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

"The ingredient selection process is now complete."

Contestant Soma Yukihira received pork tenderloin, preserved egg, salted duck egg, cornstarch, pepper, MSG, garlic, ginger, chicken egg, and goose egg.

Yu, a contestant in the realm of bizarre cuisine, chose pork belly, water chestnuts, potato starch, balsamic vinegar, scallions, sugar, sesame oil, salt, peanut oil, and white vinegar.

Now, both contestants should each select three ingredients, and then proceed to the mutual selection phase.

The host walked around in front of the ingredients chosen by the two contestants, gave them a brief introduction, and then stood in the middle to begin the next segment.

"That red-haired kid picked out so many eggs—chicken eggs, duck eggs, goose eggs, even preserved eggs! Isn't this a pork-themed dish?"

During this process, the audience saw that Soma Yukihira had selected a lot of eggs, and they couldn't help but discuss it, all curious about the dish he was going to make.

"That contestant from the dark cuisine world seems to be preparing to make Fujian-style lychee pork, and the ingredients he has chosen are all related to lychee pork."

However, there aren't many truly authentic local dishes in our area. Only long-established restaurants can guarantee the taste, because the recipe has been passed down through generations of chefs. Does she really know how to do it? And would her competitors offer her such favorable conditions?!

In the culinary world, skilled chefs often hold back some techniques when teaching apprentices. This is because in the past, the saying "teaching an apprentice will starve the master" held true, so masters were unwilling to teach wholeheartedly.

Over time, everyone tends to hold back their skills, resulting in subpar dishes. This has led to the closure of many long-established restaurants.

In this situation, some large restaurants are seeking solutions to avoid going out of business.

The ultimate solution is to have apprentices treat their masters with the same respect they would show to their fathers, giving a portion of their wages to their masters so that the masters can support themselves in their old age.

This is not just empty talk, but a written agreement with legal effect. The restaurant acted as guarantor, which is why the craft has been passed down.

"Her performance was too obvious, so it's normal that she was discovered. Now we'll see what ingredients she chooses and whether she's left herself an escape route. The most interesting thing about the Young Chef Competition is its subversion of expectations!"

Someone spoke these words with a face full of fervor and eyes brimming with excitement.

"subversion?"

Someone nearby asked, puzzled.

"That's right, it's about subversion. By taking away the opponent's ingredients, we disrupt the dishes that the opponent has already planned, forcing them to make other dishes that they are not good at, or dishes that have just been developed."

In other words, it's about subverting the other person's thinking by taking away the ingredients.

Someone familiar with the rules explained that the main competition of the Young Chefs Competition tests a chef's ability to adapt to changing circumstances, not their ability to memorize recipes.

Even if a dish is perfected, if the required ingredients are insufficient, it cannot be replicated according to the original recipe.

If you don't have strong adaptability and can change the recipe in time to create dishes that surpass your opponent's, you will still lose the game.

"Skilled chefs often leave themselves an escape route. Even if the ingredients they need are taken by their opponents, they can use the remaining ingredients to make a dish of similar quality, instead of putting all their eggs in one basket, which would make the dish too heavy."

Another audience member spoke up, saying that this rule has an advantage for contestants from Fujian because they have prior knowledge of it and have relevant experience in handling it.

This is also to ensure the province's qualification rate.

Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing for our province to lose first place in a competition to someone from another province.

"I see. When you reveal everything about yourself, that's when defeat is inevitable. It's hard for someone whose cooking is guessed to win."

Upon hearing this, the audience, who had been puzzled, finally understood. This was the Youth Chef Competition, a place that truly tested a chef's skills! It was impossible to keep winning simply by memorizing recipes and knowing a few dishes.

It tests a chef's creativity, whether they can fully master a dish, improve upon it, and turn others' creations into their own.

"You should choose the object to anchor to first."

Liu Yu also noticed the problem at this moment. Although she was very careful, her cooking was still discovered. A hint of panic flashed across her face under the mask, but she still tried to remain calm and wanted Yukihira Soma to choose the anchor first.

