Chapter 1203

Nie Yuan brought out many precious ingredients, and one look showed they had been meticulously prepared.

As for Ye Changqing's side, it was much simpler.

A piece of Fire Spirit pork, and then some simple seasonings like green onions, ginger, and star anise.

Compared to Nie Yuan, it looked very shabby.

"Heh, kid, do you intend to win against me with just a piece of Fire Spirit pork?"

Nie Yuan said with disdain. Hearing this, Ye Changqing turned his head and glanced at him.

The ingredients were indeed good, but having ingredients alone was not enough.

"Young Master Ye, is there no problem with using such simple ingredients?"

Even Tang Yao felt uneasy in his heart. When Ye Changqing had stated the ingredients he needed earlier, Tang Yao had been stunned.

Was something this simple really enough?

This time he had bet the entire Tang family; if they lost, the consequences...

Facing Tang Yao's worry, Xu Jie and the others were full of confidence.

"Don't worry, Junior Brother Changqing cannot possibly lose."

They didn't worry about the outcome at all.

While everyone was talking, Ye Changqing and Nie Yuan began their work one after another.

First, he minced the Fire Spirit pork to make meat paste.

The Fire Spirit pork, minced entirely by hand, was even more chewy and resilient.

Afterward, Ye Changqing took out a large bowl, put the minced pork into it, and added a series of seasonings like minced green onions, ginger, salt, and chicken essence.

Finally, there was cornstarch and two eggs.

"This kid..."

Nie Yuan couldn't understand Ye Changqing's actions at all. He glanced over, feeling suspicious in his heart. What kind of dish was he trying to make?

Not caring about Nie Yuan, after adding the various seasonings, Ye Changqing began to knead and throw the meat.

Throwing it was to make the meat paste more firm and tight.

Then, he shaped it into individual meatballs.

"Is Junior Brother Changqing planning to make a new dish?"

Seeing this, Xu Jie and the others guessed that Ye Changqing was making a new dish; they had never seen it before.

Actually, the dish Ye Changqing was making was a very simple Braised Lion's Head.

It wasn't particularly complex, at least not on the same level as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall or Boiled Cabbage in Clear Soup.

However, making Braised Lion's Head well was also quite particular.

Once the preliminary preparation work was finished, Ye Changqing began to deep-fry them.

But unlike others, before frying, Ye Changqing coated the meatballs in a layer of egg wash.

This was mainly to ensure the tenderness of the meat.

The frying time didn't need to be too long; it only needed to successfully set the shape of the meatballs.

The only thing that needed attention was that the oil temperature had to be sufficient; if it was too low, the meatballs would easily crack.

After frying, it was time to prepare the soup base.

He added star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, lotus leaves, and so on, along with some dark soy sauce.

He placed the fried Braised Lion's Head into the soup, brought it to a boil over high heat, and then covered it with a layer of cabbage leaves.

The main purpose of the cabbage leaves was to absorb the grease, making the Braised Lion's Head less greasy to eat.

After finishing all this, Ye Changqing covered the pot and began to wait.

Actually, by this point, Ye Changqing's work was already finished; all that remained was to wait for the time to pass.

He sat in front of the stove, having nothing to do.

"Junior Brother, you're already done?"

"Yes, just wait for the time to be up."

Xu Jie and the others walked up curiously, and Ye Changqing nodded with a smile.

It was done so quickly? Xu Jie and the others looked at the large pot in front of them with suspicion.

Nie Yuan, on the other hand, was still busy, looking as if he were showing off his skills.

It formed a complete contrast to the relaxed and easygoing manner on Ye Changqing's side.

"Heh, what a waste."

Seeing that Ye Changqing had already sat down, Nie Yuan snorted coldly. Did he think he could win against him like this?

It seemed he had given up on himself.

Not caring about what others thought, Ye Changqing chatted with Xu Jie and the others while waiting for the Lion's Head in the pot to be finished.

Actually, cooking isn't about how flashy it looks; that doesn't mean you can make it well.

Many times, making things flashy is useless; after all, the final result depends on the taste.

Like Nie Yuan, using so many ingredients, both mountain delicacies and seafood.

It looks extremely luxurious, but does he really have the ability to blend the deliciousness of so many ingredients together?

One must know that different ingredients have vastly different tastes.

The more ingredients you use, the more difficult it is to blend them and manifest their true deliciousness; it is a greater test of one's foundation.

Therefore, using more ingredients doesn't mean it's the best.

Keeping it simple often yields unexpected results.

"Young Master Ye, is there no problem?"

If there was anyone nervous, it was Tang Yao. There was no helping it; the future of his Tang family depended on Ye Changqing.

Seeing him so relaxed, Tang Yao felt even less certain.

How much time had passed, and he was already sitting down to rest? Nie Yuan hadn't stopped from start to finish.

"Don't worry, old family head Tang."

Ye Changqing nodded quite calmly. While speaking, he glanced at Nie Yuan. Going too far is as bad as not going far enough.

At this time, Nie Yuan finally finished processing the numerous ingredients, and the next step was cooking.

And as Nie Yuan moved, Tang Yao's expression became increasingly ugly.

"This... this... this guy has broken through to a ninth-grade spirit chef?"

Only then did Tang Yao realize that this old thing, Nie Yuan, had actually broken through; he had already reached the level of a ninth-grade spirit chef.

He had been tricked by this old thing; it was truly damnable.

He was already nervous, and now Tang Yao felt even less certain.

A ninth-grade spirit chef—there were only three in the entire Central Continent.

Even Elder Li, who had been silent all along, looked at Nie Yuan with a bit more shock now.

Nie Yuan had broken through; with this, the Nie family was likely about to take off.

And this time, the Tang family was likely going to suffer heavily. With such high stakes, the Tang family would probably really decline in the future.

Looking at Ye Changqing and Tang Yao with some sympathy, he thought to himself. ===== CHAPTER 1204 =====