I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 263: Chapter 251: Evenly Matched (Part 2)

First, coat the wok with oil, then add a suitable amount of rendered lard.

If you don’t have lard, vegetable oil works too.

But no matter which oil you use, pay close attention: the shrimp should go into the wok when the oil is at about 40% heat.

Don’t wait until the oil is too hot. If you do, the shrimp will instantly overcook, which will ruin the texture of the final dish.

After adding the shrimp, quickly stir-fry to separate them. Then, wait a moment before immediately removing them from the wok.

You have to be quick here. From the moment the shrimp hit the wok to when they come out, the whole process should take about 15 seconds.

If you take too long, the shrimp will become tough.

Pour the cooked shrimp into a strainer to drain the excess oil and set them aside.

Leave a little oil in the wok and flash-fry the scallion segments until fragrant.

Once fragrant, remove the scallions.

Next, add the shrimp back in, quickly pour in the previously prepared tea leaves and tea-infused water, add a pinch of MSG, and give it a quick toss.

Just a few tosses and it’s ready to be plated.

Plating also needs to be done quickly.

Under the watchful eyes of all the onlookers, Li You’s Longjing Shrimp was plated.

Done.

The finished dish of Longjing Shrimp on the plate was fresh, tender, and beautifully elegant. The shrimp were a jade-white, succulent and tender, while the tea leaves provided a delicate, classic fragrance, making it all look incredibly appetizing.

Immediately after, Yu Hong’s Longjing Shrimp was also plated.

His finished dish was also fresh, tender, and beautifully elegant. In terms of appearance, it was in no way inferior to Li You’s Longjing Shrimp.

The watching crowd was thrilled. This was a true visual feast.

Both chefs’ techniques were magnificent, free-flowing, and graceful.

’The way masters cook is completely different from how we ordinary people do it.’

’The whole process felt like watching a beautiful performance.’

’We’re so lucky to be able to witness a performance like this.’

For many, this was the first time they had ever seen the dish Longjing Shrimp in person.

It looked far more appetizing than the pictures of Longjing Shrimp they had seen online.

That was a little strange.

After all, food in online photos is usually made to look more appetizing.

But then again, it wasn’t surprising. This was the work of two top-tier chefs.

The dishes online were surely not made by chefs of this caliber, so naturally, they wouldn’t look as good.

Don’t be fooled by how simple Longjing Shrimp looks, or by how effortlessly the two chefs seemed to complete it.

If you tried to replicate their movements exactly, your final product would be worlds apart.

Even if they were standing right next to you, guiding you step-by-step, the result would still be vastly different.

So, don’t assume just anyone can make a Longjing Shrimp that looks this good.

All the onlookers understood this perfectly well.

And now, it was time for the most exciting part.

Whose Longjing Shrimp would taste better?

Based on appearance, it was hard to tell them apart; they seemed to be tied.

But you couldn’t judge the final result on looks alone. Ultimately, taste was what mattered most.

At this moment, Chen Wen spoke up. ”Both chefs gave a magnificent performance just now. Let’s thank them for this wonderful competition.”

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

Li You and President Yu both smiled and gestured to the crowd.

After the applause died down, Chen Wen continued, ”Visually, it’s impossible to distinguish between the two chefs’ Longjing Shrimp. It’s hard to say which is better. Shall we call it a tie in this department? Does everyone agree?”

Everyone voiced their agreement.

Chen Wen went on, ”However, a tie in appearance doesn’t count. The final judgment comes down to taste. So, next, we’ll see whose dish tastes better. How about this: we’ll randomly select ten friends from the audience to taste them and act as judges. What do you all think?”

As soon as he said this, the crowd grew even more excited.

’Of course that’s a good idea.’

’It’s a great idea!’

The Longjing Shrimp looked so tempting, and they were dying to try it. They never thought they’d actually get the chance.

And not only would they get to eat it, but they’d also have the honor of being judges.

This was awesome!

Everyone desperately hoped they would be chosen.

That included Ye Shengge, Ling Xiaoru, and Chu Yiwei, as well as Deng Luping, Zhao Yu, Xie Hai, and the other market owners from town.

Chen Wen continued, ”The ten friends who are chosen will each receive one ballot. You will taste both chefs’ Longjing Shrimp. Then, you’ll cast your vote for the chef whose dish you think tastes better. The chef with more votes will be the winner. If you feel both dishes are equally good and find it too difficult to choose, you may abstain. Lastly, and this is very important, you must be fair and impartial. Can everyone do that?”

”Yes!”

The crowd’s roar shot straight to the heavens.

Even if Chen Wen hadn’t mentioned it, they would have been fair and impartial. They wouldn’t deliberately favor Li You.

Although they still hoped Li You would win, they wouldn’t help him win through favoritism.

’Winning through favoritism would be disrespectful to Li You.’

’Li You doesn’t need their favoritism.’

’Besides, so what if the boss ties or even loses this time?’

’The boss is still so young; he’s bound to improve even more in the future. If he loses this time, he’ll just win it back next time.’

Seeing the enthusiastic reaction, Chen Wen was also very pleased. He said, ”In that case, let’s begin the random selection. The process is completely random, so I hope those who aren’t chosen will understand.”