It's the Chinese New Year, which heralds the beginning of spring.
It's a very busy time of the year for chefs.
The Canton Dumpling Tournament, held at this time every year, is the largest event for Cantonese chefs.
As Yosen Shuka's representative...
Mr. Chouyu was supposed to compete with his Jade Phoenix Dumplings.
But an unexpected rival, who would do anything to win, emerged.
The Dumpling Brothers... wandering chefs searching for tournaments.
Despicable Trap! Mao Cornered
He really made flaming dumplings!
Here you go.
The Fire Dumplings are ready.
Please don't be shy! Go ahead and eat! The taste is guaranteed.
Give me one plate.
One for me, too.
This is good.
You're right. I've never had dumplings this good.
The Dumpling Brothers are great.
Really? Then I'll have one too.
Give me one.
Me, too.
Hey, please don't push!
Move out!
Move out of the way if you're not eating!
Hello, lady from Yosen Shuka.
Are you spying on us?
Please don't be shy.
Once you know how good our dumpling are...
... you'll admit you can't beat us and give up!
This is just a street performance. They can't fool me.
Please go ahead.
What do you think?
We'll deliver this plate to your restaurant later.
It's not just a street performance!
The big man kneaded the skins and filling well with his power.
He blew fire over them to remove all excess moisture.
Because of this, the dumplings are very crispy.
So they are a powerful enemy...
Are we really going to be okay going with Mao?
Although the tournament has begun, he's still boiling soup.
Just look at that...
You can tell at one glance. All the customers are at that stand!
It's the first-timers, the Dumpling Brothers.
Their Fire Dumplings are being sold one plate after another.
Since they're street performers who have been around the country...
... they certainly know how to attract customers.
What do you think of this, Elder Kuan?
Fire Dumplings...
They have taken dumplings to the next level.
The Dumpling Brothers are awesome...
Please go ahead and eat some more!
They've sold that much already!
Mao, aren't our dumplings ready yet?
No, I'm starting to fry them now.
The clock is ticking. Who will be the winner?
Toutou House's crown-shaped dumplings.
North Garden Restaurant's steamed shrimp dumplings.
Last year's winner, Canton Dumpling House, uhh...
By far, this year's dark horse is the Dumpling Brothers!
Is there anyone that can beat them?
Okay, they're ready.
Really?
Yes, it smells good.
Let me try one.
I was so worried.
I worried about what was going to happen.
Our fight has just begun.
What the hell is this?! It tastes awful!
She's right!
This is not the right taste!
What? It can't be...
Why is this...?
Here's why.
No! This isn't what I prepared.
What's going on, Mao?
I don't know. I've never made anything like this.
It must be them!
I've had enough! I'm going to complain to the Canton Chef Association.
That's right!
Tell them about Master's injuries too.
I'm coming with you, Miss.
All right!
Forget it! We don't have evidence.
Oh no. We won't be able to beat them.
Damn... Damn it!
We can still make it!
We just have to start over again.
Whoever they are, and whatever they do...
... in order to defend my pride as a chef...
... I'll beat them through cooking!
We'll do our best too!
Yeah!
There is little time left before sunset, the end of this tournament.
The Dumpling Brothers' Fire Dumplings are causing plates to pile up in large quantities!
We're doing well.
Yeah.
We're so far ahead, no one can beat us now.
It was easier than I expected.
What's this old man doing here?
This stand looks quite busy.
Let me see...
Wow, this is great. Let me try one.
This is good. Let me have one more.
Ouch!
You're an eyesore, old man.
No other customer will come with a dirty bum like you around.
If you're just hungry, go to the other stands!
What?
I said, Leave us now, you old geezer!
Too bad. Their dumplings were quite good.
I can smell something good...
Please come and try ours!
The best restaurant in Canton...
... and Yosen Shuka's genius cooking boy..
... Mao's fried dumplings! Please try them!
It's no use.
Because of Master Chouyu's injury, everyone has given up on us.
