White Jade and Emerald Neutralizing Soup

Prefect Zhao raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing the bowl of soup with a hint of suspicion in his eyes:

"It looks like just ordinary Qimen Zhonghe Soup..."

"You call this dish 'White Jade and Emerald Harmonizing Soup'? A nice-sounding name alone isn't enough." Manager Huang shook his head.

Nan Xu cupped his hands in greeting and said calmly, "The judges will know once they've tasted my dishes."

Prefect Zhao nodded: "In that case, let me try it first."

He scooped up a full spoonful of soup, along with several pieces of white, tender tofu, and put the spoonful of soup into his mouth.

Upon tasting the soup, Prefect Zhao's eyes lit up.

The tender tofu melts easily on the tongue. The tofu itself has a very mild flavor, but its interior is filled with broth that combines the essence of various ingredients, making ordinary tofu incredibly delicious.

Although it can't compare to Jiang Chengjin's Ruyi Chicken in terms of umami flavor, the addition of tofu makes it easier to drink and gives people a very pleasant feeling.

Suddenly, Prefect Zhao's brow twitched slightly.

"Hmm, this taste..."

He reached out his spoon again, scooped up a full spoonful of soup, and put it in his mouth to savor it carefully.

The taste of this broth was surprisingly different from that of ordinary stock.

Unlike typical broths dominated by rich, meaty flavors, this broth has a lighter and smoother umami taste. It has an incredibly refreshing taste at first sip, and the umami flavor is slowly released like a gentle spring rain as it flows through the mouth.

After the broth is swallowed, the lingering taste in the mouth not only does not leave any burden on the taster's tongue, but is also incredibly sweet, completely neutralizing the heaviness of the umami flavor.

"Hmm, not bad." Prefect Zhao couldn't help but nod slightly.

Nan Xu's performance was also quite commendable.

Although he was only a ninth-rank chef, his skills had already surpassed those of most eighth-rank chefs.

Moreover, there seems to be some hidden secret within this neutralizing soup...

On the other side, Manager Huang also scooped up a spoonful of soup and tasted it.

After swallowing the soup, he shook his head again.

It tastes good, but unlike regular neutral soup, it has a subtle, refreshing flavor that is quite unique.

However... they used only ordinary ingredients and made only a simple neutral soup. No matter what, it couldn't compare to the Jiang family's Ruyi Chicken.

Thinking this, he unconsciously scooped up another spoonful.

This time, he scooped even deeper.

As the spoon went deeper, the white tofu piled on top of the soup noodles was pushed to the sides, revealing a patch of emerald green underneath.

Manager Huang stopped what he was doing, a look of surprise on his face.

It resembled a small mountain made of jade, crystal clear and lush, gleaming with a faint green light under the lamplight on the high platform.

The uniformly sized jade-green cubes, along with the white tofu covering the entire soup, complement each other beautifully, creating a scene as picturesque as a landscape painting.

"This is...?!" His voice was filled with surprise.

Nan Xu's voice rang out calmly:

"This product is called 'Guanyin Tofu.' It is made from the leaves of the 'Robinia pseudoacacia' tree in Huangshan. The leaves are repeatedly washed and filtered with mountain spring water, and then solidified with wood ash. During years of great famine, the people of Huizhou used it to stave off hunger and survive the famine, regarding it as a blessing from Guanyin, hence the name."

"I think that compared to the Jiang family's Ruyi Chicken, which uses extremely luxurious ingredients and is exclusively for the consumption of merchant families... this is the true taste of Huizhou."

"The true flavor of Huizhou should not be confined to the homes of the wealthy and powerful, but should be found in the homes of ordinary people. True delicacies should not be enjoyed by only a few, but should be shared by everyone."

Upon hearing this, Prefect Zhao raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Chengjin snorted coldly: "Hmph... No matter how nice your words are, the taste of the food is the most important thing."

"Do you really think that adding a few pieces of tofu made from wild vegetables to the soup will make it beat my Lucky Chicken?"

"I think adding such inferior ingredients to the soup only lowers the quality of your dish!"

