Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"That's it."

As evening fell, the sun began to set.

Megumi Tadokoro and Hisako Shinoto entered from the east and west sides of the arena respectively, each carrying a basket filled with taro of varying sizes.

"Xiao Hui, let's have a battle that neither of us will regret."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. With Teacher Bai Yuan watching from above, there's no way I can lose."

"That's what I wanted to say too."

A faint smell of gunpowder permeated the air.

Although they usually had a good relationship, the two were now at odds, turning their gazes to Bai Yuan in the audience almost simultaneously.

This is a battle that will determine who will be more valued in the future, and we cannot afford to lose!

"The theme of the last competition was desserts, and the theme of this competition is taro. Both contestants are showing great fighting spirit. So, cooking... let's begin!"

Seeing that both sides were in a state of preparation, Dojima Gin stood up with the microphone in hand, then spread his five fingers towards the audience with a serious expression.

"Oh!"

At the same time, a loud commotion erupted in the audience, everyone's face filled with excitement as they watched the two contestants intently.

"Hisako has brought out the ingredients."

"That's...fatty meat?"

"No, that's not right. To be precise, it's pork fat."

Seeing Hisako Niito take out the ingredients, the members of Polar Star Dormitory spoke up, their faces revealing scrutiny and curiosity.

"Hisako Shinoto, an expert in medicinal cuisine. What kind of dishes will she make when using taro, which can be considered a medicinal ingredient?"

On the judges' panel, Kikuchi Sonoka lightly touched her lips with her finger, her face revealing a strong sense of curiosity.

"As a descendant of a family of medicinal cuisine practitioners, Hisako grew up surrounded by medicinal herbs. This accumulation is enough for her to make good use of taro as an ingredient."

Hinako Inui nodded, acknowledging Hisako Shinoto's abilities.

"That's right, this topic is still very advantageous for her. The heir of a family of medicinal cuisine, a super elite who has received formal education from Yuanyue since the first year of junior high school, Hisako Shinto."

She even defeated Hayama Akira, a strong player in the school, with absolute strength, making her a strong candidate for the Elite Ten after Nakiri Erina.

Although Dojima Gin didn't speak, his gaze remained fixed on Shinoto Hisako.

The opponent defeated Hayama Akira, whom he had previously favored; she is definitely a dark horse and a truly remarkable young girl.

"It's highly likely that Shinto will win this match."

“That’s right. She’s been by Erina’s side for so many years, she must have learned a lot of skills.”

In comparison...

As they spoke, many students from Totsuki Academy in the audience turned their gazes toward Tadokoro Megumi.

Compared to Hisako Aragaki, Megumi Tadokoro wasn't very well-known at Totsuki Academy, and even spent a long time at the bottom of the rankings. This time, she somehow made it to the finals, which can be considered a huge upset.

"Xiao Hui has a very solid foundation and has worked very hard all the way. She is willing to delve into her studies no matter how difficult it is. She is a hard-working genius."

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Bai Yuan slowly spoke to Nakiri Alice beside him, his eyes carrying a somewhat ambiguous meaning.

Megumi Tadokoro's talent wasn't particularly outstanding, at least compared to others, but she worked hard enough, taking it one step at a time, which is why she has reached this point.

In the past, she was just timid and unable to show her achievements to others, but now, after being enlightened by him, she has become a great chef.

"There seems to be pork in front of her as well. Did both of them use elements related to pigs?"

Looking at the ingredients on the counter in front of Megumi Tadokoro, Alice Nakiri looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected the two of them to be so compatible, even though they weren't cooking together, they had chosen the same ingredients.

"It may not be a coincidence, but taro and pork have been a very compatible pairing since ancient times."

Firstly, their nutritional values ​​complement each other; secondly, the starch in taro can neutralize the fat in pork. This combination not only improves the taste of the dish but also provides some nutritional benefits.

Bai Yuan's voice rang out, expressing his approval of both of their choices. With these two combined, no matter what dish they made, the taste would be excellent.

Inside the playing field.

Hisako Shinto took the initiative, first peeling and cutting the taro from Lipu, which she had imported from China, into chunks and steaming them.

Once steamed, remove it from the steamer, add sugar and lard, then add an appropriate amount of boiling water and stir until it becomes a taro paste with a suitable consistency.

On the other side, Megumi Tadokoro took out the taro she had prepared in advance, peeled it with a knife, and after the peel was completely removed, cut it in half and then into semi-circular slices.

"Taro belongs to the tuber family. It contains a lot of starch and less water than potatoes or even sweet potatoes, making it suitable for steaming and frying."

As the two women were processing taro, Dojima Gin's voice rang out, introducing the taro to the audience and speculating on their method.

On the field, Tadokoro Megumi ignored everyone. After processing the taro, she took out a piece of high-quality pork belly with a good balance of fat and lean meat from the food basket, sliced ​​it thinly, and set it aside.

Are you planning to make a dish similar to eggplant fritters?

"One layer inside another..."

In the audience, everyone watched Tadokoro Megumi's cooking and started discussing it. Even Nakiri Alice, who was next to Shirobuchi, peeked over to watch.

"So that's the dish you were planning to make?"

Seeing this, Bai Yuan already had the answer in his heart. Taro is a kind of food that absorbs oil, and it will become incredibly sticky and fragrant once the juice is released.

Adding pork belly and releasing its oil during steaming makes the taro more juicy and enhances its flavor.

On the table, the pork belly and taro are arranged in layers, then placed in a casserole dish using a bamboo net, followed by a few abalone on the side.

