The Strict Ding Baozhen

"My dishes are ready. Please enjoy them, gentlemen!"

The speaker was a dark-skinned male chef with a square face and a rough voice.

He placed the plate on the long table where the examiners sat. On the plate were plump, bright red prawns!

The strong aroma of oil mixed with a salty and savory flavor wafted over, making several candidates around them swallow hard.

"Braised prawns in oil?"

Gao Wenjie picked up a shrimp with his chopsticks and examined it carefully.

"The color is nice, and the aroma is good too..."

He then put the shrimp meat into his mouth and chewed it carefully.

At the same time, Zhou Yan and Ding Baozhen also took a bite of shrimp.

Upon seeing this, the square-faced chef showed a nervous expression.

Gao Wenjie swallowed the shrimp meat, nodded slightly, and his expression remained unchanged: "The seasoning is not bad, and the shrimp veins are removed very cleanly. If this were a restaurant meal, it would be up to the standard of a ninth-grade chef."

"Therefore, I will approve your application."

Upon hearing this, the square-faced chef's face immediately lit up with joy.

However, before he could be happy for long, Zhou Yan and Ding Baozhen spoke up at the same time:

"Not approved."

"Not approved!"

The square-faced chef was taken aback, and subconsciously said, "Why! There shouldn't have been any problems with the cooking of my prawns!"

Zhou Yan explained in a kind tone, "In terms of cooking techniques alone, this dish is indeed flawless... but I guess you rarely select ingredients yourself, right?"

"The shrimp you chose look big and plump, but actually, some of them are not fresh."

These words struck the square-faced chef like a thunderbolt!

Ding Baozhen said seriously, "Although this only slightly lowers the taste of the dishes, the overall quality is still within the ninth grade."

"But... there were clearly better ingredients on site, but you didn't choose them, which shows that you don't have the discernment that a ninth-grade chef should have."

"You should go back and practice some more."

The square-faced chef nodded, his face pale, and left dejectedly.

In the next half hour, many candidates also submitted their works.

However... their dishes almost all received unanimous negative reviews from the three examiners.

"The seasoning is too weak; the aftertaste could have been much more complex. I'm sorry, I can only give this dish a 'disapproval'."

"The vegetables are all too soft; the cooking time was clearly too short. Did you slack off during practice? 'Disapproved.'"

"The meat's stench hasn't been completely removed. How can this kind of garbage be served to guests? 'Disapproved!'"

The unsuccessful candidates nodded meekly and left the examination room almost as if they were fleeing.

The remaining candidates in the examination room were also sweating profusely upon seeing this scene, and some of them with poor mental fortitude almost lost their grip on the pot.

Just as the atmosphere in the examination room was becoming increasingly tense, a female chef with neat short hair and a capable demeanor walked up to the examiners' table with a large plate.

On the plate was a golden mandarin fish with its head held high and tail raised!

The fish meat, after being sliced ​​open, resembled a fluffy squirrel's tail. The female chef tossed the fish with boiling hot sweet and sour sauce, causing it to sizzle and releasing an irresistible aroma of sweet and sour flavors!

Upon seeing this, all three examiners' eyes lit up.

"Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, please enjoy!"

The female chef took a step back, a hint of confidence in her eyes.

"The cuts are deep enough to reach the skin without breaking it, and the spacing is even. Excellent knife work," Gao Wenjie exclaimed.

Zhou Yan picked up a shredded fish, dipped it in some broth, and put it in her mouth.

The next moment, her eyes widened slightly: "Delicious!"

"The texture is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the sweet and sour sauce has a perfect balance of sweet and sour, and the cooking time and seasoning are also outstanding!"

Even Ding Baozhen, after taking a bite, showed a rare expression of approval.

"Thank you for your kind words, gentlemen." A hint of joy appeared on the female chef's face.

After a moment's thought, the three examiners each gave their own answers.

""pass"!"

""pass"!"

"Not approved."

Upon hearing the last person's evaluation, the female chef's joy vanished completely, and she looked at the person who had spoken in disbelief.

After taking a bite of the fish, Ding Baozhen put down his chopsticks, and the look of approval on his face disappeared.

"Surprised?" He glanced at the female chef indifferently. "Indeed, within the realm of ninth-grade, your dish is impeccable in every aspect, from the selection of ingredients to the knife skills, cooking time, and seasoning."

