Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

Since both lard and chicken fat are animal fats, adding spices can effectively remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma.

"Here we go, we've only completed the preliminary preparations. You can imagine how much effort it will take to truly bring out the best in the ingredients."

Bai Yuan sighed softly, scooped out the miscellaneous ingredients from the pot, poured the braising oil into a bowl, and then looked up at Shinoto Hisako and spoke.

"This is just the preliminary work?!"

Hisako Shinoto was genuinely surprised. Was it really that difficult to create a dish that brought out the essence of the original flavor?

Although Bai Yuan's movements look smooth and effortless, it should be noted that his culinary skills are at the top level, eight stars, making him one of the world's top experts.

"The mid-term work is to make the broth. To make qualified white braising liquid, high-quality broth is essential."

As Bai Yuan spoke, he walked toward the refrigerator. There weren't many ingredients left, but enough to make a pot of broth, so he got to work.

First, lay the materials out in a row.

Half a hen, two pounds of pork bones, one pound of pork spine, and one pound of pork skin are all the ingredients currently available for making stock at home.

It's a pity we didn't have any pig's trotters or chicken feet at home, otherwise adding some would have made it taste even better.

Shaking his head, Bai Yuan produced a kitchen knife and quickly began processing the ingredients on the cutting board.

The pork large bones and pork spine bones are split in two, which allows the flavor of the bones to be released more thoroughly.

The old hen was chopped into pieces, and the pork skin was processed in the same way as the pig ears, making sure no off-flavors were left!

Chapter 212 Alice and Erina, the two sisters clash once again.

"The broth, as the core of the braising liquid, must meet three conditions. First, it must have a bone aroma; second, it must have a savory aroma; and third, it must be gelatinous."

Only when these three conditions are met can brine stock be considered qualified.

All the ingredients on the table are interchangeable; if you want to be even more refined, you can vary the ingredients used to make the broth for different braised items.

Since Hisako Shinto's cooking aims to showcase the full flavor of the ingredients, the most important thing is to refine every detail to perfection.

Only in this way can it be considered a true presentation.

Otherwise, it's just about bringing out the flavor of the ingredients, with the chef playing a minor role, and even someone new to the kitchen could make it.

It's clear from the competition that Hisako Shinto has grasped some of the tricks of the trade, but she's still a long way from success and needs his guidance.

"The most important thing to make good braised food is to use stock instead of water. This can maximize the flavor and bring out the deliciousness of the ingredients."

Bai Yuan explained and demonstrated at the same time. The first step was to clean the ingredients. The cleaned ingredients were then put into the pot one by one, and high-proof liquor was added to remove the fishy smell.

"The process of making stock requires using high heat, medium heat, and low heat in stages to allow the ingredients to fully release their freshness and aroma, which takes time."

Bai Yuan explained in great detail that these were the true essence, the places where the master taught his disciple to hide secrets. Shinoto Hisako listened very attentively.

During the explanation, Erina Nakiri and the others bought the ingredients one after another and got busy in the kitchen. When they saw Hakuyuan cooking broth, they all went over to him.

"What are you doing? Teacher Baiyuan, are you also preparing to make braised food...?"

Yoshino Yuuki had somehow moved closer to the front, looking at the boiling broth in the pot. The rich aroma wafted over, making one murmur softly.

“That’s right, I’ll do it with you.”

Bai Yuan nodded. Today's test was entirely because he had instructed Shinomoto Hisako to make braised dishes with white brine, specifically for this plate of vinegar-wrapped dumplings.

"The stock used for regular braised dishes can be made from a three-year-old hen, but your braising stock... is made to the standard of a state banquet-level broth!"

Erina Nakiri also entered the kitchen, and a longing look appeared on her face as she looked at the bone broth emitting a rich aroma in front of Shirabuchi.

"That's how cooking works. It may seem like you're making one dish, but you actually have to make several. You have to polish every detail to perfection before you can be considered successful."

The difference between a master chef and an ordinary chef lies in the fact that a master chef has learned a wide variety of things, possesses extremely broad knowledge, and has a very solid foundation.

Even when faced with the most complex dishes, they can unravel them layer by layer, allowing them to shine.

Ordinary chefs often lack the ability to solve problems. They may get stuck on a certain part and simplify or change that part, which will ultimately affect the taste of the dish.

"To polish every single detail to perfection...?"

Erina Nakiri murmured to herself, a look of understanding appearing on her face.

Her cooking is like this so far; it's just that her abilities are limited, so she can't make it perfect, but at least it shows that she's on the right track.

"Go and cook, let me see what kind of braised dishes the famous God Tongue will serve up."

Seeing that Erina Nakiri was no longer as troubled as when she left, Bai Yuan guessed that Alice Nakiri had said something to her, and patted her on the shoulder.

"I understand, I will do my best."

Feeling the hand touch her shoulder, Erina Nakiri trembled slightly, but she didn't say anything and simply fled back to the kitchen counter.

It was as if they were fleeing from a flood or a ferocious beast.

"Am I that terrible?"

Looking at Erina Nakiri's retreating figure, and then at his own palm, Bai Yuan muttered something to himself, then started walking around in the kitchen.

"Snapped!"

"The blanching time was not long enough. The blood foam and impurities in the ingredients were not completely removed. Look, there are still some residues here. You were a bit too hasty."

A ruler had appeared in his hand without him noticing. Looking at the situation in Sakaki Ryoko's pot, Bai Yuan struck it without hesitation, making a crisp sound.

"Yes!"