"Add some more garlic..."

After placing it in place, lift the bamboo net and put the chopped scallions, ginger and onions into the casserole. Then, Tadokoro Megumi felt that it was not enough, so she took out a few cloves of garlic and started peeling them.

"Placing various strongly aromatic ingredients at the bottom, so that the aroma will all flow into the taro during the heating process, is a good idea."

Watching Tadokoro Megumi's actions, Hinako Inui on the judges' panel nodded with approval, noting that this cooking method could enhance the flavor of the taro.

"Oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, a small amount of steamed fish soy sauce, spare rib sauce, two bay leaves, two star anise, a piece of cinnamon and a piece of galangal."

After mixing well, add Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, and Shaoxing wine.

Then comes the seasoning..."

While silently reciting the instructions, Tadokoro Megumi moved with exceptional skill. She then scooped up four spoonfuls of sugar, MSG, pepper, and chicken broth, added boiling water to break it up, added dark soy sauce for color, and finally added a spoonful of lard.

He quickly stirred the sauce in front of him with a spoon, and the rich aroma immediately filled the entire space, making the audience in the front row swallow their saliva.

"With so many ingredients added, the sauce must be incredibly flavorful!"

One imaginative viewer exclaimed that just smelling the aroma was almost unbearable, and this was before it was even cooked!

"I'm sure this dish will taste amazing. It's a shame I'm not a judge, otherwise I could have tasted their carefully prepared dish."

The front rows of the audience seats are mostly reserved for people who hold high positions in the Japanese culinary world, but even they are not qualified to be judges for the competition.

This made them sigh with regret.

Chapter 208 Finalist List: A Huge Upset!

"She...did she just pour lard directly onto the taro paste?!"

Suddenly, someone in the audience gasped, and then many eyes fell on Hisako Shinto, or more precisely, on the person in front of her.

Shinto Hisako ladled several spoonfuls of lard over the taro paste, giving it a glossy sheen. The taro paste now resembled a yin-yang symbol on the plate, adorned with two almonds.

"What are they doing? Isn't this a waste of ingredients? Adding so much lard all at once, how can this dish possibly taste good...?"

One audience member muttered to himself, his eyes filled with incomprehension. "Pouring such a large amount of lard directly on someone is unbearable to even look at. How could it possibly taste good?"

"You don't know anything. Taro is high in starch, while lard is high in oil and has a smooth texture, which can effectively increase the smoothness of the taro."

The person next to him had clearly cooked taro before, and upon hearing his words, he retorted without hesitation that taro tastes better with lard, which is common sense!

"We probably don't need that many."

The person who spoke earlier was clearly unconvinced and muttered to himself, "No matter what, there's something wrong with adding so much lard all at once!"

"Yes, it is necessary. Adding lard also has an important function, which is to balance the flavor."

Taro itself has a mild flavor, while lard adds a rich, oily aroma that can stimulate the appetite. This amount of taro paste paired with this amount of lard is just right; it not only avoids the greasiness of the lard but also makes the taro paste smooth and silky.

Another audience member spoke up, his words resounding and providing a more comprehensive explanation of the benefits of adding lard, clearly indicating he was also a skilled chef.

Scenes like this happened all over the audience; after all, not everyone is a culinary master, and many people were just there for the fun of it.

"Half of the steamed taro paste is sieved through a high-mesh sieve, while the other half is left to stand normally, creating two layers of texture that complement each other like the yin and yang of Tai Chi."

The audience seats, where Bai Yuan is located.

Watching Hisako Shirato prepare the dish, Hakugen silently nodded in approval, then began explaining it to Alice Nakiri sitting beside him.

"Red bean paste and taro paste are both excellent ingredients for making desserts. They have a sweet flavor and are a very good combination. I think it will taste delicious!"

She lightly touched her lips with her finger, a longing look on her face. The faint fragrance in the air made Alice Nakiri intoxicated.

"I'll have them make this at home later and see how it tastes."

Seeing Alice Nakiri's expression, Bai Yuan was about to raise his hand to touch her head, but she anticipated his move and naturally pressed her hand against his face.

"Hmm, this looks delicious!"

Alice Nakiri praised the dish, expressing her curiosity about the two people's cooking.

While the two were chatting, Hisako Shinto had already finished cooking. The dish was white on one side and black on the other, arranged in a yin-yang symbol, topped with chopped almonds and raisins.

"Please enjoy, all three of you."

After finishing the meal, Hisako Shinoto turned her gaze to the judges in front of her and respectfully gestured for them to eat.

"Is this a dessert you're making? It seems the theme of the previous round of the competition inspired you."

Looking at the exquisitely shaped taro paste in front of him, Gin Dojima nodded. Hisako Shirato's choice to make desserts surprised him somewhat.

"That's right, because taro itself has a soft, delicate texture, a sweet and rich flavor, and contains a lot of starch, making it very suitable for making desserts."

Among them, the taro from Lipu in Guangxi, China, is the best, with an extra layer of loose and sandy texture. Even without much cooking, its taste is absolutely wonderful.

Adding more ingredients to taro like this would actually ruin its natural sweetness, so I chose this method of preparation that purely showcases the ingredient's natural flavor.

Hisako Shinoto's voice rang out from the scene. She had originally planned to make some complicated dishes, but she found that making the dishes complicated would actually suppress the aroma of the taro, which was not in line with the theme.

Therefore, after several unsuccessful attempts, she changed her approach and chose to bring out the flavor of the Lipu taro itself, allowing it to shine with dazzling brilliance.