"But in a traditional sense, shouldn't Sri Lankan crabs be more suitable to make chili crabs?" Whether it was from his grandmother's memory or from Singapore's geographical location,
"That's right. For the dish of Singapore Chili Crab, crabs and blue crabs are indeed the most suitable. Especially the crabs. The texture of the crabs and the spices of Singapore bring out the best in each other. If I were in Singapore, I would also make the same choice as Mr. Opello. The main reason why I choose the ingredients is whether they are suitable or not," Yuan Zhou said.
"Suitable or not?" Opello muttered.
He seemed to have thought of something, yet not. The taste of the Chili Crab cooked by Yuan Zhou was still lingering on his tongue. His mind seemed to be separated by a layer of paper. As long as he could pierce through it, he would be able to see the scenery on the other side.
"When I decided to make this national dish of Singapore, I made some preparations. Different places nurture different people. Similarly, different places nurture different ingredients. The sea temperature in China is lower than in Singapore. Coupled with the influence of the oceanic monsoon, the meat of the Sri Lankan crabs in China is not as fresh and tender as the ones in Singapore. The same goes for the blue crabs. Therefore, I chose the swimming crabs that taste closer to the Sri Lankan crabs in Singapore," Yuan Zhou explained.
"I see. I was wondering why Head Chef Yuan chose the swimming crabs. I thought you didn't know Singaporean cuisine, but it turns out you know it too well," Opello muttered. He suddenly realized that the differences between the ingredients were indeed huge.
Singapore and China are two different countries. If you bring the chili from Suzhou to Sichuan, the Sichuan people will tell you that the chili is not spicy at all. So, this is the reason why the chili is not suitable for Singapore.
"I'm lucky. Especially the swimming crabs that migrate in winter, the meat of the swimming crabs is more tender and plump during this season. That's why the taste of the chili and condiments can be highlighted," Yuan Zhou said.
"Head Chef Yuan is wise." Opello understood this. In fact, he wasn't the only one who understood this. All the chefs present understood this. The ingredients were different in different countries. But understanding was one thing, implementing it was another.
Just like in the first Youth Chef Conference, including Ke Sen and Dashi Xiujie, they only considered the seasonings such as lemon and mango at most. Even though the ingredients were provided by the judges, they did not think about finding a more suitable local ingredient. This was also the limitation of thinking.
Since it wasn't the swimming crab that made Opello feel like an authentic Singaporean dish, then what was the main reason?
Opello already knew the answer. Strictly speaking, this answer was given to him by Yuan Zhou just now. Looking at his junior brother Qin Chuan, he had to admit that sometimes it was good to think less. Qin Chuan looked like he hadn't eaten enough, but he didn't seem to be at a loss.
"Chu, you're right." Opello closed his eyes and thought for a long time before opening his eyes and saying seriously, "Head Chef Yuan of Mandarin Cuisine is much more knowledgeable than me. He is indeed the number one chef in Asia."
A single dish had conquered Opello. On one hand, Yuan Zhou's Singaporean cuisine was indeed good. On the other hand, Opello was an open and aboveboard person. If it was good, it was good. He wouldn't think that Head Chef Yuan was only better than him in this dish, but he might be able to surpass him in other dishes, Mandarin Cuisine, New Western Cuisine, and so on.
From the Chili Crab, Opello could clearly feel that Head Chef Yuan's terrifying knowledge of Singaporean cuisine and his solid foundation were definitely not something that could be achieved by cramming at the last minute.
"That's right, that's right. It's really delicious. This Chili Crab is even more delicious than Senior Brother's," Qin Chuan said while shaking his head.
"Indeed, the taste is superb," Li Dehua and the others were also nodding their heads as they ate. Of course, talking didn't stop them from moving their chopsticks.
However, when Opello looked at Qin Chuan, his gaze gradually became strange.
By this time, the crab meat had already been finished. But weren't there still side dishes? From the elegant and swift movements of these chefs, it was impossible to tell that they were fighting over the side dishes like chili and other ingredients.
"Gulp." This was the onomatopoeia of swallowing saliva.
"I really want to eat it," said Chairman Cheng and the pitiful Zhang Le, who were still gluttonous even though they were far away.
"Once I get my salary, I will go to The Kitchen God and be extravagant." Zhang Le secretly made up his mind. He planned to stay by Chu Xiao's side longer to save up some money.
Soon, the remaining side dishes like chili and other side dishes prepared by Yuan Zhou were all eaten up by the chefs.
The chefs of 'Starting with Me' were fully implementing this principle. There wasn't even a crab shell left on the plate.
Qin Chuan and Salanca chewed it up in a few bites. From the looks of it, they were obviously very satisfied with the taste.
"Ahem, then let's take a look at my dish," Opello reservedly put down his chopsticks and pushed his dish to the center.
Yuan Zhou first picked up his chopsticks and touched Opello's crab. Hmm … After discovering that the crab had no reaction, he picked up the crab shell.
The crab shell prepared by Opello came in a whole shell. When he removed the shell, he could see the bright red and tender crab meat at the bottom of the plate. There was also a circle of crab legs around the shell. Outside of the shell was a circle of golden bread crumbs. It seemed to have been specially processed.
The appearance and smell of the crab were quite good.
Yuan Zhou took the lead and picked up a piece of chili and put it into his mouth. A sweet and spicy flavor swept through his mouth, along with the delicate taste of the crab meat. The taste was quite good. This was a good dish, an excellent dish that could not be found in restaurants.
According to Yu Chu's standard, there was a score of 0.8 Yuan, and the maximum score was one point. It was no wonder that Opello was a national treasure chef of Singapore. Furthermore, he had spent most of his life studying Singaporean cuisine. His attainment in Singaporean cuisine was equivalent to his attainment in Sichuan cuisine.
One shouldn't feel that the 0.2 point gap between Ao Pelo and Yuan Zhou in Singapore Cuisine was a gap that could be easily overcome. But in truth, according to Yu Chu's standard, 0.1 point was a gap of one level. Overall speaking, Ao Pelo was still two levels behind Yuan Zhou.
Strictly speaking, Yuan Zhou wasn't fighting alone. Because of Yuan Zhou's own efforts and the comprehensive knowledge of each cuisine rewarded by the system, Yuan Zhou wasn't fighting alone. Instead, he was fighting with the support of the chefs from ancient times to the present. It was impossible to surpass him.
There was a saying to describe a person who had reached the top: the ceiling. However, chefs like Engineer Cheng and Liu Li privately called Yuan Zhou the "God of Cooking". There was no ceiling because the ceiling could be touched by hard work. However, with Yuan Zhou's skills, they felt that even if they worked hard, they would at most be able to approach it.
Clearly, Yuan Zhou's nickname of "God of Cooking" had started to spread overseas.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
