In the 1970s, it started with contracting out communal dining.

Ma Dayong looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person squatting behind stall number 17 was none other than Chen Wei, who was fanning himself with a small fan!

At that moment, Chen Wei gently lifted the casserole a crack with a cloth padding his hand, and inserted a spoon to lightly stir the contents inside.

In that instant, Ma Dayong twitched his nose, as if he had caught a faint fragrance in the air.

How can I describe this fragrance...?

The aroma is that of pig's trotters after long stewing, releasing a rich, gelatinous fragrance. The taste is as smooth and mellow as aged wine.

Strangely, it also had a fresh bean aroma, as if mixed with the scent of soil and sunshine from the fields, which made the meaty aroma even more intense.

Upon closer inspection, a faint medicinal fragrance is also present, almost imperceptible, yet it perfectly tantalizes everyone's nose.

"What's that smell! It smells so good!"

"It smells so good!"

All around him were sounds of praise. Even Ma Dayong himself twitched his nostrils and unconsciously took two steps forward, as if being pulled by some invisible force.

But in an instant, Ma Dayong stopped in his tracks.

He frowned and looked toward Chen Wei's stall.

Where did this guy get this skill from! Damn it! Did I underestimate him before?

Suddenly recalling the hesitant expression on Sun Ergou's face before he entered the arena, Ma Dayong immediately realized what was going on.

Damn it! Could it be that the incredibly delicious late-night snack he had before was actually made by this kid?!

He's so young, and he's only been an apprentice for half a month, yet he has such skill!

I can only blame myself for underestimating him; I didn't do my research beforehand and underestimated this kid.

Ma Dayong was filled with regret, but what use was regret now that he was already on the field?

He gritted his teeth and immediately pulled out a sealed ceramic jar from the bottom of his basket.

Even if Chen Wei is incredibly skilled, can he possibly compare to someone with my seniority as a kitchen helper? Just wait until he pulls out his secret weapon, and Chen Wei will have no choice but to submit!

Thinking this, Ma Dayong opened the sealed ceramic jar directly.

The few strands swirling in the earthenware jar are Ma Dayong's secret weapon—Cantonese sausages!

There's no time to start cooking another dish now, since the essence of Cantonese cuisine lies in slow simmering over low heat. That's why Ma Dayong chose the quick and easy-to-make Cantonese claypot rice with preserved meat as his backup dish.

This claypot rice recipe was something he learned from his master when he was an apprentice in the kitchen, and he had never shown it to anyone before.

Originally intended to be a trump card, this competition has forced me to reveal it.

But given the current situation, he couldn't afford to hold back anymore; he just wanted to win the game as soon as possible.

Ma Dayong moved very quickly, taking out pre-soaked glutinous rice and a small handful of green vegetables from his basket.

As long as you soak the rice in advance, this Cantonese-style claypot rice with preserved meat is actually very quick to make.

I casually brushed oil on the bottom of the clay pot, poured in the soaked jasmine rice and water, and brought it to a boil over high heat in no time.

Only about 10 minutes had passed by the time the moisture had evaporated, and Ma Dayong had already chopped the sausage into neat, thin slices, then arranged the sliced ​​sausage neatly on top of the rice.

Before putting the lid back on the casserole, I poured a ring of peanut oil around the edge of the pot.

"Sizzle—"

The moment the oil hits the hot pan, a rich aroma bursts forth.

As the oil from the sausage gradually seeped into the rice, the aroma of the rice mixed with the sweet fragrance of the sausage created an extremely powerful and complex aroma, finally attracting the attention of the surrounding contestants.

"There's an even better one here! It smells amazing!"

"This smell... could it be sausage?"

Some of them had already identified Ma Dayong's ingredients, but Ma Dayong didn't care about anything else and was just staring at the small casserole in front of him, sweating profusely.

The sausages are now in the pot; the heat needs to be reduced slightly.

The soul of claypot rice with preserved meat lies in creating a golden, crispy crust at the bottom of the rice.

Using a rag to cushion the scalding hot clay pot, Ma Dayong lightly flicked his wrist and shook the small clay pot in his hand to ensure the rice was heated evenly.

The way he looked so focused and attentive was as if he were performing some kind of mysterious ritual.

Fortunately, this claypot rice with preserved meat doesn't take long to cook, and soon the aroma of the rice wafts out of the clay pot.

Ma Dayong quickly cracked an egg into the pot, covered it again, and turned the heat down to low, letting the residual heat in the pot slowly cook the egg.

Meanwhile, he quickly blanched the vegetables in a pot until they were half-cooked.

Once the vegetables were blanched, the claypot rice with preserved meat was more than halfway done. After arranging the vegetables along the edge of the pot in a very nice way, Ma Dayong poured his secret sauce over the rice along the edge of the pot.

"Sizzle—sizzle—"

The aroma of the sauce, accompanied by the rising steam, exploded out with a bang, instantly attracting the attention of everyone around.

Just as Ma Dayong put the lid back on, turned off the heat, and removed the pot from the heat, those with sharp eyes had already seen what was inside.

The sausages in the pot were red and glossy, the rice was golden and tempting, and the green vegetables were as green as jade. In the middle was a half-cooked soft-boiled egg. The wonderful combination made people's appetite soar.

Someone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "What kind of dish is this! It looks like it even has rice! It looks delicious, and it smells amazing!"

But after asking around, not many people could name it—this is Jinshi, so people naturally don't know anything about Cantonese cuisine.

Ma Dayong had already placed the small clay pot in his hand onto the rough porcelain plate next to him, his face full of a smug expression.

These bumpkins, what do they know about Cantonese cuisine!

Claypot rice—even if you tell them the name, they probably wouldn't recognize it.

These two Cantonese dishes represent his full skill set, and bringing them out now should amaze everyone.

Just as I was feeling smug, I suddenly saw a thick plume of white steam rising into the sky from stall number 17, which was quite far away. The steam condensed into a hazy mist in the air.

Then a strong, irresistible aroma wafted over.

"Wow! This smells even better!"

"Oh my god, this smells so tempting! My mouth is watering!"

The contestants, who had been peeking at Ma Dayong's stall, were immediately drawn to the rich aroma, and in an instant, no one cared about the Cantonese claypot rice that Ma Dayong had been hiding.

Upon closer inspection, Ma Dayong realized that Chen Wei had lifted the lid of the steamer and was taking the food out of the pot.

The dishes with a stale flavor are ready too!