This would give her more advantages.

"Ladies first, please go first."

Soma Yukihira was humble, but his eyes held a hint of shrewdness. The battle of wits between the culinary arts was a crucial part of the competition, even capable of determining the outcome.

"These are traditions from many years ago; the new era doesn't emphasize these things."

"How about this: let's take a piece of paper, write down the ingredients we're targeting, and then have the host read them out. No one should try to take advantage of anyone else."

Seeing Soma Yukihira's expression, Liu Yu immediately understood that arguing with him was a waste of time, so he offered a fair suggestion.

"I have no problem with that, let's do it this way."

Soma Yukihira nodded in agreement without hesitation, saying that this was the most appropriate course of action at present, and that dragging it out any longer would only be a waste of time.

Soon, the staff brought paper and pen, and both parties wrote down the ingredients they wanted on the paper and then handed it to the host.

"It doesn't feel as smooth as before; it's so hesitant to anchor an ingredient."

Seeing Soma Yukihira and Liu Yu like this, some viewers couldn't help but compare them to the previous two matches and started to complain.

"You don't know anything. This is what a competition is all about. The previous ones were all underestimating their opponents. Under normal circumstances, the selection and use of every ingredient should be done with utmost care, since it will affect the subsequent dishes and requires careful consideration."

"That's not entirely true. Perhaps the previous contestants were of a higher level and knew what they needed from the beginning."

Take yesterday's dessert competition, for example. The contestant with the radiant complexion focused on three core ingredients that could be paired with anything.

As Yukihira Soma and Liu Yu handed notes to the host, different opinions arose among the audience, and arguments ensued.

"The two are indeed evenly matched. It won't be easy for either of them to defeat the other, so being so cautious is the right thing to do."

At this moment, Erina Nakiri also spoke up. In this life, she had not had much interaction with Soma Yukihira and had only watched a few matches, so she felt that the two were about the same.

"Yukihira Soma has a better chance of winning this match."

Upon hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Shirobuchi's voice rang out, surprising everyone present. He actually supported Soma Yukihira.

"Why do you say that?"

Erina Nakiri turned her head and asked in confusion, "The two are about the same strength, so the outcome should be fifty-fifty. How come Soma Yukihira has a higher chance of winning?"

"Liu Yu's choices are too limited. Although she is careful when selecting ingredients, her bias is too obvious. She obviously doesn't want to take a gamble."

In this situation, if Soma Yukihira were to take away the most essential ingredient of the dish, forcing the other person to use a substitute, even if they were still able to cook that dish in the end, the taste would be inferior to the other person's due to the decline in the quality of the ingredients.

After all, her cooking skills weren't much better than Soma Yukihira's.

Alice Nakiri's voice rang out, answering Erina Nakiri's question.

In contrast, Soma Yukihira's choice of ingredients is rather limited, with many repetitive and not classic dishes, making it difficult to understand his true purpose. There are also many possible combinations of dishes to choose from.

If we quantify the kidney calculation, Liu Yu, who was not exposed, is superior to Yukihira Soma. However, Liu Yu, who was exposed, is far inferior to Yukihira Soma.

After some deliberation, Soma Yukihira chose to focus on pork tenderloin, preserved eggs, and salted duck eggs.

Rain, on the other hand, focused on pork belly, peanut oil, and sugar.

Now we will move on to the mutual selection phase. Each player should select three ingredients from their opponent.

After glancing at the contents of the slip of paper, the host displayed it in front of the drone and loudly read out the ingredients anchored on it, allowing the two contestants to choose one from the other.

"Have the peanut oil and sugar been anchored? It seems that even if people know what she's going to cook, she's still determined to go all the way."

Upon hearing the host's words, Soma Yukihira's face showed a hint of sarcasm, and he then said, "Although choosing the classic will increase the chances of winning, since it is a flavor that everyone likes, there is one prerequisite: that is, the opponent does not interfere in any way."

