"So Xiaxia, you're from our hometown too?"
Hearing Xu Yanxia say this, Suisui immediately said in pleasant surprise, "No wonder you're so capable! Do you come back often?"
Her two teammates, Xiaoxian and Xiaoman, were a bit surprised. "Sister Xiaxia, your mom is a local? How come we've never heard you mention it before?"
Xu Yanxia could only smile and say, "For family reasons, my mother and I spent very little time together, so I haven't come back often."
"Oh..."
Her companions all caught the unspoken implications, nodding one after another without asking further questions.
Xu Yanxia then turned her gaze back to where the voice had just come from.
Because her intuition told her that the people calling her didn't seem like ordinary passersby.
Fortunately, she quickly found her target.
Across the street not far away, there were two men in their fifties or sixties. They were of average height, dressed like local Jincheng residents, and were waving vigorously at her.
They were shouting, "Yaomei? Do you recognize us?"
"We are your uncles..."
Uncles...
Xu Yanxia paused.
Although she did indeed have two uncles, and after her father passed away back then, they had indeed gone to Qingcheng to look for her mother, she was just a baby at the time. Since it had been so long, she didn't remember what they looked like.
However, the last time she and her brother went to their mother's hometown, she had indeed heard the villagers mention that her two uncles were now living in Jincheng.
And judging by their age, they did match the two men standing before her.
"Sister Xiaxia, we should head back."
Seeing the production team's car approaching, Xiaoman, unaware of what was going on, came over to remind Xu Yanxia.
Xu Yanxia snapped back to reality and replied with an "Oh." She then quietly whispered something to Ye Shu, who had been following her off-camera.
Ye Shu nodded, watched her and her companions get into the car, and then walked toward the crowd.
...
An hour later, when Ye Shu returned to the studio, the official recording was about to begin.
The lighting technician was finalizing the lighting, the director was giving instructions to the host and cameramen, and the judges at the panel were chatting with each other.
Due to Dr. Feng's eye-catching performance during yesterday's competition, everyone was very interested in him and kept asking him questions.
There were even quite a few female staff members on set going up to take photos with him.
Ye Shu took this all in and couldn't help but hiss, "I acted too late. He's become a hot commodity, I probably won't be able to snatch him now."
"I told you to go talk to him yesterday, but you wanted to play hard to get."
Xiaozhen smiled and then asked her, "What were you doing just now? Why didn't you come back with us?"
"I helped Xiaxia look into something."
Ye Shu glanced at Xu Yanxia, who was at the prep station giving instructions to her team, and added, "It's better to wait until she finishes the competition to talk about it."
It was important to note that this was the final competition of the Jincheng stop. With the expansion of each team, the number of dishes required had also increased to four. In particular, the main dishes required a lot of time and careful heat control, so their schedule was still very tight.
Soon, with everyone in the venue in their respective positions, the recording officially began.
Given the lesson from yesterday when the challenger guest failed spectacularly on the spot, the contestants deeply realized how formidable the judges were, especially Dr. Feng. They were all earnestly preparing their ingredients and simmering their soups, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.
Xu Yanxia and her teammates also worked diligently according to their own rhythm.
First, they used ingredients like chicken, duck, pork bones, and ham, simmering them slowly over a gentle fire to make a pot of superior broth.
Then, they cut the cabbage hearts, blanched the pork leg meat in the pot, and removed the fascia from fresh chicken breasts before mincing them into a fine paste.
Next, they stir-fried red bean paste, minced pork, kneaded dough, and chopped pickled mustard greens...
Compared to the eloquent boasting of Master Jin's group and the fiery, rugged street-style of Brother Song's group, their team appeared much more peaceful and serene.
So much so that the host was infected by their unhurried atmosphere, and his voice couldn't help but soften significantly when he came over to interview them.
"As everyone can see, Director Xu's station is currently focusing on steaming and boiling. It doesn't look as fiery and intense as the other two teams. I wonder what dishes Director Xu and her teammates are going to present to us?"
As the team captain, Xu Yanxia replied, "Today we will bring you four dishes: Water-Boiled Cabbage, Chicken Tofu, Twice-Cooked Pork, and Ye'erba."
The host immediately caught the main point and quickly asked her, "Among these dishes, aside from the Twice-Cooked Pork which leans towards the spicy side, the Water-Boiled Cabbage and Chicken Tofu are much milder. I wonder why Director Xu made such an arrangement?"
"Because these dishes are precisely the epitome of Sichuan cuisine's philosophy of making refined delicacies from humble ingredients,"
Xu Yanxia continued to introduce to the camera, "Twice-Cooked Pork can be considered one of the most popular dishes in Sichuan cuisine, and it is also a dish that most restaurants across the country make. This widespread recognition is the very embodiment of our Sichuan cuisine's home-style flavor and its grounded, everyday essence."
