A tense atmosphere hung over the venue as the finals started. Despite the competition not being a battle, the sparks between Gao Chushi and Mei Shiwu made it even more electrifying than a life-and-death duel. The audience found themselves holding their breaths unconsciously.
Both Mei Shiwu and Gao Chushi immediately chose their ingredients, as if they had already known they would reach the finals. As such, they already planned the ultimate dish for the century culinary competition. Mei Shiwu picked many more ingredients from the available selection, while Gao Chushi took out ingredients he had prepared ahead of time.
This time, Mei Shiwu didn’t finish ahead of time like his other matches, but took all the time allotted to the contestants. Still, he finished ahead of Gao Shiwu, and brought his dishes forward.
In total, there was a bowl of rice, one main dish, a bowl of soup, and two side dishes. “Here are my dishes. Duck egg yolk golden fried rice, ginger duck soup, golden ratio duck shumai, spicy duck tongue, and roast duck.”
Despite all their experience and all the delicacies they have already tasted, the judges except Chef Kuai couldn’t help but swallow their saliva upon smelling the aroma wafting from each dish. As usual, Chef Kuai dug in first.
He ate a mouthful of the duck egg yolk golden fried rice. “I can only taste the rich and umami flavor of the duck yolk, but it’s obvious you used over a hundred ingredients. You fried them with the perfect technique, coating each grain of rice in an even layer of yolk. Although it is rich, it isn’t dense to the point that I can only eat a few mouthfuls. In fact, this thing whets my appetite even more. I can feel my body becoming excited to eat and ready to accept the spiritual qi of the other dishes.”
Chef Kuai took out a spoon and scooped the soup. “Despite it being a cold soup, the spice levels make it seem hot. The duality of cold and heat reminds me of the Fire-Water Duality Duck used to make this soup. I can feel an icy sensation entering every part of my body. The moment I think I’m going to freeze over, a fiery sensation overtakes the chill. Through this process, I can feel the impurities in my body cleansed.”
“Despite not removing the bones around the duck tongue, you’ve cooked so that it falls apart like chips, adding a new texture to the traditional snack. Although you used ducks at the level of foundation establishment disciples, you’ve elevated it to the level that it is on par with and tastes like the Fire-Water Duality Duck,” Chef Kuai said. Then, he reached for the shumai.
Unlike a traditional shumai, all the ingredients were split between four different pockets instead of mixed together, forming a four-pointed star. The pocket containing the minced duck meat had more than the other three ingredients, making it seem uneven. The other three pockets contained assorted vegetables, minced shrimp, and egg yolk. “Hmmm, the ratio seems uneven, so I don’t know why you call it the golden ratio shumai.”
Still, Chef Kuai put it into his mouth and gasped. “Oh! The advantages of each ingredient are so clear. The soft and sweet yolk, the fresh and crisp vegetables, the elasticity and subtle sweetness of the shrimp, and the smooth texture of the Fire-Water Duality Duck meat that is rich and oily, yet not greasy at all. But the most important feature is not these individual components but how they come together. Not one part of them overpowers the other, and I can taste all of them at the same time. No wonder you call it the golden ratio shumai. Its taste alone is worth its weight in spirit stones.”
Chef Kuai immediately reached for a piece of the roast duck. He raised it to his eye. The skin had perfectly turned a dark brown. When he picked it up with his chopstick, it had already cracked despite him not using much pressure. The crack also caused the layer of fat under the skin to drip down the meat, causing it to glisten invitingly.
He didn’t wait any longer and bit into it. “Ooooh! This taste, this texture, I can’t find any words to describe it. I can feel energy welling up in my body, increasing its power. I can feel several acupoints loosening and I can open them up in the near future!”
The rest of the judges didn’t wait any longer and dug in. Whatever praise Chef Kuai sang, they echoed with even greater accolades. At this point, none of the audience could see Gao Chushi winning the century culinary competition.
Mei Shiwu only nodded. Instead, he turned his attention to Lord and Lady Xi. He smiled. Finally, the two had picked up their chopsticks and ate his food. However, he soon frowned because they didn’t show any of the reactions the judges showed. It was as if they were eating regular food and not the most exquisite cuisine of the Shi Realm.
He tightened his fist. Despite getting his wish, Mei Shiwu couldn’t be happy at all. They treated his food like some dispensable roadside slop. Mei Shiwu swore that the two would fall under the heavenly taste of his dishes in the future.
Gao Chushi came forward next. After the exemplary dishes from Mei Shiwu, the judges didn’t show much excitement about his dishes. Especially since his dishes were covered by steel cloches.
The core formation chef paid no heed. “This is a dining style I’ve conceptualized. Instead of having a bowl of rice with many dishes, you eat each dish in sequential order and they are named courses.”
The judges raised an eyebrow, suspicious yet intrigued.
“First up is the appetizer, caviar with blini and duck fat whipped cream,” Gao Chushi said as he opened the cloche to reveal the plate underneath. It was a large plate with three tiny pancakes topped with a layer of whipped cream and a dollop of fish eggs.
The judges sniffed and observed the so-called appetizer with suspicion. Still, they took their chopsticks and picked it up, eating them in a mouthful. “There’s many layers to this dish. The blini, or whatever you call it, does not have much taste, but it does have a subtle sweetness. The whipped cream itself is fatty and flavorful. Had it not been for the oceanic brininess of the caviar, it would have been overpowering.”
“The popping sensation of the eggs is a unique sensation I have not tried before, but with each pop, I can feel a slight burst of spiritual qi entering my body,” Chef Kaui said. “It is quite an amusing dish, but I don’t know if this forced order is worth the freedom of choice of having all the dishes in front of you.”
