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

"I know. Now that we've brought all the ingredients back, let's start cooking."

"Alright, let's start cooking."

Instead of blaming Hojo Miyoko, he gently patted her head. Bai Yuan looked at the ingredients she had brought, but instead of cooking them, he sorted them first to understand their characteristics.

Beside him, Zhou Tai saw that Bai Yuan was not discouraged, and silently nodded to himself before slowly walking to the kitchen counter.

In any case, not getting angry easily is a remarkable thing in itself.

He remained nonchalant even when trusted juniors made mistakes that affected his own performance.

For some reason, Zhou Tai suddenly felt that he might actually be able to set up a world-class tournament.

"I'm sorry, Professor Bai Yuan, I didn't understand the rules and acted on my own, which has caused you trouble..."

Having figured out what she had done, Hojo Miyoko clenched her fists slightly, her face filled with regret, and she knew perfectly well what wrong she had done.

She's too presumptuous.

"Now is not the time for punishment. I will punish you properly after this competition is over."

"Finish cooking now, and don't talk anymore, or we'll lose the game."

Seeing Hojo Miyoko step forward with a guilty look on her face, Bai Yuan made a shushing gesture in front of her mouth, signaling her to stop.

Seeing this, Hojo Miyoko immediately covered her mouth, knowing that if she continued to chatter, she would lose the game directly. So she stood still, took a deep breath, and calmed herself down.

"let's start."

After glancing at Bai Yuan, Hojo Miyoko didn't say anything. Instead, she went to the kitchen counter and looked at the ingredients that were neatly categorized in front of her, her mind racing.

If you only use a few of these ingredients, you can definitely make a delicious soup.

However, if you use all of them, you'll only end up with a pot of something that doesn't taste like anything else, and the soup will taste very chaotic.

How can we make their flavors harmonious?

Hojo Miyoko scratched her head with both hands, thinking of many combinations.

But after thinking for a long time, I still couldn't come up with a way to keep the soup delicious while using so many ingredients at the same time.

With lips pursed, the scene fell into a stalemate.

Looking up at Bai Yuan beside him, he noticed that Bai Yuan was also frowning, seemingly deep in thought, but he didn't make a move for a long time.

Anyway, let's get the dry ingredients ready first.

Looking at the dried goods in the bag, Hisako Shinoto suddenly had this idea.

If even Bai Yuan can't figure out how to make it, then she's definitely powerless. Instead of wasting time, she should do what she can first.

Soak dried goods.

Because of the limited time available for cooking, she bought dried seafood that could be used immediately after minimal processing, without having to wait too long.

However, because different types of seafood require different processing methods and times, she needs to make these decisions.

For example, dried clams, after being rinsed with clean water, are placed in a bowl. Add an appropriate amount of warm water and rice wine, soak for 1-2 hours, and then drain for the best flavor.

Dried scallops are soaked in cold water for 15 minutes until they soften and expand. After soaking, they are removed, impurities and tendons are removed, and scallions, rice wine, ginger slices and water are added. The scallops are then covered with plastic wrap and steamed for 20-30 minutes. They are best when they are cooled naturally.

Beside him, Bai Yuan watched Hojo Miyoko quickly process various dry goods without saying a word; his brain was working at a rapid pace.

The taste of the food in front of you is judged by your tongue, then the proportions are controlled by your super-touch sense, and finally confirmed by your super-olfactory and super-visual senses.

Because his brain was working at high speed, Bai Yuan's eyes were cold, and his whole body exuded an inexplicable chill, which was his expression when he was absolutely serious.

The cooking station not far away.

Zhou Tai didn't rush to cook, but observed Bai Yuan for a while. Seeing the icy aura emanating from him, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up.

It seems that the other party's status as a top-tier seven-star chef is absolutely genuine.

That being the case.

Then he'll have to give it his all!

With a graceful twirl of his cleaver, Zhou Tai began processing the three-year-old hen that Zhou Quan had bought. Upon seeing this ingredient, he already knew the answer in his heart.

What the other party wanted him to make was probably the soup that is often served at state banquets, the soup used in state banquets.

As a dish that has been perfected by countless predecessors, he has made it countless times, so using it here can be said to be a very conservative move.

However, given Bai Yuan's current situation, creating a dish that surpasses the soup served at state banquets would be extremely difficult.

Zhou Tai couldn't think of a solution for the time being.

Quickly slaughter the chicken, pluck its feathers, and then remove its tail.

This part of the meat is also called chicken gizzard, and it will make the soup taste very bad if used, so it needs to be removed in advance.

Then the chicken feet need to be chopped off, and the toes need to be completely cut off.

Cut the chicken in half from the back and remove all the internal organs and impurities, as these will affect the final flavor of the soup.

Since this is a soup for a state banquet, every aspect must be meticulously prepared. The chicken head is chopped off separately, and the chicken body is washed under clean water. All blood and clots must be thoroughly cleaned with water.

Put the washed chicken into a soup pot with cold water.

