The second part of the event had started. This time, everyone had to recreate the noodle dish of their classmates.
Lu Xinyi cupped her chin, deep in her thoughts. Meng Jiao presented a Cold Sichuan Noodles before. Unlike her Handmade Beef Noodle Soup, Cold Sichuan Noodles was easier to make. It was no wonder Meng Jiao chose this dish to present during the entrance exams. Not only it wasn’t complicated and time-consuming to make, unlike her Handmade Beef Noodles.
Meng Jiao wasn’t one who would like to take a risk. Her personality wouldn’t allow her to be at a disadvantage. Taking a glance at Meng Jiao’s direction, Lu Xinyi found the other woman struggling to make noodles from scratch.
‘Meng Jiao, since you like it so badly to compete with me, let’s see if you can do better with my dishes. You like whatever I have? Who said it’s easy to be me?’ she thought.
Generally speaking, Cold Sichuan Noodles was known as the simplified and cold version of the Dan Dan Noodles. However, this would never disappoint anyone by its taste. On a hot and humid summer day, this bowl of noodles would surely attract the foodies. For some locals, one of the fondest memories was to get a bowl of spicy cold noodles during the summer months.
Cold Noodles didn’t need any protein on it as its noodles were already addictive and flavorful enough. Meanwhile, the Dan Dan noodles were usually made with the addition of sesame or peanut sauce and ground meat.
Lu Xinyi started cooking by steaming her fresh alkaline noodles on a steamer for at least five minutes. One trick to make this dish taste better was to use fresh noodles although some may use dry noodles such as Lo Mein and cook it per the package instructions until al dente. The addition of alkali or soda would help to keep the noodles from sticking together while cooking.
After steaming, Lu Xinyi cut the noodles in four batches before dropping each on a large pot of boiling water. She spread the noodle strands using long chopsticks to let the noodles cook evenly.
Once the noodles reached the al dente state after four minutes, Lu Xinyi removed the noodles from the boiling water and immediately submerged it to the cold running water for a minute until the noodles were cool to touch.
When the noodles were cool enough, she drained the excess water immediately. If too much water was absorbed by the noodles, they would lose that crunchy texture she was aiming to have. After draining the excess water, she added a few tablespoons of cooking oil to the noodles and mixed it thoroughly before transferring it to a bowl, covering it with a food wrap, and letting it chill in the fridge for 45 minutes.
“Why did Lu Xinyi have to chill the noodles if she already ran it under cold running water?” one student from the audience asked. It seemed like some students were paying attention to the sponsored students’ performances.
“I think it’s supposed to be the colder it is, the better. Although running the noodles under cold water should be enough, wouldn’t it be more enjoyable if it’s colder?” another student said.
As she waited for her noodles to cool down, Lu Xinyi brought another pot of salted water to boil and blanch some bean sprouts and thin slices of carrots, setting them aside after ten seconds of blanching. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Moving on, she cooked the spinach she trimmed and washed earlier in the boiling water until wilted. Removing it with a strainer, she moved to the sink and ran the spinach under cold water until chilled. Making sure she pressed out the excess moisture from the vegetable, Lu Xinyi took a clean kitchen towel and squeezed the spinach to wring out more water until it was dry and compressed.
The tickling sound of the timer reminded her that her time to cook was running out. The thirty students tuned out everything and focused their attention on their noodle dish, hoping to present a better version than its original.
With the noodles and the spinach ready, she started working for the seasonings. Combining her chilies and half the Sichuan peppercorns she had on a small saucepan, she dry-stirred them over medium heat until the toasted aroma started coming from them.
After stirring it for about ninety seconds, Lu Xinyi poured in a quarter cup of vegetable oil and cooked it until the oil started to bubble before removing the saucepan from the heat.
In a small bowl, she combined sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, broad bean paste, and sugar. Mixing it well, she made sure everything was thoroughly combined.
Now, it was time to assemble everything. Preparing four bowls, Lu Xinyi took the cool noodles and placed it on the bowls with spinach and carrots before adding the chili oil she made earlier and the soy sauce mixture, giving it a toss to cook everything.
To finish it off, she sprinkled some toasted peanuts, scallions, and sliced chilies to garnish the top. Lu Xinyi lifted her head and saw she still had fifteen minutes remaining. She decided to use this extra time to prepare the side dish that would accompany her cold noodle dish.
Cucumber Salad—this perfect appetizer was best paired with her cold noodle dish. Not only it was refreshing and easy to make, but it was also light. Since the cucumber itself didn’t have much flavor, pairing it with the cold noodle dish would balance the spiciness and give the dish more crunch and texture.
The key to making this appetizer lied in the dressing. It should be bursting with flavors. One should taste a garlicky, spicy, and savory meal with a touch of sweetness and tartness. The cucumbers also needed to be crunchy on every bite.
Taking the cucumbers out from the fridge, she sliced it into pieces and salted it, gently stirring everything to combine well. She then took another bowl to prepare the dressing. Combining minced garlic, a tablespoon of sugar, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with chili powder, and two types of oil; Lu Xinyi stirred it to mix well, making sure that the sugar was completely dissolved before pouring the mixture to the cucumbers. Giving it a toss, she finished it by adding sesame seeds on top.
“Time’s up! Stop cooking and present your noodles to our judges!” Huo Meili’s announcement was just on time as Lu Xinyi finished her cucumber salad.
