Chapter 91 Spicy Crab

Chapter 91: Spicy Crab

"Welcome to the live broadcast of the second round of the Supernova Culinary Competition! First, let's congratulate the 30 contestants who successfully advanced from the previous round. They now face even more formidable challenges!"

[Here to see the royal family get a taste of humble pie!]

[This round, I'm keeping a hawk's eye on that masked guy. If the production team tries any more shady, secretive tricks, don't blame me for reporting them!]

[I believe in Ash. A few baseless hate posts won't condemn the streamer in my book. Not on my watch!]

"Please welcome our three esteemed judges and the 30 contestants to the stage!"

The host turned and applauded as the three judges appeared in the judging area, smiling and acknowledging the camera. The 30 contestants gathered at the center of the stage.

Lucas stood tall at the front of the group, his competitive spirit blazing. If Yu Ning hadn't advised him against being too eager, he would have already exposed Yu Xin, that charlatan hiding behind a mask.

Yu Xin, meanwhile, stood further back, his face obscured by the mask, making his expression unreadable. Yet, his posture was relaxed, showing none of the guilt everyone had imagined.

The other contestants' eyes darted between the two, trying to discern something.

They had, of course, followed the drama of the past few days. Though they were all participants in the same competition, frankly, they didn't know how skilled Ash truly was. In the first round, everyone had been completely engrossed in their own cooking, with no time to observe others.

The atmosphere was subtly tense, and the live chat was even more boisterous. The host, maintaining his professional composure, continued unfazed, "Next, I will announce the rules for the second round. Please listen carefully."

"The second round will be a one-on-one battle. Only the winning contestant will successfully advance to the next round. Losing contestants will be placed in standby. The three judges hold revival slots and can choose one contestant to revive. If more than two judges vote for revival, that contestant will directly receive a second chance."

"As for opponent matching, we won't be drawing lots or randomly assigning pairs. Instead—" The host flashed a knowing smile.

"You will personally choose your opponent!"

"Contestants can actively challenge other contestants. The challenged contestant may refuse. If multiple contestants choose the same person, the chosen contestant will select one from among them to form a pair. Contestants who are not chosen will automatically be paired up."

Lucas felt these rules were tailor-made for him. He was the first to speak, "I'd like to issue a challenge."

He turned, his gaze fixed on the back of the contestant group. "Though you hardly deserve the word 'challenge'... Ash, do you dare accept?"

[Whoa, whoa, this is getting exciting!]

[Yes!! Exactly! Send him packing in one round!]

[Lucas is a true man, reclaiming the top spot he lost!]

[Does Ash dare to accept? Hahahaha!]

The crowd automatically parted, revealing Yu Xin, who stood unmoving in his spot.

Under the gaze of all, the young man replied in his usual calm tone, "I accept."

Their eyes met across the space.

Lucas detected no fear in his opponent's eyes. On the contrary, he sensed a hint of excitement—the thrill of facing a worthy adversary.

Something felt off to Lucas. In his mind, Yu Xin should have been trembling, afraid to confront him, trying every possible way to avoid him.

But why? Was he just an excellent actor, or had the production team given him too much confidence?

This was a one-on-one challenge. He would be able to observe Yu Xin's entire cooking process, and with three judges evaluating, it was impossible for all of them to be bribed.

What gave him such audacity?

Lucas gritted his back teeth. No matter the source of Yu Xin's confidence, he would utterly defeat him, showing him what a true head chef was capable of.

The remaining contestants also formed pairs, and the host continued, "This round's theme is—Conquering the Palate."

The contestants sprang into action, selecting ingredients and preparing their dishes.

Yu Xin's shoulder was bumped. He turned to see Lucas standing behind him. "I'll be watching you closely. Don't even think about pulling any tricks."

Yu Xin met his gaze calmly. "Suit yourself. But I think it's better for a chef to focus on their own dish while cooking."

"Don't you dare lecture me, kid."

Lucas scoffed dismissively and turned away.

Unfazed, Yu Xin quickly organized his thoughts, formulating his approach.

Conquering the palate…

A clear idea began to form in his mind. He quickly went to select his ingredients and seasonings.

This round still had a two-hour time limit. For preparing an elaborate dish, this time was quite tight. The other contestants also immediately sprang into action.

True to his word, Lucas chose a spot directly opposite Yu Xin, occasionally glancing over.

Yu Xin remained completely unaffected, methodically adding water to the flour, mixing, and kneading. The dough quickly took shape in his hands.

