"The first challenge in this dish," Gu Changfeng inspected and nodded with satisfaction, "is to remove the fish bones completely without damaging the fish's integrity. The fish's integrity is well preserved, and the incision for bone removal is small and not easily noticeable."
The other four judges nodded in approval.
"Second, there's the matter of the fish's doneness. It can't be overcooked, but of course, it shouldn't be undercooked either," Gu Changfeng said.
He gently tapped the fish with a pair of clean new chopsticks: "The fish body is full and elastic, indicating that the broth has fully infused inside the fish. The ideal doneness is when a slight poke with the chopstick tip causes the fish to split, with the separation as clean as a knife cut."
"Only if the fish is tender enough can this be achieved," Gu Changfeng said, "Let me try."
Even though Ye Fei had tried many times at home and was confident about the doneness,
