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

In order to win the final victory, she relied on all her knowledge and tried to develop her own dish, hoping to create a top-class dish with her own skills.

However, the result was something she found hard to accept.

After breaking through to the first-class level, the cooking seemed to get stuck. No matter how she adjusted the proportions, there was no change. The taste was different, but the impact was not significant.

"Since we can't break through to the top tier using this method, let's tear everything down and rebuild from scratch!"

Looking at the dishes in front of her, Huang Mei became determined and decided to tear everything down and start over.

Building a fish dish from scratch would take Huang Mei several days with her current skills, and perfecting it would take several more days.

However, demolishing and rebuilding can be done in one night, thanks to the experience accumulated previously.

A first-class dish is no match for Liu Yu, so she must use this pressure to fight to the death and find a way out!

"come on!"

Huang Mei clenched her fists to cheer herself up, and then devoted herself wholeheartedly to the new dish.

Beside her, Li Wanwan closed her eyes to rest, not disturbing her, simply keeping her company.

Li Wanwan knew that she could hardly help Huang Mei with her own abilities. Rather than offering some wrong and distracting options, she should just keep quiet from the beginning and stay by her side so that she wouldn't feel too lonely.

Of course, enjoying delicious food during this process is one of her few hobbies.

the other side.

The Totsuki Culinary Base of the Dark Cuisine World.

"Good night, Makabaka."

After practicing yoga on the balcony for a while, Liu Yu took a hot shower in the bathroom and then spoke to Wang Jing, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa watching TV.

"Going to bed so early tonight? No all-nighters."

Looking at Liu Yu, who was about to go back to her room to sleep, Wang Jing's voice carried a hint of teasing.

"I've adjusted my schedule a bit. I didn't sleep during the day or afternoon so I could go to bed early at night. Otherwise, it would be terrible if I couldn't perform at my best tomorrow."

Liu Yu made a joke, then opened the door to her room, took off her bathrobe, and crawled into bed, her face full of contentment.

“ZZZ”

Within just a few minutes, a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over Liu Yu, and she quickly fell asleep.

The food is ready, and now she's ready to face the challenge in top form!

The next day at nine o'clock, under the moon.

"Young friend Bai Yuan, is someone sitting next to you?"

A familiar voice rang in his ears. Turning his head, he saw that the people who came were Senzaemon Nakiri and Zhou Tai. Although he was puzzled as to why the two of them had gotten together, Bai Yuan nodded.

"Please have a seat, there's no one here today."

Logically, this position should belong to Alice Nakiri, but I exhausted her last night, and she's still lying in bed refusing to get up.

As a result, the seat next to him became empty.

"Young friend Bai Yuan, who do you think will win?"

Sitting in his chair, Senzaemon Nakiri glanced at the two men poised to attack on the stage, then at Hakugen, before asking a question.

"Huang Mei possesses top-tier talent and super touch. After a week of preparation and adjustment, she can at least serve up first-class dishes, and there is even a chance of serving special-grade dishes."

As for Liu Yu, she has a very solid foundation and her skills reached the level of a first-class chef at a very young age. Occasionally, she can even create top-grade dishes.

Therefore, thanks to this week of preparation time, the outcome of their match is roughly 40/60, so it's something to look forward to.

Looking at the two players facing off on the field, Bai Yuan gave his assessment.

It's true that Huangmei has super tactile abilities. Given a specific recipe, and with her body pushed to its limits, she can even create dishes that are rated four stars.

However, the side effect is that you can't cook for the next few days, and the recipe must be specific enough, with the requirements for ingredients accurate to the gram.

Under normal circumstances, with a specific recipe and sufficient preparation, Huangmei can also make top-grade dishes, and a week is enough for her to prepare.

However, facing Liu Yu, who was equally well-prepared and ready to go, even if he served the best dishes, his chances of winning wouldn't be particularly high.

After all, although Liu Yu is a first-class chef, she is only one step away from being a master chef, and with careful preparation, she can also make master-level dishes.

On the stage.

Huang Mei and Liu Yu had no idea that Bai Yuan could see right through them with just one glance, and he was almost about to tell them the color of their underwear.

Even if they knew, they wouldn't say anything; they would only think Bai Yuan was amazing, worthy of being their leader.

The competition officially began the moment the gong was struck.

"The theme is fish, and the time limit is two hours. Who will be the winner of this competition?!"

Kawashima Rei held the microphone, her voice filled with excitement. The two people in front of her had both performed brilliantly in the first round, making it a truly fierce battle!

Chapter 193 Secret Recipe Grilled Fish VS Fish and Lamb Stew

"You didn't get any rest last night, did you? Look at those dark circles under your eyes, you stayed up all night?"

Looking at Huang Mei, whose expression revealed fatigue and whose dark circles were heavy, Liu Yu asked softly.

"Well, because I wasn't satisfied with the dish I had developed, I scrapped it and started over. I put myself in a do-or-die situation and finally created a dish that satisfied me."

Huang Mei nodded, not hiding her research from last night. After all, she hadn't gone home yesterday, and Liu Yu would know if she asked Wang Jing.

"To put yourself in a do-or-die situation, that's a bold decision. I hope you really can survive."

Liu Yu's expression was unreadable. She knew Huang Mei's abilities perfectly well, so she had never underestimated her, but she had even more faith in her own strength.

If winning a game could be achieved through one or two exceptional performances, then what's the point of diligent practice every day?

"There will be a way out!"

