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

Bai Yuan reminded them that the beef and mutton in the morning are usually very fresh, as they are slaughtered on the same day, making them perfect for hot pot!

"Indeed, the freshness of the meat greatly affects the taste of hot pot..."

"Or you could come to my place sometime, and we could have a small hot pot party? Your Eternal Spirit Knife can really keep the ingredients fresh."

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, Kobayashi Rindou grabbed Bai Yuan's arm, completely disregarding his identity, and extended an invitation with utmost sincerity.

"Going to your place? That's not a bad idea, but I have something to do tonight. How about tomorrow? Can I bring someone with me?"

Thinking about tonight's itinerary, Bai Yuan pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Really? That's great! You can bring as many people as you want, not just one. It's more lively with more people!"

Kobayashi Rindou clapped her hands excitedly. She was never a shy person, and besides, more people would make it more lively than just the two of them!

The two chatted casually, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for years.

Their actions had already stunned Terunori Kuga, who had just finished pressing tofu and was looking up to see what was happening on the other side.

What is Bai Yuan doing? He's just boiling the beef he uses in Mapo Tofu like that! What does he use to make Mapo Tofu?

With this question swirling in his mind, Terunori Kuga frowned, feeling a surge of anger. This was simply too disrespectful of him!

Despite the difference in their skills, how could someone think they could beat him by making such a shoddy Mapo Tofu? It's a joke!

Thinking of this, Terunori Kuga shook his head and decided to stop paying attention to Shirai and focus all his attention on the tofu in front of him.

Once the tofu reaches its optimal state, he can begin the actual production process!

"Speaking of which, why did you cook these chilies and then put them in the sun to dry? This shouldn't be the way to make Mapo Tofu."

Wait a minute, haven't these peppers turned white from being dried in the sun?!

As he spoke, Kobayashi Rindou glanced at the chili peppers on the shelf outside, his mouth slightly agape in shock.

The sunlight was perfect at that moment, and the chili peppers, under the influence of the light, gradually lost their color and became pure white.

This discovery shocked Kobayashi Rindou, filling his mind with doubts and questions.

Why do chili peppers turn white?

"This is because blanching destroys the chlorophyllase on the surface of the peppers. During the sun exposure, the chlorophyllase in the peppers undergoes photo-oxidation, and then they begin to fade."

The sun is shining brightly today, which will speed things up; otherwise, I wouldn't have considered doing this, given that it takes a lot of time.

Seeing the white-tinged Erjingtiao and Chaotianjiao peppers outside, Bai Yuan smiled with satisfaction and went out to collect them.

"So why bother making the chili peppers lose their color? Aren't you making Mapo Tofu...?"

Rindou Kobayashi was still puzzled, but fortunately she had a mouth, so she directly asked the question that was on her mind.

"Of course, it's for making creative dishes."

Mapo tofu is Mapo tofu; it would be too boring if everyone made the same thing, so I made white Mapo tofu.

Upon being asked, Bai Yuan didn't hide anything and directly stated his idea: he wanted to make white Mapo Tofu!

"White Mapo Tofu?!"

Bai Yuan's words left Kobayashi Rindou even more confused.

This was a term she had never heard before. Wasn't Mapo Tofu supposed to be bright and appealing, with an enticing red color that made people want to taste it?

Besides, how exactly do you make white Mapo Tofu? Even with white chili peppers, the fermented bean paste is still red!

That layer of rich, red chili oil and sauce is the source of Mapo Tofu's deliciousness!

"Just wait and see."

Looking at the white chili peppers on the cutting board, Bai Yuan didn't offer any further explanation. Instead, he chopped the peppers into small pieces and added them, along with the Sichuan peppercorns, to the pot filled with cold water.

Once the water in the pot is boiling, add the snow-white, tender chicken broth tofu. In this way, the issues of spiciness and numbing sensation in Mapo Tofu are resolved!

"White Mapo Tofu? What a whimsical idea."

Kuga Terunori, who was not far away, pricked up his ears to eavesdrop on the conversation between the two. After hearing Bai Yuan's thoughts, he couldn't help but sneer.

Even if you have white chili peppers, so what? Making fermented soybean paste takes at least a month, and without it, the taste and flavor of Mapo Tofu will be greatly diminished!

It's highly unlikely that Bai Yuan anticipated the duel and prepared white fermented soybean paste beforehand, right? The probability of that is negligible!

"So, what are you going to do...?"

As Shirai walked towards the classroom door, Kobayashi Rindou was filled with curiosity.

As a five-star chef, the other party would never make such a basic mistake. They must have already thought of a substitute, right?

"Tap tap tap."

A series of loud footsteps sounded, and Bai Yuan's figure suddenly disappeared into the corridor.

"Wait? They're gone?"

Watching Bai Yuan's disappearing figure, Kobayashi Rindou exclaimed in surprise, his face showing disbelief. Had this guy run away?

impossible!

That means we need to go outside and find a way to break the deadlock.

Just as Kobayashi Rindou was about to say something to Kuga Terunori, who was making Mapo Tofu in a very proper manner, he saw footsteps coming from the doorway again.

