Under the glow of the setting sun, the grand door, crafted from wood and reinforced with black iron, slowly swung open, revealing the full view within.
"The official test is only just beginning. Come, everyone, please enter!" The Fat Elder gave Dylan a deep look, then stepped aside in a gesture of seeing them off. The remaining parts of the examination were beyond the level they could participate in.
"Let's go in." Dylan was the first to step forward, with Sonoka Kinokuni and Taki Kakuzaki, who had gathered around him and were looking to him for a lead, following closely. The others trailed behind them.
Soon, the group arrived inside the Dueling Kitchen.
"There are so many ingredients here, and they're all top-grade and the freshest!"
"I can't believe there are so many!" Gazing at the dazzling array of premium ingredients in all directions, Taki Kakuzaki's face was filled with shock, while Sonoka Kinokuni chimed in with her own surprise.
These ingredients came from all over the world, each one meticulously selected and preserved by the organizers, now all displayed here in the Dueling Kitchen! Fresh seafood, high-quality meats, rare mushrooms, vibrant fruits and vegetables... they adorned every corner of the Dueling Kitchen like colorful gemstones. It was truly a magnificent sight!
"So this is the legendary Dueling Kitchen, a venue specially built for the Special Grade Chef examination." Iron Arm Amu spoke in a low, muffled voice, a faint excitement gleaming in his eyes. He had finally made it to this stage.
"Many seniors of Cantonese cuisine fought their way through this Dueling Kitchen to finally earn their glorious titles." Lanyu Jin took a deep breath, sensing the unique fragrance of fresh ingredients in the air, her face filled with fighting spirit, her morale already at its peak!
"Can I finally get the Dragon Armband? I will definitely meet the Special Grade requirements!" Looking at the scene before her, Leah's mouth hung slightly open in shock. This was the first time she had seen so many ingredients all at once, but she still spoke with impressive conviction in her broken Chinese.
"You can definitely do it, Leah!" Beside her, Aiden couldn't help but cheer her on.
"I'll do my best, Taki!" Taki Kakuzaki didn't join their conversation but quietly encouraged herself in Japanese. She knew that passing the preliminary test was already a fluke. With Dylan now standing in her way, she naturally didn't dare to hope she could pass the Special Grade examination.
The others also glanced at Dylan out of the corners of their eyes, evidently sharing similar thoughts. But having come this far, it was impossible for them to give up!
"As expected of the Dueling Kitchen, it truly lives up to the 'Dueling' part of its name!" Dylan ignored their chatter and walked straight towards the nearest cooking station. He then noticed the recessed floor in front of it.
Squatting down, he reached out and gently caressed the floor, closing his eyes. Scenes of past chefs battling here replayed in his mind, transmitted through the worn floor, transforming into experience that he absorbed!
The others also arrived at their respective cooking stations and began to familiarize themselves with the facilities. Looking at the countless knife marks on the cutting boards and stone tables, everyone's face was filled with awe. These were the combined manifestations of the passion, spirit, and superb techniques of their predecessors!
"Special Grade Chefs, the official test is about to begin."
High up on the ramparts, a tall, imposing figure appeared, looking down on the examinees. Her arms were crossed, her gaze as sharp and majestic as a falcon's. Just standing there, she exuded immense pressure.
"What? It's actually her!?"
"That's right, it's her! The only woman among the Four Heavenly Kings of the Guangdong Culinary Federation. The Dim Sum Queen, Granny Clever Hands, who specializes in all kinds of Cantonese morning tea dishes and is not only strict with others but extremely demanding of herself!" Lanyu Jin murmured, looking at the old woman with a face full of admiration. Despite being around sixty, she stood tall and straight, as if in the prime of her life!
"With a pair of clever hands, she crafts morning tea; her skills are renowned throughout the world. Whether it's dim sum or pastries, they are Granny Clever Hands' forte. At the same time, she has an extremely profound understanding of food. I never thought she would be the chief examiner for this Special Grade examination!" Iron Arm Amu also spoke up. He wasn't as wooden as his name suggested; on the contrary, he was quite talkative but disliked speaking with those clearly inferior to him, preferring to converse with people on his own level.