[What is Ash making? Noodles? Pancakes? It couldn't be steamed buns, could it?]

[His technique doesn't look like he's unskilled. I don't understand, let's wait and see.]

[Even if he can knead dough, how can he compare to a Silver Shell Three-Star Head Chef? Just waiting for the masked guy to be humiliated.]

[Exactly, anyone can put on a good show. What matters is the taste.]

Unlike the previous round, which deliberately cultivated an air of mystery, this round the production team knew exactly what the audience wanted. Yu Xin was given ample screen time, and the entire process of his cooking was broadcast live for viewers to see.

He rolled out the dough, cut it, and gently stretched it—noodles quickly took form in Yu Xin's hands. Then he began preparing the crabs, selecting medium-sized swimming crabs, removing the inedible parts like gills, stomach, and heart, cutting them into pieces, and setting them aside.

Meanwhile, Lucas also began preparing his dish.

He excelled at cooking high-end, expensive ingredients, and this time was no exception. He chose black truffles, caviar, and foie gras, planning to make a foie gras mousse.

He blended foie gras, heavy cream, gelatin solution, and a small amount of chopped black truffle into a paste to create the mousse. Then he sautéed minced onions, garlic, and various mushrooms in butter, added them to a sauce, and puréed everything into a wild mushroom base. The next layer was the foie gras mousse, topped with high-quality caviar and garnished with gold leaf.

Time passed quickly, and Lucas was nearing the final stages. A competition like this didn't require his full effort, but to ensure Yu Xin's defeat was as humiliating as possible, he still poured at least ninety percent of his skill into it.

He looked up at his opponent again, and this time, even the experienced Lucas was taken aback.

Half an hour earlier, Yu Xin had already prepared his ingredients. Yet now, half an hour later, those ingredients remained untouched on the counter.

What was he doing?

It seemed like... he was making a drink?

Lucas watched as Yu Xin added cucumber, lime, mint leaves, and other ingredients into three ice-filled glasses, leisurely mixing drinks as if he had forgotten he was in the middle of a competition, with completely raw ingredients still sitting beside him.

[What is Ash doing? Time is running out!]

[No way, the main ingredients are still on the table, and he's actually bothering to make drinks?]

[Is he planning to just give up when time runs out without finishing, so he can save face?]

[LOL, trying to salvage his pride afterward by saying he didn’t lose to Lucas, just didn’t finish the dish? Honestly, isn't this just not taking the competition seriously?]

Lucas thought the exact same thing. Yu Xin looked like he was about to throw in the towel. He let out a cold sneer, showing no mercy as he continued perfecting his dish.

With just ten minutes left, Yu Xin finally sprang into action.

He heated the wok, added oil, and once it was hot, added the aromatics.

Ginger, garlic, chili powder, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and red oil broad bean paste. He swirled a splash of baijiu around the edge of the wok, then set aside the red oil.

He returned the red oil to the wok, stir-fried until fragrant, then tossed in the crab pieces. After three minutes of high-heat stir-frying, he poured in a large splash of yellow wine, followed by wild chilies, fermented black beans, and fermented rice wine. Finally, he added scallion segments and minced garlic.

As the ingredients sizzled over high heat, an intense, overpowering aroma erupted from his station.

The scent was so potent that it seized everyone’s attention the moment it hit their noses. A strange scene unfolded: despite the tight time constraints, every contestant in the kitchen—whether plating or still frantically cooking—almost simultaneously paused what they were doing.

"What's that smell? Why is it so incredibly fragrant?"

They sniffed the air, searching for the source, until their eyes finally settled on one person—the only one still actively cooking.

[Hey, hey, why did they all stop moving?]

[Am I seeing things? Why is everyone looking at Ash?]

The live chat couldn't smell the aroma, but the drone camera, understanding the moment, followed everyone's gaze and zoomed in on Yu Xin's freshly cooked dish, which he was preparing to plate.

The spicy crab, half-submerged in a glistening red oil broth, shimmered, steaming enticingly.

[What… what is this? Why am I drooling…]

[Honestly, if you tell me this doesn’t taste amazing, I won’t believe you.]

[Where are those people who accused the streamer of using special effects and filters? Are you watching now? The show’s livestream footage has no special effects or filters, you know.]

Yu Xin plated his dish adhering to the "less is more" principle of culinary competitions. Each plate held half a crab, generously drizzled with the rich sauce and garnished with finely shredded green scallions.

