Chapter 415
“Judges, can you explain this dish to us? Especially to those who aren’t familiar with this dish?” Huo Meili asked the three judges.
“Thank you, Miss Huo.” The oldest chef of the three took the opportunity to answer. He was one of the most popular chefs in the capital known as Chef Jiang.
“Yusheng is a raw fish salad and is usually composed of the following ingredients: raw fish that was sliced into thin pieces; shredded vegetables, pickled or fresh; bits of pomelo or candied citrus peel; chopped nuts; spices; and sauce—plum sauce and hoisin sauce.
“This dish is customary being served during the Lunar New Year. In the past, Yusheng was only eaten on renri which is also known as ‘every man’s birthday’. However, these days, it is normal for a family to eat Yusheng numerous times throughout the New Year period; and it is usually served at the start of every meal. We chose this dish to see how these two talented chef skills in handling seafood.”
The first dish present was Tian Lingyu’s Yusheng. The three judges took the time to check the colorful plating of the dish. They tasted the dish and moved on to Feng Li’s Yusheng without giving comments about Tian Lingyu’s dish.
“What do you think? Will your brother win this round?” Shen Yi asked, an arm hooked around Lu Xinyi’s shoulders.
“There’s no doubt that my Yu Gege will win this round.” Lu Xinyi replied with confidence.
“You can tell just by looking at it?” he raised an inquiring brow on her.
“Just by the quality of fish that my Yu Gege used. He already got an upper hand. It also helped that he’s really good at cutting the flesh of the fish without ruining its flavor. Yu Gege used a cooking technique where he paralyzed the live fish first before killing it. Doing so will stop the flesh from releasing the lactic acid that gives fish it sour and mushy texture.”
Just by watching her older brother, Lu Xinyi realized the gap between their skills. Not only Tian Lingyu was a more experienced chef than her, but also his cooking techniques were always on point.
Instead of being overwhelmed by discovery, her desire to compete and beat her older brother intensified. However, she knew that she needed a lot more practice and experience before she could challenge him in a cooking battle.
Just as Lu Xinyi predicted, her older brother unanimously won the first round.
“Slices less than half a millimeter thick, translucent as cicada wings, and light as silk. Each piece of fish meat is covered in lots of fat. Fresh seafood, tasting fresh and sweet with no additional seasonings, and also tender and succulent. These are the features that the judges wanted to see from both dishes.” Lu Xinyi explained and continued to discuss what her brother did for this delicate dish.
“The ingredients being used were cut with skillful precision. Yusheng… this is a kind of dish that a chef only requires a regular kitchen knife to make this delicious dish. The fish is caught alive, skinned, and deboned. The flesh of the fish must be taken out intact within five minutes without getting a drop of water on it. It is then hung to dry for a while in order to prevent bacterial growth. After air-drying for ten minutes, the fish meat becomes tight and elastic. “
While He Haotian discovered the unlimited potential of Lu Xinyi in cooking with her divine tongue, Tian Lingyu’s ability was to predict and use accurate quality and measurements of the food he was making. Working on seafood was also one of his stronger points. After all, a boy that grew up on a fish port would be forced to learn these skills as he grew up.
“What about its taste?” Shen Yi inquired. The taste of the dish should also matter, right? The platter of Yusheng that Tian Lingyu made was visually appetizing, but if there was one thing Shen Yi was aware of, not all food that looked good tasted good. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“It should be fine. Yu Gege made a pre-mixed sauce with his dish. The proportion of vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil should be enough to elevate and complement the freshness of Yusheng. By pre-mixing the sauce and carefully portioning it with the salad, Yu Gege managed to create a dish with perfectly balanced sauce.” She paused as she remembered something, “You won’t treat me for a Yusheng later?”
Shen Yi stared at her blankly before saying, “Beg.”
As if on cue, Lu Xinyi scooted closer on his form and ran her fingers under his coat to feel his muscles beneath his clothes.
“Please, hubby? We haven’t been on a date for long.” She grinned mischievously. Imitating his actions earlier, it was her turn to tease him. “I’ll reward you well later; how about that?”
Shen Yi hissed and held her wrist to stop her, but his eyes darkened with desire for her. This woman was really good at driving him insane. As much as he wanted to eat her up, they need to wait until today’s event was done.
“Xinxin, you aren’t being fair to me.” He groaned as he felt her other hand sneaked in to touch his side.
“I’m unfair? Hubby must be forgetting our deal, ah. Oh, maybe I should ask someone else to treat me and reward him instead.” She smiled coyly.
Shen Yi held her wrist tighter but was enough not to hurt her.
“Lu Xinyi…”—He hissed, threatening her to behave—”You wouldn’t dare…” It was a good thing that they were both sitting in the VIP area so no one had overheard their conversation.
“So are you going to agree now, hubby?” she asked again, daring him to disagree with her request.
“Fine, but don’t blame me if you have a stomach ache again.” Shen Yi begrudgingly agreed. He tried to calm his body down that his naughty wife teased. Damn this woman, getting better at seducing him, but could he really complain about this development of hers? Not really.
Her eyes connected with his briefly; Shen Yi saw her lips quirking up knowing that she won another round against him again while her eyes filled with mirth. Shen Yi scolded himself for spoiling his woman too much. Was it really hard for him to say no and stick to his decision?
However, thinking about what she might do to punish him for disagreeing, did he really had a choice to deny her?
“Yay! My hubby is the best! I know you’ll agree…” She winked at him before turning her attention back at the second round of the cooking battle of her older brother.