Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"The bamboo shoots here need to be blanched again after the first blanching, using boiling water. The main purpose is to season them."

After adding the shredded bamboo shoots, add salt, cooking wine, and pepper to the pot.

Once the seasonings have fully infused the ingredients, remove them and rinse them with cold water.

Seeing the bamboo shoots that Alice Nakiri had taken out and placed aside, Bai Yuan once again boiled water in a pot, then poured the bamboo shoots into it and added seasonings to flavor them.

"From ancient times to the present, vegetarian dishes have never been a small category of dishes."

In the past, there was a consensus among chefs that vegetarian dishes should be prepared with the three types of mushrooms and six types of fungus.

The so-called "three mushrooms and six ears" refers to shiitake mushrooms, flower mushrooms, and straw mushrooms. The other six ears are rock ear, yellow ear, osmanthus ear, white-backed ear, silver ear, and elm ear. Furthermore, ingredients related to vegetarian dishes include vegetables such as leeks, radishes, scallions, and garlic, as well as seafood such as laver, kelp, and nori.

Many bean products are also classic vegetarian ingredients, as are fresh lotus seeds, bamboo shoots, and gluten, all essential vegetarian ingredients...

Although I said I wouldn't interfere with Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri's on-site training.

But it wouldn't be right not to say it properly once it was on the tip of his tongue, so Bai Yuan began to explain it to them in detail. The Nakiri sisters listened attentively.

They could naturally tell that Bai Yuan was giving them special treatment, using this home-style cooking method. This guy has been stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside for a long time.

"Now that the eel shreds are processed, go back to the pot and cook them to let them absorb the flavor, then add some oil. Peanut oil or soybean oil will do, but the amount will vary depending on the type of oil. You need to remember this detail."

Peanut oil has a rich aroma and can add fragrance and a golden color to dishes, so you can use a little less.

Soybean oil has a rather bland flavor; to achieve a similar aroma to peanut oil, a larger quantity needs to be used.

As Bai Yuan explained, he began to operate the pot, and a rich aroma immediately wafted out from it.

Surprisingly, the fragrance did not disperse after it appeared; instead, it remained fixed above Bai Yuan's head, as if an invisible hand was binding it.

Prepare a basin of cold water.

Bai Yuan spoke to Nakiri Erina, who was standing to his right in front of the pool.

“Okay.” Erina Nakiri nodded and quickly filled the container with cold water.

The vegetarian eel shreds in the pot were thoroughly infused with flavor after simmering for two minutes, and Bai Yuan scooped them up and threw them into the cold water in front of Nakiri Erina.

"Rinse it briefly with running water, then squeeze out the water and bring it over."

"clear."

Upon seeing the vegetarian eel strips in front of her and hearing her instructions, Erina Nakiri immediately put her hand into the cold water, picked up the vegetarian eel strips, quickly rubbed and washed them, then squeezed them dry and put them in a plate.

"Yes, that's the state."

Looking at the vegetarian eel shreds that had been processed by Erina Nakiri, which were in perfect condition to meet his requirements, Bai Yuan nodded in satisfaction. It was so easy to work with a smart person. He then started to heat the oil in the wok.

"Pepper, sugar, black truffle seasoning powder, simply mix well, did I do it right? Teacher Bai Yuan."

Seeing the dried vegetarian eel strips that Erina Nakiri had prepared, Alice Nakiri quickly stepped forward and began to process them as well.

As she spoke, she looked up at Bai Yuan and saw him nod slightly. Her heart was filled with the joy of being recognized.

"The ingredients were added correctly, but some things are missing."

The soluble proteins in egg whites form a protective film on the surface of mushrooms, preventing moisture evaporation at high temperatures. At the same time, their weak alkalinity can slightly soften the fibers.

When heated, egg white proteins form an elastic network structure that buffers the excessive contraction of plant proteins.