But in this kind of competition, the opponent is destined to choose the ingredients, and that premise will never happen. I want her sesame oil, scallions, and potato starch.

"Then I want his cornstarch, garlic, and eggs!"

At the same time, Liu Yu's voice rang out, first taking back the starch she needed. Then she took the other party's seasonings and eggs.

Although it's unclear what dish he's going to cook, garlic and eggs are both popular ingredients in Chinese cuisine due to their versatility.

It is used in almost every dish.

Eggs play a very important role in pork dishes.

It not only increases the stickiness of pork, but also enhances its texture, making it more tender, while changing its surface color and increasing its appetite.

However, this means that another egg is being wasted, a goose egg. I wonder what role the goose egg plays in his cooking, perhaps as a substitute for a chicken egg?

Liu Yu's mind was filled with doubts. Soma Yukihira had chosen so many eggs, and even anchored the seemingly most useless preserved eggs and salted duck eggs, which proved that the dish he was going to make had a significant connection with eggs.

"After making your selections, please exchange the ingredients you have chosen."

As they spoke, Soma Yukihira and Liu Yu had already exchanged their ingredients and stood in front of the cooking station, waiting for the host to announce the start of the competition.

"The theme for this round is pork dishes. The cooking time is two hours. Both contestants are requested to manage their time reasonably and complete the dishes within the allotted time."

Now, the game begins! "

After explaining the rules in a routine manner, the host stepped back from between the two, stood quietly to the side with a microphone in hand, and looked for an opportunity to explain.

"Hey!"

Upon hearing the start signal for the match, Soma Yukihira gave a soft shout, and then chopped the pork tenderloin in front of him into minced meat and put it into a bowl.

Season with pepper, scallions, and ginger, then crack in a goose egg and whisk vigorously clockwise until it becomes sticky.

Next, add a little sesame oil for lubrication and to enhance its aroma, followed by an appropriate amount of starch to increase its viscosity, and continue to pound and knead until it becomes elastic.

"What dish is Yukihira-kun preparing? Why is he using preserved eggs, and why did he bring so many salted duck eggs? Is he going to use the salted yolks...?"

Tadokoro Megumi sat next to Shirabuchi, watching Yukihira Soma cut the preserved egg into small pieces after finishing the minced meat. She rested her chin on her hand and pondered deeply, unsure of what Yukihira Soma wanted to cook.

Could this be an original dish?

Bringing out original dishes to a competition like this is undeniably a courageous act.

"Yukihira's cooking is so imaginative that sometimes even I can't guess what it is. You'll know what it is once it's made."

Bai Yuan smiled. Yukihira Soma's cooking was quite interesting. He often won by surprise. Moreover, he was a genius at improvisation. The higher the pressure, the better he performed, and the more delicious his dishes were. Bai Yuan had a deep understanding of this.

"Using preserved eggs in meat dishes is indeed quite imaginative."

Mito Ikumi spoke, her brow furrowed so deeply that she could kill a fly; she simply couldn't fathom what Yukihira Soma was up to.

He had originally intended to make a sarcastic remark, but upon hearing Bai Yuan's praise, he quickly changed his tone.

Since Teacher Baiyuan is so optimistic about this cooking method, she will give it a little support. She will wait for the dish to be made before giving a specific evaluation.

"I really don't know what kind of dish they'll serve in the end."

"it should be no problem."

"There's definitely no problem, he's Yukihira!"

Yoshino Yuuki and Sakaki Ryoko chatted back and forth, their eyes fixed intently on the match, their words filled with trust in Yukihira Soma.

After all, they were roommates in the same dormitory and spent time together before the Summer Selection, so it's normal for them to know some of each other's strengths.

At this moment, after cutting the preserved egg into small pieces, Soma Yukihira began peeling the salted duck egg, removing the egg white and leaving only the oily yolk.

Soon, the plate was full of salted egg yolks.