Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 267 The Gradual Transformation of Fragrance! This approach is simply a stroke of genius (Second Update)

[Hahaha, Wang Bo's hands are shaking!]

Sweating profusely, the pressure is mounting right from the start!

[It's starting, hahaha! I love watching Teacher Sui scold Wang Bo; his restrained demeanor is completely different from how he appears in his own videos!]

A strict teacher is good; a strict teacher produces outstanding students.

[By the way, why does Master Wu Bai keep telling Wang Bo to call Xia Ming "Master Xia"?]

[The person upstairs doesn't even understand this? In the culinary world, the principle has always been "the accomplished are the teachers," not based on age. Even among Sui Wubai's own apprentices, there are some who are older than him.]

Is this for real? Wouldn't that create chaos?

[What's all the commotion? Once you're inside, everyone should mind their own business. If you ask me, Sui Wubai's words are actually giving Xia Ming face! Making Wang Bo call him "Master Xia" shows he considers Xia Ming to be of the same generation, and Wang Bo to be a junior.]

[Oh, I see. My goodness, being on the same level as Teacher Sui, that's a very high level.]

[I don't know what the person upstairs is lamenting. Can't they see from Xia Ming's revenue figures? He's not even on the same level as the other contestants.]

Just as netizens were happily watching the spectacle, Chef Wang quickly changed his tune.

"I misread it, I got nervous, there's no gypsum tofu."

Sui Wubai saw through it but didn't say anything, smiling and gesturing for him to continue.

Chef Wang looked left and right but couldn't figure it out, so he had no choice but to speak.

"My apprentice has a bad nose; you really can't tell unless he eats!"

"Master, shall we eat first?"

Upon hearing Chef Wang's words, Sui Wubai smiled.

"Okay, let's eat first."

The cook, Wang, was overjoyed and quickly took the bowl from in front of Sui Wubai to serve him.

Unexpectedly, when the spoon touched the tofu, perhaps too much force was used, and the entire jade tofu brick collapsed like the falling tiles of a palace.

Although the tofu was blocked when it landed in the deep dish, the splashed juice did not spill out, but Sui Wubai's eyes had already caught it first.

Wang Bo covered his face with his left hand at that moment. He hadn't used much force, and he didn't know why the tofu had collapsed like that.

At this moment, he was like a mute eating bitter melon, unable to express his suffering.

Sui Wubai glanced at Chef Wang's expression and understood that he probably hadn't used much force.

"Could it be that the structure wasn't sturdy to begin with? No, if it wasn't sturdy enough, how were the dishes served?"

He saw through it but didn't say anything. Sui Wubai secretly made a mental note of it. He was indeed serious, but he wouldn't punish his disciples arbitrarily to show his authority as a master.

At this moment, Wang, the chef, who looked like he was waiting to be scolded, also spoke up.

"Go ahead and scoop it up, what are you waiting for?"

"what!"

Chef Wang, who was not scolded, felt that he had escaped a disaster and wondered if his master had given him some face because there were other people around.

He quickly scooped out the tofu and then respectfully placed the bowl in front of Sui Wubai.

Only after making sure the food was stable did Chef Wang dare to scoop out his own food.

As the tofu was scooped up, the judges around smelled a fresh aroma that seemed to have been conjured up by something.

Sitting next to Sui Wubai is Xu Jumo, who is in his early forties and has been a judge for 20 years. He is not famous on the internet, but he has a good relationship with Sui Wubai.

Moreover, he was an outer disciple of Zhou Xiaoyan. It should be noted that Zhou Xiaoyan was on the same level as Zheng Susheng. To be able to become his disciple, one must at least have exceptional talent in cooking.

Originally, Xu Jumo did not intend to interfere with Sui Wubai's disciples, since it was a matter for their own sect.

But upon smelling the tofu, he finally couldn't resist his curiosity.

"Old Sui, isn't the order in which the aroma is released a bit unusual?"

When Sui Wubai heard that it was Xu Jumo who spoke, he turned his head to look at him and then nodded.

"Yes, the aroma isn't immediately noticeable, but it bursts forth when you eat it. This 'Jade Tofu' is not as simple as it looks."

Xu Jumo pondered for a few seconds, then slowly spoke.

"There's a faint smell of pork fat in this aroma, but I didn't seem to notice it before. The previous one was more like a vegetarian soup, but now it's even starting to smell like a meat broth. Interesting! I'll have to order one and savor it!"

Upon hearing Xu Jumo's words, Sui Wubai coughed twice.

"Ahem, Lao Xu, say no more. If you say everything, how will Wang Bo grow?"

Hearing this, Xu Jumo smiled and waved his hand.

"Just sharing my thoughts, your apprentice is quite good~ Okay, I'll watch a little longer, you guys continue!"

The little incident helped Chef Wang defuse the first awkward moment and even gave him a hint of the answer, but it was clear that Sui Wubai had no intention of letting Chef Wang off the hook today.

"Eat it while it's hot! We'll talk after you've finished!"

"Master, how could I dare to eat if you don't eat it!"

"Row!"

Sui Wubai nodded, then brought the bowl to his lips. Ever since Chef Wang pushed the tofu down the stove, the aroma of the soup had gradually intensified, and by the time Sui Wubai was about to taste it, it had begun to spread to the neighboring tables.

This "post-activated" aroma is most commonly found in Western cuisine.

