The story begins in Food Wars, when Alice took him home.

If this continues, you might be the next one to be expelled.

"There are only fifty people left, Teacher Bai Yuan wouldn't be so heartless..."

There were quite a few people chatting in the stands, all curious about the outcome of the match. Some said the person upstairs was inferior to them, while others bluntly exposed their own opinions.

"Dumplings originated in China, and after they became popular, they spread throughout Asia. Now, they have a considerable influence even in the world."

One of the Confucian classics, the Book of Rites, states: "Two parts rice and one part meat, mix them together to make a paste, and fry it."

It looks like pan-fried dumplings.

As Yukihira Soma and Ueno Sugi prepared the food, Nakiri Senzaemon's voice rang out, introducing the origin of dumplings.

"Later generations developed cooking methods such as boiling, steaming, frying, and roasting to express its deliciousness, and now even more cooking methods have evolved."

"This is a battle I'm really looking forward to."

Beside him, a short old man with a receding hairline, dressed in a pinkish-brown shirt, looked on with anticipation.

As a specially invited judge, he was surprised that this year's selection was brought forward by several months, but that did not stop him from looking forward to it.

"Look, what is that transfer student doing?"

"That machine is..."

Discussing arose from the audience, drawing the judges' attention to Soma Yukihira, or more accurately, to the machine in front of him.

"You owe me a huge favor, Yukihira-kun."

Pushing a large vacuum cleaner onto the counter, Alice Nakiri, wearing a baseball cap, smiled and spoke to Soma Yukihira, who was mixing flour.

"Oh, I will remember that."

Soma Yukihira nodded seriously, then began operating the vacuum machine in front of him. Seeing this, Alice Nakiri didn't say anything more and stepped back.

The other party seemed to have a good relationship with Bai Yuan, so she didn't mind helping him out.

Yesterday, I subtly told Yukihira Soma the best way to handle dumpling wrappers. That way, he should be able to get a lot of points just for the dumpling wrappers.

"No wonder he was acting so mysteriously yesterday, turns out he was tinkering with these things."

Upon seeing Alice Nakiri suddenly appear on the stage, and the vacuum machine in front of Soma Yukihira, Hakugen revealed a thoughtful expression.

He knew what Alice Nakiri knew, so he immediately recognized Soma Yukihira's cooking skills and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

From this perspective, Ueno Sugi's chances of winning have decreased significantly.

The game became a bit boring.

Of course, he wouldn't blame anyone for this, since his teaching of Ueno Sugi, Nakiri Alice, and others to help Yukihira Soma was itself a reasonable use of the rules.

"Ueno Sugi, how far can you go?"

Looking intently at Ueno Sugi, whose expression remained unchanged, he showed no alarm at the arrival of such a large machine by Yukihira Soma.

He pulled a bunch of taro out of the sack, still covered in dirt, and after a quick wash, put them directly into the steamer and steamed them over high heat for about fifty minutes.

Peel the steamed taro, put it in a large bowl and mash it into a paste. Add the processed starch mixture and 500 grams of sweet potato starch, and stir well.

Reach in and knead until smooth and soft, then place on a cutting board to rest.

These are dumpling wrappers that he meticulously developed.

Cut the pork into chunks and mince it, then cut about 100 grams of water chestnuts.

Add half a spoonful of dark soy sauce, one spoonful of light soy sauce, half a spoonful of oyster sauce, 13 spoonfuls of five-spice powder, 13 spoonfuls of white pepper powder, 13 spoonfuls of salt, and half a spoonful of sugar to the pork.

After mixing well, add the scallion and ginger water in two batches.

Next, add the chopped water chestnuts and stir well with chopsticks. The filling is now ready, and you can start making dumplings.

"Taro dumplings?"

Watching Ueno Sugi's actions, Nakiri Senzaemon made his own guesses, but he didn't say anything and just watched calmly.

Soon, an hour and a half had passed.

Ueno Sugi finished making the dumplings first. As he scooped the taro dumplings out of the pot, he glanced at Yukihira Soma and strode towards the judges' table.

"Teacher Bai Yuan."

Ueno nods respectfully to Bai Yuan and hands him the first serving of taro dumplings, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Is that all? Have you forgotten something?"

Unexpectedly, Bai Yuan noticed that the taro dumpling in front of him had a slight frown and was looking at Ueno Sugi with a half-smile, so he casually reminded her.

"There should be no missing steps."

After closing his eyes and carefully recalling the cooking steps, Ueno Sugi nodded affirmatively, confirming that he had not forgotten any of the steps.

Both the dough and the filling are the result of his careful preparation, and the proportions have been adjusted several times to finally achieve the most perfect state.

"Then let's give it a try."

Seeing Ueno Sugi's determined look, Bai Yuan didn't say anything more, but picked up a taro dumpling.

After being boiled in boiling water, the taro dumplings become translucent, with a slight sheen of the taro's natural color, making them both beautiful and tempting.

"The creamy texture of taro and the smoothness of sweet potato starch are a perfect match, resulting in a soft and glutinous texture with a slight chewiness, which is truly delicious."

Take a bite and you can clearly feel the unique delicacy and smoothness of taro, perfectly combined with the smooth texture of sweet potato starch.

This texture is neither too sticky nor too chewy, yet it has just the right amount of chewiness.

"After being seasoned, the pork is delicious, juicy, and has a delicate texture."

The addition of dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and other seasonings makes the filling visually appealing and rich in flavor. This simple combination further highlights the deliciousness of the pork; the clear and distinct flavor profile is truly remarkable!

The Mediterranean-looking old man, wearing a pinkish-brown coat, exhaled hot breath and his face was full of happiness.