Despite her flushed face, Ryoko Sakaki gave a firm answer, then put the scooped-out ingredients back in and began calculating the blanching time.

It was said that the cooking time was slightly off, but in reality, it was only about ten or twenty seconds off.

However, even a small detail can lower the quality of the final soup by one or two stars, which can be considered a rather serious mistake.

"Yuki, you blanched the ingredients for too long. If you don't take them out soon, they will become mushy, and a lot of moisture will be lost during the subsequent braising process, making them less chewy."

Have some judgment. Don't stop what you're doing just because I mentioned Ryoko earlier; that's clearly wrong.

As he spoke, Bai Yuan raised the ruler again and struck Yoshino Yuuki's buttocks. The slight stinging sensation and shame made her cover her bottom, her face turning bright red, looking incredibly shy.

"Okay, oh..."

Yoshino Yuuki squeezed her legs together and held onto the table. The sudden movement made her feel a little awkward, but she still quickly poured the ingredients in.

"After blanching, wash the ingredients carefully to remove any impurities, as these will ruin the braising liquid."

Because his broth was still simmering, Bai Yuan was very patient. If he saw anything wrong, he would use a ruler to discipline the people below, leaving them speechless.

Even Erina Nakiri made a small mistake under Shiro's watchful eye. When she was reprimanded, she covered her bottom, her face flushed, and she was indignant.

However, since she knew she was wrong and had learned something from Bai Yuan's words, she gritted her teeth and accepted it, but she dared not look at his face again.

After going around in this way, every girl's face was flushed, and some had even been hit more than ten times. Because the blows were quite strong, they were certain that there were red marks all over their skirts.

There's no way to take it off and check it here.

"It's almost cooked!"

Suddenly, Bai Yuan stopped walking, sniffed slightly, and soon smelled the top-quality aroma that only pure broth could give off.

Without any hesitation, he strode towards his soup pot, then picked up a high-mesh sieve, swapped it for a smaller pot, and filtered out the solids.

After completing this step, the remaining task was to season the broth. Bai Yuan dipped his hand into the broth, tasted it briefly, and then began to add salt.

Add MSG and chicken bouillon, then add the previously prepared braising oil to the pot. After adding the braising oil, the broth in front of you visibly becomes smoother.

Looking at the broth in front of him, Bai Yuan showed a satisfied expression. He then put the previously prepared spice packet into the pot, added about 20 grams of rock sugar to enhance the flavor, and clapped his hands.

"That's it. Next, we'll empty the pot to let the aroma of the spice packet spread throughout the pot, so that the flavor is even."

Simmer over low heat for half an hour. This will allow some of the ginger broth to evaporate and release the full flavor of the spice packet. Then you can add the ingredients to be braised.

"Give me a portion of all your ingredients. I can use it as a reference after I've finished cooking."

As he spoke, Bai Yuan looked at the girls who had somehow surrounded him. They were watching intently, their eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.

Bai Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and asked them to bring over the processed ingredients.

"okay!"

"I'll be right there, just wait a moment."

"It smells so good, I can't even imagine how delicious the food made with this sauce would be."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, the previously quiet scene instantly erupted into a frenzy.

The girls rushed back to their positions, placing the ingredients they had prepared earlier in front of Bai Yuan, hoping he would put them into the braising pot.

"Fish, shrimp, and crab are out of the question; my recipe isn't suitable for ingredients with a strong fishy smell. Pork, chicken, duck, pigeon, and eggs are good options."

Looking at the ingredients laid out on the counter, Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow, picked out several ingredients that were not suitable for white braising, and kept the suitable ones.

"Oh, what a pity."

Watching her ingredients being taken away, Alice Nakiri showed a regretful expression, then went forward to retrieve the ingredients she had left there.

"Braised fish, braised shrimp, braised crab, and other braised foods are quite rare when made with seafood."

As Alice Nakiri put away the ingredients, those around her were surprised to see seafood all over her counter.

"Actually, I haven't seen it much, but I wanted to try something new, so I bought it. I wonder what kind of taste it can make."

Alice Nakiri said with a smile that for her, ingredients such as braised chicken, duck, pork, beef, and lamb were too ordinary, and she wanted to try something new.

"Innovation is not necessarily a bad thing. I look forward to the taste of your cooking."

Bai Yuan nodded encouragingly. In his understanding, there was no ingredient in the world that couldn't be braised; the key was how to match the braising ingredients.

Since Alice Nakiri wants to try, let her try. Success would be best, but even if she doesn't succeed, it's still valuable experience. He can go and guide her once he finishes making the white braising liquid, which is equivalent to learning another dish.

"Indeed, we should try something new; we're all limited by our preconceived notions."

Looking at the duck meat in front of her, Yoshino Yuuki couldn't help but murmur. This was a duck she had raised herself, which had just been slaughtered at the Polar Star Dormitory and was now being used.

They thought their idea was novel, since braised duck meat is quite rare. Who would have thought that a bizarre braised seafood would emerge?

"Whether or not there is innovation is actually secondary. The key is the final taste. If the taste is good, then it is truly good. Everything else is just empty talk."

Erina Nakiri snorted softly. Seeing Alice Nakiri being praised by Shirai, she felt inexplicably annoyed, and her competitive spirit, which had been hidden deep inside her, suddenly rose up.

"Oh? What? How about we make a bet? The loser has to grant the other person a request."

Upon hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Alice Nakiri chuckled. This girl dared to question her! She then said with a hint of teasing.

"Let's compete, who's afraid of who!"