The Game of Life-Chapter 834 - 833 Let the Contestants Eat for a While

Chapter 834: Chapter 833: Let the Contestants Eat for a While

Chapter 834 -833: Let the Contestants Eat for a While

There was no need to think ahead, because Jiang Feng had no intention from the start to make fish balls of the same flavor.

Since the ingredients for the fish balls within the Phoenix Egg weren’t limited, as long as they were delicious and fresh, why should all the fish balls in one bowl be limited to the same ingredients? The production team had provided such a rich selection of ingredients, and naturally, a variety of combinations should be used to allow the judges to feel the charm of the Phoenix Egg.

Similar freshness is simply delicious, but diverse paths to freshness is a delicacy.

The production team really went all out with the ingredients, possibly to show their sponsors that their money was well spent. The variety of fish species in the seafood section was so vast it was almost unbelievable. Live, frozen, chilled – every fish species that could be found at this time of year seemed to be present on this stage, some of which were so expensive that a simple dish could sell for a four-figure price in an ordinary restaurant.

Following his instincts, Jiang Feng made seven different kinds of fish balls, six of each kind.

Due to the different kinds of fish and mushrooms used, the corresponding ratios also varied, resulting in subtle differences in the texture and flavor of each type of fish ball. Jiang Feng wasn’t sure if they were suitable, as four of the seven types of fish balls were made with combinations he had never tried before.

It was a good opportunity to try them for himself first, and after tasting, he would know which fish balls to present on stage.

After shaping the fish balls, it was time to cook them.

Boiling fish balls didn’t involve any technical skill, so Jiang Feng asked Wu Minqi to keep an eye on them while he prepared the thickening slurry and beat the egg liquid. Wu Minqi watched the whole process until the fish balls were added to the pot and couldn’t see any connection between this dish and the Phoenix Egg. To her, it seemed that Jiang Feng was just making ordinary handmade fish balls. The only difference was that Jiang Feng added mushrooms to the fish balls and beat the fish meat more finely.

“Fengfeng, the fish balls are almost ready,” Wu Minqi said, as she noticed the fish balls in the pot were almost done cooking. She began to scoop them out while reminding Jiang Feng.

Over at Jiang Feng’s station, preparations were ready. She returned the scooped-out fish balls to the pot to add the egg liquid and thicken the broth.

At the judges’ table, Peng Changping and Xu Cheng already figured out that Jiang Feng was preparing to make a Phoenix Egg, where Xu Cheng even noticed that Jiang Feng made many different kinds of fish balls. As it was coming to the most critical and technically flashy step, Xu Cheng couldn’t help but whisper to Peng Changping.

“Master Peng, I didn’t expect Jiang Feng to be so bold,” Xu Cheng commented on Jiang Feng’s courage for daring to make a Phoenix Egg—a dish notorious for easy failure—in such a critical competition.

Indeed, the Phoenix Egg was very prone to failure.

This dish requires precise fire control, somewhat similar to the dish “Crispy on the Outside”. Both dishes hinge on a single moment of success or failure, and you never know until the very last step whether it will fail.

Yet, the Phoenix Egg is even more difficult than “Crispy on the Outside” because it doesn’t only require mastery over fire control. Success depends heavily on skillful flipping, precise thickening, making it a more advanced version of “Crispy on the Outside”.

Peng Changping understood Xu Cheng’s implication and laughed, “We still have plenty of time. Didn’t you see he just made so many fish balls? A dish of Phoenix Egg usually has 8 to 12 fish balls, and the number he made is enough for two dishes. Besides, there are so many ingredients left at the cooking station. If he fails, he can just make a few more dishes.”

Being relatively inexperienced as a food competition judge, Xu Cheng thought Peng Changping made sense. It was quite normal for a small error or an accidental failure during the competition to result in a dish, whether finished or not, being discarded. As long as there was enough time, remaking the dish multiple times was not an issue.

Xu Cheng glanced at the large screen; over two hours remained—time could be said to be quite abundant.

“That thinking is not wrong, but the Phoenix Egg needs to be eaten hot. It would be best if served immediately after coming out of the pan. Otherwise, we should tell the staff to bring it directly to us once it’s ready. It would be a shame to let it cool down—it would even affect the fairness of the competition results.”

Peng Changping: …

I think you just want to eat it while it’s hot.

After hearing Xu Cheng’s comments, Peng Changping and the other two judges discussed among themselves and felt it was not feasible. The competition rules stated that only when the countdown ended could all contestants present their dishes. Controlling the timing of serving was also a key to victory. If Jiang Feng couldn’t manage even that, he would deserve to lose.

While Peng Changping and the other judges were discussing, the Phoenix Egg had already come out of the pan.

It was extremely beautiful, at first glance there appeared to be no flaws in the dish.

The thin and tender golden egg liquid evenly coated the fish balls, looking bouncy and delicate. A thin layer of sauce made the already golden Phoenix Egg shimmer even more alluringly.

Masterful thickening skill was indeed useful.

Although Jiang Feng’s flipping skill had improved a lot, it had not yet reached the level of perfection that Jiang Chengde had. The egg coating on the surface of the fish balls was very uniform and appeared thin, but there were always some small imperfections where the heat wasn’t applied carefully, which would have been noticeable upon closer inspection. However, these imperfections were perfectly concealed by the exquisite thickening.

