Chapter 00162: Stir fried Cabbage
# Stir-fried Cabbage
Chapter 162
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 162: Stir-fried Cabbage
Though Ding Huan could find his way to the culinary competition hall without anyone leading him, he still asked a maid for direction before arriving outside the hall.
“Lao Liu, wait for me out here,” he instructed.
Once inside the hall, Ding Huan noticed there were eleven people seated, and at the sight of him, they all cast unfriendly glances in his direction.
It seemed word had spread that the young lady was only looking for one chef, so each additional person would only cut into their own chances.
As he scanned the room, he realized most of the others had some level of cultivation.
This led him to suspect that there weren’t many real chefs here; like him, most were probably just there to secure a spot in the realm of immortals.
They were likely headed to the kitchen for a cooking showdown soon.
Just as his thoughts were drifting toward the kitchen, a group of people entered, carrying various ingredients.
In the center of the hall, a long table had been set up, and all the ingredients were piled on it.
Soon after, a dozen mobile stoves were brought in, placed on either side of the ingredient table.
A slightly older woman, accompanied by a few maids, stepped in and looked at Ding Huan and the other twelve chefs.
“Please feel free to take the ingredients here, and each of you will prepare one dish. Once the dishes are cooked, the young lady will come personally to taste them. You may begin.”
Several chefs stood up, and Ding Huan followed suit.
With so many ingredients available, it was clear they would not run out, so there was no need to scramble for anything.
Seeing the calmness of his actions, some chefs looked a bit confused.
One of them, anxious, said, “We didn’t bring pots, and there are only stoves here. How are we supposed to cook?”
The older woman cast a disdainful glance at the group of chefs before coldly replying, “If you can't even bring a pot, how can you call yourself a chef? Take those who didn’t bring pots and send them out.”
“Ah…” The chefs who hadn’t brought pots were stunned.
Earlier, they had sneered at the few chefs who had brought their pots and bowls, thinking it unnecessary in the esteemed Jin Residence.
Only now did they realize that the foolish ones were indeed themselves.
Ding Huan noticed that aside from himself, only six others had brought pots.
Some of the chefs being sent out turned to glare at him, realizing he also hadn’t brought a pot.
But the next moment, Ding Huan disappointed them; he pulled a pot out from his backpack.
This action even earned a nod of approval from the older woman.
Only someone who had a true passion for cooking would always carry their pot with them.
The other chefs had begun selecting ingredients, and Ding Huan was surprised to see that all the meat was actually from demonic beasts, and of rather high quality too.
He had his eye on a piece of Tianxiang rabbit meat, but just as he was about to reach for it, another chef who was closer snatched it away.
Ding Huan noticed this chef already had a piece of deer meat and was clearly intent on preventing him from getting the rabbit meat.
At that moment, only two words echoed in Ding Huan’s mind: idiot.
He didn’t need to scan the area with his spirit sense, as he was sure the young lady must be observing everything.
If he was entrusting his future meals to someone, he would pay close attention to the chefs as well.
Feeling no desire to fight over the Tianxiang rabbit, Ding Huan was about to grab a different piece of meat when he suddenly spotted a vegetable that resembled cabbage.
He recognized it as Qianjia vegetable, which he had eaten in Jihe City and had even tried cooking himself.
This vegetable was quite cheap and was common among ordinary people, hence its name, akin to cabbage in this other realm.
Qianjia vegetable had the benefit of cutting through greasiness and aiding digestion.
Unlike ordinary cabbage, the root of this vegetable was green, the middle part yellow, and the top part white.
Without hesitation, Ding Huan picked up the Qianjia vegetable.
Given the luxurious surroundings of the Jin Residence, it was likely that the lady, Guan Luo, was used to eating various types of demonic beast meat daily.
Eating too much meat could be overwhelming, so it would be better to serve her some vegetables to relieve the grease.
Among the seven chefs, only Ding Huan chose to focus solely on vegetables.
Other chefs, while also selecting some vegetables, primarily focused on creating meat dishes.
In terms of dish selection, Ding Huan’s choice was a success, as it drew nearly all eyes toward him.
Cooking demonic beast meat was something they had all seen countless times and was rather tiresome.
Everyone was curious about what Ding Huan could come up with using only Qianjia vegetables.
He set his pot on the mobile stove and casually ladled some water to wash it three times.
This action prompted a nod of approval from the woman overseeing the cooking competition.
Among all the chefs present, only Ding Huan had bothered to wash his pot three times.
