Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

Looking at the soft dough in front of him, Bai Yuan pondered in his heart. The master reached out and grabbed a lump, stretched it slightly, and put it into the oil pan.

Soon, one golden and crispy fried dough stick after another was taken out of the fryer.

The rich aroma immediately attracted passing students, causing her to change her original route and stride towards Baiyuan.

"How much are your fried dough sticks, boss?"

"One stick for 100 yen, three sticks for 200 yen."

Looking at the youthful and beautiful twin-tailed JK girl in front of him, who was probably still a high school student, Bai Yuan gave her a hearty smile.

"It's a bit expensive. The old man who used to sell fried dough sticks here could buy two for 100 yen."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's price, the girl's face fell. She didn't have much pocket money, so she started to haggle with him.

Normally she would have left immediately, but today was a bit special; the fried dough sticks in front of her smelled so good!

She didn't know why she felt this way; perhaps she was just too hungry today, so the fried dough sticks, which she rarely bought, suddenly tasted exceptionally delicious.

"Since I dare to sell it at such a high price, there must be something special about it. You'll know once you buy one and try it."

Bai Yuan simply smiled and said this.

His dishes are already being considerate of the residents by selling them for only 100 yen. If they were any cheaper, people would probably come and accuse him of malicious price gouging.

"Okay, your fried dough sticks do feel a bit different from others. They smell really good. Give me three, I want to try them and see what's going on!"

Because three fried dough sticks are much more cost-effective than one, and Baiyuan's fried dough sticks have a rich aroma and an enticing golden color, high school student JK did not hesitate to buy three, intending to eat one and take two with her.

"Okay, it's still a bit hot since it just came out of the pot, be careful."

As he spoke, Bai Yuan bagged the fried dough sticks and handed them to the girl, a faint smile on his face.

"Three, two, one."

Watching the girl take the bag of fried dough sticks from him and take a bite out of one, Bai Yuan stood still and silently counted down the time.

The girl stood there, looking bewildered, and remained stunned for a long time before she could react.

The next moment, she grabbed the fried dough stick she had taken a bite of and began to eat it in large mouthfuls, completely abandoning her previous elegance and becoming greedy and tyrannical, as if she was afraid that if she ate too slowly, someone would snatch it away.

"How does it feel? This 100 yen fried dough stick is good value for money, right?"

Looking at the girl's state, Bai Yuan's voice carried a hint of teasing.

"Wow, that's incredible!"

Take a bite, and it's crisp at first, then soft.

The crispy part is the golden outer shell; the moment it cracks between your teeth, the aroma of oil fills your mouth.

The inside is soft, yet it has a slight chewiness, requiring some force to tear; this perfectly balanced texture is simply wonderful.

The aroma of oil mingling with the fragrance of flour is indescribable. The sheer deliciousness of that first bite is enough to make one forever addicted!

The girl began to speak eloquently, her eyes sparkling like stars, shining brightly when they looked at each other.

"I didn't expect you to be such a food connoisseur."

That's right. Only by mastering the heat to the extreme can one achieve this level of skill, and achieving this requires a great deal of effort, which is why it's so expensive.

Seeing the high school student JK looking at him with admiration, Bai Yuan was clearly in a good mood, so he said a few more words.

"I see. Then give me three more, I'll bring them to my friends to try!"

The oil in the wok was already hot, and wisps of smoke rose into the air.

Bai Yuan nodded slightly upon hearing this, pinched both ends of the dough stick, and gently pulled it, sliding it into the oil from the edge.

With a bang, the oil noodles immediately boiled, and the white noodles were instantly surrounded by countless golden oil bubbles, rolling up and down.

"It's amazing how such a small lump of dough can expand into such a big fried dough stick!"

After the stretched dough is put into the pot, it first sinks to the bottom and then gradually floats to the surface.

Its surface bulges with tiny bubbles, then expands out completely, as if someone is pumping air in it.

"It uses aluminum-free leavening agent, and baking soda and salt are combined to form alum salt."

These three substances undergo a double hydrolysis reaction in water, producing carbon dioxide gas. This is the principle behind how a small fried dough stick expands when it enters the oil pan.

The gluten network inside the fried dough stick is formed when wheat protein absorbs water during kneading, creating gluten that expands like countless tiny air pockets, naturally forming a mesh-like structure.

Seeing high school student JK enjoying fried dough sticks, Bai Yuan explained the principles behind them while frying them.

He knew this in his previous life; a teacher had used fried dough sticks as an example in chemistry class.

Traditional Chinese fried dough sticks use alum, and the core principle is to generate carbon dioxide gas inside the dough.

"Boss, you know so much! It's a pity I'm a terrible student, I didn't quite understand, hahaha."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's explanation, the high school girl nodded as if she understood, then chuckled sheepishly.

"I'll give you 200 yen. You can just put it in the money box. My hands are a little dirty."

Bai Yuan simply shrugged at this, then took the fried dough sticks out of the oil, wrapped them simply in a packaging bag, put them in a plastic bag, and then spoke to them.

"Okay, 200 yen, 200 yen, here you go."

As she spoke, the girl took out her purse again, rummaged through it for a while, and then took out two coins, which she then threw directly into the money bucket next to her.

There were two coins lying there all alone, clearly indicating that she was the first customer of this stall.

