The Glowing Cuisine Conquers the Tongue of God
Chapter 19 - The Thousand-Year-Old Fermented Dough, Sōke Sen Zuoemon’s Request

Chapter 19  The Thousand-Year-Old Fermented Dough, Sōke Sen Zuoemon’s Request

Chef Liu Long was very curious about what ingredient Li Yang had used to replace ground beef in the Magical Mapo Tofu to achieve the sixth flavor, “crispy.”

He had already proven that using mushrooms to replace ground beef was a failure, but he couldn’t think of any other ingredients that could mimic ground beef’s texture.

“Li Yang, if you really can create a balanced six-flavor unity in Magical Mapo Tofu, I have a small gift for you…”

As he spoke, Chef Liu Long pulled a small embroidered pouch from his pocket. After opening it, he took out a small dough ball that resembled a tennis ball.

Upon seeing the dough ball, Chef Sōke Sen Zuoemon was so shocked that he jumped to his feet.

“Chef Liu, this is a treasure passed down for nearly two thousand years! Three years ago, at an IGO auction, ten grams were sold for a hundred million dollars. Are you sure you want to give it to Li Yang?”

Sōke Sen Zuoemon’s words made everyone present gasp in unison. A super treasure worth a hundred million dollars per gram?

This dough ball must weigh nearly a hundred grams, meaning it could be worth a billion dollars!

Even Li Yang couldn’t help but be astonished. A small gift casually handed out by Chef Liu Long was worth so much money?

What a rich guy, is he a friend of mine?

Chef Liu Long smiled faintly.

“Oh, this is just a token gift, no need to make a big fuss.”

“The reason this little thing is so valuable is simply because it’s rare, but to me, it’s not such a rare item.”

“If I had more time to deal with it, the price wouldn’t be so high.”

Meanwhile, Zhang Haoran was quickly searching through his mind for any information related to the small dough ball. Three years ago, at the IGO auction, ten grams sold for a hundred million dollars.

Putting these key phrases together, Zhang Haoran instantly recalled what the small dough ball in Chef Liu Long’s hand was.

His eyes widened in shock as he asked, “My God, is this the legendary ‘Bailuo Family’s Thousand-Year-Old Fermented Dough,’ which had been passed down for over 1,700 years?”

Li Yang froze.

The Bailuo Family’s old fermented dough?

Wasn’t this the legendary dough passed down by Logan, the “King of Dim Sum,” in the dark culinary world in the Chinese animated series The Little Chef?

Wait a minute.

How did this end up in Chef Liu Long’s hands? Chef Liu Long glanced at the old fermented dough in his hand and sighed.

“A hundred years ago, the last heir of the Bailuo Family responded to my father’s call. He and my father’s good friend, Chef Jie, made a divine-level pastry…”

“Unfortunately, when my father failed in his attempt to reach the realm of a divine chef, the grand ceremony to offer to Heaven and Earth ultimately failed, and all the Dragon Chefs who participated disappeared.”

“And that pastry king didn’t have an heir, so the Bailuo Family’s treasure, ‘Shuhan Old Dough,’ eventually came into my hands.”

Upon hearing that the small dough ball in Chef Liu Long’s hand was the famous “Thousand-Year-Old Shuhan Fermented Dough,” everyone’s gaze was almost impossible to pull away from it.

This was the kind of dough that could make any dough rise rapidly, a treasure for any pastry chef.

Moreover, the thousand-year-old sourdough can also impart a softer texture and a unique fragrance to the dish. That makes it even more precious.

In an instant, even the top-tier chef, Seki Senzoemon, couldn’t help but look at Li Yang with envy. He knew very well the enormous impact that the thousand-year-old sourdough has on a dish.

Even a novice cook, with this sourdough, could simply knead it into the dough and steam out fluffy buns with an excellent taste and texture. As for Chef Tang Hu and the other two five-star chefs, they were practically drooling at the thought.

“Li Xiao Ge, can your magical Mapo Tofu truly achieve a balanced six-flavor harmony?” Chef Liu Long asked again.

Li Yang smiled slightly.

“The facts speak louder than words, Liu Long. Please wait a moment, and you will personally uncover the answer!”

After saying this, Li Yang swiftly entered the late-night kitchen. In just two minutes, he came out holding a plate.

With the enhancement of his super senses and explosive cooking skills, Li Yang could stir-fry food to perfection in a very short time using intense heat. And thanks to the added explosive heat, the magical Mapo Tofu he made this time scored a 97 in the system rating!

This was already the maximum score. To surpass this, Li Yang would need to find an ingredient better than soybean to replace the minced beef. When the lid was lifted, a red light over ten feet high soared into the sky.

At that moment, Liu Long’s expectations were at their peak. There was no doubt about it!

The scale of the cooking light could only mean that this magical Mapo Tofu was definitely the glowing dish his father had created. Before anyone else could react, Liu Long swiftly grabbed a spoon, scooped a generous portion of the Mapo Tofu, and stuffed it into his mouth.

After a long pause, sparkling tears rolled down Liu Long’s face, and his voice was hoarse.

“Finally, this is the true magical Mapo Tofu! It’s like a volcanic eruption—the lava carrying boulders falls from the sky, and though the boulders are as hard as rocks, when they hit the earth, they bounce up, then disintegrate into dust in mid-air…”

“The balanced six-flavor harmony—spicy, numbing, color, fragrance, heat, and crispness—there’s no shortcoming in any of them!”

Liu Long carefully picked out a piece of minced meat from the plate, and with a light press of the spoon, the minced meat split into two pieces with a “pop.”

“So this represents the ‘crisp’ texture of the minced meat. Li Xiao Ge, what exactly did you use?”

At that moment, Liu Long’s eyes were full of curiosity. Li Yang, holding a small bowl, showed it to everyone.

“The answer is right here.”

Liu Long leaned in for a closer look, and his expression froze.

“Soybeans?”

To be precise, it was soybeans that had been braised in a stew. Liu Long couldn’t believe it as he picked up a soybean and tasted it. After chewing it thoughtfully, his eyes lit up.

“Yes, this is the taste… I understand now!”

“Li Xiao Ge, did you braise the soybeans in the stew first, and then fry them in oil?”

As expected of a master chef, Liu Long immediately understood how Li Yang used soybeans to replace minced beef after tasting the braised soybeans. Li Yang nodded with a smile. Liu Long was overjoyed.

“Hahaha, what a genius idea!”

This praise could have been directed at the chef who invented the magical Mapo Tofu, Liu Long’s father, or Li Yang himself. In any case, Liu Long tossed the small pouch with the old sourdough into Li Yang’s hands.

“It’s yours now.”

Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the sourdough in Li Yang’s hands. If Liu Long hadn’t been there, they would have eagerly rushed to ask Li Yang if he was willing to part with it. Even Zhang Haoran, a senior executive at IGO, was eager.

Just this one piece of thousand-year-old sourdough could be the highlight at an IGO auction. If he could get it, it would be a great achievement!

Zhang Haoran: “I’m so eager to improve.”

However, Li Yang had no intention of parting with it. He carefully stored the thousand-year-old sourdough. As Liu Long prepared to leave, Seki Senzoemon, after tasting the magical Mapo Tofu, fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

“Liu Shishu, if I want to invite Li Yang to Japan, would you agree?”

Nearby, Zhang Haoran instantly became alert, staring at Seki Senzoemon with a hostile gaze.

What’s this? Is this old man trying to poach him?