Hearing Liu Yu's somewhat provocative words, Huang Mei's voice was exceptionally firm, and she met his gaze without hesitation. For a moment, they were locked in a fierce confrontation, neither willing to back down.

"Let's begin then. I hope your cooking will be worthy of my preparation over the past few months."

After the pre-battle pleasantries, both sides entered their optimal state of combat readiness. Huang Mei looked at the fresh grass carp in front of her, a serious expression on her face.

Place the grass carp on a clean cutting board with its head facing you and its tail facing outwards.

Before joining the world of dark cuisine, Huang Mei was a highly skilled fish butcher at RT-Mart. Despite her young age, she had extensive experience in butchering fish and, with her super-sensitive touch, every cut was precise.

Hold the fish head firmly with one hand, and with the other hand holding a sharp cleaver, quickly slice it from below the fish head, keeping the blade close to the fish bones, and cut the fish body open to the tail, exposing the internal organs.

Next, gently insert the tip of the knife into the fish's belly, slice upwards, and carefully remove all the internal organs without breaking the gallbladder, so as not to affect the taste of the fish meat.

Then, use a kitchen knife to gently scrape away the black membrane and any remaining internal organs from inside the fish's belly to ensure that the fish's interior is clean and free of foreign objects.

The process was smooth and seamless, without any awkwardness or hindrance. The fresh grass carp was like a greenhorn in Huang Mei's hands, completely at her mercy.

"What a fast knife."

In the audience, Kurokiba Ryo witnessed all of this and quietly expressed his admiration.

Huang Mei's knife skills are all basic, but because she is extremely skilled, they appear very powerful, as if she is using some special knife technique.

"This amazing skill level requires at least ten years of experience killing fish."

Zhou Tai's voice rang out as he watched Huang Mei prepare to cook the grass carp, his eyes filled with admiration.

"In comparison, the other one is quite average. While there are no obvious flaws, there's nothing particularly outstanding about him either."

As soon as Senzaemon Nakiri finished speaking, Bai Yuan and Zhou Tai both looked over and noticed that Liu Yu's movements were slow, but his strikes were exceptionally decisive.

"This is just the first step; the final result will depend on the dishes they serve."

Bai Yuan spoke up, saying that Liu Yu wasn't good at butchering ingredients; she was better at cooking with the ingredients she had on hand. She was probably just showing off her skills by butchering live fish today.

"That's true, but focusing on fish is a bit too broad, and it could easily turn into a competition of old recipes with nothing new."

At this point, Zhou Tai pursed his lips, clearly dissatisfied with the theme of the competition. An overly broad theme is not a good thing for a chef.

While the range of choices has increased, it can easily turn into a contest of experience; whoever has mastered a powerful and applicable recipe can win simply by applying it directly.

Truly high-level culinary competitions add various restrictions, requiring chefs not only to create new dishes but also to test their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

"After all, these are just competitions for beginners, there's no need to make them too difficult."

Of course, there is another reason.

"Totsuki Academy wants to show its strength to the outside world, so a topic that's too difficult could easily backfire. We'll naturally increase the difficulty during the second-year internal academy assessments."

Senzaemon Nakiri spoke slowly, as he also had his own considerations.

If it's an internal assessment within the academy, then the more difficult the better, since the goal is to eliminate students and put pressure on them to become stronger.

However, the Summer Selection can be considered a recruitment brochure for Totsuki Academy, attracting outsiders to come and watch, while showcasing the talent of Totsuki students.

If the performers on stage are good enough, it will be enough to attract parents to send their children to study there.

Therefore, the themes of the cooking competitions chosen for the Summer Selection are all very conventional, just in case the contestants can't control themselves and embarrass themselves, bringing shame to Totsuki Academy.

"That's true. Education must be done step by step; you can't get fat overnight."

Zhou Tai understood the key point after hearing what Senzaemon Nakiri said, and he also understood why he did it this way. After all, for the culinary academy, enrollment was the most important thing.

Although Totsuki Academy has always had a high dropout rate, seemingly disregarding students and even despising those without talent, they would certainly be unhappy if no students came.

"Ah ha ha."

Bai Yuan, Zhou Tai, and Senzaemon Nakiri exchanged glances, each pointing at the other's face with a smile, everything understood without being said.

"Using scallions, ginger, orange juice, rice wine, and white pepper to remove the fishy smell is a good idea; it skillfully utilizes the natural aroma of the fruit."

Refocusing his attention on the competition, Zhou Tai noticed Huang Mei adding various ingredients to a bowl of fish and offered his unreserved critique.

"Orange juice is rich in organic acids such as citric acid. These acidic components can give fish a unique sour and refreshing taste, making the pickled fish more appetizing and tempting."

In addition, during the marinating process with orange juice, the proteins in the fish denature, changing from translucent to opaque, and the texture becomes harder and crisper, thus improving the taste of the fish.

Bai Yuan acted as the commentator, for no one knew more about common ingredients than him. He had already memorized the functions and uses of these common ingredients in order to better prepare his dishes.

Ordinary people think that his rapid growth is due to talent, but only Bai Yuan himself knows that the reason he can become so powerful is entirely due to his own efforts, step by step reaching the pinnacle!

"People in Latin America use orange juice to marinate fish, which is quite a unique dish."

Zhou Tai looked at Bai Yuan in surprise. He hadn't expected that Bai Yuan would have such a thorough understanding of ingredients at such a young age. No wonder he could become a top-tier seven-star chef.

Although he couldn't go into such detail, he knew that this dish was popular in Latin America because he had eaten it there.