Chapter 7: A Song of Ice and Fire
The moment they heard the word "cold dish", the entire hall was in an uproar, and the faces of Huang Lang and Yin Liang changed wildly. Although I don't know what Yin Xin's calculations are, but through Yin Xin's confident expression, it seems that his trip is by no means simply to make the last fight of the trapped beast, but has other plans!
The chubby old man frowned and said:
"Yin Xin, what do you mean by that?"
"This is Penglai Pavilion, which is the top chef training base in China, and we only need the best talents to join. And you give us something that is not worthy of the table such as cold dishes, you must look down on this ruling too much......" said the white-bearded old man unhappily.
"I heard that this Yin Xin was once judged out by Teacher Huang in the entrance exam, and when I see it today, I can understand why you are out. Yin Xin, are you questioning Mr. Huang's judging criteria? Or do you treat the three of us old men like child's play? The thin old man sneered.
Yin Xin said calmly:
"Report to the examiner, the students don't have any disrespectful meaning, but Jiangnan cuisine is free to choose materials and has a wide variety of categories, so I took the creativity from the Jiangnan sweet style and created my own cold dish called 'Ice and Fire Beef'. Please taste it! β
Hearing this, after the three old men exchanged two words, the slightly chubby old man nodded:
"That's fine. Now that you have it in mind, let it go. This exam is different from the ordinary entrance test, there is no limit on how long you can cook, and you are free to play. But I repeat, the three of us have very tricky tongues, and if you can't satisfy the tongues of any of us, you will immediately lose this exam. Let's go! β
The moment he heard the word "start", Yin Xin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, his right hand had already suddenly pulled out a knife from his waist that was as sharp as ice chips and slashed it into the board, and then took out a piece of carefully selected and tender beef tendon from the water tank with both hands and threw it on the board. The fresh and bouncy beef steadied itself after a few jumps on the board, as if every cell was still breathing, exuding freshness......
Before the audience could react, Yin Xin had already opened the same spices that had been prepared on the board and poured them into a medicine bowl in turn, picked up the medicine pestle and quickly smashed them all, and finally poured them into the pot, and the water in the pot immediately turned dark brown. Yin Xin boiled the brine, scooped up the dregs, and then put the beef into the boiling water......
"What does this guy want to do? He added some spices to the water that he had never seen before, and he used it to cook beef? β
Seeing this scene, the spectators in the stands immediately burst into boos.
"I heard that this person will not live for a few days, and he will deliberately sensationalize the public because he wants to attract more attention before he dies......" In the stands, rumors have already spread.
"That's right, this guy is here on purpose to find fault!"
More and more students stood up in indignation. Just as the scene was about to go haywire, the cold laughter of a teenager drowned out all the noise:
"Hehe, I said everyone, why are you in such a hurry? Don't you see this man doing his last struggle before he dies? Why don't we sit down and witness together, how a person has completed the last journey of his life full of shame......" sneered and said evil words, naturally it was Yin Liang, who was a thief with a weak heart and watched for a long time.
Yin Liang is right. We also want to see how this farce ends! β
Hearing this, I don't know which guy who wanted to take the opportunity to slap in with this Yin son, and the rest of the people also nodded, continued to sit down, and continued to look at Yin Xin, who was busy on the stove, with a playful eye......
When there was laughter in the audience, Yin Xin had already watered the beef several times. Once the water boiled, he quickly scooped up the beef, washed away the foam, and then replaced it with the same brine and continued to cook, repeating four or five times until the blood foam was completely boiled, and then he took it out and set it aside to drain.
Without the slightest hesitation, Yin Xin immediately filled a large pot full of sweet spring water and stewed it on the stove, then picked up the shallots, purple sprouts, ginger, cinnamon and other ingredients, cut them all into evenly sized slices and put them into the pot at a lightning speed, and finally poured the marinated beef into it.
"These hands are very ordinary. What does this guy want to do......" On the stage, Yin Liang watched Yin Xin's every move nervously.
After starting the beef stew, Yin Xin seemed to let out a long sigh of relief and closed his eyes. Just when everyone thought that he was going to wait for the beef to come out of the pot like an ordinary chef, Yin Xin suddenly opened his eyes again, picked up a pot of fresh green fruit from under the stove, quickly cut off the flesh, threw the core aside, and then threw the flesh into the pot and pounded it, poured in sweet spring water and some sugar, condiments and other things, and boiled slowly over medium heat......
"What the hell is he trying to do?"
This question appeared in everyone's minds for a moment, and when the water in Yin Xin's pot slowly dried up and the juice slowly poured out, the thin old man was stunned and said:
"He's making jam!"
Hearing this, everyone suddenly realized, but a new question immediately appeared - Yin Xin, why did he boil jam at this time?
"Hehe, anyway, it's nothing more than grandstanding before he dies, presumptuous guy, he doesn't even eat what dogs make...... although he already faintly felt a bad premonition, Yin Liang still sneered with an indifferent look.
For more than an hour, the beef was already stewed and the jam had already been boiled. Yin Xin quickly took the beef and jam out of the pot, sealed them in the refrigerator and waited. At this time, it was already about ten o'clock in the morning, which was the time when people were sleepy, and many audience members continued to watch the situation in the field while yawning, while Yin Xin looked calm and calm, sitting motionless on the chef's table......
