Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"Besides that, there are the ingredients. For a professional chef, each ingredient needs to be pre-treated before frying."

Mushrooms need to be scored, asparagus needs to be peeled and have its ends removed, and then there's this...

Using the ingredients on Mito Ikumi's table, Shiroyuki began to talk at length.

Although the lesson today focused on frying, cooking is a comprehensive skill. If the preparation is not done well beforehand, even the best frying technique will not result in delicious tempura.

"Taking what you have now as an example, I won't make too many adjustments to the others. Let me talk to you about the issues of cooking ingredients and heat control when frying dishes."

Actually, these things are hard to describe in words. Just watch carefully, learn diligently, and pay close attention to my techniques.

Having come this far, Bai Yuan stood in front of the cooking counter and began to explain. He had also become somewhat interested and was preparing to demonstrate for Mito Ikumi.

His actions aroused the curiosity of those around him, especially Hojo Miyoko and others who had noticed him long ago and were hesitating whether to approach him.

"Let us take a look too, Professor Bai Yuan."

Miyoko Hojo strode forward, a longing expression on her face.

"That means there are still many things we don't know!"

Ryoko Sakaki echoed this sentiment, jogging forward to secure a spot to Shirayuki's left, a position with an exceptionally good view.

"Me! Can you take me with you?"

As Yoshino Yuuki spoke, she turned off the fire that was heating the oil pan and came up behind him, her big eyes filled with longing.

Seeing this, Bai Yuan didn't say anything. After testing the oil temperature with a few drops of batter, he threw the fried food in. The most important thing when frying tempura is to maintain a constant temperature.

However, just as he was about to say something...

"What are you trying to do? Are you planning a rebellion? Why aren't you cooking at your own counters? What are you all doing gathered there?"

Just as everyone was focused on the pot, a slightly angry voice came from the doorway.

When Bai Yuan entered, the teacher in charge of the venue had gone to the restroom. Now, upon returning from the restroom, he saw a group of people standing together and immediately showed an unhappy expression.

"Splitting up now, everyone do an extra 100 sets. If you make the same mistake again..."

The female teacher lashed the ground with her whip, creating a loud sonic boom. Her expression was serious, as if she was about to lash out at the group if they didn't separate.

"No need for extra practice. I asked them to come over. You can come over if you want to watch, Huang Yun."

Just as Mito Ikumi and the others were feeling awkward, standing still and refusing to move, which slightly angered the woman, Hakugen's voice came from inside.

"So it's the leader! I'm sorry, I didn't see you in the crowd. You guys make way for me, give me the middle seat!"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Huang Yun's expression visibly brightened, and she hid the whip behind her back. Then, she pushed through the crowd and forcefully took the center position.

"Alright, you're already a master chef, stop acting like a child."

Turning his head, Bai Yuan saw the woman with heroic spirit in her eyes and his voice revealed a hint of helplessness. He hadn't expected that the person in the third venue would be her.

"This was made by you, the leader, personally to cover it up! How could I not be excited! If this were in the world of dark cuisine, I'd probably need a food battle to get it right now!"

Huang Yun pouted and said excitedly. Although she was almost thirty, she looked like a young girl in her late twenties because she took good care of herself.

Her entry into the world of dark cuisine was due to a chance encounter when Bai Yuan saw her cooking and casually offered a couple of pointers.

These two sentences were a revelation to her, giving her a deeper understanding of cooking. She then participated in the top-level assessment and passed it successfully.

While her ten years of experience as a top-tier chef certainly contributed to her success, without Bai Yuan's guidance, it would have taken her at least another five to ten years to reach that level.

Therefore, she felt gratitude and admiration for Bai Yuan. Without him, there would be no top-tier chef Huang Yun today!

This is also why, when Bai Yuan rallied the crowd, she immediately closed her restaurant, which she had run for over a decade, and devoted herself to the world of dark cuisine.

"Alright, I won't say any more. Just watch carefully and learn as much as you can. 58 seconds, this one is just right. Try it."

As they spoke, Bai Yuan used chopsticks to pick up the asparagus from the pot. The asparagus was covered with a golden coating, making it look very light and fluffy.

A few seconds after the asparagus tempura was taken out of the pot, it burst into a golden light. Although it wasn't very strong, it was enough to make it look like a luminous dish.

This is the best that tempura can achieve when there is insufficient preparation beforehand.

Of course, there is another reason: tempura is a type of dish that is too simple, and its deliciousness is not enough to support more sophisticated dishes.

Generally speaking, tempura is only served as a side dish for a certain dish and is not served as a main course.

"A dish that glows?! Can just deep-fried tempura really achieve this level of perfection...?"

Staring blankly at the asparagus tempura in front of her, Huang Yun's face was filled with disbelief. A dish she wouldn't even dare to dream of, Bai Yuan had made so easily?!

It only took less than a minute...

While admiring Bai Yuan, she also felt a pang of melancholy. Why was there such a vast difference between people? He was even younger than her!

Thinking of this, a hint of resentment appeared in Huang Yun's eyes.

"The key is controlling the heat. This is the most crucial aspect of frying this type of dish."

Deep-frying, soft-frying, crispy-frying, clear-frying, oil-soaked frying, drizzled frying, raw frying, and cooked frying—the cooking method of frying alone has a wide variety of types if you really want to break it down.

Every frying method has subtle differences, but they all have one thing in common: controlling the heat.

