jade Tofu" was served!

It took a total of 3 and a half minutes from placing the order to delivery. Ding Yongxing seriously suspected that Xia Ming had calculated that the commentary booth would place an order and deliberately left a copy.

Regardless of whether Xia Ming kept the food or shared some with the other diners in the commentary booth, the judges were on high alert after seeing Xu Jumo's actions.

Ding Yongxing fiddled with it for a while but didn't dare to use the spoon. After thinking it over, he finally gave the opportunity to Yin Shengjiang.

Yin Shengjiang thought for a while before changing his approach and starting to scoop from the front of the rectangle.

As the spoon slowly entered the middle, the judges' expressions gradually relaxed.

Just when Yin Shengjiang thought he had succeeded...
The jade tofu suddenly collapsed to the other side, and in an instant, the originally intact rectangle shattered into pieces.
"!?"

(End of this chapter)