novelraw Chapter 274 186: Meeting of the Three Head Chefs, Exchanging Snacks (Part 2)
Chapter 274 186: Meeting of the Three Head Chefs, Exchanging Snacks (Part 2)
Marchello looked at him meaningfully for a moment, then nodded first.
"No problem, a qualified chef must first respect the food culture of all countries. The taste should be what it is supposed to be. Unnecessary innovation, in my view, is also a waste of time and ingredients. I never engage in such innovations."
The two naturally believed his words, as no Michelin three-star chef would engage in such trivial matters—any innovation must be a masterpiece.
"Since both of you have suggestions, why don't I propose one as well?"
Nagishiro Sho pondered for a moment and then presented a third proposal.
"We'll assign each other a dish to prepare, avoiding ones that are too easy or too difficult, considering we only have half a day. Relying solely on videos and recipes, some complex dishes just can't be replicated."
"Alright."
"That's a good idea."
The next steps were simple. Everyone found a quiet corner to think about the recipes for their own dishes and the ones they would assign to others.
Lin Chen had already decided what he wanted to make, so he just needed to think of a dish for the other two.
Since Nagishiro Sho was Asian, he would be more familiar with various Asian ingredients, so the difficulty could be slightly increased. As for Chef Marchello… he is a Michelin three-star chef, after all, so setting the difficulty too low would be disrespectful.
"Well, that's true, but most street foods have relatively low difficulty, don't they?"
In his mind, dozens of street snacks flashed by, all easy to make and quick to serve.
"Wait a minute, got it!"
In a moment of inspiration, he slapped his thigh, thinking of a great dish.
Speaking of difficulty, this is certainly one of the more challenging street foods, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes incredibly simple.
To be honest, he hadn't really tried making it himself.
Looking around, he saw the other two were still deep in thought, searching for inspiration online. He quietly left his seat and went to the kitchen, rummaging through the cold storage to find a crate of strawberries.
Out-of-season fruits are common abroad, available in uniform size, appearance, and sweetness, nothing special.
Not only fruits, but even animals seem to be like this; all the rotisserie chickens, chicken breasts, wings, and legs in supermarkets are uniformly weighted and sized, showcasing full technological prowess.
He used a voucher to exchange for the recipe, read it carefully, and then began the preparation.
Not long, just about twenty minutes.
"Hmm?"
Nagishiro Sho's nostrils twitched slightly, detecting a faint sweetness and fruity aroma. Instinctively, he looked up to see Lin Chen coming out of the kitchen with a plate in his hand.
"Gentlemen, let's pause for a moment and see the dish I've prepared for you two."
Seeing the two types of food on the plate, both of their eyes showed signs of surprise.
"I've seen this before! I think it's quite famous; there's a shop in Paris that specializes in selling this."
Chef Marchello was the first to reach out and pick up a skewer of strawberries, examining it carefully.
The strawberries themselves were not unusual, coated with a semi-transparent crispy sugar shell, which made a hard 'thump' when tapped with a finger.
Not only had he seen it before, but he had also eaten it more than once. Usually, he bought it on the street while out with his daughter, but he had never tried making it himself.
Mainly because it didn't look particularly difficult, and he, a Michelin three-star chef, was well-versed in baking, having caramelized sugar many times before, not considering it a difficult task.
Apart from the candied strawberries, there was another type of strawberry on the tray, covered with a layer of what appeared to be sugary white powder.
Nagishiro Sho picked one up and gently tapped it with his fingertip, discovering that the powdery shell was actually crispy, though it looked like powder.
When he pressed his nail into it, the powdery shell started flaking off, and a small piece fell with a 'snap', revealing the juicy strawberry inside.
"One is candied strawberries, and the other is sugar-coated. These snacks are made 99% the same way, differing in only one step. Try them first, and then decide who will make which one."
"Hmm??"
Both looked up in surprise.
The two kinds of sugar-coated crispy shells looked entirely different, yet their production methods were 99% similar?
Marchello raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling that something was amiss.
If these were as simple as they looked, Lin Chen might not have brought them out easily, especially since standing before him was an authentic Michelin three-star chef and a chef akin to a Michelin one-star level, even an Asian who should know more about this.
He glanced at Nagishiro Sho, noting his confused expression.
This guy... why does he look so perplexed?
He doesn't know either???
No, are the culinary techniques of the Great Xia people so deeply hidden that even chefs from neighboring countries don't know?
As a chef from Romantic Country, not to mention neighboring countries, he had memorized most of the recipes from Europe, America, and Southeast Asia, yet his knowledge of East Asia was vague.
What he was most familiar with were sushi, kimchi, and fried rice.
So he couldn't understand why Nagishiro Sho wasn't clear about the culinary techniques of neighboring countries' delicacies.
"Crunch"
Nagishiro Sho casually tossed the sugar-coated strawberry into his mouth, producing a slightly crispy sound when bitten.
It looked unique in shape, but the taste wasn't anything special—just the sweetness of sugar combined with the sweet and sour nature of strawberries, similar to dipping fruit into a chocolate fountain, eating it for novelty's sake.
He then tried the candied strawberry, finding the sugar shell much harder than expected and needing a bit of force to break it.
The chewing experience was oddly similar to eating sweet glass shards.
Seeing that he had started eating, Marchello didn't hesitate much and tried both foods separately.
"Since the method for making these two sugar coatings is almost the same, it doesn't really matter which one we choose. It's the guest's choice, so Mr. Nagishiro, you go first."
"Then I'll go with this one—I'll make whatever I'm given."
Nagishiro Sho picked up another sugar-coated strawberry for closer inspection, seemingly trying to deduce its method by observation.
"You can search online for how these things are made. Just include Great Xia keywords and search for candied strawberries; this sugar-coating method is considered one of the failed states, later developed for commercial value."
"Alright, we'll finalize the dishes soon, too."
"How about this?"
Marchello reached out: "Since you know how to make it, instead of wasting time searching for videos online, maybe you could demonstrate it once—it would be clearer."
"That works."
Lin Chen didn't mind at all; after all, the pot hadn't been washed in the kitchen yet, and making it didn't take long.
The most important thing was that watching videos would explain the details, making it really easy, so he deliberately prepared it quickly, enticing them to take the bait.
Confident chefs would have the illusion of mastery just from watching once, and he wouldn't teach a word during his demonstration, purely showing, thereby adding some invisible difficulty to the process.
The follow-up went as he hoped. The process of demonstrating the caramelization didn't garner much attention until the strawberries were coated in syrup and sugar-coating, where their expressions were brimming with confidence.
"It doesn't seem hard, Lin, are you sure you want to set this?"
"Yes, and since it's not a competition but merely promoting each other's national foods, there's no need to complicate things, right?"
"That's true, so be it."
Shortly after, they each decided on their respective assigned dishes.
Nagishiro Sho proposed takoyaki and taiyaki, while Marchello suggested crêpes and socca, a pancake made with chickpea flour.
Both proposed dishes shared a similar feature: they all required batter preparation.
As long as they could master the batter recipe, the taste of the finished dishes wouldn't disappoint.
The difficulty of crêpes and socca was arguably the lowest on site. Any chef who had spent time in Romantic Country could make them, without any need for a demonstration.