The next thirty minutes were filled with chopping sounds and sizzle as both chefs dipped their vegetables on the batter before dropping it to cook in the hot oil.
“Ye Xieren knows the in and out of the bento box, but Lu Xinyi can’t be underestimated at this time. There were several instances where Ye Xieren almost beat her, but the latter was able to prove that she always has a hidden tramp card on her sleeve,” the headmistress commented. Since the two collided during their entrance exams, Ye Xieren and Lu Xinyi had been neck and neck.
“Ye Xieren was far more artistic than Lu Xinyi while she’s one of the best junior chefs that have the best palate. Lu Xinyi had a record of beating everyone when it comes to replication challenges,” she continued.
“Ten minutes remaining! Please pay attention to the dishes you haven’t started yet!” Huo Meili’s voice reminded the two of the ticking time.
“By now, they should be double-checking everything, making sure they haven’t forgotten anything on their bento boxes. They also need to taste and prepare their dips and sauces.” Qin Jiahao named a few things the two students needed to do.
Han Zhiling leaned slightly towards He Haotian and pointed a finger towards Lu Xinyi.
“Lu Xinyi nailed that batter. She lightly coated the shrimps and vegetables in the cake flour before dredging in the batter. This allows the batter to adhere better. Another thing she keeps in mind is to be somewhat minimal when coating the ingredients with batter. If there is too much batter, the outside might be crispy; but the inside could be mushy.”
The Michelin chef grinned back, his eyes reflecting pride for his chosen apprentice.
“Why, of course, Miss Han. Teaching her the basics in cooking has really paid off, and you don’t know how hard it was for me and for Kawas.h.i.+ma.” He Haotian acted pitifully but continued to explain the process behind making perfect tempura.
“If you make battered fried food often enough, you’ll be aware there are good recipes and methods; and there are others that end with heavy, oily results. So when it comes to tempura, following a few tricks when making the batter will ensure success.
“First, like what Xin’er did, she made sure to use cold or ice water; this is important to prevent the batter from absorbing too much oil. You also want to use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour; the lower content of protein helps minimize the formation of gluten in the batter which prevents a bready crust.
“When combining the ingredients, one shouldn’t over mix the batter. You actually want it to be somewhat lumpy. Using a few chopsticks in a kind of stabbing motion will help combine the ingredients without mixing them too much. Definitely, one shouldn’t use a whisk as this will activate the glutens and create a chewy coating. And do not prepare the batter ahead of time—it is better to make the batter right before frying tempura.”
These were the pointers and tricks Chef Kawas.h.i.+ma taught Lu Xinyi. It was like an info dump forced into her, but with trial and error, she was able to understand the concept and logic behind them.
“Making tempura doesn’t only rely on the batter itself,” Qin Jiahao joined their talk. He was p.i.s.sed, but what He Haotian said was right. With Lu Xinyi being Lu Sibai’s daughter and He Haotian as her mentor, Ye Xieren would have a hard time surpa.s.sing her anytime soon.
“One of the most important things when deep frying is the temperature of the oil. The right temperature to fry tempura is around 340 F to 360 F. If you don’t have a thermometer, one can check the temperature by dropping a little bit of batter into the oil; if the batter comes up right away instead of sinking to the bottom of the pan, it’s higher than 370 F and too hot. If the batter goes halfway to the bottom and comes up, it’s just right, about 340 to 360 F.
“I see that you two are still as sharp as ever.” The sole woman at the judge’s table chuckled.
“Miss Han, almost everything about cooking good food is based on the right measurements and temperature.” He Haotian shrugged his shoulders and sighed before continuing what Qin Jiahao said.
“When adding food to hot oil, the temperature of the oil drops so make sure you maintain the oil temperature by raising the heat when needed—or lowering it if the oil gets too hot. If the temperature is not hot enough, the batter will absorb too much oil and won’t get crispy; if the oil is too hot, the tempura will burn. The tempura should be surrounded by bubbles as it cooks; as the bubbles get larger, it means it is almost done cooking. Most ingredients only need two to three minutes for each side.”
Headmistress Han chimed in.
“Since they are frying both seafood and vegetables, they should fry the vegetables first; then, fry the seafood. As the tempura cooks, they must drizzle some batter using their fingers over each—this is called ‘hana o sakaseru’ which makes the tempura even crispier.
“Ye Xieren wouldn’t have a problem with it. I’m confident he’ll win this cooking battle.” Qin Jiahao glared daggers at He Haotian.
“Ha! In your dreams, Jiahao! Your Ye Xieren is still a kid, he should call Xin’er Mommy after beating his a.s.s again,” He Haotian replied arrogantly, laughing at Qin Jiahao’s red face.
“Ah, but your Lu Xinyi is still a little girl. She should call Xieren Grandpa after her humiliating defeat later.”
The Michelin chef grabbed Chef Qin’s collar, forcing him to face him.
“Who are you calling a little girl, huh? You can’t even win a single round to her father!” he spat out.
“Why, you…!”
Han Zhiling sighed and looked away. These two were on it again. They never grew up, ah. She could almost see the usual thing happening years ago when they were younger except that Lu Sibai wasn’t alive anymore.
Her eyes landed at Lu Sibai’s daughter. Never did she think that she’d be able to see and taste Lu Sibai’s dishes after his pa.s.sing. His daughter was clearly following his steps, ignoring her future to become the rightful heiress of the Sun family. She could only wish that the tragic end of Lu Sibai wouldn’t befall on Lu Xinyi.
“Five more minutes, guys! You have five more minutes left!” Huo Meili’s voice resounded throughout the arena. “Please make sure that the major components of your bento box are ready!”
‘The pressure is on,’ Han Zhiling thought, ignoring the two men arguing beside her. ‘They should start plating by now.’
Ye Xieren and Lu Xinyi doubled up their speed and started a.s.sembling their bento boxes while keeping an eye to the last batch of tempura they left over the stove. They were in panic mode as they ran back and forth between their counters as they started plating their boxes.
“You have one minute!”
Lu Xinyi took a quick taste of her dishes before placing them into three bento boxes. She had to make sure that everything was seasoned well before serving. It was only when she heard the crowd starting a countdown from ten that she panicked.
“Ten!”
“Nine!”
“Eight!”
Lu Xinyi’s hand trembled a little when she placed her marinated tofu into three bento boxes before adding the finis.h.i.+ng touches to the other dishes.
“Seven!”
“Six!”
Ye Xieren was redoing his plating and arranged the last tempura in the center of the box. He could feel his sweat running down his forehead. The chant from the audience area was ringing in his ears.
“Five!”
“Four!”
“Three!”
“Two!”
“One!”
“Hands up and stop cooking!”
Ye Xieren and Lu Xinyi lifted their hands in the air at the same time and looked around. They both looked exhausted and tired, but their burning pa.s.sion to win didn’t diminish in their eyes.
When the timer reached zero, Huo Meili announced the end of the third round.
“It’s time for the judges to taste your bento boxes. Miss Lu, Mr. Ye, please head in front and present your dishes.”