"The subtle aromas of five-spice powder and white pepper powder add a complex fragrance to the filling, both removing any fishy smell and enhancing the overall flavor."

Beside him, another bald old man with a beard clicked his tongue, began to savor the taste of the taro dumpling filling, and finally gave a fair evaluation.

"The crispness of the water chestnuts, interspersed among the tender pork, brings a refreshing taste to the filling and effectively neutralizes the greasiness of the pork."

With the lingering taste of water chestnuts in his mouth, Senzaemon Nakiri nodded. Pork and water chestnuts are a classic combination.

The refreshing water chestnuts accentuate the aroma of the pork without making it overly greasy, perfectly complementing the richness of the taro dumplings.

"It's clear that you've done considerable research. Taro dumplings are a relatively niche type of dumpling, mainly popular in Jiangxi, Fujian, and Zhejiang."

Senzaemon Nakiri opened his eyes, looked at Ueno Sugi, and slowly said, "This dish is excellent from every perspective."

However, it has one fatal flaw.

"My meal is ready, please enjoy!"

Just as he was about to point out the shortcomings, Soma Yukihira's voice suddenly came from below the stage, and everyone immediately looked over.

Soma Yukihira walked onto the stage carrying a soup pot with flames burning underneath, the pot bubbling away inside.

"Yukihei-ryu Oodo Vegetarian Dumplings, please enjoy!"

Open the copper pot lid, and the dumplings inside are boiling, looking like plump, white babies.

Chapter 178 Victory and Advancement, Second Round Theme: [Chicken]

"Wangdao vegetarian dumplings?"

Looking at the bubbling dumplings in front of him, Senzaemon Nakiri rested his chin on his hand, a puzzled expression on his face.

The dumpling wrappers in the pot were tightly stuck to the filling, with no gaps in the middle, and they kept spreading to both sides as the boiling water simmered.

"These dumpling wrappers are handled very well."

"Indeed, you can tell at a glance that a lot of effort was put into kneading the dough, otherwise it would be impossible to make dumplings of this quality."

"Stop discussing it, let's try it!"

The short, elderly man in the pinkish-brown clothes picked up a dumpling with a longing look on his face. Then, ignoring the heat, he dipped it in the sauce prepared on the table and put it directly into his mouth.

"Hiss... It's so hot! But it's amazing! The dumpling skin is translucent, chewy, and springy. The filling is rich and flavorful, and the sauce is tangy and spicy—it's fantastic!"

Savoring the delicious taste, the elderly man in the pinkish-brown clothes spoke with a happy expression. Seeing this, the people around him also picked up dumplings.

"Wangdao vegetarian dumplings, let me see how many kinds of vegetables are used in this. Trying to beat meat dumplings with vegetarian dumplings is not an easy task."

The bald, bearded old man spoke while examining the vegetarian dumplings in front of him, then dipped them in the sauce and put them in his mouth.

"Eggs, dried bamboo shoots, dried shiitake mushrooms and dried tofu... and dried purslane."

The savory flavor on his tongue almost made the bald old man swallow his tongue. He quickly savored the taste while it was still in his mouth and soon identified all the ingredients in the dish.

"That's right, this is the method I saw in an old book. I combined these vegetarian ingredients in proportion and seasoned them to complete this kingly vegetarian dumpling."

Soma Yukihira nodded and opened his arms to explain to the audience and judges.

The flavor of dumplings made with meat and vegetables was too ordinary, and that's what people usually eat. So he thought of making pure vegetarian dumplings.

It seems to be working well now.

"The texture of these dumpling wrappers is truly impeccable. The secret to their resilience lies in the vacuum sealer."

After kneading the dough until it is even, put it in a vacuum machine to remove the air, which will make the dough more elastic and chewy.

Of course, that alone won't make perfect dumpling wrappers. You should have added vital gluten, right?

Bai Yuan's gaze fell almost imperceptibly on Nakiri Alice, who gave him a faint smile, which confirmed his thoughts.

"Vitamin gluten? You mean when making gluten, you wash all the starch off the gluten with water, and what's left after removing the water is the gluten gluten?"

The short, elderly man in the pinkish-brown clothes said that as a figure who had dominated the culinary world for many years, he naturally knew what gluten was.

"That's right. Everyone has eaten gluten. It has a chewy and elastic texture, and that's all thanks to the role of vital gluten. Similarly, by adding vital gluten to dough and then vacuum-sealing it, you can get perfect dough."

Bai Yuan patiently explained the principle behind why dumpling skins are so chewy, which made the other judges look at him frequently with admiration in their eyes, knowing that there was a reason why he was there.

"Actually, the most crucial element is the sauce in front of you. It's sour and spicy, delicious, and appetizing, perfectly complementing the flavor of the dumplings!"

Senzaemon Nakiri, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, looking at the sauce in front of him and then at Ueno Sugi in the corner. This was exactly what he was missing.

"Taro dumplings use taro and sweet potato starch to make dumpling wrappers, and pork and water chestnuts to make dumpling fillings, highlighting the soft and delicate texture of taro and the rich flavor of pork."

Wangdao Vegetarian Dumplings utilize vacuum cooking technology and incorporate vital gluten into the dough, making the dumpling wrappers more chewy and elastic. The filling cleverly combines five kinds of vegetables, creating a wonderfully umami world, paired with a deliciously tangy and spicy sauce—it's so good you won't want to stop eating!

Feeling the energy of the delicious food flowing through his abdomen, Senzaemon Nakiri exhaled a long breath, his eyes shining as he looked at the two people in front of him. Then, his loose clothes burst open.