Bai Yuan appeared at the doorway, and in his hand was a small pot that was entirely blue and shaped like a dragon coiled around it!

Bai Yuan rushed back to the cooking station, put down the dragon-wrapped pot in his hand, and began to process the various ingredients needed to make white fermented soybean paste.

"You're not planning to make fermented soybean paste on the spot, are you? That takes at least a month to ferment. Making it in a competition is just too outrageous!"

Seeing Bai Yuan's actions, Kobayashi Rindou couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Even though she considered herself to be receptive to things, she was still shocked by what she saw.

Is this guy crazy?

"You just witnessed the wonders of the legendary kitchen utensils, so why do you think that the only legendary kitchen utensil is the Eternal Spirit Knife?"

The "Dragon-Turning Pot" can gather cosmic energy in an instant, allowing the maturation and fermentation process to proceed at an incredibly fast speed. Just wait and see!

As Bai Yuan spoke, he threw the various ingredients into the Dragon Spinning Pot in order, and then stirred them with a wooden stick to make the ingredients come into close contact with the pot.

The next moment, dazzling golden light burst forth from the pot!

Looking closely inside the golden light, one could see all the ingredients used to make the white fermented soybean paste, unfolding before them like a scroll painting!

Chapter 95 Eight Flavors in One! The Magical Eight-Flavor White Mapo Tofu!

"Another legendary kitchen utensil?!"

Looking at the golden light before him, Kobayashi Rindou couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Isn't this a bit too exaggerated? Are there really so many legendary kitchen utensils in the world? She thought there were only one or two such amazing things in the whole world at most! Unexpectedly…

"However, using this against Kuga is somewhat like using a cannon to kill a mosquito, since the difference in strength between you two is already quite large."

Looking at Kuga Terunori, who was cooking in a very conventional way next to him, Kobayashi Rindou couldn't help but facepalm, somewhat puzzled as to why Hakugen was doing this.

With Bai Yuan's strength, he could easily defeat Kuga Terunori by simply making a top-tier dish.

If we didn't start by making tofu, this farce could have ended in less than five minutes.

Don't you understand?

Bai Yuan scooped out the white fermented soybean paste from the Dragon-Turning Pot, stored it properly in a small jar, and looked up at Kobayashi Rindan, whose expression was subtle, not far away.

"What don't you understand?"

Kobayashi Rindou was slightly puzzled.

"Giving your all is a sign of respect for your opponent, and even more so, a sign of respect for the dish you're making. If you can't even understand this, then you don't deserve to be a chef!"

Although he didn't really go all out, that didn't stop him from educating Kobayashi Rindou, who had a huge problem with his philosophy.

However, he was right about one thing.

That is, he respects his opponents, and even more so, he respects the dish he is making! Once he starts, he thinks about how to make it the best it can be!

"Respect your opponent, respect the dish in your hand..."

Bai Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it made Kobayashi Rindou, who was usually lively, fall silent and begin to seriously consider the true meaning of those words.

Seeing that she was lost in thought, Bai Yuan ignored her and turned his gaze back to the snow-white tofu that had slipped through the net in front of him.

Traditional Mapo Tofu emphasizes the harmony of six flavors:

"Numbing, spicy, fresh, fragrant, hot, and crispy."

Beyond this, skilled artisans continued their research, taking it even further and creating Mapo Tofu that combines eight flavors in one:

"Spicy, hot, fragrant, crispy, tender, fresh, and vibrant."

What Bai Yuan is making this time is a magical white Mapo Tofu that combines eight flavors!

Prepare the vegetables by chopping scallions, ginger, and garlic.

Then start cooking!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the same night, Kuga Teruki added cornstarch to his Mapo Tofu to thicken the sauce, preventing it from becoming watery and soggy.

"I finished!"

After serving the finished Mapo Tofu, Terunori Kuga looked at Shiroyuki and, seeing that he was still making it, took two steps forward to see how it was progressing.

However, the moment he walked up to Kobayashi Rindou and looked into the pot, a look of shock appeared on his face.

"what?!"

"White...white Mapo Tofu! How is this possible?! But the aroma emanating from it is definitely authentic Mapo Tofu!"

Despite having heard Hakugen say he was going to make white Mapo Tofu, Kuga Terunori couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when he actually saw it.

The tofu in the pot was completely white from top to bottom, yet the air was filled with a rich, spicy aroma!

It may seem unconventional, but it is actually traditional. This dish is undoubtedly the most authentic Mapo Tofu!

"You've done it perfectly. My Mapo Tofu is almost done too. I'll name it Magic Eight-Flavor White Mapo Tofu!"

As Bai Yuan spoke, he scooped out the slightly thickened, white Mapo Tofu from the pot and placed it on a plate in front of the two of them.

"Come on, have a taste!"

The dish landed, but instead of bursting into a bright golden light as the two had imagined, it contained its golden radiance, leaving only a faint golden sheen on its surface—a result of Bai Yuan's travels.