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

Chicken, beef, lamb, pork, and fish—these ingredients have appeared so many times in previous competitions that the audience has become somewhat immune to them. Introducing something different can liven up the atmosphere and test the contestants at the same time.

For example, right now, after hearing that the competition theme was loach, the audience erupted in heated discussion, while the contestants on the field began to think.

loach…

What kind of dishes should they cook?

Tadokoro Megumi pursed her lips, lost in thought, standing motionless. Liu Yu turned and left with Wang Jing, who was waiting for her at the entrance of the Moonlit Room.

"Let's go to the countryside again."

Tadokoro suddenly looked up. Like taro, loach is also a common ingredient in folk cuisine. Asking those old men for advice is definitely the right thing to do!

Lost in thought, I lost track of how much time had passed.

When she came to her senses, a puzzled pretty face appeared in front of her. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Yoshino Yuuki, with Sakaki Ryoko standing next to her.

At this moment, the crowd dispersed.

There were hardly any people left in the vast moonlit sky.

"Yuuki, do you know where there are a lot of loaches?"

Looking at that familiar face, and remembering that Yoshino Yuuki was an expert in aquaculture and probably had a considerable understanding of loaches, Tadokoro Megumi couldn't help but ask.

"If we had to name a place where loaches are farmed, Akita Prefecture and Tottori Prefecture would have the most. Akita Prefecture farms loaches in boxes, which saves a lot of space, while Tottori Prefecture has established farms."

However, if you want to buy good loach, I suggest you go to Gunma Prefecture. Although it is not as large as the two prefectures mentioned earlier, it has the most advanced breeding methods.

They utilize the terraced fields in the mountains for rice-fish and loach farming. Because they have conducted research on water flow, volume, and temperature changes, the loaches they raise are large, plump, and very popular.

As expected of Yoshino Yuuki, she was an expert in this field. After thinking for a moment, she gave Tadokoro Megumi a very pertinent opinion when she asked her question.

"Gunma Prefecture? I understand. I'll go there this week for a field investigation. Since it's the place where the ingredients are produced, the locals should also like to eat loach. I hope I can find something useful there."

Upon hearing Yoshino Yuuki's suggestion, Tadokoro Megumi also thought for a moment, then nodded and decided to buy a ticket to Gunma Prefecture the next day.

Since it's a loach farming area, they must have unique insights into how to raise loach. I might be able to learn something from them in the past.

the other side.

After leaving the Moon Sky Pavilion, Liu Yu and Wang Jing were also thinking about what kind of dish to make. In the end, instead of returning to their dormitory, they opened a map app and searched for shops selling loach dishes in Tokyo.

Summer is the season when loaches are at their fattest and most delicious. Although not many people in Tokyo like to eat loach, there are quite a few shops that sell it. A search revealed more than a dozen.

"Starting with this one, I should be able to try all the loach dishes in the Tokyo area in three days, and then I'll do a more thorough study."

After leaving Totsuki Academy and boarding a bus, Liu Yu looked at the shop names on the map app and quickly planned her time.

The first three days were spent exploring the stores, and the next four days were spent researching them.

Before long, Liu Yu and Wang Jing arrived at a small corner shop. The shop was very small, with only an old man wiping a table clean with a rag.

famous loach house

The shop's name is written directly above it.

Clearly, this is a shop specializing in loach dishes, but judging from the dismal business, it's easy to see that loach dishes here are not popular.

"Two guests, what would you like to eat? The menu is on the wall. We have loach noodles, spicy loach, braised loach slices, loach tempura..."

When he finally saw a customer arrive, the old man immediately put down the rag in his hand and stepped forward with an expectant look to introduce the place.

"Uncle, give us a serving of loach noodles."

My eyes scanned the shop. It wasn't a big place, but the menu on the wall had a wide variety of dishes, more than a dozen in total.

The boss was an elderly man in his forties. Although he was old, he walked steadily and wore white clothes, looking very capable.

"It will take a while, about 20 minutes, is that okay?"

"Sure, we're not in a hurry."

Hearing Liu Yu's words, the old man nodded, then put down the tablecloth and went inside to prepare loach noodles for them.

"Although I know it might be unreasonable, could we please watch from the side? We are very curious about how loach noodles are made."

"Come on in if you're curious."

Seeing the curiosity on the two girls' faces, the old man stopped, thought for a few seconds, and nodded in agreement. They were just ordinary techniques, nothing to hide.

Moreover, he didn't think these two delicate little ones could learn his skills.

"it is good."

Liu Yu and Wang Jing exchanged a glance, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes.

Although the other party is not a particularly skilled chef, they do run a restaurant specializing in loach dishes, so they must have unique insights in this area.

Soon, the two followed the old man into the kitchen.

The small shop's kitchen was clean and tidy, small but complete, with everything it needed. The most eye-catching feature was the wood-fired stove.

It's hard to imagine that in today's electricity-dominated society, a small shop still has a wood-burning stove with some chopped firewood next to it.

"We use small loaches to make noodles here. Compared to large loaches, the meat of small loaches is more delicate and firm, making the noodles especially delicious."

By the way, our loaches are all freshly killed. This whole tank is enough to guarantee their freshness, but it takes a relatively long time, and customers don't like to wait, so there aren't many people.

As the old man scooped loaches from the fish tank, he introduced them to Liu Yu and Wang Jing, who were standing behind him watching him, his voice tinged with bitterness.