“Thank you for your input,” Gao Chushi said. Although he said thanks, he did not show any signs of backing down on the method he served his dishes. Instead, he brought up the second course, the soup.
Mei Shiwu frowned, not because of his unique method, but because the mysterious couple ate all the appetizers. Even though they didn’t show any amazement, they still took more bites from Gao Chushi’s dish than his. As a competitor, he was allocated the same courses fed to the judges, so he tasted the caviar, too. Mei Shiwu had to admit that it had some uniqueness, but it still couldn’t compare to his dishes.
“After cooking the soup, it was chilled, causing it to settle and turn into jelly because of the collagen extracted from the bones and skin. It’s a duck broth that is light and will have you craving for more,” Gao Chushi said.
The judges dug in. Immediately, one of them yelped from the spice levels of the soup. He immediately took another bite, seeking the coolness of the jelly to quench the spiciness in his mouth. Yet, after the cooling sensation vanished, the spiciness hit again. It wasn’t until he finished all the jelly soup did the spice level mellow.
At the end, all of them had finished the soup. Even if it seemed forced, the judges except Chef Kuai couldn’t help but smack their lips as they recalled the taste. Although they ate all of it, they only felt even hungrier. One judge couldn’t help but say, “Hurry up and bring the next dish.”
Gao Chushi grinned. “As you wish.”
“This is the main course, the pan-seared medium rare duck breast with foie gras pate sauce paired with hundred herb squash puree and sauteed mushroom.” Upon the removal of the cloche, it revealed sliced duck breast with crispy skin plated atop an orange-colored puree next to the mushrooms.
The judges picked up the duck breast and held it up. The meat was still plenty red, and he couldn’t help but think it was undercooked. Still, he had confidence in Gao Chushi’s performance, so he took a bite. “Wooh! What is this? It’s perfectly juicy, and the skin has a nice crunch, but what is with this depth of flavor? I can taste even more duck flavor than any other pieces of duck I’ve eaten before.”
He wasn’t alone in his sentiment. The other judges were also amazed by the duck flavor of the duck breasts. It was only enhanced by the foie gras pate sauce. Foie gras was fattened duck liver, and pate was a sauce made from turning liver into paste.
In terms of taste alone, most of the judges agreed that the taste of Gao Chushi’s duck breast exceeded the flavor of Mei Shiwu’s dish. With the main course done, it was time for the last course, the dessert.
“This is sweet bread that I have baked. I used duck yolk and the Fire-Water Duality Duck’s fat as enriching and binding agents,” Gao Chushi said.
What appeared before the judges when the cloches disappeared was a two-layered, triangular shaped baked good known as a cake. Between the two layers was a whipped cream filled with fresh fruits. When the judges took a bite, they were surprised by the sheer sweetness of the dessert, but the fruit's acidity cut through the sweetness, forming a delicate balance.
Most of the judges only ate half the cake slices, a stark contrast to the previous three courses. After eating both contestants’ dishes, the judges immediately started debating. Most of them, including Chef Kuai, supported Mei Shiwu. Although Gao Chushi’s courses and dishes were innovative, they couldn’t compare to the traditional and perfected style of Mei Shiwu.
The minority argued that Gao Chushi’s creativity more than made up for any blemishes and faults in his dishes and style. As long as given enough time to perfect it, it could open up a whole new branch in the culinary world.
Still, the end result ultimately came up to the effects of the food. In this aspect, Gao Chushi handily lost. Although he showed admirable abilities, he was just slightly weaker in extracting the spiritual qi from the ingredients. And the effect of his food couldn’t compare to the effect of Mei Shiwu’s food.
But before making a judgement, Chef Kuai asked for Lord and Lady’s Xi’s opinions. Mei Shiwu couldn’t help but clench his fist. The championship was just a hair’s breadth away, but the mysterious couple ate all of Gao Chushi’s dishes. Lady Xi finished hers and Lord Xi’s slice of cake. He didn’t think Chef Kuai was really asking for their opinion, but if they really support Gao Chushi, he couldn’t guarantee that Chef Kuai’s decision wouldn’t be changed.
“Although I consider myself a gourmand, I know my limits. Please disregard my opinions and select the winner based solely on your expert opinions.”
Mei Shiwu breathed a sigh of relief, but he couldn’t help but be disappointed. He wanted to hear it from the mysterious couple’s mouths whose dishes they preferred. Even if they chose Gao Shiwu’s dishes, he still wanted to hear it.
Chef Kuai announced Mei Shiwu as the winner and Gao Chushi as the runner-up. When Mei Shiwu glanced toward the mysterious couple again, he noticed that they had vanished. Their disappearance was soon discovered by the others. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t find any traces of them.
It was almost as if the mysterious couple had never existed, but the leftover plates testified against that. The people could only chalk up the mysterious couple’s appearance as them just having an interest in the century culinary competition.
A sense of loss enveloped Mei Shiwu. He had a feeling that he would never meet them again. He would never have a chance to make them fall in love with his cooking. Mei Shiwu shook his head, catching sight of Gao Chushi. He narrowed his eyes. Although he felt down at the lost prospect, he had a new rival now.
Between perfecting traditional dishes or blazing a new style, he knew which one required more creativity and talent. Still, he would make sure that Gao Chushi would always look at his back and never have the chance to catch up or exceed him.
Gao Chushi didn’t know of his new rival. Instead, he clutched a rectangular steel plate in his robes. When everyone left, he took it out and read the notification that appeared on it.
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