Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

As they were talking, Bai Yuan released his grip, and at that moment, Erina Nakiri dashed into the house and rushed towards her room.

Bai Yuan was puzzled by this, so he subconsciously followed and blocked the door just as it was closing.

"Without Hisako's care, Erina, you're living a really messy life."

Upon seeing the scene inside, Bai Yuan couldn't help but open his mouth wide. The next moment, the way he looked at Erina Nakiri became quite subtle.

Is this the kind of room a girl should have?

Panties were flying everywhere, clothes were left lying on the bed without being tidied up, half of the pants were on the floor and the other half were on the bed. It was a house that had only been rented yesterday, but it had a kind of beauty that had been ravaged for ten or fifteen days.

In a sense, this can be considered a talent.

"Ugh! I was in such a rush to get to work that I didn't have time to tidy up! If I had more time, I could definitely make sure everything was neat and tidy!"

When the person she admires sees her in such an embarrassing situation, Erina Nakiri screams. She then rushes forward to pick up her panties from the ground, puts them in her skirt pocket, and hurriedly begins to explain.

“You don’t need to say so much. I won’t blame you for it. It’s just a way of life, even though your way of life is really terrible.”

Seeing Erina Nakiri flustered in front of him, Bai Yuan couldn't help but laugh and pat her on the shoulder.

To be honest, he was a little surprised when he first came in, but after he calmed down, he felt it was okay, since the room was messy but not dirty.

It might also be related to when we moved in, since dust takes time to accumulate.

However, Erina Nakiri is a young lady from a wealthy family, so she should have someone to take care of her daily life. It's normal for things to be a little chaotic if no one takes care of her.

You can't expect someone who has no life experience to be able to live well on their own as soon as they go out into the world.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll cook for you tonight as a treat."

Bai Yuan glanced at Nakiri Alice, who was watching the show with a playful expression at the door, and then spoke to them.

Since he had nothing better to do and hadn't cooked for a few days, he was itching to cook. So he decided to make a few dishes for them and have dinner there.

"There's nothing in particular I want to eat. Rather, I feel like I can accept anything Bai Yuan makes, no matter what it is."

Alice Nakiri shrugged; there was nothing in particular she wanted to eat.

"Indeed, even if the name doesn't whet your appetite, the moment you see the dish, all reason disappears and is replaced by an overwhelming appetite."

Emerging from the room and standing beside Alice Nakiri, Erina Nakiri nodded in deep agreement, explaining the allure of Shirabuchi's cuisine.

"Then I'll just do whatever comes to mind."

Although he was surprised by their answers, Bai Yuan was no greenhorn.

Since they don't know what they want to eat, it's perfectly fine for him to decide, after all, he has so many exquisite delicacies in his mind.

“I remember now. During your previous competition, didn’t Erina draw the eel? Considering the restaurant you’re currently training at, I’ll give you both a dish: vegetarian eel shreds with mushrooms as the main ingredient.”

Bai Yuan strolled over to the sofa and sat down. Her mind raced, and then she clapped her hands, suddenly thinking of a dish that would be perfect for the two sisters.

"Mushrooms? Vegetarian eel strips?"

Upon hearing his words, Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

"What ingredients are needed?"

Despite her doubts, Alice Nakiri still went up to ask about the ingredients needed.

No matter what kind of dish is being made, as long as Bai Yuan is the one making it, the final taste will never be bad; this is a consensus among them.

"You need thin oyster mushrooms, the kind that are very thin and flat, about four fingers wide. In addition, you also need bamboo shoots. These two are basically enough."

Remember, the oyster mushrooms must be dried, and the bamboo shoots must be fresh; otherwise, the taste will be significantly different.

The recipe for that dish came to mind, but considering that it was quite late and the ingredients were difficult to obtain, Bai Yuan ultimately only wanted these two ingredients.

"Is it really that simple..."

"That's right, it's that simple."

His consideration for them left Alice Nakiri and Erina Nakiri stunned.

I thought we'd have to go out and do some shopping, but if that's all we have, the fridge is stocked. Yesterday, when we were practicing vegetarian cooking, they bought a lot of ingredients like mushrooms and bamboo shoots.

"Brother Bai Yuan, is this the one? If you need more, there's more in the fridge. We bought them yesterday."

As Alice Nakiri spoke, she opened the refrigerator, showing off her inventory, and then shook the thin oyster mushrooms and bamboo shoots in her hands.

“You bought some? That makes things easier! Alice put the rice cooker on top, and there are some scallions in the fridge, so it will taste even better now.”

Seeing the ingredients in Alice Nakiri's hands, Bai Yuan took two steps forward and started rummaging through the refrigerator, taking out a bunch of scallions.

In this way, he had all the ingredients he needed.

"Let's go, I'll cook you something delicious."

With the ingredients ready, Bai Yuan strode to the kitchen, filled a pot with cold water, and then placed the pot on the stove to heat it up.

"Let me test you: why did I use hot water instead of cold water?"

Seeing the two people staring at him expectantly, Bai Yuan didn't forget to act as an examiner.

"Why..."

This immediately exposed a blind spot in Erina Nakiri's knowledge.

"Does it reduce the earthy taste and help with setting?"

After a moment's thought, Erina Nakiri gave her answer. Blanching is usually for removing fishy smells, so it's always a good idea to stick to that approach.

"That's part of the reason, but it's not the main one."

Bai Yuan first nodded and then shook his head. Nakiri Erina's answer only hit the most insignificant part. Then he looked at Nakiri Alice.