"Granny Clever Hands? One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Guangdong Culinary Federation, Granny Clever Hands! Although rated as a Six-Star Special Chef, in terms of her mastery of dim sum alone, she could even contend with a Seven-Star Special Chef!" Taki Kakuzaki shared the information she had gathered before coming to Guangzhou, her words filled with reverence. This was the first time she had seen a living Six-Star Special Chef other than her own grandfather!
"A Seven-Star Special Chef? Quite a formidable figure has arrived."
Their voices weren't low, so Dylan naturally heard them clearly, and it piqued his interest in the woman on the ramparts. A person of this caliber was capable of creating dishes that emitted a continuous glow. Although the probability of success wasn't high, having reached this level, she was qualified to face him head-on!
"This boy, he's actually looking at me with such an aggressive gaze! I've only ever seen such a look in the eyes of opponents of roughly equal strength. It's the look of someone about to tear their enemy apart and use them as nourishment for their own growth! Interesting, truly interesting! So this is the youth who created a glowing dish. This year's examination will certainly be exciting!" Noticing the way Dylan was looking at her, Granny Clever Hands nodded at him, a profound, enigmatic smile on her face.
"Alright, the official test will begin now. The material to be used is..."
"The same beef as the preliminary test!"
As a banner unfurled from the city wall, everyone saw the words clearly written on it: Beef!
"What, it's beef again?!"
"How can this be, are we making beef dishes again..." Hearing this, the successful candidates on site began to murmur among themselves, all looking towards Granny Clever Hands, waiting for her next words.
"And the new theme is..."
"Not Beef!"
As her voice fell, another banner suddenly unfurled on the other side, bearing the large characters "Not Beef" as the theme for this competition.
"The time limit is until the moon rises directly above that flagpole. Begin now!" Pointing to a flagpole not far away, Granny Clever Hands' voice suddenly turned stern as she announced the end time for the competition, then left the city wall.
"'Noodles that are not noodles,' 'beef that is not beef'… the Guangzhou culinary world really loves these kinds of abstract themes. But that's fine, it's just as I guessed. This way, the dish I was just thinking about can be put to use." Looking at the theme, Dylan's expression was somewhat complex—a little surprised, yet also feeling it was to be expected. After all, that famous young culinary prodigy also faced similar challenges.
However, such a theme actually just sounded intimidating; the actual difficulty of execution wasn't high. The most important thing was to open one's mind. The so-called "noodles not noodles" meant making noodle-like dishes with ingredients other than flour. This "beef not beef" likely followed the same principle: to use ingredients like soybeans, mushrooms, and so on, which have textures and flavors extremely similar to beef, to create a "beef" dish without a single bit of actual beef!
Dylan decided to make a vegetarian dish.
And to make a purely vegetarian dish, some things required special attention. Ingredients were also divided into the "Greater Five Pungent Spices" and "Lesser Five Pungent Spices." Onions couldn't be used, nor could garlic, thus particularly testing a chef's skill. This examination had no such requirements, so Dylan wasn't planning to make a purely vegetarian dish. He was going to make a mock beef dish palatable to the general public, using White Bailing mushrooms as the main cooking ingredient. The flesh of this mushroom is white, thick, and has a texture similar to meat. When chewed, one can feel its unique elasticity and toughness, and it can absorb the flavors of seasonings very well, thereby changing its own.
To make mock beef that could rival real beef, the most important things were to imitate its texture and flavor, and White Bailing mushrooms happened to fit these two characteristics perfectly.
Stepping into the mountain-like treasury of ingredients before him, Dylan quickly analyzed the effects of the ingredients he saw. If he felt they would be helpful for his dish, he placed them in the back basket he carried. If he felt they wouldn't help, he didn't linger for a moment.
The others did likewise. In this modern era of open-mindedness, a themed dish of this level was naturally not very difficult. The only difficulty lay in how to make it delicious, to make it so people couldn't tell if it was real beef or fake.
After all, not everyone was skilled in vegetarian cooking. If it were purely vegetarian, there were many particular considerations in its preparation. Even if not purely vegetarian, there were still many things to consider. In short, although the theme was easy to grasp, actually making it well was extremely difficult. To perfectly meet the theme's requirements was even harder.