As they were talking, Bai Yuan put the mushrooms into the pot.

As soon as the mushrooms were added to the pot, countless bubbles rose up, coating the surface of the batter and turning it an enticing golden color.

As the bubbles gradually dissipated, Bai Yuan dipped his hand into the batter and then slightly trembled his fingers.

In this way, the batter becomes small dots that enter the oil pan. Because of their small size, they quickly turn golden brown and are then attracted by the mushrooms.

At the 74th second, Bai Yuan used chopsticks to pick it out without the slightest hesitation.

Those watching were completely captivated, admiring the incredibly swift and decisive technique, and frantically trying to memorize it.

The way I put the ingredients into the pot, the way I tossed the batter into the pan—every scene played on repeat in my mind, and I carefully reviewed every detail.

A seven-star chef's instruction—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Meanwhile, at the twentieth venue.

"The winner of this food battle is Ueno Sugi."

As Wang Hai finished speaking, the twenty students in the hall watching the food battle were filled with disbelief.

Saitori, who could have ranked in the top three in the 20th venue and had a good chance of staying with hard work, actually lost?

Or will they really lose by such a crushing 3-0 score, under such a dominant disadvantage?!

Chapter 119 Cloud Dragon Fried Shrimp (Revised)

"How is this possible?! I actually lost?! And to a guy like that!"

Upon hearing judge Wang Hai's words, Saitozu knelt on the ground, staring at the devastating 3-0 score on the screen in front of him, his face filled with disbelief.

He had just given his all to deliver a stunning victory, showcasing every aspect of the dish to its fullest potential.

Can...

Looking at the large score on the screen, Saitozu's face was ashen. He couldn't understand what went wrong, that he had lost so decisively.

How come someone he looks down on, a complete loser, surpasses him in cooking?!

"You're too arrogant. You know perfectly well that frying is my specialty, yet you still dare to compete with me in that. Your defeat is only natural."

Looking down at the man kneeling on the ground, Ueno Sugi said with a mocking expression.

A year ago, the theme of their competition was fried food, and he lost because of his lack of frying skills.

After that, he became obsessed, practicing fried food cooking with all his might, hoping that one day he could take revenge and make up for his regrets.

As a result, he was bad at cooking other types of dishes besides fried food, and naturally became the worst student.

This midterm exam was also a wilderness survival test. Others had many cooking methods to try, but he was only good at frying, and without preparing a lot of oil in advance, he found it difficult to unleash his full potential.

In the end, he had to change his approach and use pan-frying instead of deep-frying. However, the two types of dishes, though seemingly similar, are actually worlds apart.

He failed, ultimately achieving a dismal score of fourteen points, and gloriously joined the bottom-ranked group, following Bai Yuan up the mountain.

These twenty-five days of hellish training allowed him to temporarily forget about fried food and pick up the knowledge he had previously neglected.

After undergoing rigorous training in the fundamentals, he made up for his previous shortcomings and gained a new perspective on fried food cooking.

He incorporated what he had learned during this period into his fried food cooking, which further improved his skills. Now, when it comes to fried food cooking, he is not afraid of any second-class chef!

Thus, when Saitori suggested using fried food as the theme, which was somewhat humiliating, Ueno knew that he couldn't possibly lose this match.

"What a wonderful performance! Your fried food is even better than mine. You really got tricked!"

However, underestimating his opponent was his own fault.

Upon hearing Ueno Sugi's words, Suzuki Toru stepped forward and led the applause. He then walked to the middle of the two teams and looked at Mitsui San.

At the same time, both sides focused their attention on him, wondering what he was going to say next.

"Although I really want to compete with you right now, the difference in points between us is too great, so we can't meet the requirements for a ranking match."

So please prepare enough points before challenging me again.

Closing the midterm assessment plan in his hand and putting it in his pants pocket, Suzuki Toru slowly spoke, his eyes looking at Mitsui San without the slightest hint of contempt, clearly already regarding him as a rival.

After the battle just now, he realized that he could no longer regard these people as the underdogs he used to be, otherwise he would definitely suffer a great loss!

"Indeed, I overlooked that point; with my current points, I cannot challenge you."

"In that case, let's save our battle for the final day. I hope you don't get killed before then."

Thinking of the rules for the midterm exam, Mitsui nodded, then looked at the others and quickly spotted his acquaintances in the crowd.

"Kawakami, I remember your strength is about the same as mine, so your ranking here shouldn't be very high, right? In that case, become my stepping stone!"

As he spoke, Mitsui San turned his gaze to a thin man in the crowd. The man stared at him for a long time, his expression slightly complicated.

"Tsk, what an arrogant guy, just like before."

As if remembering something, a smile appeared on the man's face. He then took a few steps forward to the middle of the crowd, his eyes fixed intently on Mitsui San.

"If you want to fight, then let's fight. It's not a ranked match, it's a food war. Whoever wins gets all of the opponent's points. Anyway, I'm destined not to stay. You carry my dream and move on."

"I understand, let's have a food battle then."

Upon hearing the man's words, Mitsui San's expression changed slightly, and he seemed hesitant to speak. However, after a moment's hesitation, he solemnly nodded in agreement.

Unlike the midterm exam challenges which have ranking restrictions, the Food Wars at Totsuki Academy can be held unconditionally as long as the food offered by both sides is mutually acceptable or of equal value.

The two are now using points as stakes in a food battle, and the result will be recognized by the midterm assessment rules.