?

The duck was stuffed with ingredients that had been boiled. The glutinous rice had also been soaked in water. The water content inside could not be controlled completely. If it was directly thrown into the pot, it would definitely cause oil to splash.

Xu Le poured some light soy sauce into the water and used it to color the duck.

He kept spooning brownish-red soup from the pot onto the surface of the duck.

A few minutes later, it was placed in a pot to steam.

He turned the heat up to maximum. After waiting for nearly an hour, the duck became well cooked inside.

Next, he raised the pan and waited for the oil to boil until it was 80 percent hot.

Xu Le then fried the Eight Treasures Duck for about three minutes. After the surface was cooked with hot oil and the skin was golden brown, he could immediately fish it out.

He picked up his chopsticks and poked the skin of the duck. The skin of the duck was still crispy after being drenched in hot oil. After poking it open, there was a soft bang, and the hot fragrance rushed out.

The meat inside was soft and tender and wrapped in stuffing. He fed a piece into his mouth.

The eight ingredients had a fused and delicious flavor. The various ingredients were refreshing, fragrant, and tender. Some were crisp and salty, and the fusion was wonderful. The texture advanced layer by layer, and a long aftertaste appeared on the tip of the tongue.

“Hey, if you can’t remember, can’t you ask me? I know! Don’t just stand there. Time is precious.”

Li Qing reached out and pushed him. Xu Le opened his eyes. It had only been 30 seconds outside. He stood up straight and said, “I remember now.”

Shen Hui stared at her son with a worried expression, but in order not to burden him psychologically, she did not say anything and stood at the side, watching silently.

The Master Chef moved quickly and used the traditional method. Firstly, he stir-fried the eight ingredients, mixed it into the glutinous rice, and placed it in the steamer. Then, he stuffed it into the duck, poked small holes in the skin, and placed it in the oil pot to fry.

He fried before steaming.

Xu Le stared at the screen for a while and decisively chose the modified method he had developed in the system.

Sure enough, once the steps were out.

The host couldn’t help but ask, “Little Master Chef, did you use the wrong method? Don’t be nervous. Your assistant is right beside you. You can ask him.”

“No.”

Although Xu Le’s voice was soft, his tone did not allow for any rebuttal. The host felt awkward and immediately turned around to talk about other topics.

At the judges’ table, Song Deyue’s expression was dark. An old acquaintance came over and asked, “What do you think of Xu Le’s modification?”

“It depends on the situation and what it tastes like in the end.”

Song Deyue looked at the stage with a frown.

“Old Master, are you that afraid of Xu Le losing?”

“Hmph, didn’t we decide who would win from the beginning?” Song Deyue sighed, feeling very regretful. He sighed and said, “After this show ends, Xu Le’s peak of his career can only stop here.”

“It’s not just him. I’m afraid our entire industry will stagnate.”

The judges sighed. Everyone was deep in thought, and most of them looked pessimistic. Only Mr. Cai Lan watched Xu Le’s movements attentively and nodded in acknowledgement.

“Improving his methods according to the situation. Not bad. Quite a smart kid. I didn’t judge him wrongly previously.”

On the bullet screen, they saw Xu Le boiling the duck in the water for a few minutes before putting it into the steamer. Finally, he took it out and fried it. They were almost going crazy.

“Who would make Eight Treasure Duck like this?”

“Does he know how to cook or not? He isn’t pretending, right?”

“Doesn’t he know how to copy from others? Isn’t there a cooking method by the Master Chef on the screen?”

“I think it’s over. He should just forfeit and admit defeat.”

“If it’s delicious, I’ll immediately call him father.”

The two-hour countdown came to an end amid a barrage of sarcastic, uncomprehending comments.

After Xu Le plated the dish, he suddenly had an inspiration. He remembered that when it was steamed, there would be a lot of juice seeping out of the duck meat.

It would absorb the essence from the other ingredients. He immediately took a portion of the gravy from the steamer.

He added a little dark soya sauce and sugar to season it, and finally used water and flour to produce a thin layer of gravy. Over high heat, he allowed the gravy to evaporate slightly.

When the countdown bell rang, the bright brown and red sauce was evenly poured on the duck.

The Eight Treasures Duck was completely ready to be served.

Shen Hui’s palms were sweating as she watched from the side. When the plate was carried behind the wall by the staff, she heaved a sigh of relief and said, “That was close. It’s finally done. Lele, don’t worry.”

Xu Le looked up at her and thought, ‘What do I have to worry about?’

Shen Hui squeezed her son’s shoulder and said, “Don’t panic. This is just the preliminary round. They will ask the live audience to judge the next two rounds…”

Xu Le couldn’t help but interrupt her. “Erm, Mom, do you think I’ll definitely lose?”

“Ah.”

Shen Hui hesitated for a moment. “Of course not. Mommy definitely believes in you, but… who did you learn your culinary skills from?”

Xu Le said calmly, “I figured it out myself.”

That was also true. After all, he had explored and practiced in the system over and over again. His long efforts had not been in vain.

In order to be fair, the final product was served with the audience and judges’ backs facing them. However, there was still a live broadcast behind the wall.

They placed a circle of cooked broccoli on the two plates of Eight Treasure Duck to decorate it. Basically, the difference in quality could not be seen with the naked eye.

Only then did they bring it to the judges’ table.

When they ate, they cut the Eight Treasures Duck into a cross shape from the middle. The Eight Treasures filling had a beautiful mix of color and had the meaning of greater abundance the more one ate it.

Old Master Song picked up a spoon and scooped up a mouthful of fragrant, soft, and moist rice. He wrapped it with duck meat and duck skin and placed it in his mouth. The salty fragrance of the oil seeped into the glutinous rice grains. The skin was crispy and the meat was soft. The texture was very authentic.

When he’d finished, he rinsed his mouth and tried the other plate of Eight Treasures Duck.

The first thing he noticed was how crispy the duck meat was. It melted when he chewed it, but the outer skin was very crispy. The stuffing inside was crisp, and the ham was fragrant. The lotus seeds were soft and mushy… The taste of the two was very similar, but the latter was oily and fragrant, but not greasy at all.

Just as Song Deyue was about to pick the former, he tasted a trace of sweet fragrance in his mouth.

His pen paused for a moment before he chose the latter.

Soon, the judges tasted it and made their choices one after another.

“The texture of the two is very similar, but the subtle differences caused by the cooking method can still be tasted. One plate is crispy, and the taste of pepper is a little stronger. The other plate is light, and the texture is soft and refreshing.”

Xu Le frowned when he heard the sound of gold coins entering his account. He had a rough idea of the outcome.

Shen Hui leaned over and asked softly, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you win?”

“Mmm.”

Shen Hui could not hide the disappointment on her face. Just as she was about to comfort Xu Le, the host shouted, “The first miracle in the competition has appeared! 5 votes vs 5 votes, I announce that this is a draw!”

After Xu Le heard this, he looked at Zhang Tong below the stage, then turned around and ran.

He walked into the kitchen on the left and opened the curtains to the Master Chef’s kitchen.