"Potatoes, soybeans..." Lanyu Jin pinched her chin, staring at the ingredients before her for a long time, brainstorming. She was also thinking of mock beef, but the ingredients she considered were slightly different from Dylan's, and her cooking methods and techniques were also considerably different.
"I never thought they'd even have snails here, and they're so plump and of excellent quality! It looks like victory in this competition is mine for the taking!" Leah's small face lit up with excitement as she looked at the Agate Snails freely moving in the ingredient storage. For her, this was practically a giveaway question! If one were to ask what France was most famous for, a dish that had truly gone international, it would undoubtedly be French Baked Snails!
Deciding on the spot, Leah quickly searched for the ingredients for French Baked Snails. She had thought it would be difficult to find French ingredients in China, but to her surprise, she discovered that the Dueling Kitchen had every ingredient imaginable from around the world, whether famous or obscure! It was simply a colossal treasury of ingredients!
"I've decided on you!" Looking at the nuts in her hand, Taki Kakuzaki's eyes sparkled with a strange light. Although she didn't think she could pass the Special Grade examination, it was impossible to say there wasn't a shred of ambition deep in her heart. What if? What if she passed?!
Once such a thought appeared, her ambition grew wildly like weeds. Coupled with the atmosphere of the venue, her condition was at its absolute peak. Carefully comparing the ingredients in her hand, she quickly formulated the dish she wanted to make. Taki Kakuzaki nodded to herself, a general idea already forming in her mind.
Creativity—that was one thing young chefs didn't lack!
"Good luck, Kakuzaki-senpai, Dylan-sensei..." Near Dylan's cooking station, Sonoka Kinokuni stood as an accompanying observer, her gaze complex as she looked in their direction. Unfortunately, her culinary skills weren't refined enough, or she too could have been standing here as a contestant in this Dueling Kitchen!
However, even just standing there doing nothing, merely looking at the knife marks on the cooking stations, the dents in the floor, and feeling the extremely solemn atmosphere of the venue, her breath hitched involuntarily, and she couldn't help but try to resist it with her own aura. Yet, the immense pressure still made her chest feel tight and short of breath. She supported herself on the cooking station, her face looking a little unwell.
"You can sit here and rest for a while. Watch my cooking. How much you can learn will depend on your ability." Dylan's voice rang out, seeming to possess a magical quality that instantly dissipated the pressure around Sonoka Kinokuni, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief. She was then surprised to find that her back was drenched in sweat.
"Okay, Dylan-sensei!" Now, Sonoka Kinokuni's way of addressing Dylan had changed. It couldn't be helped; Dylan's strength was too formidable, far surpassing hers, and he was willing to guide her. Calling him 'sensei' was not an exaggeration in the slightest!
"Tsk, how chummy." Just coming down from the mountain-like pile of ingredients, Taki Kakuzaki pouted as she watched the two interacting so intimately, a trace of sourness in her voice that even she hadn't noticed. Although she hadn't interacted much with Dylan, impressive men always attracted women's attention. Someone as impressive as Dylan had naturally caught her eye as well. This feeling wasn't quite love, just a simple fondness, so she couldn't help but pay attention to him and feel uncomfortable seeing him close to other girls.
"Cook first. Give it my all, leave no regrets!" Looking at the various nuts she had spent a lot of time finding on her cooking station, along with vegetables like onions, tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, and potatoes, Taki Kakuzaki clenched her fists, refocusing her attention. Having come this far, if she didn't try her utmost, she would definitely regret it in the future!
The others also gradually got ready and busied themselves at their respective cooking stations. The venue once again plunged into a hive of activity, with no one having time to talk.
The oil in the fryer was at a medium temperature. Dylan placed the de-stemmed White Bailing mushrooms into it. Watching the mushrooms bubbling "gurgle-gurgle" in the hot oil, he gently stirred them with chopsticks.
"What is this step for?" Noticing Sonoka Kinokuni staring at him intently, Dylan suddenly asked, making the girl stunned for a moment, and she hesitated for a moment before replying, "To improve the texture and flavor."