Time passed little by little, and even the "three elders" began to wait impatiently, and finally, Yin Xin stood up and slowly opened the refrigerator.
Braised beef that has formed a frozen, crystal clear shape.
Also, a plate of green jam of unknown fruits that shimmers like crystals.
Yin Xin cut the beef into slices of ultra-thin beef with skillful knife skills, laid out the shape of a peony flower in the blue and white porcelain plate, and then embedded a few cherries shining like red agate in the heart of the peony flower......
"Please take your time." Yin Xin put this plate of dishes that can be called handicrafts in front of the three elders, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Well, just looking at the appearance of this dish, I'm going to give it a full score! Verdant and clear green, attractive and bright red, all eyes are full of joyful colors in the past, and the shape placed is also unique, quite like the feeling of the legendary ancient imperial meal, good! The thin old man, who was good at appreciating the appearance of the dishes, said with relief.
"However, even if it looks good, that doesn't make or break the dish. As a delicacy, the most important thing is always the taste. The chubby old man remained unmoved.
"Hehe, the two of you are really good at talking, I'm not as good as you two, I'll try it first."
Before the words fell, the white-bearded old man couldn't wait to raise his chopsticks, pick up a thin piece of beef and put it in his mouth......
In an instant, the entire hall fell silent.
Everyone held their breath and looked nervously at the old man's expression.
After a long time, the white-bearded old man slowly spoke:
"Yin Xin, you have handled the quality of beef meat very well, and the appearance of this dish can be said to be impeccable. ββHowever, the beef you cook has a bland marinated taste, abrupt spices, and a monotonous taste, which may be proud of in a private restaurant, but in Penglai Pavilion, which is full of talents, this dish has no value. So, I'm sorry, Yin Xin, you failed the exam! β
Hearing this, the audience fell into silence, until the silence was broken by a burst of wild laughter:
"Hahahaha...... Yin Xin, Yin Xin, this time I am finally willing to admit that you are not this material. I thought you could make some tricks before you died, but I didn't expect you to be a complete loser! Ridiculous, ridiculous! β
Looking at Yin Liang, who was smiling hysterically, Yin Xin smiled slightly and shrugged:
"Cousin. I haven't seen you for a few days, and I already feel like I've grown a lot, but I didn't expect you to still be this breathless brain-dead look. This proves even more that the chairman chose you to replace me is simply the most stupid and irreparable wrong decision......"
"What did you say!" Yin Liang's smile narrowed slightly.
"Teacher, fruity beef needs to be dipped in jam to be complete. Why don't you try my special plum jam? I'm sure it will give you a whole new taste. Yin Xin smiled at the thin old man.
Hearing this, the thin old man suddenly realized, hesitated for a moment, then picked up a piece of beef and dipped it in jam, and put it in his mouth......
βοΌβ
At the moment when the beef was entered, the old man's originally dull eyes instantly brightened.
This is...... What it feels like.
It's cold, and it's hot.
It's as hot as ice...... But it burns like it's burning on the tip of your tongue.
It is obviously a very stimulating taste...... But it wraps itself tightly like silky satin.
Spicy, yet sweet, pungent and gentle. It's like ...... It's like ......
The feeling of falling in love for the first time is average.
The entanglement of ice and fire, the battle between cold and heat, repeatedly, fiercely, and in the end, everything is reduced to a touch of warmth, turning into a bland on the tip of the tongue.
That's right, it's not a dish, it's just a song at all.
A song of ice and fire!
Enjoying the taste impact of this dish, the thin old man unconsciously said all the above words, and he didn't even feel it. And then the slightly chubby old man and the white-bearded old man who tried to dip the beef in the sauce were also intoxicated by this strong impact one after another, and they couldn't come back to their senses for a while.
"It's amazing! The creativity of this dish is comparable to the anti-heaven creativity of the legendary ancient Chinese chef, with full marks for conception and advanced taste. Yin Xin...... There is no doubt that you are a genius! The chubby old man exclaimed.
Hearing this, Yin Liang was dumbfounded, and sat on the chair dumbfounded, unable to say a word for a long time.
"But...... I still hope that the three of them will be judged strictly, after all, he is ......" Seeing this unexpected ending, Huang Lang suddenly panicked.
"Old man, I've tasted all the food in Tianhai, and I think I've seen all the strange things. Unexpectedly, today I saw this kind of novel dish in the hands of a student that I have never seen in my life, and I died without regrets, and I died without regrets! Be sure to let him join Penglai Pavilion! The thin old man shook his head and smiled.
"This!" Huang Lang suddenly felt that his eyes were dark, and he took a few steps back......
"Teacher! I want to try it too! I don't know which student suddenly shouted.
"I want it too!"
"I'm going to taste it too!"
In an instant, the scene got out of control, and the security guards were able to hold on to the surging crowd, but they still couldn't control the scene. Looking at the noisy scene, Yin Xin let out a long sigh of relief, looked up to the sky and smiled:
"Kitten. I...... Finally, I poured this pot of boiling water on the heads of those people......"