Chapter 268: Chapter 180: Hungry? Let me make you some barbecue! Betting on contest questions! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_3
When it came to making sweet soups, Guo Xinghai considered himself quite an authority. Before long, the meat was marinated.
He cleaned the electric grill and placed it on the coffee table in the living room, surrounded it with the marinated meat and washed lettuce leaves, and set down a bowl of sliced garlic. Now, they were ready to enjoy some barbecue.
He placed the marinated pork belly on the grill and turned the heat to high. Soon, these thinly sliced pieces of pork belly began to sizzle and release oil, the rich aroma of the meat wafting through the air, making the people around him practically drool.
When the meat turned golden brown, he flipped it over and patiently waited some more.
Once both sides were nicely browned and the slices slightly curled, Lin Xu said, "It’s ready to eat."
"Woohoo! Finally, we can eat! It smells so good, I’m practically drooling."
"Me too. My mouth has been watering non-stop."
Shen Jiayue and Geng Lele picked up a piece of lettuce with their hands, deftly grabbed a slice of the golden brown pork belly with chopsticks, dipped it in the sauce, placed it on the lettuce, and added some garlic slices.
When eating Northeastern barbecue, raw garlic slices are an essential accompaniment. They not only whet the appetite and cut through the grease but also helped prevent stomach issues.
They wrapped the meat and garlic in a lettuce leaf, brought it to their mouths, and took a bite. The still-hot meat and the crisp, fresh lettuce perfectly met in their mouths. The pungency of the garlic, the spicy flavor of the sauce, the fresh crunch of the lettuce, and the rich taste of the meat all mingled together wonderfully.
"Wow! So delicious!"
"Yummy, yummy, I need to add barbecue to my must-eat list from now on."
"Mmm, this meat is really good; the Boss’s skills are excellent."
Geng Lele and Shen Baobao were loudly praising how tasty it was, while Dou Wenjing complimented Lin Xu’s skills.
Guo Xinghai, using a lettuce leaf to pick up a piece of meat, took a bite. "Honestly, I’d hardly ever eaten this way before. I always thought it was a bit rough, but trying it now, it feels quite fun."
Wei Qian wrapped some meat in lettuce, stuffed it into his mouth, and said while chewing, "Eating like this is really satisfying, especially with a good dipping sauce. Boss, this dipping sauce of yours is just perfect. It enhances the flavor without overpowering the meat and is much better than what they have at barbecue restaurants."
Barbecue restaurants sometimes use leftover ingredients, so they have to rely on strong-tasting marinades. But when you make it yourself, you don’t have to worry about that. A light marination is enough to fully savor the perfect flavors of the meat.
After finishing the pork belly, Lin Xu, with his chopsticks, spread the marinated beef on the grill. Meanwhile, Wei Qian placed the chicken wings one by one on the edge of the grill. These items cooked slowly, so they were placed on the edge of the grill to heat gradually. This method ensured the chicken wings would be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Meat is quite filling. After eating for a while, everyone slowed down, and the conversation returned to Friday’s competition.
"No idea what the topic will be this time. Mr. Lishan’s last question was quite a handful," Wei Qian said after eating a piece of meat and taking a sip of chilled beer.
Guo Xinghai nodded. "Right, the rules of the competition and the content are really important. It’s a pity we don’t know the head judge or his preferences; it’s hard to prepare, as you can’t even guess the topic effectively."
Cooking competitions are like exams; success often hinges on correctly guessing the judges’ preferences, particularly the head judge’s. This allows contestants to tailor their dishes strategically. For instance, if the head judge is a Sichuan-Chongqing native who loves spicy food, you can’t prepare a light Cantonese stir-fry. Instead, you’d need to make heavily spicy and numbing dishes to score high points.
While the three were chatting, Geng Lele said, "You guys could simulate a competition, just like how we do mock exams. Go through various unusual but skill-showcasing challenges, and you’re bound to hit on something relevant."
After speaking, she pointed at the dipping sauces on the table. "Take these dipping sauces, for example. It’s very likely that in the competition, each contestant will be given a dish of sauce and asked to identify the ingredients. This would increase the difficulty while also showcasing the contestants’ skills."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Guo Xinghai said, "That’s a good suggestion. We could give it a try."
He then dipped the tip of his chopstick into the dipping sauce and began to taste it seriously. "I won’t mention the roasted sesame, since that’s visible. Soybean powder, dried chili—should be thread pepper, not very spicy but fragrant—Sichuan peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon, Angelica dahurica, tsao-ko, cumin, fennel..."
He listed out the spices he tasted continuously, causing Lin Xu to look on in amazement.
Damn! What kind of taste buds are these, to distinguish so many spices and seasonings?
After trying it again, Wei Qian also made some additions. "Seems like there’s a hint of cloves. It’s not strong, probably just one clove in the whole batch. And there’s pepper, granulated sugar, salt... Right, there must have been dried onion, the kind that’s fried until fragrant and dry, because I can still taste a hint of onion."
Lin Xu was speechless.
I’m the one with the cheat system, so why do these two guys seem like they’re using cheats too? Their palates are incredible! Compared to them, my tongue is only fit to be sliced, marinated, and cooked on the grill as an ingredient.
"Lin Xu, how did we do?"
"Did we miss anything?"
Wei Qian took a sip of chilled beer, joining Guo Xinghai in looking at Lin Xu.
Lin Xu gave a wry smile. "I’m not good at these things; my fundamentals are really poor, and I’m still pretty unfamiliar with seasonings."
If he had to guess what was in the dipping sauce, he could only detect spices with strong flavors like chili and Sichuan peppercorns. Beyond that, he was completely in the dark.
"You’re not joking, Lin Xu? Really can’t do it?" Guo Xinghai looked astonished. He couldn’t believe that someone so skilled in cooking had such poor knowledge of seasonings.
Wei Qian was also in disbelief.
"It’s true," Lin Xu explained with a bitter smile. Though he didn’t want to admit it, it was indeed the truth. "I studied finance before opening the restaurant, so my knowledge of seasonings is quite superficial."
"Then what would he do if there really was such a segment during the competition?" Guo Xinghai and Wei Qian began to worry.
They were right. If the competition really included such a challenge, Lin Xu would be completely lost. And it was a bit late for cramming now. Memorizing the flavors of all those seasonings in just a few days was impossible. What could be done?
Just as they were worrying, Lin Xu suddenly noticed an unused card in his system inventory. The heavy feeling in his chest finally lifted...
This Chapter is 5,100 words. Brothers, please vote for the Monthly Ticket!!!