You cooked the dumplings the way I expected, Mao.
Master Chouyu!
Can I have one?
Sure!
Welcome.
Please eat them without dipping them in the sauce.
Without dipping them in the sauce?
Yes.
They look so simple, unlike the dumplings from other stands.
But they smell good. Let me try.
What is this...?
I see. I've got it.
I know the secret of the aroma that I noticed a while ago.
What?
You used soup instead of water when frying.
Yes, you're right.
I wanted to add some flavor to the skins too.
I used broken pork bones to make a bone marrow soup.
So that was the aroma I smelled was the scent of the soup. Just as I thought.
This dumpling definitely wouldn't need any sauce, just as you said.
The soup penetrates well into the skin, giving it a savory flavor.
But that wasn't the only thing you did.
The skin is neither sticky nor powdery.
This light texture... You mixed something extra in the dough.
What did you put in, Mao?
I used...
A yam!
You're right.
I thought so.
He guessed it right again. Who is that old man?
Now let me try one more.
Every time I eat a dumpling, I taste and discover something new.
The filling is meltingly smooth.
Flavorful juice fills my mouth every time I chew.
Its spiciness stimulates my tongue.
The secret of this is... that.
Mao.
You're right. That's pork back lard marinated in chili oil.
I mixed it in the filling, and it melts as the dumpling is heated.
The lard moistens the entire filling and spreads the spiciness evenly.
I see. That's why it disappears by the time the dumplings are cooked.
They look like ordinary fried dumplings at a glance.
But they have many layers of secrets to satisfy those who eat them.
The wonder of fried dumplings is drawn out so much.
I've never eaten anything like this before.
Who the heck is he?
It was very good. Thank you very much.
You seem to have quite a palate.
You too, Mister.
Then, may I have one more?
Sure, please go ahead and have as much as you want.
What you said makes me happy. Here you go!
I can't eat that much.
The old geezer is hungry.
Feed him a lot, Mao.
Karao!
What are you doing here?
I see that the famous Canton restaurant, Yosen Shuka, has no customers.
But it's not your fault.
It's Chouyu's fault for getting injured at such an important time.
What did you say?
Master Chouyu!
Don't mind him.
I'll beat you through cooking!
The winner has already been decided.
Look how many plates we've got!
Amazing...
Try to add some of the old man's plates with your boring dumplings.
What's going on?
Why are government officials here?
Drat, they found me.
Would you guys like some, too? It's good.
The governor-general of Canton ordered us to escort you.
He didn't want you to come here without proper protection...
... Master Lo Wen.
Master Lo Wen, I didn't know you were here.
Elder Kuan of the Canton Chef Association...
Master Chouyu, who is that old man?
He oversaw the Emperor's kitchen long before Admiral Lee.
He is the legendary authority in China's cooking society, Master Lo Wen!
After he quit his government position, he disappeared.
It seems he had been traveling China searching for good dishes and chefs.
I never expected to see him here.
You're Karao, right?
Have you ever thought about what the diners actually want?
I asked for one more dish, not because I was hungry.
But because, just like Mao's, your cooking was truly good.
And you rejected me. I felt very sorry for that. Sorry for you.
Let me tell you clearly.
You better adjust your attitude before you call yourself a chef!
Let's try Yosen Shuka. The legendary master praised them highly.
Yosen! Let's try Yosen's fried dumplings.
Mao, there's so many customers!
Yes, this is really good.
That's right. So good.
I'll have one more plate.
Okay, let's catch up to them!
Can I have one, too?
The annual Canton Dumpling Tournament is almost over!
The Dumpling Brothers had a huge lead in the first half.
But Yosen Shuka is accumulating plates at an incredible speed.
Here, thank you for waiting.
We're doing well.
I'm surprised Mao did this well.
Master Chouyu does have an eye for chefs.
Don't worry. There's no way they can catch up with us.
It's still unclear who will be the winner.
The Dumpling Brothers were the dark horse who held a large lead during the first half.
