Chef Hua
Chapter 377: Episode 211 Treasures of the Mountain, Dragon Sprout Stab_2

Chapter 377: Episode 211 Treasures of the Mountain, Dragon Sprout Stab_2

The two who were scuffling downstairs immediately stopped, and Fatty Wei lifted his head with a look of grievance: "This has nothing to do with me, if it weren’t for Sun Zhengkuan’s foul play..."

"Silence!" Manager Jiang cut him off without letting him finish, slamming the railing, "This distinguished banquet is of great importance to our master, and it’s no trifle. The master has already made it clear, if you want to make trouble, go ahead and do it outside, but as of today’s final selection, you are no longer qualified. Everyone step down! As for the remaining three contestants, their state of mind has also been disturbed by this noise. My master will provide fresh ingredients again, and I ask each of you to make another dish."

What?

Hua Xiaomai was suddenly confused and scratched her cheek, unable to help herself from saying, "But I have already finished mine..."

"Just because you are done means you don’t care about the others?" Manager Jiang glared at her, "Under the current circumstances, starting over is the only fair way. The ingredients will be delivered soon. Please clean your stoves quickly, the time allowed is still the duration of an incense stick."

Left with no choice, Hua Xiaomai shuffled back to her compartment to have Zhou Yunyun pack away the three dishes she had finished. When she emerged, she saw that Chef Wei and Chef Sun had already been carried out. Nearly at the same time, two people passed by her carrying a large basket filled with fresh ingredients.

She couldn’t help but sigh quietly to herself.

The milky stench will become repulsive once it cools, and now they don’t want the dishes that were already prepared—wasn’t this a waste of resources?

But... what could she do? After all, she was just a chef, who had set her heart on winning this "distinguished banquet."

The grand hall had once again become quiet. Han Fengzhi, as before, went to sit down beside the wall with a beaming smile. The freshly delivered ingredients were unloaded onto the table for the three remaining chefs to select from. Each chef was allowed to choose no more than two items.

Hua Xiaomai walked over leisurely, glancing roughly at the table. Aside from the fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits, there were also all sorts of rare dried goods. Although not complete in variety, for the three chefs remaining, it was more than enough.

She thought to herself, indeed, it was Magistrate Tao who, in such a short amount of time, was able to source so many ingredients. At the same time, she was undecided, and for a moment, she did not know what would be best to prepare.

The other two chefs were picking up ingredients that were not easily obtained on usual days, clearly wanting to seize this opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of Magistrate Tao. However, she hesitated, her gaze slowly sweeping across the table...

Wait a minute, what’s that?

Not far to her left, there was a small winnowing basket containing something that looked similar to toon shoots, with a thick base and only a tender bud at the top. The whole thing was a purplish-red hue with a touch of green, looking rather fresh and juicy.

At this time of year, toon shoots would have already been long gone, so what was this...

She searched her mind swiftly, then suddenly had an idea.

Could this be the famous "king of mountain delicacies"—thorny dragon’s tooth? But this plant only grows in the frigid lands of the northeast; how could it be found here in Fuzhe County?

Hua Xiaomai glanced at the others and saw that no one was paying attention to her, so she pinched a small piece of the tender bud and stealthily put it in her mouth.

It tasted fresh yet rich, brimming with the flavor of the mountains on her lips, lingering between her teeth with a slight sweetness lingering after. Without adding any seasoning, it was already a superior dish—indeed, it was that rare ingredient! She had only tasted it once before during her culinary training, never having had the chance to cook with it personally, and to encounter it here was unexpected!

Never mind where this thing came from, since it was laid out on the table, she was going to use it—grab it first and worry about the rest later!

Like she had found a treasure, she quickly scooped up the small basket of thorny dragon’s tooth and nabbed a piece of tofu, then dashed back into her cubicle number three.

She removed the bases of the purplish thorny dragon’s tooth, keeping the tender shoots intact. After blanching them in boiling water, she stir-fried them with sliced shiitake mushrooms in light soy sauce, creating a dish with a fresh and tender color—so delightful to the eye;

There was still one Shad left from her own supply. She took the tenderest part and minced it together with the remaining shrimp to form a paste, which she then cooked using a red-braised method. After the dish was ready, she poured a thick layer of soy sauce on top, making it look shiny with an enticing aroma;

The tofu was cut into squares and fried in oil till golden brown. She then cut off the tops and scooped out the soft white insides, leaving just a thin layer of skin that had to stand upright like a small pocket on the plate. This step tested the chef’s skill and took the most time—Hua Xiaomai couldn’t afford to be careless. Zhou Yunyun watched in amazement, but Hua Xiaomai didn’t have the time to explain.

After completing all these steps, she stuck every two fried tofu pockets together with rice paste. On one side, she added the refreshing thorny dragon’s tooth and shiitake mushrooms, and on the other, she filled them with the rich and thick paste of Shad and shrimp. She drizzled a bit of soy sauce and steamed them on high heat. Once out of the steamer, she added a carved radish flower in the center of the plate. Just as the incense stick was about to burn out, she brought out the dish.