Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 79 If this kid is truly intelligent enough, then this is how it can be done.
[Are you crazy? 10 minutes isn't even enough time to pan-fry tofu!]

[I feel like I only have enough time to make one tofu ball, and I have to be quick about it, otherwise I'll run out of time.]

[The production team is serious! If Chef Wang fails all his attempts this round, he'll be in trouble!]

I just went up and made a bowl of preserved egg and tofu, and that was it!

The person upstairs spent 7 minutes mixing the ingredients and then received 7 rejections – how fitting!

The live stream chat did not affect Xia Minhui's analysis. After seeing the timer display 10 minutes, he immediately fell into thought.

"Time is too tight, and there is basically no room for further consideration in this situation."

"Lolo hummed and hawed over there and made the 'fragrant' dish in the sixth round. This round should highlight the 'freshness' of the tofu. Quickly prepare a savory soup with dried shrimp, mushrooms or mushroom powder, and seaweed."

"Then mash the tofu into a paste, shape it into small balls, boil them in a pot, and finally select the best ones to plate. There should be enough time."

Wen Zhixia, who was standing to the side, blinked.

So, will you do the same?

Xia Minhui raised an eyebrow.

"What a joke. This approach is just to ensure that she doesn't lose too badly. Plus, if there's an inside man in the show, she might barely be able to get a provisional rating."

"As for me, I would simply cut the tofu into noodles, sprinkle with a little salt, fry them quickly in hot oil for 15 seconds, and then add them to the soup I prepared earlier."

Wen Zhixia remained silent for a moment.

"Then why can't she do that?"

Xia Minhui suddenly burst out laughing.

"If this girl had Wang Qingrui's knife skills, she might be able to give it a try, but she'd most likely mess it up too. I've been retired from the industry for over a decade; I'm not crippled."

After saying that, he turned back to look at Wang Qingrui, only to see that Wang Qingrui's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

"Sigh, I said back then that guys like Wang Qingrui shouldn't be competing anymore!"

"The idea that diligence can make up for lack of talent has always been a joke to me. It took him countless efforts to even take over the skills. It would be too much to ask him to master all kinds of cuisines."

"For others it's just a matter of time, but this guy has already killed off his path from the very beginning."

"Slices, pieces, bits, chunks, granules, segments—the knife skills have been showcased to the fullest extent. Okay, now you've blocked your own path!"

That's what they say, but Xia Minhui also knows that the timeframe is still too tight.

If Wang Qingrui cuts "Chrysanthemum Tofu" in this round, he will most likely win. However, the problem is that even if the broth can be prepared with seasonings, there are not enough ingredients.

There are seven judges now, so he can't just cut one chrysanthemum tofu. But if it were Xia Minhui, he might be able to cut seven chrysanthemum tofu pieces, but for Wang Qingrui, forget it.
In Xia Minhui's mind, Wang Qingrui was most likely set up.
In comparison, Lai Chi-On was infinitely smarter. Although some cold disk techniques are complicated, the configuration can be reduced depending on the situation during actual operation.

Although doing this will result in some loss of texture, at least it will prevent a chaotic situation where the dish cannot be presented in the end.

Wen Zhixia silently took out her phone and switched the live stream to Xia Ming's side.

Xia Ming quickly crumbled the tofu, added seasonings, and then sat down at the table, fiddling with something.

"And what about your son?"

Xia Minhui glanced at it from the side.

“Fry! He has no choice. He's already tried stir-frying, boiling, steaming, stewing, roasting, and braising. At this point, only frying best suits his needs.”

Wen Zhixia frowned.

"You can fry tofu. Didn't that girl already make it?"

Xia Minhui nodded.

"It wasn't just that girl; he himself had used it in the first round as well, but he used it for pretreatment."

"Frying is a common technique in tofu preparation. There are 24 tofu dishes mentioned above, so the probability of not frying them is very low."

"He was clever to put the quicker frying process last, probably taking into account the possibility of further reducing the time later."

"But tofu is tofu. It's inherently difficult for it to absorb flavor quickly. Even meatballs struggle to develop a complex flavor in such a short time." Wen Zhixia's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this.
"So you mean your son is going to lose?"

Xia Minhui thought for a moment, then turned his head and proposed a solution.

