Chapter 430 - 164: One Yuan a Skewer... (3)

Chapter 430: Chapter 164: One Yuan a Skewer... (3)

The red oil flowed through the strainer into a basin, yielding nearly half a basin of cooked oil. It was so clear you could see the bottom of the basin just by looking at the surface!

Crystal clear, without the slightest impurity!

This was the red oil Su Chen had made.

Finally, while the oil was still hot, he generously sprinkled in a large handful of white sesame seeds!

"It’s done. The red oil is good for now." Su Chen glanced over at his teammates.

Zhang Heping and Zhang Jiayi had already put together nearly three to four hundred skewers of ingredients.

"Alright, we have about five or six skewers for each ingredient. Old Er, you and Ah Bao go handle the stock."

Su Chen, on the other hand, went over to the skewers and roughly sorted them by ingredient type.

He had to consider how long each ingredient needed to cook, which ones required boiling until tender for the best texture, and which were best eaten only sixty to seventy percent done.

These all required precise sorting. Even though Su Chen had practiced countless times in the prep room, it was still possible to misclassify some ingredients when cooking live.

This step alone took nearly half an hour.

"Next, we just need to add one type of ingredient every fifteen seconds, following the sorted order."

The last ingredient was beef tripe. According to the Sichuan and Chongqing hot pot method, tripe only needs to be quickly blanched.

However, the tripe Su Chen had prepared was cut into thin strips. Such a small, thin piece actually only needed to be blanched for five seconds.

So, five seconds after the last of the tripe went into the pot, all the ingredients would reach their optimal state!

"Boss, the stock is ready!"

Su Chen took a look. After simmering over medium heat for three hours, the stock in the pot had turned a milky white.

Following the old method, he minced some chicken to clarify the stock by absorbing impurities. Although the soup base wasn’t as clear as a consommé, it was at least no longer a pure, opaque white.

"Ah Bao, put the ingredients in the pot one by one according to my sorting, with a fifteen-second interval between each."

"Got it!"

Ah Bao was tasked with cooking the ingredients, while Su Chen started on something else.

Seasoning!

The red oil had its own flavor, responsible for the numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant notes. But if he relied only on the red oil, the taste of the various ingredients would be very one-dimensional.

That’s why the soup base needed its own seasoning to deepen the flavor profile.

He took the prepared stock and added sesame oil, light soy sauce, salt, and MSG. After mixing it all evenly, he placed it on the stove to boil. As soon as it came to a boil, he took it off the heat and put it directly into the refrigerator to cool!

Out of the corner of his eye, Su Chen noticed something.

Right now, the six children on the stage had all stopped playing with their toys. Twelve eyes were glued to Liu Ahbao’s hands.

As each new ingredient was added to the pot, one of the children would occasionally gulp.

’They’re hooked. My food isn’t that simple!’

As Ah Bao continued cooking the ingredients, the various flavors of the food began to waft out, carried by the rich, fragrant steam from the stock!

It had to be said.

The combined aroma of nearly a hundred different ingredients was no simple matter.

There were pork products, chicken products, and even more than forty different types of fruits and vegetables!

Sliced kelp, sliced lotus root, sliced potatoes—you name it, they had it!

You can only imagine the aroma produced when so many ingredients were simmered together in a stock already bursting with savory fragrance!

The six children stared over, each one’s gaze fixed on a different ingredient.

Even in the audience behind them, some people’s mouths began to water at the smell.

"That smells amazing. What on earth is this contestant from Huaxia Country trying to make? I can’t figure it out at all!"

"Yeah, and he hid away that pot of red stuff he spent so much time on earlier. I have no idea what he’s up to!"

"So many ingredients mixed together... I see at least half of my favorite foods in there!"

"I just wonder how it’ll taste in the end. If possible, I’d love to try a bite..."

The rich aroma wafting from Ah Bao’s station had certainly captured everyone’s attention!

But before Ah Bao could finish preparing all the ingredients...

The contestants from France had already pressed their buzzer.

Su Chen was free at the moment, so his attention, along with everyone else’s, was drawn to the French contestants.

"The three dishes we have prepared are Oysters with Garlic Sauce, Escargots in Rich Sauce, and Strawberry Tarts."

As Zhang Jiayi translated, Su Chen felt like he had learned something new again.

The French chefs cut the edible part of the oyster from the shell with a knife, then placed it back inside.

The sauce they used was made by sautéing minced garlic and butter in a pan until fragrant, then mixing in lemon juice, salt, and pepper. The finished sauce was drizzled over the oysters, which were then ready to be enjoyed.

When Su Chen saw this dish, his first thought was of the barbecue stalls back home...

...where an oyster would be placed on a grill, drenched in a garlic sauce and oil, and cooked right in its shell as the temperature rose.

However, the French-style oysters were clearly the more delectable of the two.

Moreover, from what Su Chen could observe, these French contestants were being quite restrained in their presentation. A normal French meal would have at least thirteen courses as a baseline, but they were constrained by the competition rules.