When Chu Qiao prepared the dish according to the steps taught by the old imperial chef and served it on an iron plate, it looked delicious and delicious.
Chu Qiao wanted to say that it was done, but after thinking about it, it seemed that she had missed a step. She spread a little wine on the outside of the plate, and then lit it with fire. As soon as the blue flames rose,
It immediately caused an uproar.
Absolutely, the fire in the dishes is refreshing, and it also makes the dishes crispy.
"good!"
The muscular imperial chef stood up, clapped his hands and praised loudly. His praise represented a higher level of recognition for the imperial chef in the palace, while the young and handsome imperial chef just squinted his eyes and frowned, seeming to be very satisfied with this.
Unexpected, but unwilling to express an opinion.
After Eunuch Lan saw the last step of the eel's process, his eyes froze. He suddenly stood up and asked coldly.
"Who taught you this?"
Chu Qiao never expected that Eunuch Lan would suddenly speak. She was startled, and the plate in her hand almost fell over. She calmed down, put the plate down quickly, and answered in a low voice.
"I've seen people do this on other dishes before, Chunxiang just imitated it."
"Imitation?" Eunuch Lan obviously didn't believe what Chu Qiao said, and his eyes were still fixed on Chu Qiao. In the palace, there was only one person who liked to cook this dish, but this person was already crazy...
Maybe the atmosphere was too awkward, so Eunuch Ping stood up and came to Chu Qiao's rescue.
"Lighting a fire was a rare thing in the past, but it is no secret now. Why should we take it seriously as a child's trick to please others?"
Eunuch Ping's words made Eunuch Lan's expression change. If he wanted to continue questioning, he would stop here. Thinking about his identity, the chief eunuch of the imperial kitchen, as Eunuch Ping said, he was just questioning someone.
The child then restrained his surprised attitude and sat down.
"It's indeed grandstanding. My father-in-law hates this kind of trick the most."
Does he hate this kind of trick the most? Or is he afraid of something? Chu Qiao saw a hint of panic in Eunuch Lan's eyes. What is he afraid of, and what does he want to find out from the flames?
The presiding eunuch was in a completely dazed state. If the little fellow around him hadn't reminded him, he would have stayed there forever.
"Father, it's time for the royal chef to taste your love."
"Ah? Yes, yes, tasting."
The presiding eunuch wiped his sweat and stood up.
"Then let the two royal chefs taste it. This dish looks good, but I wonder if it tastes as good as it looks?"
After the presiding eunuch spoke, the muscular guy stood up first. He rolled up his sleeves, strode up, picked up a piece of eel meat, put it in his mouth, tasted it, and nodded.
.
"Well, it's true. The spicy flavor is mellow and the texture is crispy. It should be the top grade of royal cuisine. It's really not easy for a little palace maid like you to make royal brocade sesame eel in the cooking competition. This round,
I judged you."
After saying that, he put down his chopsticks and walked away.
Did this imperial chef judge her? Chu Qiao was very excited. At this moment, the young imperial chef walked up. He did not pick up the chopsticks, but raised his eyes and glanced at Chu Qiao. There was some deep meaning in Chu Qiao's eyes.
Don't understand.
"The Yujin Ma Xiang eel should not only win in terms of taste, but also in appearance. Your fish sections are arranged in a messy manner, and the green onion sections are dull in color and lose their greenery. It is a failure."
Chu Qiao was surprised. When the young chef came up, he was looking for faults. The fish segments had just come out of the pot and were hot and hot. How could they be arranged neatly? The green onions were just white. Where did the greenery come from? He didn't mean to look for faults.
What's wrong?
Next, the young chef picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of eel meat, took a bite, and immediately raised his eyebrows.
"The taste is not bad. There is too much salt. It's salty. I'll judge you and barely pass. Don't think about winning a championship. Being a cook's apprentice might be more suitable for you."
After saying that, he put down his chopsticks, looked at Chu Qiao with the same look as before, then turned around and walked over step by step.
Why did he say these words? What does this look mean?
Deliberately picky? Are you still warning Chu Qiao?
In fact, there was definitely not much salt. She saw with her own eyes how much the old imperial chef put in. Chu Qiao had a good memory, so how could she be wrong? Even if she was wrong, it wouldn't be that much different.
Undoubtedly, the young royal chef did not want her to become the champion of this cooking contest.
Becoming the champion means that Chu Qiao may enter the inner imperial dining room and come under the jurisdiction of Eunuch Lan. Chu Qiao still doesn't know much about Eunuch Lan, and the inner imperial dining room is specially used to prepare royal meals for the emperor and his ladies.
This is not where Chu Qiao wants to go.
Chu Qiao was thinking a lot and felt that there was something in the young imperial chef's words. She slowly raised her eyes, glanced at Eunuch Lan, and then at the presiding eunuch. Eunuch Lan's expression was cold, and the presiding eunuch gritted his teeth. If it was true,
If Chu Qiao won and won the first place in this game, what would it be like?
When she thought of this, Chu Qiao shuddered and felt that things were not that simple anymore. The last words of the young imperial chef were very important. He said that an apprentice who helped cook was more suitable for her. No matter how she heard these words, it reminded her.
After the young imperial chef returned to his seat, he sat down firmly. The muscular imperial chef was a little unhappy.
"Is there something wrong with your tongue? Why is it so salty? When does the Yujin sesame eels need to be arranged neatly?"
"It's not my tongue that's the problem, it's yours. Yu Jin Ma Xiang Eel, she did a good job, but after all, she is young, has little experience, and still owes a lot of heat. Is it possible for a little palace maid to really do this?
Did you become the royal chef in the imperial dining room?"
After saying that, the young imperial chef smiled slightly. This smile made the guy next to him scratch his hair. His face was full of suspicion, but he stopped talking.
When the presiding eunuch saw that there was a person with such evaluation results, he just went down the steps and then walked up with square steps.
"It seems that Li Chunxiang can indeed cook this dish, so yesterday's eel must have escaped accidentally. This incident was purely accidental, but your royal meal still owes the heat. In the future, you will have to cook with him when you are an apprentice.
The chef in the dining room should learn from it."
"Chunxiang knows."
Chu Qiao nodded in agreement. To be honest, she could only cook this one dish. If she really became the champion and was sent to the imperial kitchen to be the backup chef, her secret would be exposed. The young imperial chef would actually help her in disguise.
busy.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Chu Qiao was already very satisfied with the result. She took a step back knowingly, lowered her head, and stopped talking.
But occasionally, she could still feel the young imperial chef's direct gaze, which made her feel even more uneasy.