The Seventy-two Faces of Soaring Dragon (Part One)

When Qin Hong's face showed how much she was enjoying the food, the other four Dragon Kings immediately stopped sampling their dishes. They first popped a slice of ginger into their mouths to clear away the aftertaste, then gestured for the staff to bring over the First-grade Steamed Dumplings.

Four plates of steamed dumplings were brought to the judges' table, and the host immediately launched into an enthusiastic introduction:

"Contestant number ninety-two—yes, this is Chef Ao Qing's creation, the First-grade Steamed Dumpling. The name may be ordinary, but this dish is a benchmark for steamed dumplings. A chef's ability to create an original combination of fillings can almost be seen as a direct reflection of their skill at preparing them..."

At that point, Guang Qing, who had already eaten a dumpling, spoke up:

"The base filling is minced butterfish. It's smooth, and although it's been beaten until springy, it's still a little soft. The caviar in the sauce and the black truffle are classic pairings, so there's not much to say about those. The key is this yellow sauce."

As he spoke, Guang Qing gently pressed another dumpling with his chopsticks. Luckily, dishes like dumplings and shumai were served by the "basket," not by the piece; otherwise, he wouldn't have had much to demonstrate with.

"This sauce is made from cooked radish purée and brown algae, mixed with a little Pine Nut after steaming, then combined with wasabi. White radish and wasabi or mustard are fairly common pairings, but what's truly classic here is the Distilled Liquor and Pine Nut mixed into the filling.

"The tiny bits of Pine Nut do a great job of toning down the wasabi, keeping its flavor from overpowering the dumpling. The Distilled Liquor is stirred in with the wasabi purée after the dumplings have