At the same time, Zhou Quan brought over all the processed pork knuckles, splitting the large ones in half and throwing them all into the soup pot.

Take some scallions and ginger, tap them with the back of a knife to loosen them, and then set them aside for later use.

This is because the soup is cooked for a long time, and if you cut it, it will easily fall apart. Putting it in whole allows the flavor to be released because it is loosened by the shaking.

Of course, the prepared scallions and ginger should not be put into the pot immediately. It is best to wait until the water boils and all the impurities rise to the surface and are skimmed off before adding them.

"boom."

At the same time, a small bowl was placed next to him, containing finely chopped chicken breast, to be used for the final clear broth.

Looking up at Zhou Quan, who was preparing ingredients, Zhou Tai smiled. This kid is quite clever!

Chapter 188 Soul Eater!

"Goooooooooo."

A commotion came from the pot, and large swathes of white foam surged up from the bottom, which Zhou Tai then skimmed off with a spoon, allowing the soup to rise to the top.

This part of the scum has a strong fishy smell, and if cooked for too long, it will dissolve back into the soup, affecting the taste of the whole pot of soup, so it needs to be skimmed off in advance.

After skimming off the foam, the soup in the pot becomes much clearer. This is the first step in making this dish, and the soup in the pot at this point is called "hairy soup".

Used to describe the roughness of soup.

In the kitchens of high-star hotels, broth is usually used as water. A spoonful is added to every dish to enhance its flavor.

And if you want to go further...

Beside him, Zhou Quan placed the chopped scallions and ginger down, and at the same time handed Zhou Tai a bottle of Shaoxing wine, the latter having a more precise grasp of the amount to add.

The cooking methods may be the same, but some people can make their dishes look absolutely gorgeous. Others, however, can only manage a passable taste.

The difference lies in the details.

Looking at the state of the soup in the pot, or more accurately, the boiling bubbles, Zhou Tai silently turned down the heat, his eyes never leaving the bubbles in the pot.

If the heat is too low and the soup doesn't boil, it will just simmer and lack flavor. Furthermore, the deeper flavors of the offal won't come out, which will greatly affect the taste of the soup.

If the heat is too high, the soup might turn white before it even starts cooking, which won't achieve the desired effect.

Therefore, the ideal temperature for the water to bubble is two to three centimeters, which is when it can be called soup.

It will take five to six hours here.

After dealing with all that, all that was left was to wait. Zhou Tai glanced at the state of the pot, then looked at Bai Yuan, his cloudy old eyes revealing a sharp glint.

"So skillful. Even though they're just basic techniques, they seem completely natural..."

In the kitchen.

Besides the four people competing, there were also girls watching.

Watching Zhou Tai's every step, seemingly memorized, culminating in him finally putting the lid on the pot, the girls couldn't help but have this thought in their minds.

Naturally.

It was as if he wasn't the one cooking.

Rather, this is how the dish is supposed to be.

As Zhou Tai finished processing the soup and stopped what he was doing, everyone's attention turned to Bai Yuan and Hojo Miyoko.

At this moment, Hojo Miyoko had already soaked the dried seafood and was standing beside Bai Yuan, watching him. The rest was no longer something she could get involved in.

Although she was very unwilling, looking at the ingredients on the table that were not closely related and should have been difficult to connect, she felt overwhelmed and couldn't come up with any ideas after thinking for a long time.

In this situation.

Rather than causing trouble, she'd better stay quietly by her side like a wooden doll; at least she wouldn't get in the way, and she could still witness Bai Yuan's amazing skills.

Thinking of the look Bai Yuan had given her earlier.

At this moment, Hojo Miyoko felt very at ease.

Because that was a look of confidence!

A kitchen knife appeared in Bai Yuan's hand, and he then slaughtered the turtle that had been jumping around in the basin of water.

After slaughtering, the turtle is washed with running water to remove the mud and impurities from its surface, since all the flavors today will revolve around this turtle.

Besides.

On the counter in front of Bai Yuan were many ingredients such as red dates, longan, lotus seeds, goji berries, pigeon eggs, and bamboo shoots.

Among them, red dates, goji berries, angelica, dried tangerine peel, yam, fennel, and pepper are placed together, all belonging to the category of medicinal materials.

Lotus seeds, winter melon, shiitake mushrooms, and other ingredients are arranged together and belong to the category of vegetables.

Bai Yuan's attitude towards medicinal herbs is that they can be added, but the amount should never be too much, otherwise it will not only fail to enhance the flavor, but also affect the overall taste of the soup.

Soak lotus seeds and other ingredients in water.

Next, take the cleaned turtle to the cutting board, lift the shell, and remove and discard all the grayish-white fat inside.

The fat of soft-shelled turtles has a fishy smell. The fat of farmed soft-shelled turtles is orange-yellow, while that of wild soft-shelled turtles is grayish-white, indicating that the soft-shelled turtles are of very high quality.

Looking at the grayish-white fat on his hands, Bai Yuan nodded in his heart, then removed the turtle's tail and gills, and soaked it in boiling water at 60 degrees Celsius for about a minute.