"Indeed. There doesn't seem to be any trace of stitching. What a brilliant technique." Xia Ma also felt that it was unbelievable. He got closer to take a closer look but found no flaws.
"Ingenious craftsmanship, superb craftsmanship. It's really an eye-opener." That dark-faced, medium-sized chef was a chef from Vietnam. His name was Salanca.
Communication required taste. Therefore, the chefs were discussing the color and shape of Yuan Zhou's dish. Ao Pelo didn't say anything and prepared to eat. But when he saw Yuan Zhou's plate presentation, he was alarmed. He had to admit that he had lost in plate presentation.
Although Ao Pelo was fast enough, there was someone even faster, and that was Chu Xiao.
"Ka." Chu Xiao poked the crab with his chopsticks while the others were still in shock. He felt that there would be a surprise.
Indeed, as soon as Chu Xiao's chopsticks touched the crab, the whole crab began to fall apart. It broke into four large pieces from the crab shell. Red chili peppers and shiny crab meat appeared in the four shells.
The chili was cut into diamond-shaped pieces of the same size, and the crab meat was also cut into small pieces, about the same size as the chili. If it wasn't for the layer of red tomato sauce revealing the white and tender crab meat, one might think it was a red chili at first glance.
"His knife skills are quite outstanding." Ao Pelo's hands trembled. He had originally thought that he had seen the extreme of Yuan Zhou's knife skills with the Braised Noodles. But apparently, he had underestimated this young man.
"Um. Head Chef Yuan has obtained the Knife King's horizontal board, which is recognized by all of China. In other words, Head Chef Yuan's knife skills are second to none in China," Chu Xiao said resolutely.
Ao Pelo and the others didn't know about this because Yuan Zhou had too many honors. First, he was the number one young chef in Asia. Then, in less than a year, he became a top chef in Asia and the chairman of China Famous Chefs Association.
In comparison, the Knife King title wasn't so outstanding in the country. But whether it was outstanding or not was one thing, and the value of it was another.
"I remember that many Chinese cuisines are very particular about knife skills. If it can be considered the best in China, it won't be a problem for him to be the best in Asia," Qin Chuan muttered. Junior Brother Qin Chuan mumbled softly. After seeing the plate presentation and the knife skills, he felt that his Senior Brother was really in trouble this time.
Before they even started eating, the group of chefs was shocked by Yuan Zhou.
While others were having mixed feelings, Yuan Zhou didn't feel so burdened. He quietly waited for others to have any questions, and then he would answer them. However, Chu Xiao had already finished explaining.
After Chu Xiao, Opello rushed ahead of his troublesome junior brother and put some crab meat into his mouth with his chopsticks.
The crab meat looked very chewy, but when it was placed in the mouth, it naturally melted and turned into shreds of crab meat. At this time, the chewiness of the crab meat could be felt. A sweet and spicy taste spread in the mouth. Slowly, there was a trace of sourness. The tenderness of the crab meat, the sweetness and sourness of the tomato, and the spiciness of the chili mixed together to form a unique taste.
It wasn't as spicy or sour as the Thai style, but it still left a deep impression on the taste buds.
"It's indeed the authentic Singaporean style of Feminine Cuisine. It's very traditional, but it's also acceptable and full of Singaporean style." Opello closed his eyes and felt it carefully. He muttered incoherently. He really didn't expect Yuan Zhou to have such a high level of attainment in Feminine Cuisine.
He ate another piece. The white and tender crab meat almost didn't have any fishy smell when it entered his mouth. It felt like he had eaten a big mouthful of crayfish meat, but it was far more tender and smooth than crayfish meat. To be more accurate, the leg meat of the hairy crab was very thin but delicious. One bite was like many hairy crab thighs put together.
The crab meat covered with sauce looked red and spicy, but in fact, it was tomato sauce. Not only was it not spicy, it was also appetizing.
The appetizer was the appetizer, while the Chili Crab was the authentic main dish. Very few main dishes had this characteristic. Why did it have this characteristic? Opello pondered inwardly. It should be the taste of tomato. But in this dish, Opello could only feel the taste of tomato.
He had the most say in this dish. Back when he was improving Feminine Cuisine, this was the first dish he improved. In order to highlight the Singaporean style, Opello put a lot of effort into the spicy and sweet taste of this dish. "Sweet Chili" Opello had forcefully set the tone for Singaporean cuisine.
In order to develop a cuisine, one must have a more literal goal.
After many years of development, Opello was moving further and further in the direction of Sweet Chili. Now that he had eaten the Chili Crab cooked by Yuan Zhou, Opello felt that his direction wasn't necessarily the right one. He had some new ideas about this dish. Because whether it was before or after the improvement, Opello was sure that the tomato in the Chili Crab was merely a seasoning and couldn't be tasted.
"Why do I have a feeling that Head Chef Yuan's Chili Crab is the most authentic Singaporean dish?" Opello placed another chopstick into his mouth. He couldn't understand why he had such a feeling.
If he felt that his Chili Crab wasn't as delicious as Yuan Zhou's, Opello wouldn't feel so conflicted. If it wasn't as delicious, it meant that his culinary skills were inferior. Knife skills, techniques, ingredients, and many other aspects. But now, Opello felt that Yuan Zhou's Chili Crab was more authentic than his. This was hard to accept.
"Senior Martial Brother, eat slowly, give me …" Qin Chuan wanted to eat slowly, but when he saw the inquisitive look in Opello's eyes, he swallowed his words.
Not only Qin Chuan, but Salanca, Liu Yuanshan, Li Dehua, and the others also slowed down. At their level, they could naturally tell that Opello was comprehending something and shouldn't be disturbed.
"Is this the smell of Laksa leaves? That's right. Head Chef Yuan actually added Laksa leaves. " Opello was truly amazing. Yuan Zhou had only used two pieces of Laksa leaves for seasoning and he was able to taste it.
"No, the feeling of authentic Singaporean cuisine is definitely not caused by Laksa leaves. If adding Laksa leaves would give off the feeling of Singaporean cuisine, that would be too simple." Opello denied this new discovery. Laksa leaves were indeed a favorite ingredient in Malaysian Cuisine, especially spicy noodle soups, where Laksa leaves were a must.
"Could it be that the most traditional Singaporean Chili Crab is made from swimming crabs?" Opello thought of the biggest difference between him and Head Chef Yuan.
But that wasn't the case either. Swimming crabs were indeed abundant in the waters of the Malay Archipelago. But there was no doubt that Singaporeans didn't like swimming crabs that much. Opello was very confident about this. To put it bluntly, even when his grandmother was still alive, Opello had been eating this dish. He had never eaten a dish made from swimming crabs.
Even when Yuan Zhou's plate of Chili Crab had reached its end, Opello still hadn't figured it out. He took a deep breath.
"Why did Head Chef Yuan choose swimming crabs for this dish?" Opello couldn't come up with an answer no matter how much he thought about it. He directly asked, "Is it because swimming crabs are more suitable for this dish?"
If he didn't understand, he would just ask.
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