Because of his insistence on the quality of the dishes, the service time here is relatively long, and the fast pace of today's society results in a small number of customers.

"Do we have to process every single loach here like this? Isn't that a bit too much trouble..."

Watching the old man pick up the loaches and process them one by one, Liu Yu frowned slightly. No wonder the old man said it would take some time; with such a slow processing method, it was impossible for the process to be fast.

"That's right. It's actually quite troublesome for ordinary people. Few people have the patience to handle loaches while they're alive. They're slippery and slippery, and if you're not careful, they can fly out and you can't control the force afterward, which can easily lead to you getting cut by the knife."

When Liu Yu asked the question, the old man answered with a smile.

The real challenge in making loach noodles lies in the preparation of the loach. Most people would never want to handle it, which is also the key to his success in opening the shop.

Therefore, he didn't mind Liu Yu and Wang Jing coming in to see his work, so they would feel that the price was worthwhile and come back next time.

"I see."

Liu Yu nodded slightly, then watched silently as the old man processed the loaches. It took about ten minutes for the old man to finish processing the eight loaches.

"Alright, sir, we'll head out now."

"Okay, you guys wait outside. Cooking is actually a very boring thing, it's just repeating the same action over and over again, so I'll speed things up a bit."

As they spoke, Liu Yu and Wang Jing went outside, their faces showing no emotion. The old man, however, continued talking incessantly, busying himself inside.

"The next store is here. Just walk straight ahead and turn right. It's about a kilometer away from this store, so walking is the fastest way."

"Okay, let's leave after we finish our noodles."

After watching the old man slaughter the loach, the two lost their expectations for his cooking and realized that there was a reason why the restaurant was so quiet.

Killing loaches is not difficult. The first step is to take a large iron basin, pour the loaches into it, and add salt.

In just about two minutes, the loach will die. At that point, the still loach is easy to handle and requires very little effort.

Although they only saw the process of processing the loach, they could tell that the old man's skills were not good, and there was no need to pay too much attention to such a shop.

"Consider it a negative example."

Leaning back in her chair, noticing that Liu Yu seemed somewhat distracted, Wang Jing spoke softly.

Good cooking methods can be learned from, and bad cooking methods can be used to eliminate mistakes. Going around and observing more will definitely not be a problem.

"That's what I was thinking too. I'm really hungry after coming down from Totsuki, so I'll have something to eat first."

Liu Yu nodded, and Wang Jing shared her thoughts before leaning on the table to wait.

This old man is really slow. No wonder he said something like that when he came in, asking if they could wait. I thought it was just a polite gesture, but it turns out he really is slow.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, the loach noodles are here!"

Just as they were thinking about crickets, a steady voice came from the kitchen, and the old man came out carrying a bowl of loach noodles and two small bowls.

He went straight to Liu Yu and Wang Jing's table, put down the loach noodles, and, worried that the two girls wouldn't have enough to eat, he cooked some extra noodles.

"Thank you."

"These noodles are handmade, and they won't taste good if they're soaked for too long. You'd better eat them quickly, because they're meant to be enjoyed while they're still hot."

After saying this, the old man left and continued wiping the table, even though it was very clean, because it was the only thing he could do.

"It looks pretty good."

"Indeed, it's not as bad as I imagined."

Looking at the noodles in front of them, Liu Yu and Wang Jing whispered to each other, then picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

The soup of the loach noodles is a soy sauce color, with a row of well-cooked loach on top, and some bright green scallions on top of the loach.

It didn't look particularly special at first glance, but it had a rich aroma that made one swallow hard. Liu Yu then picked up a loach from the dish.

"Fresh, fragrant, smooth, and soft"

As the tender loach entered her mouth, those four words came to Liu Yu's mind. Feeling the wonderful taste on her tongue, she couldn't help but widen her eyes.

"In the warm soup, the thin noodles are as smooth as silk, gently wrapping around each other, absorbing the essence of the soup, and becoming both soft and elastic."

Liu Yu first tasted the loach, while Wang Jing ate the noodles. The noodles, soaked in broth, had an exceptionally rich flavor, with an enticing aroma that lingered in the mouth.

"Before cooking, the loach should have been pan-fried, and dry-fried, without any starch coating on its surface. The aroma of the ingredients was fully released and infused into the soup, where it was absorbed by the noodles!"

Seeing Wang Jing's delighted expression, Liu Yu also picked up a mouthful of noodles, paired with loach soaked in broth, and savored the flavor.

"Unexpectedly delicious."

Wang Jing couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. She had given up hope after seeing how the old man prepared it, but she never expected it to be so delicious.

Unfortunately, they came out when the old man was halfway through cooking and didn't continue watching, so they don't know the deeper details.

"Uncle, we're still a bit hungry. We'd like to try the home-style loach again, and maybe have a dry-fried dish too. Your cooking is really excellent."

Liu Yu praised it without hesitation, and these words were sincere. The level of this loach dish was almost at the first-class level.

For a small, independent chef, this level of skill is already quite remarkable!

"After all, I've been teaching mudfish for over twenty years and have run this shop here for over twenty years. If I didn't have some skills, I would have been eliminated long ago."

It's a pity a new restaurant opened across the street; it's cheap and fast, so my little shop probably won't last much longer. Until then, I'd better make as many dishes as possible.