"You've been training for a long time, haven't you? Three years? Five years? Or even longer?"

"But I bet you practiced it step by step, following the recipe or your chef's instructions. In this dish, I can only see a buildup of skill, not a single bit of your own ingenuity."

Ding Baozhen's voice gradually became serious: "The dish you served today did not demonstrate the level of creativity expected of a ninth-grade chef. Therefore, my evaluation for you is 'unsatisfactory.'"

"Of course, since you received two votes from the other two judges, this doesn't prevent you from obtaining the ninth-grade chef qualification..."

"But I hope that today's 'disapproval' will serve as a reminder that you have considerable talent, so don't go astray in your future culinary career."

These words were undeniably stern, but after a moment's thought, the female chef nodded gratefully: "Lord Ding, thank you for your advice, I will remember it."

Ding Baozhen then smiled slightly and waved his hand, "Good that you remembered. Now you can go."

The exams continued, and in the blink of an eye, several more candidates failed.

Finally, after more than ten minutes, the examiners got to see the second candidate they were looking forward to.

"This kid... is he the one who makes Mapo Tofu?" Gao Wenjie looked at the young man walking onto the stage with interest in his eyes.

"It smells so good, I can smell it all over here." Zhou Yan's eyes lit up as well.

During the conversation, the boy had already gone to the examiners' table and placed the plate on it:

"Crispy Mapo Tofu, please enjoy!"

"Oh? Crispy?"

Gao Wenjie curiously scooped up a spoonful of tofu and examined it closely. The trembling tofu cubes lay in the golden-red, glistening sauce, garnished with bright green garlic sprouts and golden-brown minced meat, making it incredibly appetizing.

"It seems there's some secret to this Mapo Tofu, isn't there?" Zhou Yan smiled and promptly put a spoonful of tofu into her mouth.

Then, her expression suddenly changed!

"……This is!"

Instantly, the salty, savory, spicy, and numbing flavor of the sauce surged up like a giant wave, covering the entire mouth.

What's even more surprising is that the minced meat has a wonderfully tender texture, which blends perfectly with the softness of the tofu, elevating the overall taste of the dish to another level.

Gao Wenjie also noticed the uniqueness of this dish and exclaimed in surprise, "The texture of this minced meat is so distinctive! How is it made?"

The boy smiled slightly: "Master Gao, that's not meat, but 'vegetarian meat' made from soybeans and deep-fried."

"That's why it's so elastic and can be bitten off so easily."

"I see... No wonder it took you so long to make Mapo Tofu, you were making this kind of vegetarian meat." Gao Wenjie nodded in realization.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "That's a great idea; it's amazing that you thought of that."

Undoubtedly, both of them gave a "pass" rating.

"Thank you, Lord Zhou." The young man smiled, clearly a little smug.

Then, he looked at Ding Baozhen, who was still thinking with his eyes closed and had not yet made a decision, and a look of expectation appeared on his face.

Ding Baozhen opened his eyes and said:

"Unfortunately, my answer remains 'not approved.'"

As he spoke, he tapped the plate: "The plate wasn't hot enough, so the dish lacked the wok hei (wok aroma) when it was served."

Mapo tofu is known for its eight characteristics: numbing, spicy, hot, fragrant, tender, crispy, fresh, and vibrant. It is a dish that requires a very warm temperature.

"Your Mapo Tofu isn't hot enough."

"You have plenty of creativity, but you neglected the basics. I hope you can learn from this."

A hint of regret flashed in the boy's eyes, but since things had come to this, he could only nod reluctantly and leave the examination room.

The few remaining candidates, witnessing this scene, were all on tenterhooks.

This Lord Ding, aren't your standards a bit too strict?

The squirrel-shaped mandarin fish dish that looked impressive didn't pass, and the Mapo Tofu dish that received high praise from both examiners also didn't pass. What kind of dish could possibly satisfy him?

Ding Baozhen's actions put immense psychological pressure on the remaining candidates.

With little time left for the exam, the candidates became even more nervous and flustered.

Some test-takers with poor mental fortitude even made many basic mistakes that they shouldn't have made at all, such as cutting their fingers, undercooking food, burning food, etc.

The repeated poor performances in the examination room made Ding Baozhen's face darken.

After he spit out the third candidate who hadn't mastered the timing due to time constraints, there was less than half an incense stick's time left before the exam ended.

