Zha Panpan finished first with her tomato-braised pig heart. She was very clever to cover the fishy smell of pig heart with the taste of tomato. At the same time, she used the sweetness of the bell pepper to neutralize the sour taste of the tomatoes. She also considered the plating. She had cut the bell peppers into thin threads and then gathered it together in the form of a beautiful flower. She used the tomato braised pig heart as the flower’s pistil.
[Cold Moon: Wow, the goddess Panpan is amazing. Her dish looks so beautiful!]
[Cold-blooded Remote Moon: Woah, the taste is also very good! I hope the goddess Panpan will be able to successfully pass through this round.]
Because she had been in the top three for each round, Zha Panpan had also gained some popularity. A lot of people praised her cooking skills.
Only this time, the judges didn’t rush forward to taste it. Because the theme for this round was offal, the degree to which they were able to get rid of the gamey-ness was crucial. So, as they have done before, they invited 10 military personnel with high-level constitutions and 10 viewers also with high-level constitutions to serve as special judges. Players must obtain more than half of their votes in order to enter the next round, otherwise they would stop directly in the top 25.
One after another, the other contestants also finished cooking. But people like Shi Mingxu who chose pig intestine or pork tripe were still busy. After all, these two ingredients needed time to cook thoroughly. In order to prevent the dishes from deteriorating once it has cooled off and to ensure that the judges would be able to taste the dishes at its best, the players put the dishes in a fresh-keeping box.
While waiting, Ruan Tang also paid attention to the live chat, answering the audience’s questions from time to time. He noticed that someone was talking about the imperial army’s impending triumph and his heart skipped a beat. Yesterday he had received news that the Allied Forces of the Empire and Rutes had won a great and decisive victory in their war against the Valens and that they would return to the Empire soon.
Does this mean that He Yun Chen is coming back?
Since returning from Celtic Star, Ruan Tang has not seen He Yun Chen for more than a month. He Yun Chen was really busy. The two only communicated briefly a few times, exchanging only a few words before hanging up. Although they saw each other, it was like trying to stop water from boiling by skimming it off and pouring it back. It only made him miss the other all the more.
Such feelings seemed to have transcended the boundaries of friendship.
Every time he remembers that day when He Yun Chen firmly held his hand and asked him to wait for his return, his heart would throb and jump about uncontrollably.
It seemed that their relationship has been like this for a long time. They had a very intimate relationship though they didn’t quarrel nor have any conflicts. As long as they need it, the other party will be by his side.
But how can there be such harmony between friends? Just look at He Yun Yi and He Yun Chen. They loved each other but were constantly at odds.
But, if not brotherly love, then what kind of relationship existed between him and He Yun Chen?
Ruan Tang’s fingers tightened and he couldn’t help feeling a little dazed and distressed.
If ... He disregarded the fact that they were both men, it’s almost like–
“Tsk tsk, that player was too anxious. The scalding time was too short. I’m afraid the taste of the pig kidneys won’t be very good.” President Gu’s voice came from his beside his ear, and it suddenly roused him.
Ruan Tang promptly took back his chaotic thoughts and looked at the player that President Gu was referring to. A plate of cooked pork kidney was placed on his table. However, judging by the color, they could tell that it had been overcooked. Cooking the pork kidneys for too long would affect the taste, so he had taken a new pork kidney and scalded it for the second time. Maybe he was worried that he would repeat the same mistake, so this time he hurriedly fished it out. Judging from the color, he knew that kidneys had yet to be cooked through.
Ruan Tang could not help but to shake his head.
The large intestines may be made to absorb flavor through long-term stewing, but pork kidneys were not the same. Generally, pork kidneys needed to be blanched for one minute, if it wasn’t blanched long enough it would be half-cooked and would retain its fishiness.
“Yes, unless he’s going to use the pork kidney into a stir-fry dish. Then he could fry it quickly and maybe he can cover it up. But the heat control will be very difficult.” Ruan Tang gave a fair evaluation.
As time passed minute after minute and second after second, more and more people finished their dishes. Only Shi Mingxu was still busying about. Ruan Tang glanced at the time. There was still fifteen minutes left. Only after seeing that he was almost finished did Ruan Tang calm down. Shi Mingxu’s chosen main ingredient, pig intestines was already a difficult dish to begin with. On top of that, he had chosen to braise it in soy sauce. Although stewing it in heavily spiced sauce will do a lot to cover the gamey-ness of the intestines, the available time was too short. The large intestines’ structural composition was too thick. If the flavor did not penetrate all the way through, it would be very troublesome.
With ten minutes left, Shi Mingxu fished out the large intestine from the stew sauce and saw that the large intestine had turned dark brown. Ruan Tang knew that it should have stewed long enough.
In the last seven minutes, Shi Mingxu took out an oil pan and sautéed the minced garlic. He put in the stewed large intestines and sliced bell peppers and started to stir fry. He added a little boiling water and covered the lid, allowing it to simmer over low heat for a minute or two. He then raised the heat to allow the ingredients to absorb the flavor.
Although there was only one minute left, his hands did not shake. He calmly took out a deep dish, raised the pan and poured the fried large intestine directly into the dish. He then sprinkled it with some translucent juice and minced shallot and just as the bell signaling the end of the match rang, he was finished.