"Water-Boiled Cabbage and Chicken Tofu are representatives of Sichuan cuisine using meat to elevate vegetarian ingredients, reflecting the seemingly simple yet extremely meticulous crafting techniques of Sichuan cooking."
"My teammates and I want to use these dishes to break the stereotype some people have of Sichuan cuisine as being entirely greasy and heavy-flavored, allowing everyone to rediscover this most vital culinary tradition."
"This kid spoke so well!"
As soon as Xu Yanxia finished speaking, Chef Chang, known for his straightforwardness on the judging panel, immediately picked up his microphone to express his thoughts. "In the past, many people thought our Sichuan cuisine was just about tossing in heavy spices and using inferior ingredients. In reality, our Sichuan cuisine has dozens of flavor profiles. Personally, I believe that being able to make ordinary ingredients taste delicious is the most impressive culinary skill!"
Saying this, he specifically gave a thumbs-up to Xu Yanxia and her teammates, saying, "Keep it up! You young kids have steady tempers, which is great material for being chefs. I have high hopes for you!"
"Thank you for the encouragement, Chef."
Xu Yanxia and her companions immediately smiled and bowed to Chef Chang.
The host also smiled and said, "This must be the mutual appreciation between masters. Then let us all look forward to the final presentation from Director Xu's team later!"
...
As the steam rose within the studio, time gradually passed.
Xu Yanxia used the finely minced chicken paste to sweep the broth until it was as clear as boiled water, then placed the cabbage heart, which still maintained its lotus-like posture after being boiled and chilled, into a deep bowl with the clear broth to steam.
The sweet and savory Ye'erba wrapped by Xiaoxian and Xiaoman were also put into the steamer.
Meanwhile, the bold and nimble Suisui had already sliced the well-marbled pork leg meat, ready to return it to the wok for stir-frying.
Taking advantage of this time, Xu Yanxia proceeded to complete the final steps for the Chicken Tofu.
She also took the opportunity to explain to the camera, "Many friends might have first known me through this Chicken Tofu dish. At that time, I only explained it verbally, and many friends couldn't hear it very clearly. So now, I will give everyone a real and true demonstration of the process of forming Chicken Tofu."
Saying this, she asked Xiaoman to help her stir the clear broth, which had already been heated to seventy or eighty degrees, until it started to swirl, and then poured the chicken paste, which had already been mixed with starch and seasonings, into it in several batches.
Then she stopped stirring and kept the soup simmering gently over low heat. In just three to five minutes, the snow-white, delicate, and cloud-like chicken tofu was formed.
Once ladled into a bowl, topped with clear broth, and garnished with green bok choy hearts and red goji berries, the dish was complete.
Immediately after, the other three dishes were also taken out of the pan and plated.
When the other two groups finished plating their creations, they were displayed for their appearance, then portioned out and served to the judges.
The first to be reviewed were once again the dishes made by Xu Yanxia and her teammates.
Earlier, while they were cooking, the judges had already been captivated by their culinary skills. Now, tasting it themselves, they were full of praise.
"I have to say, coming to this show was totally worth it. I have lost count of how many times I have tasted state banquet-level dishes!"
Judge Qiao kept his thumbs up the entire time. "Director Xu's two dishes, the boiled cabbage and chicken tofu, have incredibly clear broth but an extremely fresh and savory taste. The presentation is impeccably beautiful. It brings two phrases to mind: the greatest truths are formless, and true mastery appears effortless."
"I think this is exactly the essence of Sichuan cuisine!"
Whether won over by the deliciousness of the two dishes or resonating with Judge Qiao's wonderful commentary, as soon as his voice fell, the public judges on the side could not help but applaud.
Amidst the applause, Judge Qiao quickly added, "I have one more thing to say. It is one thing for Director Xu to cook so well herself, but she is also an excellent team captain."
"Ever since her first teammate joined in the Rong City stop, she has been imparting her skills almost without reservation. Now, it is obvious to anyone looking that her teammates' skills have improved tremendously. These glutinous rice cakes, whether sweet or savory, both taste fantastic, and the twice-cooked pork is executed perfectly! Therefore, I am giving a perfect score again."
With that, he gave the first five-point score.
Immediately following, Dr. Hui analyzed their dishes from a nutritional perspective. "Actually, traditional rich broths are quite high in calories. But after this clever oil-removal process, the fat content is significantly reduced, making it very easy to digest. It is highly suitable for people with weak constitutions to replenish their nutrients."
Saying so, he also gave the second five-point score.
Next, the enthusiastic and straightforward Chef Chang praised Xu Yanxia and her teammates in his local dialect before also awarding them five points.
Following that, the eyes of everyone in the audience fell upon Dr. Feng.
Due to his eye-catching performance yesterday, several cameras simultaneously zoomed in on him for a close-up.
