Chapter 159: Lychee Meat

Li Qing said, “There are so many people in the audience. How can you guarantee that the sauce you make will be well-liked?”

“I can’t guarantee that.”

Xu Le replied calmly. Actually, he had concocted the sauce based on his experience as a chef. He did not rely on the system at all.

However, he was not anxious. It was different from the first time he made oil doused noodles and set up a stall. After countless practices, Xu Le’s skills had already taken root in his body habits and mind, forming thick branches and tender leaves. It could be used to improvise to produce better food.

There was no need to worry about not knowing anything from the system. When Xu Le realized this, his eyelashes trembled and he did not think further.

He poured peanut oil and lard into the pot. When boiled, both would be more fragrant than the usual vegetable seed oil, and the sauce that was cooked would be filled with an oily fragrance.

After all the raw ingredients were mixed together and poured into the pot, under constant stirring and frying, the sauce would slowly thicken, the color would gradually deepen, and the fragrance would spread out.

After Li Qing finished frying the onion oil, he said, “Where can I use the onion oil?”

“I’ll fry tofu later.”

Xu Le handed him a spoon. Li Qing immediately understood and received it to help with the stir-fry.

…

He said in disbelief, “Master, this shouldn’t be difficult, right? I won’t burn it for you, right?”

“If you had a tenth of your usual confidence in cooking, you wouldn’t be so afraid.”

Xu Le was speechless and continued to lecture him, “Believe in your culinary skills. You’ve learned from me for so long and can already run a stall on your own. Why are you doubting yourself over such a small matter?”

Li Qing felt guilty and wanted to argue, but there was nothing he could say. He could only continue to stir-fry the tea sauce.

Because there was a huge quantity of it, it took nearly an hour to cook the tea sauce that usually only took 10 to 20 minutes. When all the bubbles inside evaporated, the rich fragrance with a hint of sweetness spread out.

Xu Le said, “There’s diluted peanut sauce over there. Add it and stew it with the thick bone soup.”

“Oh, sure.”

Li Qing knew nothing about the sauce ratio. It would have been fine if he did it alone usually, but it was a competition! This competition was very important to Master Xu, so his hands trembled as he poured peanut sauce into it.

When he felt that it was about right, Li Qing looked up and realized that Xu Le was looking at him.

“Yes, the amount is very good. Now just add it to the bone soup and stew it.”

As soon as Li Qing was praised, he immediately became proud and said, “Of course, look who’s making it. It will definitely be a success.”

“Sigh.” Zhang Tong shook his head helplessly. He was angry and amused at the same time. He lowered his voice and said, “I wonder what kind of Fujian dishes the other team is making over there? The ingredients they took are quite uniform… What if they make Buddha jumps over the wall?”

“Then let them be. Don’t worry, They don’t have soy sauce fish.”

“Ah?”

Zhang Tong was a little surprised. How could these two dishes be compared? One was an ordinary home-cooked dish, while the other was the famous Buddha Jumps Over The Wall!

“We’ll know after the audience judges.”

The big screen was divided into two sections. They were different cameras that featured scenes from the kitchen on both sides.

The Master Chef’s side was preparing chicken soup with mussels. It was a specialty dish of Fujian-Fuzhou cuisine.

It was a must-have soup dish at a traditional banquet in the Fuzhou area.

Using the sea mussels and chicken as the main ingredients, it is a delicacy made with beef, pork tenderloin, and other supplementary ingredients that was expected to taste refreshing.

It was steaming, and oil was floating at the top of the pale yellow soup. One could almost smell the fragrance through the screen.

If Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was the king of Fujian cuisine, then the chicken soup with the sea mussels would be the queen of Fujian cuisine. After the most troublesome step of ‘sweeping the soup’, the finished product would look perfect, and the taste would definitely be needless to say.

While the people onstage were busy cooking, Chen Yeqi, who was behind the stage, was not idle either. When he saw the number of people in the live broadcast room skyrocketing, he was so excited that he was almost speechless. “Damn, a million, it’s a million! This is the most number of viewers online in the history of the show. Our show has become famous, right?”

Before he could continue with his excitement, his assistant handed him his phone and said silently, “Boss, it’s like this… The other contestant, Xu Le, had previously participated in another variety show’s broadcast. After one episode, the response was intense and it became a trending topic. He attracted a lot of attention to the show today.”

Chen Yeqi, who learnt about the truth, froze and felt a little awkward. However, he quickly regained his smile and said smugly, “Fortunately, I had the foresight to invite Xu Le over no matter what. This time, I took advantage of his popularity and saved a lot on free marketing.”

“It’s only a matter of time before the Master Chef goes public!”

The spotlights flashed across Chen Yeqi’s face, reflecting the fanaticism in his eyes.

The oil in the pot burned until it was 60-70% hot. The lychee meat needed to be fried. Xu Le slid the meat the side of the pan, and the meat wrapped around the water chestnuts rolled in the oil.

It was not the right time to stir when it was first placed down. When it was ripe, it would be shaped and slid open from the middle with an iron spoon.

In the oil, the pink meat slowly turned dark red, and the outer color became even more like lychee.

After the color changed, he switched to low heat. He fried the meat until it was thoroughly cooked. After fishing it out, he drenched it in cold oil.

When Zhang Tong saw this, he looked puzzled. Li Qing said straightforwardly, “Why did you pour cold oil on it? Wouldn’t it be greasy?”

“When poured with cold oil, it can quickly lower the surface temperature and maintain the crispness.”

The sauce of the lychee meat was called a fragrant braised sauce. It was made with minced garlic, onion, white sugar, balsamic vinegar, and starch. A little water was added when it entered the pot, and stirred constantly with the back of an iron spoon.

The sauce that was cooked at a high temperature was filled with small bubbles while the bright color was produced. When the heat was about right, he would pour the fried lychee meat in and flip it for 30 seconds so that the surface was wrapped in a layer of sparkling sauce. Then, it would be ready to be served.

Li Qing could not take it anymore. He swallowed his saliva and found an excuse. “Why don’t I help you taste it?”

“Feel free to try it.”

Xu Le was very generous.

Zhang Tong’s appetite was also aroused. He tasted a piece. The surface of the lychee meat was crispy, sour, and sweet. It was satisfying and appetizing. He bit through it. The water chestnuts inside were crisp and fragrant. The two complemented each other well and the taste was indescribably stunning!

“Awesome, this dish will definitely be a sure-win later!”

Zhang Tong couldn’t help but exclaim. When he turned around, he saw Xu Le examining the processed abalone. He said, “If it’s steamed, the taste might be too plain and not suitable to be placed on the tea noodles.”

Li Qing chewed on the lychee meat and tasted it. He stuffed another piece into his mouth and said in a muffled voice, “It’s a pity we didn’t take the lobster. It would be easier if we had lobster.”