Thinking about this, the girl felt a strange sense of pride.

Of all the people passing by, it seems only she had the discerning eye to recognize this gem! The others just walked by without a second thought, never imagining there was such a hidden gem of a stall!

"Please wait a moment, since you are the first customer today, I will give you a complimentary serving of our restaurant's signature dish."

After all, the fried dough sticks belonged to someone else, and the dough was rather unsatisfactory. Bai Yuan saw that the other party was about to leave with the fried dough sticks, so he called out.

"Signature dish? Isn't this a fried dough stick stall?"

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, high school student JK stopped in her tracks, looking at him with intense curiosity, clearly wanting to know what new tricks he was up to.

"It is indeed a fried dough stick stall, but my main product here is deep-fried pork tenderloin. I will not be selling fried dough sticks after today."

Deep-fried pork tenderloin?

High school student JK still looked puzzled, but she still walked over.

Although this dish is quite famous in China, it is not well-known in Japan, so Bai Yuan's reaction to her was not surprising.

"This is hard to explain, but I'll give you the answer in the recipe."

As they spoke, Bai Yuan placed a piece of fine pork tenderloin on the cutting board and then began to cook.

"Okay, I trust your skills, boss!"

Because of the fried dough sticks that came before, high school student JK was particularly looking forward to the deep-fried pork tenderloin that Bai Yuan mentioned, staring intently at the cutting board in front of her.

Of course, she would occasionally glance at Bai Yuan as if it were an unintentional act.

After all, she came here to buy fried dough sticks in the first place.

Besides the fact that the fried dough sticks themselves are very fragrant, the owner is also handsome.

I don't know how such a handsome guy ended up setting up a street stall here. Logically speaking, he should be popular no matter where he goes.

While high school student JK was observing Bai Yuan, Bai Yuan also took action.

He raised the cleaver and quickly sliced ​​the pork tenderloin in front of him into one-centimeter-thick slices.

As a deep-fried dish, deep-fried pork tenderloin does not need to be scored. It can be directly put into the pan after being cut and marinated.

"The so-called dry-fried pork tenderloin is a whole piece of meat cut directly into thick slices about one centimeter wide, preserving the complete muscle fibers and locking in the meat juices."

During deep-frying, the surface quickly sets and forms a hard crust, while the internal moisture is locked in, resulting in a crispy exterior and a tender, springy interior.

Seeing that the high school girl JK was engrossed in watching, Bai Yuan explained softly.

This is something he does every time he cooks; he's been a teacher for so long that he can't break the habit, and he wants to explain it to everyone he meets.

"I see, I've learned something!"

Although the girl in front of him wasn't a chef, she still skillfully provided emotional support, and when Bai Yuan explained, she showed an expression of understanding.

"The cross-shaped cuts are not for tenderness, but to create surface scales."

For example, lychee meat from Fujian, China, when deep-fried at high temperatures, will curl into three-dimensional spheres resembling lychee peels, increasing its surface area to absorb more sauce.

Because the deep-fried pork tenderloin is dipped in sauce, there's no such worry about it.

As he spoke, Bai Yuan scooped out a spoonful of the previously prepared scallion and ginger juice from below and poured it into the freshly cut pork tenderloin to marinate.

During this process, he took out an egg from under the stall and removed the yolk.

"Egg yolks are good for frying vegetables, and egg whites are good for stir-frying. My mom told me this when I was helping her cook before, and I still remember it!"

Seeing Bai Yuan's actions, the high school student JK excitedly began to speak.

"Your mother is right. Egg yolk batter, also known as stiff batter, has a flaky texture and is often used for frying. Egg whites, on the other hand, act as a lubricant and are often used for stir-frying..."

During the conversation, Bai Yuan placed the egg yolk aside and prepared a bowl of cornstarch paste.

At this moment, seven or eight minutes had passed. Seeing that the pork tenderloin slices were almost marinated, Bai Yuan added the egg yolks and mixed them evenly before adding the cornstarch paste and continuing to mix.

The super-tactile sense also comes into play at this moment, weighing the ingredients and then grabbing some cornstarch to adjust it to a comfortable consistency.

When the oil in the wok reaches about 50-60% of its maximum temperature, Bai Yuan adds the pork tenderloin coated in batter into it.

"Zi la la~"

The sound of sizzling oil filled the air, and high school student JK's gaze was drawn to the oil pan in front of her.

One by one, the slightly yellow pork tenderloin pieces slowly floated to the surface. After the outer shell hardened, they were scooped out and cooled, while the oil temperature was raised to its maximum.

Once the deep-fried pork tenderloin has cooled down, the oil temperature will reach its maximum, which is the ideal temperature for refrying.

"It smells so good! The crispy fat and rich pork flavor, with a hint of spiciness."

As Bai Yuan fried the pork tenderloin again, a rich aroma wafted from all directions, causing high school student JK to exclaim in surprise.

Before being fried again, this snack looks quite ordinary.

But as it came into contact with the hot oil a second time, the rich aroma emanating from its surface made her realize that things might not be so simple.

Sure enough, when Bai Yuan scooped up the deep-fried pork tenderloin with a strainer, a dazzling golden light appeared on the dish and lasted for quite some time before disappearing.