This refers to the aroma that is brought out when the waiter pours the specially prepared sauce over the already prepared dish.

There aren't many Chinese dishes that were developed later, but they do exist.

But it's rare to see someone like Xia Ming who can "gradually develop" even without the stove.

"There must be a porous structure in this tofu, or it might not even be a piece of tofu to achieve this aroma that comes from thawing."

Thinking of this, Sui Wubai took a deep breath, completely relaxed his body, and then scooped up a spoonful of "jade tofu" and put it in his mouth.

The first taste is of savory and salty broth, followed by a noticeable oily texture.

The soup has a hint of the ocean, but most of the other flavors are distinctly mushroomy.

Sui Wubai was very familiar with the aroma and flavor of this mushroom.

It is not the common "shiitake mushroom", but a type of mushroom called "Xiangxin mushroom".

Compared to small shiitake mushrooms, "Xiangxin mushrooms" have more than ten times the aroma. This type of mushroom has also appeared in Sui Wubai's own cooking videos before.

But completely different from his previous method, Xia Ming's soup must have been made with a vegetarian broth as the base.

"But this oily feel, too..."

Just as he was wondering, part of the tofu in his mouth suddenly melted away, and feeling the incredibly tender texture of the tofu, four words instantly came to Sui Wubai's mind.

"Fat tofu"

This might be unfamiliar to many people.
Change the name
Tofu pudding

That's right, most of the tofu pudding in modern cities is typical "silken tofu," which is made by using "glucono-delta-lactone" as a coagulant dissolved in soy milk.

Of course, not every place makes tofu pudding this way. Some tofu vendors are skilled at using gypsum or brine to coagulate the tofu pudding.

It is only because of the properties of "glucono-δ-lactone" that it can make tofu pudding smoother that it is being used more and more now.

When Sui Wubai first saw this dish, he recognized that it contained "silk tofu cubes".

However, those familiar with tofu pudding know that it has an extremely high water content and will break easily if touched.

It's called tofu, but its texture is actually more like pudding.

For an ordinary chef, cutting it into small pieces would already be quite difficult, let alone stacking it up; that's really beyond their capabilities.

But among all the "Jade Tofu" dishes, the "silk tofu cubes" are probably the easiest to make.

"It's obvious that the menu won't include tofu pudding. Even if they had boxed powder, established brands like 'Bingquan Tofu Pudding' would definitely add maltose."

"So, this tofu was made fresh."

Sui Wubai speculated that Xia Ming used freshly made tofu to maintain its melt-in-your-mouth texture and to reduce the impact of maltose on the original flavor of the dish.

After experiencing the silken tofu, a slight chew will allow you to clearly feel the grainy texture of the firm tofu (brine tofu).

This is freshly made firm tofu, which retains a unique tofu filling texture after skillful cooking.

This is the fundamental reason why tofu doesn't taste as good if you go to the tofu stall too late.
Being able to preserve something doesn't mean it can perfectly maintain its taste.
"This tofu looks freshly made. Hmm, Xia Ming doesn't skimp on ingredients at all!"

While I was still marveling at it, a sensation that was both soft and crisp suddenly burst forth on my tongue.
"This"

Just as Sui Wubai raised his eyebrows, he felt a dazzling golden light bloom before his eyes like fireworks.

The next second, his right foot had already stepped into a field where soybeans had just been harvested.

As the breeze carried the aroma of soybeans, a complex and resilient fragrance seeped into his body. Sensing the taste of nature, Sui Wubai smiled and inwardly marveled.

"The mellow vegetarian broth gently awakens the taste buds, with the refreshing silken tofu providing the first layer of flavor, followed by the firm tofu with its perfect blend of chewiness and bean aroma. Each layer is wonderfully progressive!"

Sui Wubai raised his hand, intending to touch the soybeans that were packed next to him, but unexpectedly, the soybeans suddenly swelled up into bubbles as if they were being inflated.

Then, accompanied by the wind, the bubbles pulled Sui Wubai into the air, and then, like a trampoline, they popped one by one as Sui Wubai bounced up and down.

Feeling the juice inside the bursting bubbles, Sui Wubai's face showed surprise.

"Blood tofu? Pure white blood tofu?"

Although he had never tasted Xia Ming's "stir-fried blood tofu", he understood that blood tofu was called blood tofu because its main ingredient was fresh animal blood.

The basic principle of blood tofu coagulation is completely different from that of tofu.

The methods vary depending on the region and customs, but the most basic one is "heating and solidifying".
Just as Sui Wubai was still calmly contemplating the formation of blood tofu, a burst of meaty aroma exploded in his mouth—warm, oily, and not greasy at all, yet clearly conveying the smooth texture of minced meat.

Just as he came into contact with this sensation, feathers suddenly floated up around Sui Wubai. At first, the feathers were scattered in the sky, but after several turns, they actually condensed together to form a giant hen.

As the hen's head lifted Sui Wubai from mid-air, a mystery that had been lingering in Sui Wubai's mind since the dish was served was officially revealed.

"This contains 'chicken and tofu'!"

"After removing impurities from the broth using 'chicken mousse,' it is processed and shaped into cubes that look exactly like tofu!"

"The minced chicken absorbs the essence of the broth and combines with the vegetables in the foam, ultimately creating the texture of 'fresh chicken balls'!"

"This approach is simply a stroke of genius."

(End of this chapter)