"Mushrooms contain a large amount of ribonucleic acid, which, when it comes into contact with water, quickly transforms into a highly savory substance called guanylic acid in chemistry."

Secondly, it expands faster in hot water, absorbing water and swelling to maximize its return to its original shape, which then helps remove odors.

Alice Nakiri put on a pair of thin-rimmed gold-wire glasses, which she somehow acquired, adjusted them with her index and middle fingers, and then began to explain.

Many chefs know that mushrooms should be blanched in hot water, but they don't understand the underlying principles.

The main purpose is to enhance the flavor of the soup!

Chapter 299 Wok Hei, the pinnacle of vegetarian cuisine!

"See, it's slowly expanding."

Watching the oyster mushrooms expand continuously under the influence of hot water, Bai Yuan stirred them with chopsticks, placing the expanded mushrooms at the edge and the uncoiled ones in the middle, ensuring that both were expanding at the same rate.

"That's the charm of soaking dried goods. Watching them expand in boiling water gradually calms my restlessness. If they weren't flat but long and thick, wouldn't that be like... sob sob sob..."

Before Alice Nakiri could finish her lewd remarks, Erina Nakiri, who had been standing next to her, covered her mouth.

The girl's face was now completely red, and she was glaring at Alice Nakiri through gritted teeth, clearly knowing what she wanted to say.

Although Erina Nakiri covered her mouth in time, Bai Yuan still overheard some of it, and his emotions immediately fluctuated.

When did this little girl turn into a seasoned driver?

And the car was going so fast...

"Don't throw away the mushroom soup here. Add some salt to taste and give it a base flavor. The ratio of salt to water should be 1:100, which means the salt content should be 1%."

Bai Yuan explained as he prepared the seasoning, emphasizing that this was the most basic thing in the world. He stressed this point more than once, so the Nakiri sisters listened with little interest.

They don't want to hear these basics; they want to know something more constructive!

"Alice, could you cut some bamboo shoots into strips for me?"

Watching the oyster mushrooms in the pot rapidly expand, Bai Yuan turned his head and spoke to Nakiri Alice.

"it is good."

Without hesitation, Alice Nakiri strode forward and began cleaning the raw bamboo shoots on the cutting board.

After peeling away the outer layer of old skin, the girl's usually calm gaze turned sharp.

She took a deep breath, and her wrists began to move rhythmically.

The next moment, the bamboo shoot segments gradually transformed into translucent thin slices, like layers of cicada wings covering the cutting board.

With a flick of his fingertips, he formed a fan shape from the thin slices. The blades fell in a dense barrage like raindrops, and the bamboo fibers gradually disintegrated in precise rhythm, eventually transforming into thousands of silver threads that flew high into the air and fell into another pot that Bai Yuan had prepared, where they were blanched and cooked through.

"This oyster mushroom has expanded amazingly; it's already grown from the size of a fist to the size of a palm..."

At this moment, the oyster mushrooms in Bai Yuan's other pot had swelled to the size of an adult's palm, and the originally curled-up parts had now completely stretched out.

"After drying, boiling it will make it larger and fuller than when it's fresh. Sprinkle some pepper to add a base flavor, and then use black truffle seasoning powder to enhance the freshness, which can effectively increase its richness."

Looking at the various seasonings in the kitchen, Bai Yuan sighed inwardly at how good the conditions were now. Back then, he didn't have such good conditions for cooking; he had to mix and match the flavors he needed himself.

Sometimes, to make a dish in its most perfect state, it is often necessary to adjust several flavors. Now, he only needs a bottle of black truffle flavor enhancer powder, which really saves him a lot of trouble.

However, because this kind of thing is so popular in the market, seasoning has become too easy, resulting in chefs in this era not having a solid foundation in basic skills.

Things that used to require a lot of time to research can now be done with just a bottle of seasoning.

With things so easy, who would want to spend time studying them?!

"You should use fewer of these seasonings in the future. You can be a little lazy when cooking in your daily life, but when you are practicing seriously, try not to use them. Try to extract the flavors you need from the ingredients yourself. This will effectively train your sensitivity to flavors, which will greatly benefit you in completing more precise dishes in the future."

As if remembering something, Bai Yuan looked at Nakiri Erina and Nakiri Alice behind him and said to them earnestly.

Taking shortcuts may feel great, but sooner or later those shortcuts will be blocked off.

At that time, if one did not have the ability to walk on the main road, one would have lost the means to continue moving forward.

"We understand."

Although they didn't know why Bai Yuan suddenly said these things, the two sisters looked at each other and saw the decision in each other's eyes. They nodded solemnly and seriously to show their determination.

"Then keep this broth for now, we'll use it later. In cooking, this is called 'using the original broth to digest the original food'."

Remove the thin oyster mushrooms from the pot and place them on the cutting board. Keep the broth in the pot. Bai Yuan picks up the oyster mushrooms that have been swollen from being boiled in hot water, and cuts them into thin strips from the edge.

"Each piece is about ten centimeters long. We trim it according to our preference. One thin oyster mushroom can produce four to five pieces of vegetarian eel strips. Look at the shape, doesn't it look just like real eel strips?!"

He gently flicked the cut vegetarian eel strips in front of Erina Nakiri, and their shape and appearance were not much different from real eel strips.

"really."

She watched as Bai Yuan displayed the eel strips in front of her, and then added them to the plate.

Erina Nakiri pinched her chin and began to think seriously. In terms of appearance, it was indeed difficult to tell the difference between the two.