Chapter 262 Disagreement
Simple and boring steamed squid. If the four people had not witnessed Xu Qing's extremely simple knife skills before, there would be no expectations for this dish.

Unfortunately, the extremely simple knife skills did not add any beauty to the appearance of the ingredients. It was far inferior to the natural form of the ingredients in Xu Qing's first duel.

The ingredients with perfect natural forms are so charming just from the appearance that you can't take your eyes off them.

But for this dish, just one look is enough.

The advantage of steaming is that there is no need to flip the pan. Xu Qing had used all his previous preparation time to familiarize himself with knife skills. Using his unskilled left hand to flip the pan would only backfire, so it would be better to choose a simpler method.

Another benefit of steaming is that it can preserve the original flavor of the ingredients to the greatest extent possible. The steam penetrates evenly into the ingredients, cooking them in a short time while maintaining their fresh taste and original color.

And the original flavor is exactly what Xu Qing needs most.

Although the appearance of this dish was disappointing, the four elders still upheld their responsibilities as judges and tasted the dish before making a judgment.

The four of them picked up a piece of squid ring, put it in their mouths, and chewed it slowly.

As soon as they chewed their teeth, the four of them suddenly widened their eyes.

Despite its ordinary appearance, it tastes wonderful in the mouth.

The first thing you notice is the tenderness and firmness of the squid meat. The steaming method preserves the squid's tenderness and elasticity to the maximum extent. Every bite is a gentle tease for your teeth, bringing a subtle springy feeling.

After being steamed to perfection, the squid meat has both a firm and tender texture, with a delicate taste and an elastic feel.

The steam allows the juice inside the squid to fully condense, making every bite delicious and juicy, as if the squid has melted in the juice, or as if the juice has turned into the squid. Every bite is filled with full flavor and deliciousness.

Different from Xiang En’s Thousand Petal Lotus, Xu Qing’s squid rings do not have the ever-changing chewiness and fun. What it displays is the taste of the squid itself, the tenderness and texture that is unique to squid.

The extremely simple knife skills allow the squid to retain its best parts.

What is the best part?

The truth is that every squid is different.

They have their own personalities, behavioral preferences, eating preferences and so on.

Some like to swim, some like to be quiet, some are keen on hunting, and some just go with the flow.

These tiny differences make the quality of their meat different.

But the difference is so tiny that it is almost imperceptible.

After all, no one considers the eating habits and unique hobbies of squids.

When raising animals, people may feed pigs good food and play music to cows to make their meat more delicious.

But who cares about squid?
But this tiny difference became so clear in Xu Qing's eyes.

He is like Dr. Squid who has studied squids for decades. As soon as he gets the squid in his hand, he knows which part of the squid has the best meat.

Through this extremely subtle feeling, Xu Qing cuts off the best part every time with his knife.

When these best parts are combined together, the final result is an amazing taste.

With every bite, the taste of the squid meat becomes more wonderful, and the essence of the whole squid is slowly released between the chewing of your teeth.

The firm texture becomes more vivid, the elastic chewiness is full of vitality, the soft and tender texture is so delicate that it seems to melt on the tip of the tongue, and the rich juice bursts out in the mouth.

The ordinary and familiar taste becomes incomparably wonderful at this moment, just like a nearsighted person who is used to seeing a blurry world, and when he puts on glasses for the first time, he notices countless wonderful little details in his field of vision. The squid ring in his mouth at this moment is exactly this feeling. Xu Qing's knife skills are like a magnifying glass, constantly magnifying those tiny details that are always overlooked, and revealing all the beautiful things that are so subtle that they cannot be perceived.

Therefore, the deliciousness in the mouth becomes so profound that people keep chewing it, keep savoring its beauty, and keep perceiving those subtle beauties through their keen taste buds and taste nerves.

Countless beautiful things superimposed on each other eventually spread out on the taste buds like an explosion, making the taste buds instantly succumb to this indescribable beauty.

At the same time, steaming the squid brings out its original flavor.

The fresh aroma of seafood is slowly released during the steaming process, without too much seasoning to cover it up. Only the hint of salt and the sweetness of the squid itself are intertwined to create a pure and elegant flavor.

Shredded ginger and green onion are garnished on top to remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor of the squid, adding a hint of spiciness and sweetness to the refreshing taste, making the whole dish more layered.

Finally, there is the delicious soup, which is condensed from the essence of the squid itself and a small amount of steam. It is clear and transparent and tastes extremely delicious.

Coupled with the sauce carefully prepared by Xu Qing, the deliciousness of the squid is brought to a new level.

The sauce does not contain too many seasonings, but is simply mixed to maximize the sweetness and freshness of the squid with the simplest taste.

Xu Qing's dish is just so simple, with simple knife skills, simple cooking methods and seasoning. All the simplicity is to highlight the extraordinary nature of the squid.

Use these simple things to maximize those tiny beauties and turn them into irresistible delicacies.

As the four elders chewed, they felt as if their mouths had turned into an ocean. Countless squids in various postures were swimming freely in the sea. Every movement of theirs brought extreme deliciousness and temptation.

The four of them suddenly opened their eyes and looked carefully at the remaining dishes on the plates again.

The dishes that were originally plain and boring now reveal a hidden charm, as if returning to nature.

This is the simplest appearance, but it is also the most real and beautiful taste.

"This is amazing."

Elder Li couldn't help but sigh, "It's possible to pick out the most essential parts of each squid, pile up those tiny beauties, and finally turn them into an indescribable delicacy."

Master Luo Tian nodded and said, "Also, the seemingly simple method actually removes unnecessary flavors, maximizes the deliciousness of the squid itself, and amplifies those countless small beauties into the ultimate deliciousness."

Elder Huang also said: "Simple knife skills and simple methods, but the result is an extremely mysterious taste, which is really unexpected."

It was indeed unexpected. Elder Huang had never thought that Xu Qing could make dishes of such quality with his left hand, which was not his best skill.

Now that both dishes have been tasted, it is time to announce the results.

The two dishes each have their own advantages, one is gorgeous and the other is simple. It is really difficult to distinguish the good from the bad.

Xu Qing's dishes are slightly inferior in appearance, but they are extremely superior in taste.

Xiang En's dishes have gorgeous appearance and complex taste, the two achieving a harmonious beauty.

These two dishes caused differences of opinion between the two sides.

Elders Huang and He insisted that Xiang En's dishes were better, while Elder Li and Master Luo Tian thought that Xu Qing's dishes tasted better. Neither side would give in, and would not even accept a draw.

In the end, the four elders had to choose the third method, which was to let the audience outside the venue taste the food and let them choose which side's dish was better.

(End of this chapter)