Chapter 109 - Culinary Competition

“He only refuses to admit his own faults,” Chu Jing commented mercilessly.

While the siblings were chatting, Mother Chu had yet to come over with a bowl when the aroma of meat assaulted their senses.

“Mom, it smells so good. What delicious food did you cook?” Chu Ning twitched her nose and said with some intoxication.

“Your father made braised pig trotters. He wants you to taste it first and see if he needs to add some seasoning.” Mother Chu smiled.

“Okay, Mom, I’ll try it!” Chu Ning took the chopsticks and bowl, picked up a piece of pig trotters with an attractive color, blew on it, and put it into her mouth.

“Wow! Not bad, not bad. Dad’s cooking skills are almost as good as mine!” Chu Ning was deeply satisfied after eating a mouthful and gave a relatively high evaluation.

Second only to her.

“Xiao Ning, you’re bragging. I’m still very confident in the knowledge required to cook meat dishes.”

Father Chu, who was cooking in the kitchen, was dissatisfied after hearing Chu Ning’s evaluation. Although his daughter was very outstanding, he was not bad at cooking himself.

“Dad, why don’t we have a competition? Let Mom and Second Brother be the judges. Fourth Brother will be back later. Let’s cook more and not mention who made it. Let them comment and see who’s better at cooking.”

Chu Ning’s eyes lit up. In addition to learning and earning money, she was also very interested in food.

“Okay!” Father Chu gladly accepted the challenge.

“Mom, since Dad is not convinced, you can take care of the dumplings. I’ll spar with Dad!” Chu Ning put down the items she had been handling and walked to the kitchen.

Opening the refrigerator, Chu Ning decided to have a competition with Father Chu based on the available ingredients. One dish was braised lamb chop and the other was salt and pepper shrimp.

“Xiao Ning, although I have to admit that your dishes are delectable, Dad used to be a chef. I think if you compete with him, it might be a little risky,” Chu Jing’s voice sounded from the living room.

“Wow, Dad, you’re really good at hiding things. You used to be a chef. Why haven’t I heard you mention it?” Chu Ning asked curiously.

“I wasn’t really a chef. I was just a chef at the construction site cafeteria. It’s just that they all liked my cooking at that time. Later on, due to various reasons, I stopped working there and changed jobs. However, I have never lost this skill,” Father Chu explained with a smile.

“Alright, in that case, I’ll let you have an eye-opening experience today. I borrowed the culinary secrets of many countries and created my own cooking method. Let’s compare the braised lamb chop and salt and pepper shrimp.”

Chu Ning was not modest at all. She had always had a lot of confidence in cooking, and the truth was, the dishes she made were indeed mouthwatering!

“Okay, no problem.” Father Chu was full of confidence.

“Second Brother, Second Brother, may I trouble you to help me buy some condiments. Those in our house are not enough for me to display my skills.” Chu Ning quickly wrote a list and asked Chu Jing to purchase condiments for her at the supermarket downstairs.

“Okay, Xiao Ning. I look forward to your feast!” Chu Jing nodded happily.

A moment later, the ingredients had been bought. At this time, the small kitchen was divided into two battlefields. On one side was Chu Ning, and on the other was Father Chu.

Just from the level of proficiency in cooking, it was obvious that Father Chu was better. However, some of Chu Ning’s cooking methods surprised Mother Chu. For example, Chu Ning could marinate lamb chops with high-quality red wine…

There were some condiments that Mother Chu had not seen before in all her years. However, she learned from Chu Jing that these condiments all had one characteristic, which was that they were relatively expensive.

The salt that Mother Chu usually used for cooking only cost two yuan per pack. However, Chu Ning had specially asked Chu Jing to buy imported sea salt, which cost thirty yuan per pack.

Moreover, every step of Chu Ning’s meal preparation was very particular about time and heat. She specifically focused on time, and the time interval for each step of each dish was limited to ten seconds. Comparatively speaking, Father Chu was more casual. While Chu Ning was still cooking the raw shrimp, Father Chu’s braised lamb chop had already emitted a slight fragrance.

However, Chu Ning was not in a hurry. It was essential to pay attention to the details when it came to good food. She believed that once her finished product was brought to the table, Mother Chu and Second Brother Chu Jing would be able to taste the difference.

Father Chu’s cooking was popular among the public. It was delicious, but there was no room to savor the food.

When Chu Ning brought out her true skills, what she sought was not just a momentary taste.

While ensuring that it was delicious, she also pursued flavor complexity. Even as she was careful not to destroy the original taste of the ingredients, she played to their greatest strengths.