But the legendary Master Lo Wen gave high praise to the fried dumplings of Yosen Shuka's genius boy, Mao.
So, he's also one of the winning candidates.
It's almost time for the Sun of Fate to set behind the mountains.
And it's over! The Fated Sun of Destiny has set in the Western sky!
Evidence for the final decision, the used plates,
are now being collected from the participants' stands under strict surveillance.
The plates will be gathered and carefully counted at the collection office behind the judges' tent.
The results will be tabulated and immediately sealed in scrolls.
Then, the scrolls will be delivered to the judges.
After the results are verified by the judges, the final results will be announced on that Stage.
The used plates from all of the participants will pass through the Door of Fate...
Whoever has the most number of empty plates will be declared the winner!
I'm bushed. But we did all that we could, right, Mao?
Yes, just like Master Chouyu said.
As long as we cooked good dumplings, customers would come. Right?
Yeah!
I'm sure we won't lose.
I didn't expect Master Lo Wen would be here, though.
Right, Bro.
However...
I was surprised more by that kid's underlying talent.
Ladies and gentlemen!
We have reached the climax of this year's Dumpling Tournament.
I'm sure you're eager to know the results.
We have just finished the tabulation.
And it's now time to announce the results!
Let me announce the first entry...
North Garden Restaurant... 124 plates!
Forget it, this is ridiculous. It's less than half of last year.
The next entry...
Toutou House, with 184 plates!
What?!
So humiliating...
Next is last year's winner, Canton Dumpling House!
With, uhh... three plates!
Move on to the next one now! Ignore those losers!
I'll remember this, Dumpling Brothers!
No restaurant could have expected this to happen this year.
Every single finalist from last year finished miserably.
Woodside Restaurant... 82 plates!
I hope our result will be somewhat better.
As you can tell from the results by now...
A typhoon seems to have gone through this year's tournament.
The next entrant to be introduced has accumulated so many plates...
... that it was quite difficult to put them all on the stage.
Take a look!
They had to be pulled here by an elephant!
I could have everybody's attention... The Dumpling Brothers.
The number of plates they have accumulated amount to...
1,242 plates! An incomparable number!
It's a record!
No restaurant has ever amassed so many plates in tournament history.
Mao.
Now, the final entrant...
Yosen Shuka's number of accumulated plates...
What?!
Wow! It's another elephant!
The number of plates amount to...
One thousand...
Two hundred...
Forty...
Two!
1,242 plates! Exactly the same! It's a tie!
They tied the Dumpling Brothers with a tournament record!
Yosen Shuka!
Oh my God! They tied us.
A tie? We tied them...?!
Need one more plate. There has to be one lying around here!
Hey, what's the Canton Chef Association going to do?
Clear this up!
We won't accept two winners.
What are we going to do? This has never happened before.
Why don't you do it again?
I apologize for making impertinent remarks to the tournament sponsor.
Elder Kuan.
No one will be happy even if we try to differentiate their dumplings.
I would also like to eat their dumplings one more time.
How's that? What do you think, everybody?
I guess it's settled.
Good.
The Dumpling Brothers and Yosen Shuka will compete again tomorrow.
However...
I want them to compete with dumplings different from the ones they cooked today.
It would be boring to eat the same thing again.
That's my only reason.
All right. We'll accept that.
I could ask for nothing more.
"In the Bluest Sky, I Can Meet With You"
I felt a signal pass through me today
As I went out to meet up with you
In this crowded cityscape, an enlightening wind
Is blowing hard into my face
Up in the clouds, above the Earth, where the Angels' ladders reach with grace
I stretched out my arms, and climbed right on. Now I can go...
Everywhere, gently riding a white wispy cloud
In the bluest sky, I can meet with you
No matter what the time, where the place The path to take, I want to see it through
I will never give up until the end
I want to gather up all pieces of the dreams that shine with seven rainbow colors
Ahh… perhaps the answers that I want
Are there all along in front of me