The vegetarian eel shreds stir-fried this way have a texture similar to shredded meat, and are very smooth and tender. Before frying, as is customary, prepare a cornstarch slurry with potato starch. Do not pour it in, but rather grab a handful like I am and slowly add it to the slurry while it sticks to your hand.

This method of mixing the vegetarian eel shreds will result in a more even distribution and a better texture when fried later.

Bai Yuan emphasized the mixing method, which is a small trick to improve the taste of dishes, and something that would be hard to think of without a teacher's instruction.

He learned this trick from an unknown guy in the world of culinary disasters. He learned it during a cooking competition with him and found it surprisingly useful, so he has been using it ever since.

Will this mixing method improve the texture...?

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Erina Nakiri's face lit up with surprise, and she quickly began to take notes.

Alice Nakiri, standing nearby, remained calm, clearly already aware of this method.

"But Teacher Bai Yuan, shouldn't eggs be considered a type of meat dish?"

Frowning as if she had thought of something, Erina Nakiri stopped taking notes and looked up to ask.

Eggs are something laid by birds and beasts.

In terms of classification, it should be considered a meat dish.

"What you're talking about is the egg yolk; the egg white is vegetarian and is the egg's nutrient."

In response, Bai Yuan simply explained the difference between egg yolk and egg white.

"Is protein a nutrient, so it's not considered meat?"

This is the first time I've heard this claim, but from a biological perspective, you're right.

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's explanation, Nakiri Erina was briefly taken aback, clearly not expecting him to have such a unique angle of argument. However, from a biological perspective, his idea was actually quite valid.

"You can always trust Brother Bai Yuan."

Seeing Erina Nakiri's surprised expression, Alice Nakiri looked completely at ease.

Brother Bai Yuan never speaks without reason, nor does he ever make mistakes.

"Alright, stop chatting, wash your hands and come eat."

My dish will be ready soon too. Remember, this dish needs to be fried in sesame oil—a whole pot of sesame oil.

Seeing the two discussing, Bai Yuan smiled gently.

While speaking, he placed his hand on the oil pan, carefully feeling the temperature inside.

Heat up, heat up, heat up some more.

As the temperature rose higher and higher, Bai Yuan's expression changed from relaxed to serious. When the temperature reached a certain level, he poured in the vegetarian eel shreds.

"Fry the vegetarian eel strips briefly to make their exterior crispy."

Add the bamboo shoot shreds to the pan a few seconds before the vegetarian eel shreds are done to avoid overcooking and making them too tough.

While stirring the vegetarian eel shreds in the pot with chopsticks, she explained the process to the two Nakiri sisters.

As he spoke, Bai Yuan poured in the bamboo shoots, his eyes fixed intently on the bubbling inside. A few seconds later, he lifted the pot and filtered out all the oil, leaving only the eel and bamboo shoots.

"After deep-frying in hot oil, you need to put the food back in the pan with cold oil. So before cooking, pour out the hot oil, wash the pan, and then put the food back in with cold oil."

Pour out all the hot oil from the pot and quickly rinse it clean with cold water. Then, take the oil bottle containing sesame oil and pour a thin layer of sesame oil into the pot.

At this moment, the kitchen is filled with the aroma of sesame oil and vegetarian eel and bamboo shoot shreds.

"Next up are scallions and ginger..."

Watching the oil in the pan gradually heat up, Bai Yuan took out ginger and scallions from under the stove, washed them briefly, and chopped them with a sharp knife.

To Erina and Alice Nakiri, it looked like Shiro Awakening simply washed the ginger and scallions and placed them on the cutting board. The next moment, minced ginger and scallions flew into the pot!

The speed was so fast that one couldn't even see the shadow of the blade.

"Teacher Bai Yuan, there's still garlic here you haven't used..."

Seeing the ingredients that Bai Yuan had taken out but left on the cutting board without processing them, Nakiri Erina quietly reminded him.

Eating meat without garlic diminishes its flavor by half.

Although this vegetarian eel dish is not meat, it is made to resemble meat, so adding garlic has the same effect.

