Suddenly, He Haotian had decided to test his suspicion. He needed to know how sensitive Lu Xinyi’s tongue was.
“Meina, do you think you can serve us some pumpkin soup you made earlier?” He told Gu Meina. She smiled back on him, knowing well what he was planning to do.
“Of course,” she replied before facing their visitors. “Madam Shen, Miss Mo, can you give my pumpkin soup a taste? This is my first time trying to cook it for Anyang, but I’m not sure if I did well.”
He Haotian had given the soup a taste earlier. By using the same soup, he wanted to know if Lu Xinyi also had the same ‘Absolute Tongue’ that Lu Sibai had.
“Sure. If we could help, why not?” Mo Lihui nodded slightly. Having a good pumpkin soup in such cold weather was already gratifying.
Once Gu Meina came back, she served three bowls of hot pumpkin soup at the table. They let Lu Xinyi and Mo Lihui had a taste of it and waited for their opinions.
“So?” Gu Meina asked nervously. When she served this soup to He Haotian, he only took a spoonful and left the bowl untouched.
“This is really good.” Mo Lihui exclaimed. “This is one of the best pumpkin soups I have tried in my life!”
Meanwhile, Lu Xinyi frowned and brought her spoon down. She kept silent while Mo Lihui approved Miss Gu’s cooking.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you like the taste?” He Haotian asked her, waiting patiently for her to explain what the mistakes of the pumpkin soup were.
“This…” Lu Xinyi hesitated. Gu Meina noticed her hesitation and held one of Lu Xinyi’s hands, surprising the younger woman.
“It’s okay, Madam Shen. I know it’s not perfect. You can tell me what’s wrong and what I can do. I’ll try my best next time to improve it.”
“If Miss Gu insists, then…” Lu Xinyi released a deep breath.
“The soup is a little watery and a little salty. I’m guessing Miss Gu used soft fleshed pumpkins?” Gu Meina nodded.
“That’s the main issue I noticed, Miss Gu. You’ve used the wrong kind of pumpkin. In making a good pumpkin soup, the best pumpkins to be used are the harder pumpkins. It has a dense texture and sweet flavor to make an excellent soup.
“Pumpkins have natural sweetness but need a little back-up to really shine. Your soup doesn’t have much flavor in it aside from the pumpkin and the stock you’ve used. I suggest sweating[1] a chopped leek with—or instead of—onion when you start cooking.
“To make the texture a little thicker and more velvety, you may add some potatoes. Potatoes wouldn’t ruin the natural flavor of your pumpkin, but it will really help make your soup thicker. You may also want to roast the pumpkin first to give it a caramelized flavor. This way, it will make your soup extra rich and intense.
“Scattering herbs at the end will make the soup look and taste fresh. Even better, put a little in from the start as well. If you add it into the cooking, you will get a more subtle flavor. If you want a blast of flavor, then at the end, add it fresh.”
Gu Meina and Mo Liwei stared blankly at Lu Xinyi while He Haotian nodded in understanding. Lu Xinyi had exceeded his expectations. Now, he could truly say that this woman had a lot of potential in her. However, in his opinion, Lu Xinyi was wasting her time by going to Silver Leaf Academy.
Having an ‘Absolute Tongue’ and not utilizing it was such a waste. Lu Xinyi should become a professional food taster. With her superior sense of taste—one that allowed her to focus on multiple layers of flavors and differentiate them, she was above the students and professional chefs.
A tongue that could deconstruct the ingredients used in a dish by merely tasting it, knowing the tweaks to improve it, and replicate it was such a highly valued asset within the culinary world.
In He Haotian’s opinion, Lu Xinyi didn’t need to have to attend a culinary school. She only needed to hone her talent and develop her palate.
The trance was broken when Gu Meina clapped her hand and smiled happily at Lu Xinyi.
Mo Lihui shook her head. “Wow, I couldn’t even pinpoint the problem. Now that you mention it, Miss Gu’s pumpkin soup was a little watery than usual.”
Witnessing this scene in front of her, Mo Lihui now realized the difference between her and Lu Xinyi.
“As expected to the Silver Leaf’s top rookie of the year.” Gu Meina added.
“Madam Shen, do you know the difference between a cook and a chef?” He Haotian crossed his arms before asking Lu Xinyi.
“Doesn’t a chef have official training or certification?”
“They do, but not only that. A chef has keen attention to detail. He should know and understand how a change in temperature affects the flavor of his dish, how using good quality ingredients are necessary to produce better dishes. He should know when to turn the meat when cooking to avoid drying and ruining its flavor. What I mean is… you really have great potential as a chef, but I believe you don’t need to attend Silver Leaf to reach the pinnacle of success.”
[1]Sweating means cooking a veggie in butter or oil over low heat until soft, not browned.