A good thickening could not only enhance the flavor of the dish to some extent, but it would also greatly improve its appearance.

A little thickening, a lot of magic.

Peng Changping did not see Jiang Feng thickening the dish and just thought from a distance that the freshly cooked Phoenix Egg looked quite exquisite and high-quality, thinking it was due to excellent flipping skills. He internally marveled at the rapid pace of Jiang Feng’s learning and improvement.

In such a short time practicing flipping, he had made such progress.

Such an eye-catching Phoenix Egg naturally drew the attention of the Bearded Main Chef at the next cooking station.

While measuring liquids with a pipette as if conducting a chemical experiment, the Bearded Main Chef was startled to see Jiang Feng had already finished his dish. He thought he had misjudged the time and that it was almost time to present the dish. His hand trembled and he dropped a few extra drops of wine into the mixture, ruining his efforts.

After checking the time on the big screen, the bearded chef glared at Jiang Feng in frustration.

Jiang Feng, who was inexplicably glared at: ?

“Fengfeng, aren’t we preparing the dish a bit too early?” Wu Minqi felt that the Phoenix Egg Jiang Feng had made was exceptionally perfect and tempting, with everything just right except for the timing, which was a bit too early.

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There were still more than two hours before they needed to serve the dishes, and even if the dish was kept in a warming cabinet, its texture and taste would greatly deteriorate after two hours.

Jiang Feng handed Wu Minqi a pair of chopsticks.

Wu Minqi: ?

“Not early.” Jiang Feng picked up a Phoenix Egg and stuffed it into his mouth, starting his lunch.

“Qiqi, you don’t know, I didn’t have lunch today, and sitting here drinking orange juice just made me hungrier and hungrier. This isn’t the dish we will submit; I just wanted to make something to fill my stomach first,” Jiang Feng said as he ate, the words slightly muffled by the food in his mouth.

Hearing Jiang Feng say this, Wu Minqi, who was ready to pick up a Phoenix Egg, immediately retracted her chopsticks, “You didn’t have lunch either, Fengfeng? Then you eat this plate. But isn’t it a bit too plain? Shall I go fry some vegetables for you? There’s a rice cooker in that cabinet, right? How about I cook you a bowl of rice?”

Just less than two meters away from them, Sun Jikai, who was diligently cleaning the already-cooked bird’s nest at the neighboring culinary station, was baffled: ?

Do you two have any basic respect for this damned competition?

Sun Jikai glanced at the Phoenix Egg on the cooking station.

Dammit, it looks so delicious.

He didn’t have lunch today either!

“Um, Jiang Feng,” Sun Jikai returned the bird’s nest to the bowl, “it seems I’m a bit hungry too. Could you give me one?”

In the end, even Sun Maochai, the only one who was seriously cooking at the far end of the culinary station, joined in on eating the Phoenix Eggs.

One for me, one for you, and soon the plate of Phoenix Eggs was almost empty.

They didn’t just eat; they also discussed.

“This one,” Sun Maochai was good with his tongue and could immediately tell what kinds of fish were used in the fish balls by tasting them. He pointed to the two fish balls on the front dish, “The pairing here doesn’t work. When I tasted it, the fish felt a bit loose, and the mushroom flavor was too dominant and inappropriate.”

“I think the codfish ones are pretty good,” Sun Jikai remarked.

“Which codfish ones? I added codfish to three different kinds of fish balls,” Jiang Feng inquired.

Sun Jikai was at a loss for words.

Jiang Feng smacked his tongue, feeling that he hadn’t had enough earlier.

Originally, he made a dozen Phoenix Eggs, thinking that he and Wu Minqi could have a decent share to be half-full. But then four people ended up sharing, turning an expected half-full into just a third, meaning they were not satisfied.

There was still plenty of time, and the fish and mushrooms were already prepared; all that was needed was to make new fish balls and they could be boiled again for another satisfying meal.

“How about this, I’ll cook all the remaining fish balls and then another batch, and we’ll try them to see which ones are better. Once we decide, I’ll make more, and for the final dish submission, we’ll use the next batch of fish balls,” Jiang Feng suggested.

All three thought it was an excellent idea.

Everyone wanted another plate of Phoenix Eggs.

Sun Maochai’s rock sugar bird’s nest had reached the final step of simmering, requiring only to put the bird’s nest and other ingredients into a pot and let it cook gently over a water bath.

Thus, for the next while, all the judges, staff, and cameramen witnessed an even more astonishing scene.

The four contestants from Taifeng Building, having finished the suspected competition dish, suddenly stopped working: the two chefs who were previously active stopped and sat together with another female chef drinking orange juice, leaving only one contestant still cooking at the stove.

Then they finished the newly cooked dish as well.

Not a bite was left, and after finishing, the chef who had been cooking went over to the fruit section, brought back a heap of fruits, and prepared a fruit platter for the other three to eat.

The four judges were still hungry, yet the contestants were already enjoying post-meal fruits.

The cameraman: ???

Are these four really here for the competition?

How did they make it into the semifinals?

Was it by eating their way through?