Chapter 104: The Contest (Part Two)

"Lin You, that old man seems to be someone important! Who is he?"

Xia Yan looked at the old man whose beard was completely white, wondering to herself. Fortunately, the Braised Three Delicacies didn't contain lamb or anything like that, or she really would have worried whether the old man's teeth could handle it.

Lin You glanced at her and replied, "His name is Qian Songtao. I heard he used to cook for the top leaders. He's quite well-respected in this town."

Xia Yan hadn't expected this little old man to have such an impressive background. Cooking for the leaders, that was practically like an imperial chef from the old days... She patted her chest, relieved. Luckily, the dish was Braised Three Delicacies. She had tried it once at a Northwestern restaurant before and loved it, and had even specifically studied it at home. If it had been any other dish, she really wouldn't have been sure she could win.

After all, she was challenging a professional with her hobby.

"Xiao Zhang, how about I judge this contest?"

The aged Qian Songtao stood before the gorilla-like Zhang Chunshan like a withered tree that had lost its leaves. It seemed that a single puff from Zhang Chunshan could blow him over, yet at this moment the old man called him "Xiao Zhang," and "Xiao Zhang" kept a smile on his face and bent over humbly to listen, making the scene somewhat comical.

"Of course. Master Qian, having you as the judge could not be more appropriate."

Qian Songtao nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Xia Yan. "Little girl, what do you think?"

"How could I have any objection to Master Qian judging?" Xia Yan replied politely with a smile.

"Good, then I announce: the contest between the two of you begins now. Braised Three Delicacies!"

Xia Yan took a piece of pork belly and a piece of tenderloin, cleaned them both. She minced the tenderloin into a paste, then added finely chopped water chestnuts, seasonings, and a water-starch slurry, mixing everything evenly.

Watching her skilled movements from the side, Zhang Chunshan nodded appreciatively. This girl was already looking better than his own apprentices.

After dealing with the meat, Xia Yan took some soaked dried tofu sticks and cut them into sections.

She washed the greens and cut them into sections. She cleaned the shiitake mushrooms and prepared them...

Meanwhile, she didn't forget to blink at Lin You a few times, seeking praise. Her playful look made Lin You smile back, and he gave her a thumbs up.

After prepping the vegetables, Xia Yan picked up the fish balls and fish maw from the plate on the table and smelled them. They had been handled well. She gave them a simple treatment and set them aside.

But when it came time to actually start stir-frying, she was in a bind. She was used to her own small pot at home, and this large wok was different from her rustic stove at home. Lighting the fire became her biggest problem at the moment.

Seeing her frozen in place staring at the wok in a helpless manner, Zhang Chunshan guessed that the girl didn't know how to light a fire. He said to a young man beside him dressed in a chef's uniform, "Xiao Zhang, help her light the fire."

Xia Yan nodded to him in gratitude. That big fellow was actually pretty nice.

Once the fire was lit, Xia Yan put the pork belly into the pot, added scallions and ginger to remove the smell, boiled it until cooked, then took it out. She brushed it with honey and a little white vinegar, then lowered it into oil at sixty percent heat and fried it until tiger-skin blistering appeared. She removed it and cut it into even slices to set aside.

The seasoned minced tenderloin quickly formed into smooth, round meatballs in her hands. She dropped them into oil at fifty percent heat and fried them until golden, crispy on the outside and tender inside. Then she removed them and drained the oil.

Finally, she heated oil in the wok again, stir-fried scallions and ginger until fragrant, then poured in the simmered meat broth.

When the broth came to a rolling boil, she added the dried tofu sticks, crispy pork skin, fish maw, fish balls, meatballs, braised pork slices, and so on, putting each in according to how long it needed to cook. Once cooked, she seasoned with salt, pepper, chicken jus, and soy sauce, stir-fried everything evenly, thickened it with a light starch slurry, reduced the sauce, and sprinkled on scallions and cilantro...

Xia Yan took the plate that had been prepared on the table and loaded the dish onto it.

Zhang Chunshan had already plated his own dish before she finished.

Then came the most anticipated tasting round. Qian Songtao first drank a sip of water to clear his throat, then picked up a piece of Zhang Chunshan's dish and put it into his mouth.

The surrounding onlookers were all watching quietly. Some, catching the aroma, couldn't help swallowing.

As a head chef, Zhang Chunshan usually only did simple seasoning while his apprentices handled the rest, so the Braised Three Delicacies he made now was far better than the one Xia Yan had eaten earlier.

Qian Songtao chewed for quite a while before swallowing. He closed his eyes and said just two words... "Not bad."

Zhang Chunshan's brow furrowed slightly. He hadn't expected the dish he'd put so much thought into to earn only a two-word comment, and he felt a bit displeased.

When Xia Yan's dish was set before him, he was somewhat surprised. "Your Braised Three Delicacies looks a bit different..."

"I didn't expect you to notice. This is my improved version of Braised Three Delicacies."

"Improved version?"

Qian Songtao picked up a bite with his chopsticks and smelled it. "The aroma... not bad."

As he put it in his mouth, the old man made an "Hm?" sound. Then he picked up a meatball. After finishing that, he picked up a piece of pork skin...

Before long, more than half of the plate was gone.

"Xiao Zhang, come and taste this."

Hearing this, Zhang Chunshan curiously picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. The meatball was savory, fresh, and firm; the pork skin was smooth and springy; the pork belly had distinct layers.

"How is it?" Qian Songtao asked.

Zhang Chunshan gave a wry smile. "Little girl, you really did make this dish better than I did... I admit defeat."

The onlookers around them began to applaud. Xia Yan ran happily over to Lin You. "I won! Impressive, right?"

"Impressive. My wife is the most impressive."

At that moment, Zhang Chunshan walked over. "I accept the bet and its consequences. Little girl... no, from now on I should call you Master."

Xia Yan waved her hands. "Head Chef Zhang, I really can't bear that title. I just like to study dishes in my spare time and made a few improvements... I wasn't targeting you today. It's just that your manager here has a way of saying the most infuriating things."

Zhang Chunshan looked at the female restaurant manager. "Manager Zhang, everyone who eats in our restaurant is our bread and butter!"

Clearly, Zhang Chunshan was much more senior here, and his tone was not polite at all.

The female manager didn't dare offend him either. She cowered and lowered her head without saying a word.

"I, Zhang Chunshan, always keep my word. From now on, you are my master!"

Seeing how insistent he was, Xia Yan shook her head several times. "Master Zhang, really, it's no big deal. I was just speaking in anger. If you can't get past it, the day after tomorrow my husband and I are holding a banquet at the base. If you have time, come and help out..."

"That's easy. I'll come bright and early the day after tomorrow!" Zhang Chunshan laughed heartily. "Girl, how did you make this dish? Teach me."

Xia Yan put on the airs of an old master. "No problem..."