"Next up are the four main specialty dishes from Director Xu's team,"
As the close-up high-definition cameras rolled, the host introduced them one by one, "Crispy Skin Pigeon, Hibiscus Shark Fin, Fruity Roast Lamb Leg, and Soup-filled Yellow Croaker."
"The Crispy Skin Pigeon is a classic famous dish from the Guangdong region, carefully prepared using tender young pigeon to showcase the quality of Cantonese cuisine."
"The Hibiscus Shark Fin originates from the imperial diet. The radish is carved into the shape of a hibiscus to complement the umami of the shark fin, making it a perfect example of imperial cuisine with excellent color, aroma, and taste."
"The Fruity Roast Lamb Leg uses high-quality Yanchi Tan sheep, carefully roasted over fruitwood to allow the flavors to penetrate every shred of meat."
"The Soup-filled Yellow Croaker is a top-tier grand dish ranked in the Manchu Han Imperial Feast. It uses an intact, high-quality large yellow croaker from the East China Sea and is world-renowned for the ultimate skill of deboning the whole fish. It is the pinnacle work that tests knife skills and heat control the most."
...
As soon as the host's voice fell, the sound of people swallowing their saliva echoed across the audience—
"Wow, the crispy pigeon looks so beautiful, it looks delicious!"
"Did you guys smell the aroma of the lamb leg? I'm so hungry, I really want to eat it!!!"
Even Chairman Lu could not help but laugh and say, "I clearly came here full from lunch, but the smell is making me hungry again."
Seeing the judges finish tasting the four grand dishes one by one under the envious gazes of the entire audience, the commentary began—
"The pigeon skin is crisp and the meat is tender, very juicy. The shark fin is also very flavorful; besides being soft and glutinous, it has a slight chew to it. It is especially worth mentioning that the radish was actually marinated beforehand—sweet and slightly sour, it perfectly cuts through the richness. Full marks for the details!"
"The lamb leg is also excellent. The fruity aroma has penetrated into the meat without any gamey smell, and the heat control was just right. But what surprised me the most was this Soup-filled Yellow Croaker!"
The famous director judge said with a look of amazement, "This is a centuries-old imperial dish. I ask you, looking across the whole country, how many restaurants can still make this today? I never expected to personally witness its entire cooking process today!"
"To debone such a large whole yellow croaker, stuff it with soup ingredients, and then deep-fry it without breaking a single bit of the skin! And the final product is actually this beautiful!"
The great director said excitedly, "This is simply a work of art! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have suspected this dish was a prop!"
As soon as these words came out, the clever directing team immediately cooperated by playing the close-up footage of the Soup-filled Yellow Croaker they had just filmed on the big screen—
After going through deboning, deep-frying, steaming, and being drizzled with a thickened sauce, the large yellow croaker still maintained its complete shape, lying upright on the white porcelain plate and presenting a beeswax-like golden luster.
When the staff member's chopsticks poked into it, an amber-colored broth immediately flowed slowly from the inside like magic, drawing another wave of gasps from the audience.
"Seriously, this dish is absolutely amazing!!!"
"I've only seen it in movies before, I can't believe it's real this time!!!"
"I really want to taste it!!!"
Chairman Lu smiled at his wife with a look of relief, "Good thing we already tasted it last time, otherwise I would be so jealous of these judges today."
Mrs. Shen replied, "Don't even mention it. I was already constantly thinking about it after tasting what Xiao Xia made last time, and now I'm craving it even more."
As she finished speaking, another judge on stage sighed in admiration, "Not only does this dish require superb culinary skills, but the most important thing is that it tastes incredible. The skin is crisp, the meat is tender, the broth is fresh and mellow, and there really isn't a single stray bone. It's truly remarkable!"
"As expected of an imperial dish!!!"
"Exactly,"
The great director couldn't help but speak up again, "Let's give a round of applause to this young head chef! The future of Chinese culinary arts is in good hands!"
This is exactly why people in the entertainment industry are so good at adjusting the atmosphere.
As soon as these words were spoken, the live audience naturally followed suit and began to applaud, forcing Xu Yanxia, who was busy preparing the final two dishes with her team members, to stop what she was doing and bow to everyone in gratitude.
When the applause died down, the host immediately spoke up, "Since the specialty dishes of both teams have been tasted, it is once again time for the judges to give their scores..."
Unexpectedly, before he could finish his sentence, someone from the Decui Pavilion team raised their hand to signal the host.
This stunned the host for a moment, and he had to ask, "Excuse me, does Chef Zhao's team have an issue?"
"Just a minor one,"
Zhao Yanting chuckled and said, "I want to ask the directors, I remember the requirement given yesterday was that there must be at least one vegetarian dish, such as our Braised Winter Melon in Abalone Sauce just now. But so far, it seems we haven't seen a vegetarian dish from Xiao Xu and her team."
He added, "After all, the next round is competing on soups and staple foods."
Indeed, according to the rules of this final, at least one predominantly vegetarian dish had to appear among these first eight dishes.
Otherwise, it would be considered a foul.
Seeing this situation, Xu Yanxia's family and friends in the audience couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
Mrs. Shen looked at her son uncertainly and asked in a low voice, "Could Xiao Xia have been too busy and forgotten about it?"
"How could she,"
Lu Jingming smiled with a relaxed expression and said, "Just keep watching."
—You have to know, he had been present the whole time last night, witnessing the pre-competition meeting between Xu Yanxia and her teammates. How could his Little Silly, who was so serious, meticulous, and smart, overlook such an important issue?
And immediately after, Bajin, the spokesperson for Xu Yanxia's team, told the other side, "Thank you for the reminder, Chef Zhao, but there is a vegetarian dish among our four specialty dishes just now. That Hibiscus Shark Fin is vegetarian."
"What?"
As soon as these words came out, the entire audience was astonished.
Even the professional judges who had just tasted it looked at them in disbelief, saying one after another, "The shark fin is vegetarian? No way, right?"
"How come I didn't taste it?"
"Did you use vegetarian shark fin? I didn't think the texture felt like it!"
Bajin smiled and said, "It is indeed vegetarian shark fin, but it is vegetarian shark fin made by our captain's own hands this morning, not the kind you buy outside."
He added, "We actually noted this in the introductory text, the host probably just didn't see it."
"That was indeed my mistake,"
The host hurriedly smiled and said, "Due to limited time, I only picked the first parts to read for each dish. Director Xu's team did indeed make a note of it."
Saying this, he solemnly found the introductory text from earlier and read it again, "Using pure pea starch, it is hand-pulled into vegetarian shark fin needles, soaked in cold water, stir-fried to remove any raw taste, and then slowly simmered in rich stock to absorb the flavors. The shape does not break apart, the taste is not overpowering, and it can pass off as the real thing."
As his voice fell, Bajin added, "Our food preparation process this morning was filmed the entire time. The cameramen can testify to this, and the production team should edit and release it later. We guarantee with the reputation of our entire team that we are absolutely honest and fair."
After he finished speaking, the entire audience was amused by him.
Meanwhile, the broadcasting team quickly searched through the recording footage from this morning. After finding the clip of Xu Yanxia making the pea starch by hand, they immediately played it on the big screen.
Following that, the entire audience was finally completely convinced.
The professional judges on the panel nodded in shared amazement. "To recreate such a texture and flavor using just pea flour is absolutely incredible!"
"Agreed. I've tasted plenty of real and imitation shark fin in my time, but this is by far the most authentic replica!"
The master chef of Cantonese cuisine even humbly sought Xu Yanxia's expertise, asking, "May I ask how you came up with this technique? Is it a family recipe?"