Once the dishes were plated, he performed the final step: pouring the chilled sparkling water into the glasses. Doing this at the last moment ensured the perfect texture and taste.

"Ding!" Yu Xin rang the bell.

"Ash's dish is ready."

The automated food cart carried both contestants’ dishes to the judges’ room, with Yu Xin and Lucas following behind.

"Oh? It’s the two of you," Felix said, clapping his hands with keen interest. "I’ve been looking forward to this."

He took an exaggerated sniff. "I believe I can already smell it. So, whose dish shall we start with?"

Lucas had rung the bell first, so by the rules, his dish was tasted first.

The three judges finished tasting, their expressions relaxing slightly. Ms. Luo Lan nodded in approval.

Next was Yu Xin’s dish. When the plates were set before them, the judges looked uncertain—it’s rare in professional cooking competitions to serve crab still in the shell.

"Gloves are provided for you beside the plate," Yu Xin reminded them politely.

"Fine." Felix was the first to put on the gloves, picking up half a crab to taste. The other two followed suit.

The crab meat, stir-fried for just about three minutes, remained tender and juicy. With a gentle squeeze, the meat came loose easily, still coated with crab roe and a thin layer of red oil. They put it in their mouths, then lightly sucked the broth from the shell—spicy, savory, and utterly satisfying.

The three judges ate intently, none speaking for a moment.

"I’ve also prepared noodles to mix with the broth."

Yu Xin stepped forward to toss the noodles for them personally. The pre-cooked noodles were mixed into the spicy crab broth, then topped with a garnish of stir-fried crab roe and meat, creating a second dish: crab roe noodles.

The portion was tiny, just two small bites each, and the three judges finished it quickly.

"Finally, the sparkling water. It’s perfect for cleansing the palate after such bold flavors."

The tall glasses held cucumber slices, mint leaves, and ice, condensation beading on the sides. After the rich, spicy crab, a sip of the sweet, tangy, chilled sparkling water—with its refreshing hints of mint and cucumber—soothed their spice-tingled taste buds instantly.

A flawless pairing.

Ms. Luo Lan remained relatively restrained, but Chen Hongyun and Felix nearly finished their entire glasses.

After eating and drinking, the three judges fell silent, as if still savoring the experience.

[What’s wrong with the judges… why aren’t they saying anything? 0.o]

[Haha, I’d be speechless too if I ate something that good.]

[Spicy crab with noodles and ice-cold sparkling water—there’s no way this combo could be bad.]

Lucas grew uneasy. He’d competed many times but had never seen judges look so lost in thought.

Time for comments.

Felix spoke first: "Lucas, you performed well, living up to the standard of a Silver Shell Three-Star Head Chef. If you continue working in restaurants, I’m certain your restaurant will make this year’s list."

"As for Ash… honestly, after tasting your dish, I only have one question," Felix rubbed his hands together, seeming almost embarrassed.

"Please go ahead, Mr. Grant."

"Do you have any more of that spicy crab?"

Everyone laughed—except Lucas.

"Of course, sir, but I believe you still have other dishes to taste."

"Yes, you’re right." Felix sighed regretfully.

Ms. Luo Lan spoke next: "Ash, you’ve given us a dilemma. I’ve never eaten crab like this before. Forgive my bluntness, but it’s not exactly elegant for a lady."

"However, the flavor makes up for any shortcomings. The crab is excellent—rich and spicy without being greasy. What’s rare is that the crab’s natural sweetness wasn’t overwhelmed at all. The crab roe noodles were also delicious. The only downside is the portion was too small."

"You’ve surprised me once again." Ms. Luo Lan smiled.

"Thank you." Yu Xin gave a slight bow, offering a courteous gesture to the lady.

Finally, Chen Hongyun spoke: "I don’t have much to add. Both dishes were impeccable in taste. But one thing intrigues me, Ash. Could you elaborate on your drink?"

"Of course. This sparkling water is made with cucumber, lime, mint, and tonic water. I used homemade elderflower syrup for sweetness and added a small sprig of fresh thyme for extra flavor," Yu Xin explained.

"No wonder. The slight bitterness of the tonic water and the herbal note from the thyme balanced the seasoning, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste. A very clever approach," Chen Hongyun remarked with admiration. "The younger generation truly holds great promise."

The staff came out to explain the next step: "Next, the three judges will now vote for these two contestants."

All three judges pressed their voting buttons.

"We'll reveal the results right away."

"The score is: three to zero."

"The winner is—"

"Ash!"

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Author's note: Getting everything ready to wrap things up, hehe.