Chapter 50: The New Assessment

Even for the lower-grade Jade Frost Beef and White Frost Beef, Prime Beef House's retail price starts at over four thousand per pound.

Using beef of such quality as ingredients for the Spirit Chef examination only shows that Fu Hang is truly wealthy and generous.

Following Fu Hang into the storage room, rows of shelves filled with beef appeared before the three of them. Every cut of beef bore various labels indicating its grade, primal cut, days of feeding, and serial numbers, ensuring complete traceability.

"Is this the White Frost Beef?" Qin Lang picked up a beef tenderloin and carefully examined its cross-section.

Beef tenderloin is the leanest cut on a cow with the least prominent marbling, but the piece in Qin Lang's hand had a density of marbling that surpassed any beef he had seen before.

It was hard to imagine how strict the feeding regimen of a cow must be to reach such a level.

Gently putting down the tenderloin in his hand, Qin Lang shifted his gaze not far away to another cut labeled Jade Frost Beef chuck.

Compared to the snow-white fat of the White Frost Beef, the fat of the Jade Frost Beef had a slightly yellowish hue, presenting a stunning jade-like color under the lights.

Ruling out older or sick cattle, there is only one reason for yellowish fat: the deposition of carotene and lutein during the grass-feeding process.

Clearly, White Frost Beef leans more toward grain-feeding, while Jade Frost Beef leans more toward grass-feeding.

"Wow! This is Silver Frost Beef!"

An exclamation interrupted Qin Lang's thoughts.

He turned his head to see Zhao Qian carefully cradling a cut of beef, with Cao Dongdong crowding close beside her, clicking his tongue in wonder.

Looking at the cross-section of that piece of beef from afar, Qin Lang's expression froze.

This...

The entire cross-section of the beef showed a startlingly tender red, and the fat on the surface was so fine and dense that it looked as if it were draped in a layer of silver frost.

Beef of this quality...

Qin Lang swallowed hard.

Sliced thin and grilled over fire, without sprinkling any dipping sauce at all, it would already be an peerless delicacy, right?

I want it!

"You've seen the beef now. We can discuss the subject for the Food Recommender examination," Fu Hang said, watching the three of them with a hint of craftiness in his eyes. "My examination subject is very simple."

"Choose one kilogram of beef from here, with any other side dishes and cooking methods of your choice, and make a dish that satisfies me to pass."

"In addition, I also have an upgraded version of the test here, known as the Silver Frost Examination." Fu Hang chuckled.

"The difficulty is increased. If you pass, not only will you receive the Food Recommender badge, but you will also get a full ten kilograms of Silver Frost Beef."

Ten kilograms!

At a price of over ten thousand per pound, that amounts to a full two hundred thousand!

Qin Lang's breathing involuntarily grew heavy.

"However..." Fu Hang shifted his tone, "If you fail the Silver Frost Examination, you are not allowed to come to Prime Beef House for a Food Recommender examination within a month."

"So, which one do you choose?"

"I choose the Silver Frost Examination," Qin Lang said with a firm tone.

"I won't make a choice just yet." Zhao Qian looked toward Qin Lang.

"I understand." Fu Hang nodded slightly and looked at Qin Lang. "The specific content of the Silver Frost Examination varies from person to person."

"As for you..." After pondering for a moment, he formed an idea. "First, your main ingredient can only be this."

With that, Fu Hang placed a piece of beef into Qin Lang's hand.

Whether by coincidence or not, this happened to be the exact piece of White Frost beef tenderloin Qin Lang had looked at earlier.

Qin Lang nodded slightly. In just a brief moment, dozens of possible beef cooking methods flashed through his mind.

However, he knew that the requirements of the Silver Frost Examination certainly did not stop there.

"Secondly."

The corners of Fu Hang's mouth twitched upward slightly. "I am an impatient person, so from the moment you step into the kitchen, you will only have ten minutes of cooking time."

Hearing this, before Qin Lang could speak, Zhao Qian and Cao Dongdong beside him both drew in a sharp breath at the same time.

Ten minutes!

That amount of time is more than enough to chop up a ready-made cold dish and plate it, but using it to cook beef is simply far too short.

After all, if beef is to become sufficiently flavorful, tender, and meltingly soft, the cooking time must be long.

Yet Qin Lang's expression did not change much.

Producing a dish in ten minutes was enough to eliminate well over half of the beef recipes in his memory, but wasn't there still a small portion left?

"Finally..." Fu Hang smiled slightly. "I love cilantro."

Qin Lang: "..."

Look, for a grown man to talk like that is quite jarring.

However, combining these three requirements put forward by Fu Hang, a dish quickly took shape in Qin Lang's mind.

Very well, this is it.

-----------------

"Gulu?"

Inside the kitchen, Danbao watched Qin Lang begin to tally the ingredients and seasonings, and asked curiously.

"The dish we're going to make is called Eighteen-Second Beef." Qin Lang smiled confidently and casually handed the White Frost beef tenderloin to Danbao.

"Come on, use Freshness Overflow."

"Gulu!"

Danbao excitedly blew a breath onto the beef, and the frozen meat instantly transformed into a vibrant, freshly harvested appearance.

Very well, even thawing is saved.

Taking out a fresh orange, Qin Lang quickly peeled it, set the peel aside, and handed the orange flesh to Danbao.

"This is your reward for working."

"Gulu!"

Danbao excitedly began to devour the orange, while Qin Lang quickly sliced away the white pith from the orange peel, then cut the peel into long, fine strips.

The sliced orange peel was tossed and rubbed with salt until slightly softened, then squeezed tightly to expel the moisture, mixed well with honey, and set aside for later use.

Next, Qin Lang picked up the beef tenderloin.

"Tap tap tap..."

Amidst a flurry of rapid knife strokes, the large block of beef tenderloin was swiftly cut into fine, long shreds. The crisp and decisive movements were a joy to watch.

The shredded beef was placed into a bowl, a small amount of baking soda was added, and after mixing thoroughly, salt, sugar, oyster sauce, and dark soy sauce were added. After kneading until springy, water and egg white were added and incorporated, allowing the moisture to be completely absorbed by the beef.

Once the water and egg white were fully absorbed by the beef through kneading, Qin Lang added cornstarch, gave it a simple toss, and placed it in the chiller to rest briefly.

Immediately after, Qin Lang began new preparations.

Taking millet peppers and cilantro, he swiftly chopped them into sections and set them aside, then began mixing the sauce.

One spoonful of yellow rice wine, one spoonful of light soy sauce, one spoonful of sesame oil, and a pinch of salt.

Once the sauce was ready, he retrieved the beef tenderloin from the chiller.

Although the chilling time was not long, the surface of the tenderloin had become ice-cool, and the internal muscle structure and absorbed moisture were bound together even more tightly, ensuring the final beef would be exceptionally tender and smooth.

Having done all this, Qin Lang glanced at the time.

Three minutes had passed since he entered the kitchen.

Ten minutes?

More than enough.

He heated cooking oil to fifty percent heat, added the beef, and slowly rotated the spatula in his hand to separate the beef shreds from one another. Once the beef turned completely light gray, he removed it and set it aside.

Start the timer.

The wok received the millet peppers, orange peel strips, and the reserved beef shreds, the sauce was splashed in, and finally, the cilantro was added.

The eighteen seconds were up.

Eighteen-Second Beef, plated and served.