Ling Zhenfei casually picked up the nearby kitchen knife and said, "A kitchen knife, made in a Japanese factory—oops, I misspoke, it says here, 'Created in China'—weighing a bit more than a pound, perfect for chopping vegetables."
Ling Zhenfei's words caused everyone around to burst into laughter, it seed like he really wasn't good at cooking. It appeared Watanabe Hideaki was sure to win.
Three dishes, these three dishes actually weren't very difficult, especially the oil-braised prawns, which can even be cooked in just a few minutes.
However, Ling Zhenfei used a different thod, which is the drunken shrimp thod, and marinated them using the red wine available on the table. This way, the shrimp would absorb the red wine flavor, making them even fresher.
The second dish Ling Zhenfei made was Kung Pao Chicken, and he used the authentic Shandong cuisine thod. This dish actually requires careful timing.
To defeat Watanabe Hideaki, Ling Zhenfei must perform well.
Because this is a battle about honor, losing today would seem like Huaxia civilization's traditional culture losing to the Japanese.
As a Chinese person, losing in cooking to a Japanese would truly be indefensible.
Therefore, this ti Ling Zhenfei took cooking very seriously. At tis like this, he was very cautious.
After Kung Pao Chicken, it was ti for oil-braised prawns. This dish especially tests the control of heat, as prawns cook very quickly. So as long as the heat is well controlled, combined with Ling Zhenfei's special marinade, it would surely be delicious.
After braising the prawns, Ling Zhenfei began to prepare the third dish. As for what to make for these three dishes, Ling Zhenfei hesitated a bit, but then noticed a cabbage nearby.
Ling Zhenfei had an idea; in Binyang, there's often a stir-fried cabbage on street stalls, which is very cheap and very easy to make, probably just about a minute to prepare after the ingredients are ready.
After getting ready with this dish, Ling Zhenfei began to prepare, knowing that the most important thing for the oil-braised prawns was to braise them. After controlling the heat, he began the process.
Then he started hand-shredding the cabbage, while glancing over at Watanabe Hideaki, who had already made the first two dishes and was preparing the third.
It seed that the third dish for Watanabe Hideaki was quite difficult, with even the initial preparations being very complicated.
Ling Zhenfei prepared everything in advance, just watching Watanabe Hideaki. Because this stir-fried cabbage required the best timing for serving, Ling Zhenfei needed to control the ti well.
Ling Zhenfei's stir-fried cabbage only took one minute, so he was waiting intently for Watanabe Hideaki to finish cooking.
Suddenly, Ling Zhenfei noticed a problem; Watanabe Hideaki seed very odd while cooking, even a bit flustered and at tis at a loss, entirely unlike a chef genius.
Speaking of chef geniuses, Ling Zhenfei hadn't t one, but Bai Lin and Xue Fei, whom he'd encountered, had decent aptitude, so they learned quickly.
But even so, they wouldn't dare claim to be a chef genius. Yet this Watanabe Hideaki claid to be a chef genius and the best at Japanese Chinese cuisine, which truly surprised Ling Zhenfei.
At this mont, the judge had arrived, who turned out to be a blind man. After he sat at the table in front of Ling Zhenfei and Watanabe Hideaki, the blind man's nose began to work, constantly sniffing the room's aromas.
Judging a dish involves several criteria, the most common being looking, slling, asking, and cutting, similar to traditional Chinese dicine.
Among them, looking is important, as color is one of the aspects needed to judge. Since he can't see, he could only sll, and if soone could successfully rely on scent, that's a skill in itself.
Watching Watanabe Hideaki, Ling Zhenfei finally saw him finish his dish. After checking the ti, Ling Zhenfei began cooking his dishes.
Ling Zhenfei's stir-fried cabbage quickly went into the pan, and even quicker out of it. This dish astonished the Watanabe family.
Earlier, they were wondering why Ling Zhenfei hadn't started cooking, but they finally realized how quickly this dish was done. It was incredible.
At this ti, Watanabe Hideaki also finished, making a soup for the last dish, which explained the complexity involved.
Ling Zhenfei took his two other dishes out of the pan, causing an uproar around him as the aroma of the oil-braised prawns began to spread.
This dish was entirely done using the oil-braising technique, the combination of oil-braising and red wine aroma, leaving people wanting more.
How could there be such a fragrant aroma? It was unimaginable; everyone turned towards Ling Zhenfei's direction, seeing the reddish prawns in his pot.
Everyone's mouth watered; the aroma was simply irresistible, sothing they had never slled before, even Watanabe Hideaki couldn't help but glance at Ling Zhenfei's direction.
But after looking, he quickly turned back to his own dish, seemingly believing it was still the best.
Ling Zhenfei smirked inwardly, thinking competing with him in cooking was simply overestimating oneself.
At this ti, Watanabe Nagayumi said, "Everyone, please refrain from further cooking. Since they've completed their dishes, let's begin our evaluation.
I believe everyone knows our main judge this ti is our Blind Taste God. Soon, the two of you will present your dishes to him; then after he tastes them, he will judge each one."
Ling Zhenfei had no concerns because he already knew the outco since he had seen Watanabe Hideaki's dishes, which were just too diocre.
What does diocre an? It ans even an average Chinese housewife could easily outdo him, leaving Ling Zhenfei wondering how Watanabe Hideaki ca to his self-proclaid title of being Japan's best in Chinese cuisine. Did he ever eat Chinese food?
Ling Zhenfei now regretted having been so serious while cooking earlier, finding it sowhat laughable now.
Ling Zhenfei smiled at Watanabe Hideaki and said, "Co on, Miss Watanabe."
Watanabe Hideaki's face remained expressionless, clearly lost in thought, then she placed the dishes on the table in front of the Blind Taste God.
Three dishes on the left, three on the right; the left was Ling Zhenfei's, the right was Watanabe Hideaki's.
Then Watanabe Nagayumi said to the Blind Taste God, "Alright, you can now start tasting. After you're done, tell us which side's dishes taste the best. That side will be the winner. You must be fair and just."
The Blind Taste God chuckled and said, "Don't worry, when have I ever disappointed you? This ti will be no different, I guarantee fairness and justice."
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