The Tasting Round

"Art, this is already a work of art! Oh my god, that expansion and twisting, for a moment, I even suspected that the Sun Wukong contestant had caught ten real dragons and put them in a pot of boiling oil!"

The host's exaggerated voice echoed throughout the venue, while Feng Xue pulled out ten dragons, drained the oil, and then applied pressure points to each one.

With the Sunflower Acupuncture Hand applied, the state of the ten pieces of Dragon Meat was frozen in that instant, requiring no further preservation and maintaining their optimal flavor for four hours.

This time may seem short, but it's actually quite long for most pastries that need to be eaten immediately after cooking.

With the dragon, touted as the largest entry in the competition, being sent to the judging area, the competition finally came to a close.

With a resounding "Duang--", the five judges began tasting today's creations in the brightly lit center of the square, which was already dark.

There were over 130 contestants in this competition, but the judging process was much faster than expected.

The tasting process was conducted simultaneously by the five Dragon Kings. Each of them tasted the dishes assigned to them in turn, and only when a dish caught their eye would the five Dragon Kings conduct a further evaluation.

However, most of the works were rejected outright after the Dragon King tasted them, without even receiving a comment.

The Dragon Gate Noodle Competition, as its name suggests, is like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate; the strong rise to great heights, while the Weak Person fall to the bottom.

Even if the chefs who come to participate don't intend to win, they still hope to get a word of praise from the chefs and thus increase their value. Since they have this goal, they must also bear the risk that their work may not be good enough and may be ignored.

"This is dish number 73, the seventy-third contestant's dish, but the five judges still haven't made any comments. They haven't even come up with a dish that would make them want to take a second bite. No wonder they're food connoisseurs with the title of Dragon King; it's really not easy for them to pass this round easily!"

The host made some awkward, sarcastic remarks. Although the tedious tasting could be skipped with a few simple shots during post-production editing, she still had to fill the awkward silence on set.

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she shouted:

"Oh, Mr. Guang Qing has taken his second bite! This is, oh, the 76th finished work by Mr. Li Gen, the Qingjiang Pastry King —the exquisite crab dumpling!"

At this point, the host was about to praise the dish, but Guang Qing put down his chopsticks and immediately shut up. Guang Qing, as a judge, looked at the translucent, white-and-golden steamed dumpling in front of him and then spoke up:

"These crab dumplings look and look great, the dough is rolled out perfectly, and the texture is consistent. Even after cooling slightly, the flavor doesn't diminish; in fact, the slightly firm texture adds to the taste. The filling has a subtle, elegant aroma, leaving a lingering aftertaste with every bite..."

As judge Guang Qing gave his comments, Li Gen, the "Qingjiang Pastry King," beamed with an increasingly wide smile. But just as his grin nearly stretched to his ears, Guang Qing uttered two very serious words—

"But!"

In an instant, the smile vanished, and Guang Qing's words followed:

"Do you know what it means to not remove ginger from the food?"

"..."

A struggle appeared on Li Gen's face, as if he wanted to explain, but was interrupted by Guang Qing:

"Eating crab with ginger is not only about the flavor combination, but also for health reasons. This crab dumpling does taste very good, and adding ginger may indeed disrupt the balance. However, I didn't taste any perilla or pepper. Although we have achieved a high level of cultivation and will not experience stomach upset from eating crab, and the organizers also provided tender ginger between each dish to refresh the taste buds, this is not a reason for you to ignore the pairing."

Having said that, without waiting for the other four Dragon Kings to comment, he pushed the plate aside and picked up the next dish.

"The judges at the Guang Qing Daily are really strict. After all, this pastry competition isn't a banquet competition. Each Dim Sum is an individual dish, and you can't compensate for it with any factors other than the ingredients. So, those contestants who chose cold-natured ingredients but didn't add ginger because the competition provided ginger slices will probably be eliminated! Ginger, perilla, and pepper are all common warming ingredients. Don't forget them when you're eating cold-natured foods like seafood!"

The host was chattering away, while the five judges seemed like emotionless food-tasting machines, tasting each dish in front of them.

Judging from their evaluation results, this year's pastry competition was clearly unsatisfactory.

As the dishes were served, their expressions suddenly froze slightly as an enticing aroma wafted over.

As their gaze shifted, they saw three steamed dumplings placed in front of Qin Hong, who was in charge of the works ending in 2/7.

Despite the stares of her colleagues, Qin Hong, the only woman among the five judges, simply stared quietly at the steamed dumplings in front of her.

These steamed dumplings are the classic "First-grade Steamed Dumpling," which are filled with meat at the bottom and have three "pockets" on top, each filled with a different colored ingredient.

There aren't many rules for the combination of ingredients in this classic steamed dumpling; it all depends on personal preference. For example, traditional fillings include green peppers, carrots, and black fungus with scutellaria and pork filling, while trendy fillings include passion fruit, coconut, and watermelon with fish paste. However, to truly make it well, mastering the flavor of each ingredient is crucial.

"It smells pretty good." Thinking this to myself, I picked one up and brought it to my mouth. I bit down, and a faint umami flavor mixed with a little spiciness filled my mouth.

First-grade Steamed Dumpling requires not only a uniform mix of four fillings, but also that two or three of them be perfectly combined. After all, it's impossible for a person to swallow a whole dumpling in one bite, so ensuring that every bite is delicious is the true mark of success.

"Hmm, not bad. The orange-red salmon roe and the black ones are Black Truffle. It's seasoned with spice, so the aroma must come from the yellow part?"

Qin Hong, as her tongue swept over the yellow filling, a pungent mustard flavor spread across her tongue, hitting her brain directly. But this was not just mustard; it was a mixture of several vegetable purees filled into the steamed dumplings, which were then carefully mixed with wasabi puree after steaming. This combination of spices, with its refreshing aroma, was created.

Thinking of this, Qin Hong put the remaining "base" into her mouth. The firm filling, along with the chewy dough and mixed spices, created an intense flavor that burst forth instantly.