[Yan Xueli: Wow, it smells so good!]
[Misty Moon Shadow: My mouth was already watering when he started to stir fry! It smells delicious!]
[Zhe Xiang: I never would have thought something like pig intestines could be made into such good food! We really can’t judge a pig by its appearance!]
[Gold coins fall down: stop yapping and start eating!]
“Okay, now that everyone is done, we will officially start the tasting and evaluation.” President Gu said in a clear and loud voice, “Today, we also have our special judges with high-level constitutions. Their sense of taste is more sensitive than ordinary people’s. I hope your dishes can conquer their taste buds.”
As President Gu finished speaking, the doors to the venue opened and ten tall and gallant looking soldiers walked in, their gaits even and steady. At the same time, the ten chosen viewers appeared behind President Gu as holographic projections.
The soldiers lined up in a small team and marched neatly onto the judges’ stage. The man leading them had his hat pulled down low, obscuring more than half of his face so that no one could see his face clearly.
[Small Fishy Yin: Who’s the one leading them? He’s so secretive, it feels a little weird ...]
[Happy snacks: I’m also a bit suspicious ... but since he’s a soldier, there shouldn’t be any problems, right?]
[Zhen Yan: He couldn’t be a spy or an assassin, right? Okay, now I’m just letting my imagination run wild! But it would still be better to verify his identity.]
Under the watchful eyes of the audience, this group of soldiers march onto the judges’ stage. The man heading them stood in front of Ruan Tang, and then raised his hand in salute.
Ruan Tang looked at his exposed chin, covered in stubble. A strange sense of familiarity rose in his heart.
He returned a military salute, then pursed his lips. He then suddenly reached out, and lifted off the man’s hat.
“Ah–”
Suddenly, the sound of people sucking in their breaths rang throughout the venue. Ruan Tang opened his eyes wide and then clenched his fists, barely resisting the urge to rush up and embrace the person before him.
[Day and Night: Oh! It’s Marshal He!]
[Spicy Grain: The male god is back! (ノ ＞ ▽ ＜.) ノ]
[Su Su Su Su Su: The Marshal looks so much cooler and more handsome since he came back from the battlefield! So handsome that people can’t stand still!]
[Watson: Male God, Male God, I want to have your monkeys!]
Everyone’s attention was attracted by this imminently handsome man who unexpectedly appeared in the special judges lineup.
Ruan Tang looked at He Yun Chen, and He Yun Chen was also looking at him. Their eyes met.
As if something was ignited within him, Ruan Tang felt only a surge of blood and spirit. His cheeks became hot, and the beating of his heart became more intense.
This guy didn’t even tell him he was coming back...
However, it seemed that He Yun Chen felt that it wasn’t enough. Facing towards Ruan Tang, he revealed a faint smile. He still had a four o’clock shadow that didn’t have enough time to shave, but this smile seemed to hold an unbridled kind of maturity compared to his smiles from before.
Ruan Tang’s heart suddenly jumped, as if he had an electric shock. There was a tingling in his fingertips.
[Genuine Devil: Marshal He didn’t even know when he could come back but he came here to serve as a special judge. It was really a surprise!]
[Yue Mingya: He smiled! The male god smiled!]
[Ruan Ruan: My god! My heart is running at 200 beats a minute!]
“Now, may I ask everyone to start tasting the dishes and cast their votes.” President Gu interrupted their “passionate” gaze. He spoke in a clear and loud voice and when he finished, he patted Ruan Tang’s shoulder and winked at him.
Obviously He Yun Chen’s sudden appearance here was something he had arranged.
Ruan Tang couldn’t help but be angry and want to laugh at the same time. But he immediately adjusted his mood and calmed himself down. He couldn’t forget his responsibility. He was a judge for this important competition. Other matters can wait until this match was over. He Yun Chen also restrained his gaze and stood in position, as though he really were just an ordinary judge.
The players were equally excited. They did not expect that a marshal of the Empire would come to judge their dishes in person. They lined up according to when they finished their dishes. One by one, they brought their dishes to the judges and anxiously waited for the judges’ evaluation.
Zha Panpan’s tomato braised pork heart was the first dish to be brought up. The tomato taste was rich and pure, and it had a different kind of sweet taste. Add to that the delicate plating, her dish, without a doubt, garnered high scores.
The second player chose the pork liver and used it to made a saucy stir-fry. Although the taste was not bad, it was very similar to Ruan Tang’s green pepper and pork liver dish and this his score was only barely enough to pass.
The third player is Cao Jun. He has won the honor of being in the top three before, and his basic skills are relatively solid, but his innovation ability was slightly weak. This time he chose pork tripe. Ruan Tang went to observe as he processed the pork tripe. He had blanched the pork tripe before scraping off the fat and washing it clean. His method for removing the gamey-ness was spot on.
Cao Jun cut the pork tripe into thin strips. He then stewed it with sliced scallions, chilies, sichuan pepper and other spicy seasonings. He then fished it out and used doubanjiang and chili oil to sautee it. It was savory and fragrant, spicy and numbing. It was a bright and flavorful dish and it too garnered a high score.
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