Gao Wenjie rubbed his temples, a hint of weariness in his eyes. He hadn't expected that having Ding Baozhen as an examiner would cause such a chain reaction.

But, at that moment...

Suddenly, he smelled an enticing aroma.

The aroma is initially intense and rich, with a burnt and spicy scent, but it also has a subtle, mellow and lingering aftertaste that makes your mouth water.

"Gulp." Gao Wenjie couldn't help but swallow.

Amidst the relentless onslaught of "culinary disasters" from the test-takers, the appearance of such an unusual-smelling dish was a true salvation for Gao Wenjie!

Smelling the fragrance, Zhou Yan sat up straight and looked intently at the candidates who were walking onto the judges' stage.

"Huh?" She looked surprised.

Isn't that the boy who makes soup? But what he's holding in his hands...?

With a "clack," the dishes were served.

On a white porcelain plate, firm, plump, and uniformly sized diced chicken is neatly piled into a small mountain. The peanuts are fried to a perfect light golden color, like scattered pieces of gold. The dish is further garnished with jujube-red dried chilies and tender white scallion segments, creating a rich and appetizing dish.

"Please enjoy the 'New Kung Pao Chicken'."

Nan Xu spoke, his calm voice carrying a hint of confidence.

"Chicken cubes? What about the chicken soup you made?" Gao Wenjie asked curiously.

Nan Xu smiled slightly: "You'll know once you taste my dishes."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan looked thoughtfully at the diced chicken on the plate.

Ding Baozhen picked up a piece of chicken, brought it to his nose, and smelled it carefully.

"Standard spicy lychee flavor, not bad." He nodded slightly.

"But... if it's only this bad, I won't 'pass' you."

Ding Baozhen looked at Nan Xu with a scrutinizing gaze: "If you chose to make this dish to please me, then you're probably going to be disappointed."

"Kung Pao Chicken is indeed one of my favorite dishes. But precisely because of this, I have eaten countless Kung Pao Chicken dishes, and there are quite a few that are outstanding, even perfect."

"Therefore, generally delicious Kung Pao Chicken won't impress me. Choosing Kung Pao Chicken is arguably the most disadvantageous option for you!"

Hearing this, Nan Xu still had a smile on his face, but his words became somewhat impolite:

"Lord Ding, if that's what you think... then you're underestimating me."

"It is precisely because you have tasted so many Kung Pao Chicken dishes, and can even be said to be one of the people in the world who understands Kung Pao Chicken the most, that I chose this dish."

"After all, there aren't many opportunities for Ding Gongbao himself to comment on my Kung Pao Chicken."

"From the perspective of whether it will help me improve my culinary skills, choosing this dish is the most beneficial for me."

Upon hearing this, Ding Baozhen nodded slightly and praised, "Not bad. You haven't even reached the ninth rank yet, but you already have the demeanor of a master chef."

Nan Xu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It's just what a chef should do. You flatter me."

Then, a sharp glint flashed in Nan Xu's eyes: "Moreover... even so, I'm confident that my dish will convince you to give it a 'pass'!"

Upon hearing this, Ding Baozhen paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Good! That's ambitious!"

"Then let me see what secrets your Kung Pao Chicken... oh no, I mean 'New Kung Pao Chicken' holds!"

Having said that, he didn't hesitate any longer and put the diced chicken into his mouth!

Instantly, a smoky aroma exploded in his mouth, accompanied by an irresistible numbing and spicy flavor that powerfully whetted his appetite.

Then, the lychee flavor of the sauce hits you, perfectly neutralizing the spiciness and transforming the burnt, spicy taste of the stir-fry into a lingering sweet and sour aftertaste.

The numbing and spicy flavors of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns blend perfectly with the sweet and sour taste of the sauce under the high temperature of the stove.

Moreover, the perfect control of the heat gives this dish a strong wok hei (wok aroma), making you want to eat more while it's hot.

Ding Baozhen nodded slightly, his expression softening.

The knife skills, cooking time, and seasoning are all excellent, with no weaknesses. By the standards of a ninth-grade chef, it is indeed an extremely outstanding dish.

If he hadn't eaten so much Kung Pao Chicken, he might have actually passed the test. What a pity...

As Ding Baozhen mentally scored the score, she unconsciously clenched her teeth slightly.

...Hmm? That's not right!

Ding Baozhen's eyes suddenly widened!