"Half correct. The cooking technique of 'frying' does enhance texture and flavor. But this time, the theme is 'Beef Not Beef.' Besides resembling it in texture and flavor, the dish's appearance must also be realistic enough to fool the eye. That's what this step is for." Dylan nodded. Although Sonoka Kinokuni's skills were average, her fundamentals weren't very solid. If so, she could be properly cultivated.
The key was... having this girl around, she was quite generous with the view! And she was old enough, so he felt no psychological burden looking!
"There are several types of vegetarian cooking: pure vegetarian, Lacto-ovo vegetarian, and the healthy vegetarianism that is most popular in today's society. What I'm making now is healthy vegetarian. The so-called healthy vegetarianism means that while meeting the body's basic requirements, it is extremely low in calories, suitable for some people to achieve weight loss." Although the theme was "Not Beef," since they were on the topic, Dylan felt it necessary to explain this to Sonoka Kinokuni. Otherwise, it wouldn't do justice to her calling him "sensei."
And Sonoka Kinokuni was listening intently, nodding very actively in response.
"Stir-fry scallions, ginger, and garlic in the pot until fragrant. Then add cinnamon, bay leaves, star anise, cardamom, and lemongrass, and stir-fry them as well to enhance the flavor, giving the mushrooms a beef-like aroma and taste." As Dylan spoke, he added the pre-prepared ingredients from the stovetop into the pot, then added soy sauce for flavor, rock sugar and dark soy sauce for color, and water, bringing it to a boil. Then he added Chu Hou paste and vegetarian oyster sauce.
"Question: what is vegetarian oyster sauce extracted from?"
"Ah? I... I'm not too sure." The sudden question made Sonoka Kinokuni break out in a sweat. After racking her brain for a long time, she couldn't find the answer and could only say guiltily.
"Mushrooms! Idiot! There are only a few vegetarian ingredients that enhance umami. Even if you really don't know, can't you guess one or two? You need the courage to try!" Dylan's voice rose, speaking with a hint of sternness.
"I understand. I'm very sorry." Sonoka Kinokuni hurriedly bowed after hearing this. It had to be said, this was a traditional Japanese gesture, but this time Dylan didn't even glance at her. What was more important now was the cooking; everything else could be put aside.
He added carrots, small celery stalks, and cilantro to the pot for flavor. Finally, he put the fried mushrooms in, seasoned with salt and sugar, covered the lid, and simmered on low heat for half an hour.
Sensing the rich aroma wafting through the air, a satisfied expression appeared on Dylan's face. He then looked up at the others. At this moment, everyone was focused on their own dishes. The only sounds in the venue were the chopping of vegetables, the sizzling of woks, and the "gudu-gudu" bubbling of ingredients in pots.
"What a fervent scene." Beside him, Sonoka Kinokuni couldn't help but sigh with emotion, a look of longing in her eyes. At this moment, she too wished she could be standing on this competition field, showcasing all of her culinary skills to the judges and to this thousand-year-old Dueling Kitchen!
"Throughout history, how many incredible chefs have appeared here, how much painstaking effort has been poured into this place? If someone comes here without any fighting spirit, then they are simply not worthy of being called a chef!"
Granny Clever Hands' figure appeared in the Dueling Kitchen at some unknown point, walking towards Dylan. Although her hair was already white, she looked incredibly spirited, like a woman in her forties.
"Granny Clever Hands." Looking at the old woman before him, Dylan uttered her name and gave her a slight nod of acknowledgment. She, in turn, looked at him.
"You're the young man who made the glowing dish in the preliminary test, aren't you? I never expected you to be so young. Could it be that you're not even twenty yet?!" Looking at Dylan's appearance, even though Granny Clever Hands had lived for so long, she couldn't help but marvel inwardly. Truly, heroes emerge from the young!
"I just turned nineteen this year." Dylan answered truthfully, looking at her with equal intensity. In his heart, however, he was thinking, what reason could he use to have a duel with her on the theme of dim sum! Seeing such a strong person standing before him, he truly, his heart itched unbearably!
________
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