Nan Xu ignored Jiang Chengjin and looked at the three judges: "As for how it tastes, you will know once you try it."

"...Okay, then I'll give it a try."

Prefect Zhao nodded, scooped up a spoonful of Guanyin tofu, and put it in his mouth along with the white tofu.

The texture of this Guanyin tofu is completely different from ordinary tofu. He savored the wonderful texture of its smoothness with a subtle, almost imperceptible chewiness, and took a gentle bite...

"...Ugh!" Prefect Zhao's eyes widened suddenly.

Instantly, a refreshing herbal fragrance filled his mouth, giving his tongue a completely new feeling.

The rich and savory flavor of the white tofu, soaked in broth, is enhanced by the incredibly refreshing herbal taste. If the refreshing taste of the white tofu was just a complement to the main flavor, then the refreshing taste has now become the absolute protagonist!

The next moment, the ultimate experience of the two flavors blending and sublimating naturally spread throughout the entire mouth!

"This taste..."

Prefect Zhao closed his eyes, and in a daze, he seemed to see a green mountain shrouded in mist.

He saw the lush green mountains like undulating dragons, appearing and disappearing in the clouds and mist. At the foot of the mountains, a clear stream meandered, and common mountain products such as bamboo shoots and mushrooms grew in the mountains, while small shrimp jumped and frolicked in the stream.

By the stream, a peasant woman picked the green leaves of a wild shrub, crushed them in a stone mortar, filtered out the bright green juice, and then added wood ash to let it stand until it formed a block.

Soon, a cool and tempting piece of Guanyin tofu was ready.

The husband returned from the mountains with a basket of bamboo shoots and mushrooms; the eldest son, on his way home from school, passed by the market and brought back a piece of tender white tofu; the youngest son, playing in the stream, caught a whole bamboo basket full of small river shrimp…

The peasant woman cut the Guanyin tofu into pieces, and then, with a determined heart, took a slice of the dried ham.

Then, these ingredients were put into the pot and simmered continuously, releasing a rich aroma...

Smelling the aroma of home-cooked food, Prefect Zhao couldn't help but show an expression of delight.

Although they are just ordinary, everyday ingredients, when brought together, they encompass both the homely flavors of Huizhou and the wild flavors of Huangshan, together creating a vibrant picture of people's lives.

This is the true taste of Huizhou!

a long time.

Prefect Zhao reached out with his spoon again, but paused slightly.

The spoon touched the bottom of the bowl, making a soft "ding-dong" sound.

The soup in the bowl had already been devoured by the three judges at some point.

Prefect Zhao let out a long breath and slowly began to speak:

Even in boiling hot soup, these Guanyin tofu pieces remain cool and refreshing, whetting the appetite and making you want to keep eating...

"How did you manage to preserve the flavor of Guanyin Tofu so perfectly?"

Nan Xu bowed slightly and answered truthfully, "I used the culinary technique 'Frost Finger' to lock in the temperature of the Guanyin Tofu and carefully adjusted the heat to prevent the flavor of the Guanyin Tofu from being lost."

"I see." Prefect Zhao nodded approvingly. "You have a strong grasp of culinary skills and a great deal of imagination in applying them."

He wanted to say something more, but then a voice came from beside him.

"I think we can vote now, right?"

Prefect Zhao turned his head and looked at Jiang Yuqiao, who had spoken.

At this moment, Jiang Yuqiao was no longer the carefree person he had been at the beginning. Instead, he looked serious and stared intently at Nan Xu.

"I... vote for Nanxu!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chengjin's expression suddenly changed.

He looked at Jiang Yuqiao, his brows furrowing deeply: "Second Young Master, I know you're used to the Jiang family's cuisine, so you're a bit tired of this Ruyi Chicken..."

"But as judges of a culinary competition, shouldn't we set aside personal preferences and impartially evaluate the merits of both dishes?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuqiao couldn't help but scoff, "Ha...fairness?"

He paused for a moment before continuing, "You're wrong... It's precisely because I set aside personal preferences and fairly evaluated the merits of both dishes that I made this judgment—"

"This 'White Jade and Emerald Harmony Soup' is clearly better than your Lucky Chicken."