《One Rice Conferring Gods 2》Ending: A piece of tofu opens up a new way to solve Chinese food

 —Become a God with One Rice—The finale of the second season posed a soy product question to the chefs.Chef Deng Huadong won the championship with five dishes: he served creative appetizers first, then gradually increased the flavor, leaving the familiar Mapo Tofu until the end.

This time he made a bibimbap version of mapo tofu.The tofu is cut into small pieces, suitable for eating in portions; the crispiness of the beef and the coating of the gravy become the focus on the details.There were no garlic sprouts on site, so he used onions and garlic to supplement the aroma. If Hanyuan pepper powder was not available, he switched to high-quality pepper oil.The seven key points of Malatang, fresh, crispy and tender are still there, and the method can be adjusted according to the conditions of the competition.After tasting it, Nicholas Tse sighed and re-recognized what Mapo Tofu should look like.

Judge Vicky Zheng Yongqi said: "Tradition has no clear boundaries. Today's tradition, tomorrow's tradition, and next year's tradition are all created by ourselves."“

The origin of Mapo Tofu has such changes.During the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, Chen Mapo from a restaurant near Wanfu Bridge in Chengdu used tofu, minced beef and spicy seasonings to prepare a dish for porters and porters to dispel dampness and coldness and replenish their physical strength.Later, this market dish spread all over the country and entered overseas Chinese restaurants. Different places formed their own versions according to the tastes of diners.

Deng Huadong's substitution of ingredients and adjustment of the size of the tofu continue the idea of using local materials in this dish.Understanding classic flavors and then adapting to new eating scenarios constitutes a concrete example of the program discussing inheritance and innovation.

This season's program provides ingredients from 15 provinces and uses a large number of Chinese geographical indication products.The team battle also incorporated the altitude of the origin into the title: the high-altitude Gangba mutton has firm meat, the mid-altitude Dali black tiger palm fungus has a strong flavor; the low-altitude East China Sea mullet roe and Suzhou Gorgon are known for their umami flavor.Products from different geographical and climatic conditions are recombined in the kitchen.

In the deconstruction of classic dishes, eight dishes including Kung Pao Chicken, Green Pepper Beef, and West Lake Fish in Vinegar were brought to the stage.Deng Huadong makes Kung Pao Chicken. He uses a knife to chop the chicken without dicing it. He listens to the sound to identify the crispness of the peanuts, and makes spicy lychee flavor in one pot.Young chefs split the green pepper beef into mille-feuille green peppers, beef skewers and green pepper scones, turning one dish into a complete meal.

When it comes to the ”World Kitchen% theme, chefs need to put Chinese ingredients and world ingredients into the same dish, and their understanding of local and overseas flavors has also become part of the competition.

There are more than 240 dishes throughout the season, presenting local products, Sichuan cuisine techniques, variations of famous dishes and cross-cultural cooking in the same program.Mapo tofu has moved from Qiaotou restaurant to global dining tables, and Kung Pao chicken has developed from Ding Baozhen’s home kitchen stir-fry in the late Qing Dynasty to Shanghai-style and deconstructed versions. The dishes have been changing as they spread.The program allows the audience to see how these changes affect the chef's knife skills, ingredients and seasonings.