Guo Xinghai picked up a small slice of mutton and dipped it into the sauce. As soon as he put it in his mouth, his face showed a shocked expression, instantly arousing Geng Lishan’s curiosity:
"How does it taste, young man?"
Guo Xinghai slowly chewed, savoring the taste of the mutton. After eating, he looked longingly at the sauce on the table:
"Good! Really good, this flavor... Teacher, may I try another piece?"
Geng Lishan nodded. He also picked up a piece of mutton, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in his mouth. His expression turned exactly like Guo Xinghai’s.
The fresh and fragrant flavor sent a shiver through his body.
This sauce perfectly enhanced the mutton’s delicious flavor and texture.
The lean meat was fresh and exquisite, while the fatty part was rich and fragrant.
The semi-fatty, semi-lean mutton from the leg, paired with this savory and appetizing sauce, had everyone exclaiming its deliciousness.
"It’s indeed delicious. All of you should try it. This young man’s dipping sauce is something ordinary chefs can’t match. It’s like what a seasoned master chef would make."
After speaking, Geng Lishan picked up another piece of mutton with his chopsticks and tasted it with the sauce in his bowl:
"The more I eat, the tastier it gets. Sour, sweet, numbing, spicy, savory, salty—these flavors are wonderfully interwoven. It feels so amazing! I think I could eat a whole plate of this mutton myself."
The other judges came over after hearing this.
After tasting it, they felt that Mr. Lishan was indeed correct.
The sauce truly seemed like something a seasoned master chef would make. It had a great taste and rich flavor, yet it didn’t overpower the mutton’s own freshness; instead, it made the mutton even more delicious.
Hearing everyone’s praise, Lin Xu quickly heard the system’s prompt in his mind:
"Host has received praise from more than ten people within the allotted time and has officially acquired the Superior Plain Boiled Mutton Dipping Sauce Technique. Congratulations, Host."
PHEW... Luckily, Guo Xinghai was curious about the dipping sauce I made; otherwise, I might not have been able to complete this task.
Superior dipping sauce Technique acquired. Maybe I should also cook some mutton to try when I get back?
Lin Xu planned to buy some mutton to try when he got back.
It’s a shame I don’t have many points. Otherwise, I absolutely would have exchanged them for that Perfect Level sauce to see what Trial Task it could trigger.
"Seeing these judges eat makes me hungry."
"Watching food competitions on TV, those judges just take a bite and then babble on for ages. Why do the judges at Fishing Platform eat like they’re at a feast?"
"Exactly, I’m almost drooling here."
"Why not give me some of that sauce? I want to eat it with a steamed bun."
"Can you only use it with mutton? We don’t have mutton at home, but I really want to try the flavor."
"Pork and chicken would definitely work. This sauce is so versatile; it would taste good even with plain boiled vegetables."
"I hope Boss Lin releases a complete tutorial."
"Yes, yes, I also want to know the exact proportions and tutorial."
The fans in the live stream were completely captivated by the way the judges were eating.
How delicious must it be to make the judges eat like that?
And the live audience was even more tantalized.
The fans in the live stream could only watch the video, but those sitting in the venue could smell the rich, savory aroma of the mutton.
That delightful fragrance was making everyone’s mouths water and hearts itch with longing.
But the judges just couldn’t stop eating.
While eating, they also discussed the focus of each contestant’s dipping sauce.
Some contestants made sour and spicy sauces, some made numb and spicy sauces, and others made clear and savory sauces. Each chef’s dipping sauce was unique, broadening the judges’ horizons.
When the mutton was almost finished, the scoring began.
Lin Xu received the highest score of 9.9 points, Guo Xinghai scored 9.7 points, and the chubby contestant who had asked for the Sydney pear also scored a high 9.5 points. Googlᴇ search novelFɪre.net
Clearly, after adding fruit, the enhanced fresh flavor of the dipping sauces provided the judges with a new experience.
So they couldn’t help but give high scores.
How come I’m second place again?
Sitting in the audience, Guo Weidong sighed softly. He recalled how he had finished second for five consecutive years in the middle-aged group competition years ago.
Our Guo Family... are we destined to only be second place?
He eagerly watched his nephew, Guo Xinghai, hoping he would push harder in the competitions to come. He wanted him to strive to surpass that young man from Building Two and achieve Building Ten’s third consecutive championship!
Now, it all depended on the content of the third round of the competition.
The Guo Family had built its reputation on Cantonese cuisine; it was their core strength.
Guo Weidong was hoping for a Cantonese culinary challenge, which would be a fatal blow to that young man from Building Two.
After all, among the eighteen buildings at Fishing Platform, none understood Cantonese cuisine better than Building Ten.
Another fifteen contestants were eliminated from the competition.
The third round of the competition was about to begin.
Just as the judges were sipping tea and chatting, a few staff members entered. They were pushing a cart with a large iron basin containing freshly slaughtered suckling pigs.
Seeing this, Guo Weidong almost leaped up and shouted.
HAHA! It really was a Cantonese cuisine ingredient after all! My nephew, Guo Xinghai, could roast suckling pigs independently when he was just a teenager. These little suckling pigs would be child’s play for him!
He proudly turned his head and shot Xie Baomin a glance. However, Xie Baomin’s response was still a raised middle finger.
Fifteen suckling pigs were placed on the chopping boards in front of each of the fifteen contestants.
Geng Lishan stood up and announced, "We have many guests this afternoon, so a lot of ingredients are needed. To help relieve pressure on the main kitchen, the third round’s challenge is this: using the cooking techniques you’ve learned, butcher the suckling pigs in front of you, separating them into their different parts. The person who does this most cleanly and in the shortest time will be the winner of this round."
"Butchering pork?" The fans in the live stream and the audience on-site were all a bit dumbfounded. Wasn’t butchering pork the job of a meat seller? Wasn’t asking chefs to do this a bit too much to ask?
Some contestants also wore troubled expressions. Although they had handled a lot of pork, they had never dealt with a Whole Pig Slaughter before, and some didn’t even know where to begin.
But while they hesitated, some contestants had already sprung into action.
For example, Guo Xinghai, who had been immersed in Cantonese cuisine since childhood. And, of course, the star of the show, a certain king of crossover skills...
Author’s Note: Thank you to everyone who voted with a Monthly Ticket! The dipping sauce in this Chapter was taught by Old Master Zheng Xiusheng from "Old Fatty Bones." I had learned many cooking techniques from his videos before, and this dipping sauce made the deepest impression—truly sublime with mutton. Sadly, the master has passed away, and it’s no longer possible to hear him share that culinary knowledge, which is quite saddening.