The others merely rinsed their pots off lightly, and one even began cooking without washing at all, indicating his inexperience as a chef.
Taking his time, Ding Huan carefully separated and chopped the Qianjia vegetable, washing it several times again.
Even the maids noticed that Ding Huan was much more meticulous about cleanliness than the other chefs.
None of the meat-focused chefs washed their meat, diving right in to start cooking.
While the maids might not have understood the importance of proper preparation, the woman overseeing the competition certainly did.
She knew that washing demonic beast meat was a significant mistake, as it would cause the beast energy to dissipate.
Aware of this, she couldn’t help but feel disdain toward the other chefs.
After finishing the washing, Ding Huan didn’t rush to start frying the vegetables; instead, he patiently waited for the Qianjia vegetable to drain.
The real reason for this was that he knew his dish would only take a minute to finish, and if the vegetable became too cooled, it would turn mushy and spoil the taste.
Meanwhile, those cooking the meat would take longer.
When he felt the time was right, Ding Huan finally started the fire and placed the pot on the stove.
Once the pot was heated, he added some pure oil, and when that was hot enough, he tossed in the chopped Qianjia vegetable and began to stir-fry.
Now, all eyes were on him, as everyone seemed speechless.
Ding Huan had previously drawn them in with his actions, but now looked like he was simply doing the bare minimum.
He poured the vegetables into the hot oil and began to fry?
Was this really how one cooked? It felt far too easy to be considered actual cooking.
Anyone with hands could probably do this!
In just one minute, Ding Huan began to plate his dish while the others were still in disbelief.
Was that all? If they excluded the time he had spent washing the pot and vegetables, how long had he truly spent on this dish?
In the midst of their astonishment, a girl with her face covered by a veil entered the hall.
“Miss,” everyone greeted her respectfully upon her arrival.
The girl was indeed Guan Luo, the young lady of the Jin Residence, the very person seeking a chef to cook for her on the path to the realm of immortals.
The remaining chefs hurriedly sped up their cooking as soon as they saw her.
Though he hadn’t used his spiritual sense to scan, Ding Huan was well aware that this young lady had likely been watching him the whole time.
Seeing his dish was ready, she had come right in to check.
Perhaps it was her presence that prompted the other chefs to hasten their pace.
Soon, all seven chefs, including Ding Huan, finished their dishes.
“Miss, all the dishes are ready. Shall I have them served for you to taste?” the woman hosting the competition asked hastily.
Guan Luo nodded in response, “Very well, have them brought in.”
Seven plates of dishes were set before her, yet the eyes of all, including those of the other chefs, were drawn to Ding Huan’s plate of stir-fried Qianjia vegetable.
Despite its simple presentation, it looked quite appetizing.
The yellows, greens, and whites were all perfectly balanced on the plate.
Shining and glistening, it was a feast for the eyes.
“Alright, you all wait outside for the results,” the middle-aged woman told the chefs.
All the chefs hurried to tidy their things and left the hall, with Ding Huan also placing his pot back into his bag before stepping out.
Once everyone had exited, Guan Luo finally lifted her veil and picked up a piece of Qianjia vegetable, putting it in her mouth.
Clearly, she had been eager to try Ding Huan’s dish.
As for the other chefs’ creations, she was utterly tired of them, finding nothing particularly special.
It was evident that the supervisor had been too lenient, allowing such inept candidates to come for auditions.
The Qianjia vegetable was accompanied by a light fragrance upon entering her mouth.
A gentle crunch met her teeth, delivering a familiar yet unique flavor that flooded her taste buds.
Guan Luo was taken aback; how could an ordinary vegetable taste this delightful? The chef’s skills must be extraordinary, returning to the essence of cooking!
She quickly took several more bites, and before long, half the plate of Qianjia vegetables was gone.
“Miss, would you like to try the other meat dishes?” the middle-aged woman couldn’t help but ask when she noticed the young lady focusing solely on the Qianjia vegetables.
Guan Luo set down her chopsticks, “Call in the chef who prepared the Qianjia vegetables. The rest can be sent away.”
The middle-aged woman paused in surprise.
Had the young lady already made up her mind to choose without even tasting the other dishes?
Yet, she quickly kept her thoughts to herself and replied, “Yes.”
While Ding Huan and the other six chefs were waiting, someone emerged from the hall.
They recognized it was the woman overseeing the competition, and everyone watched her nervously.
She pointed at Ding Huan, “You are hired. Follow me in. The others may leave.”
Ding Huan let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
He had finally succeeded.
(End of Chapter)