"Not entirely. If this kid is truly talented enough, he could try to combine the flavors of the previous dishes."

"For the first dish, spicy diced chicken, he can take the ready-made chili paste pieces and reuse them, crush them and mix them with the excess duck blood from the second dish, and then add some salted egg yolks used in the third dish."

"Then, the fifth step involves shredding the roasted tofu skin to enhance the texture. After adjusting the recipe, all the parts are stuffed into the tofu, and then the dried seaweed produced in the sixth round is utilized."

"After this combination, the fried tofu has a crispy outer skin, paired with a layer of seaweed, and the pepper adds a salty flavor."

As he said this, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Take a bite and you'll find the filling is soft, with duck blood and salted egg yolk providing a complex flavor, a burst of spiciness, and a firm texture from the grilled tofu strips."

"In this way, the entire dish is dry and crispy on the outside, soft and tender in the middle, and has a variety of flavors inside, taking into account both the time and the variety of flavors."

After listening to Xia Minhhui's words, Wen Zhixia pondered for a moment and asked curiously.

"What about the fourth course? Why not use the fish soup from the fourth course?"

Xia Minhui shook his head.

"It was too sour. He used pickled red peppers in the soup. The pickled peppers enhanced the soup's flavor, but they also gave it a sour base taste."

"This flavor, when combined with the egg yolk, does indeed create a delicate and smooth texture, but being both sour and spicy, the strong flavor can overpower the tenderness of the tofu on the outside."

"The theme of this round of competition is tofu. All the richness of the flavors is to highlight the characteristics of tofu itself. Don't let the flavors overshadow the main subject."

Wen Zhixia blinked, then raised her hand and pointed to the screen.

“But I saw your son stirring the pot where the fish soup was simmering, and according to your logic, the tofu should be hollowed out before being put in.”

“Your son crumbled the tofu at the beginning; we can’t let his efforts go to waste!”

Xia Minhui touched his chin.

"So I was talking about the extreme case. Normally, there's a shortcut to this problem: make a tofu ball with a mix of flavors."

"As long as the seasoning is balanced enough, this fried tofu ball can show different layers of flavor. Of course, this requires a high level of sensitivity to flavor and rich experience."

"Moreover, even if it is finally produced, the score for creativity will be lowered. At this point, we have reached the final stage, and every dimension needs to be considered. Making that kind of thing will easily get us rejected."

Just as he finished speaking, Xia Ming finished plating the dish at the last minute and pressed the bell.

As the bell rang in the competition arena, the "Infinite Cycle Cooking Showdown," which lasted for seven rounds and spanned three hours, finally came to an end.

Because of the tight schedule, everyone basically finished the round on time. In order, they were "Li Zhian", "Wang Qingrui", "Luo Luo Hum Hum", and "Chuanyu Ice and Fire Chef".

The judges entered one by one at this time, but to everyone's surprise, the original seven-member judging panel had an extra person.

Zhang Yong was pushing a wheelchair with a serious expression. In the wheelchair, an elderly man with white hair was holding a vine cane and nodding to the camera.

"You read that right! After the intense 'Infinite Reincarnation Cooking Showdown,' our judging panel for the final round has changed!"

"The original star judge, Zhang Yong, has been replaced. Now taking the stage is Luo Shurong, the top chef in Yunnan, China, known as the 'King of Mushrooms'!"

"Master Luo is a 'National Honorary Chef (Level 8 in Chinese Cuisine)', currently serving as a director of the Chinese Culinary Association and the president of the Yunnan Food Association."

As the host rattled off a string of titles, the atmosphere in the live stream instantly reached its peak.

Although many netizens don't quite understand what these titles represent, they do understand the term "National Honorary Chef".

It's important to know that not every region in China has a culinary master, so "Hua Level 8" basically represents the highest honor in a region. Originally, I thought that having a few "Hua Level 7" assistants was the limit.

I didn't expect the production team to go to such lengths, bringing over even the "Hua 8 level".

Furthermore, the fact that Zhang Yong, who had previously been quite controversial, was chosen as a replacement made it even more appealing to everyone.

The other contestants nodded slightly in acknowledgment, but Luo Luo's grumbling expression instantly turned ugly.
Looking at the "Frozen Tofu in Broth" on her table, a sense of inexplicable fear welled up inside her.
(End of this chapter)