"The minced garlic is added after the dish is finished cooking, so there's no rush. Let's take it one step at a time."

Quickly stir-fry the minced ginger and scallions in the wok over high heat until fragrant, then add the vegetarian eel shreds and stir-fry until the surface is slightly browned before adding the bamboo shoot shreds.

"Is this wok hei? Wok hei usually only appears in stir-fried dishes. Only those who have mastered stir-frying can give their dishes this wok hei!"

Watching the fragrant ripples spread across the sky, Alice Nakiri closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and enjoyed it for a long time before opening her eyes. Then she couldn't help but exclaim, "This is how cooking should be!"

Compared to this, all other stir-fries seem utterly inferior!

"Actually, it's not as amazing as you think. The 'wok hei' refers to the unique caramelized and complex aroma produced by the Maillard and caramelization reactions during the process of stir-frying ingredients at high temperatures and quickly.

Any chef with even a moderate level of skill can create the wok hei (wok aroma) effect.

Upon hearing Alice Nakiri's voice and her somewhat excessive praise, Bai Yuan turned around and offered a few words of explanation.

If a dish exhibits wok hei (the smoky aroma imparted by a wok), it proves that it has at least reached the top grade, and is already considered a fine delicacy.

After all, there are very few master chefs in the world, and each one is a renowned figure whose dishes are worth booking months in advance.

"It's done cooking!"

Seeing Alice Nakiri's thoughtful expression, Bai Yuan poured in the chopped garlic, stir-fried it briefly, sprinkled it with cilantro, and called out loudly. Erina Nakiri, seeing this, very perceptively brought over a plate.

As the dish is placed on the plate, a shimmering light emerges from the vegetarian eel shreds, clinging to them continuously for a long time.

If someone who didn't know the situation saw this, they would definitely think that someone had added fluorescent agents to the food in front of them, otherwise it would be impossible for it to be so bright in the dim kitchen lighting!

"As expected, this is another dish that radiates light!"

Looking at Bai Yuan letting out a long sigh of relief, or more precisely, at the pictographic eel shreds in his hand, Nakiri Alice swallowed hard, picked up her chopsticks, and preemptively tasted the dish before he could even speak.

"Ugh, they actually ran away! That's outrageous!"

When Erina Nakiri saw this, she couldn't suppress the desire deep in her heart either. No longer caring about maintaining her cool and aloof demeanor, she picked up a chopstick and put it directly into her mouth.

"The aroma of sesame oil, scallions, and ginger stir-frying is complemented by the deep flavor of black truffle. Deep-frying gives the vegetarian eel shreds a crispy outer shell that cracks between your teeth, while the inside retains an extremely tender and bouncy texture thanks to the addition of egg white and starch!"

Gently bite the chopsticks with your teeth, and savor the taste with your tongue.

Alice Nakiri narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing an expression of ecstasy.

"The 'texture' simulated by the mycelial fibers is exquisite; when chewing, you can even feel a subtle, oily sensation similar to melting eel fat. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, watching you, Professor Bai Yuan, create this dish with thin oyster mushrooms, I would have doubted whether there was actually eel in it!?"

Erina Nakiri's face was filled with disbelief.

Dishes made with oyster mushrooms actually have a texture and taste similar to eel!

This is incredible!

If everyone in the world had Master Baiyuan's culinary skills, the price of meat in the world would probably plummet immediately.

"Not only does it taste like eel, but it also looks very similar to eel shreds, no wonder the name contains the word 'pictographic'."

Picking up a strand of eel and examining it closely, the unfolded shape of the thin oyster mushroom was almost identical to the long, curled texture of the eel, while the bamboo shoot strands were silvery-white and translucent like a stream under moonlight. Even a seasoned chef like her would find it difficult to distinguish the two at a glance.

"This is a famous dish, specially prepared for those who can't eat meat but have a sweet tooth. Its texture is no different from that of eel, and its flavor is delicious."