Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"I'll save seven or eight pieces for you."

Hearing Bai Yuan's words and understanding why he had just told them to eat more, Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.

It's surprising that someone as skilled as Teacher Bai Yuan has such a childlike side, being quite greedy for food and even taking the initiative to compete with them.

This would never have happened before.

However, this Bai Yuan is more human, unlike the ethereal and rootless duckweed, nor the so-called enlightened master, but their teacher Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan looked at their expressions and understood what they were thinking. He then went to the kitchen and took out the braised lion's head meatballs that he had just finished reducing the sauce.

The appearance of the lion head immediately attracted the attention of everyone present.

"What a rich and mellow aroma!"

Alice Nakiri was the first to express her feelings. Although it wasn't the first time she had cooked lion's head meatballs, she still couldn't help but cheer with joy every time she saw her.

This time, Bai Yuan made the most classic braised lion's head meatballs, mainly using pork and water chestnuts. A slightly more advanced version is the fresh shrimp lion's head meatballs.

However, for dinner, braised lion's head meatballs are already a remarkable dish, and most families wouldn't prepare such a complicated meal in the evening.

The rich sauce poured over the lion's head is like a coat of amber, making it both mouthwatering and intriguing.

What kind of flavor lies beneath that layer of sauce?

Erina Nakiri swallowed.

I thought the beef ribs with dipping sauce was the highlight of the evening, but I didn't expect this braised lion's head meatball to be so tempting as well.

"Looking at it this way, there is indeed a big difference between hand-cut meat and machine-ground meat. Meatballs have a smooth surface and appear more delicate. On the other hand, lion's head meatballs have a bumpy surface and look very grainy, making them noticeably better in texture than meatballs."

Looking at the lion's head in front of her, Alice Nakiri sighed with genuine emotion.

It wasn't her first time eating meatballs, nor was it her first time seeing lion's head meatballs, but she had never made this connection before.

Now that we see the differences between the two and suddenly want to prove them, isn't that progress?

"That's right, one's advantage lies in its taste, and the other's advantage also lies in its taste, but the focus is completely different, so they are different types."

As the saying goes, everyone has different tastes. Some people like the delicate texture of meatballs, while others prefer the bumpy, textured feel of lion's head meatballs.

It's unrealistic to try and satisfy everyone's needs. A chef can't have everything; trade-offs are necessary to create perfect dishes.

Upon hearing Alice Nakiri's insightful words, Bai Yuan began to explain while holding the lion's head.

The dish is still the same dish.

Different people will have different experiences when they see food. Some people see food as just food, while others see food as a path for their own progress.

Alice Nakiri is now in a similar situation. After hearing Shirabuchi's explanation, she finally showed an expression of sudden realization: cooking doesn't have to be perfect.

As long as the key elements are presented properly, then the dish is a good dish.

Everyone has different tastes in food, and even food connoisseurs have their own preferences; at most, they can only offer relatively objective evaluations.

But ultimately, it will still be influenced by one's own true nature.

Since no one can make their food loved by everyone, it's better to focus on refining the ingredients so that those who already like the dish will like it even more.

"What are you mumbling about..."

Listening to the cryptic conversation between Shirayuki and Alice Nakiri, Erina Nakiri felt puzzled and picked up a lion's head with her chopsticks while thinking.

"This looks really good."

Although she had eaten lion's head meatballs before, they were all made in local restaurants and didn't capture the essence of Chinese cuisine. Every time she ate them, she felt they were just average.

Now, when you taste the lion's head meatballs made by Bai Yuan, you'll find that they are not only large and plump, but each meatball is also firm yet tender, with an amber-colored sauce coating them, making for an exceptionally rich flavor.

"Bai Yuan's cooking is excellent in terms of color, aroma and taste, there is no doubt about that."

Alice Nakiri chimed in, then scooped up a lion's head with a spoon and moved it into her own bowl.

"They're so big, let's separate them with chopsticks first."

The person who said this was Hisako Shinoto. Looking at the braised lion's head meatballs in front of her, which were only slightly smaller than a bowl, a subtle expression appeared on her face.

Without hesitation, she used chopsticks to cut it into small pieces, and the sauce immediately flowed slowly down the broken opening, turning it into small lion's head meatballs.

Pick up a piece and put it in your mouth.

Upon first touch of the tongue, the rich, dark sauce takes over, followed by the fragrant aroma of star anise and cinnamon, which, along with the subtle intoxication of Shaoxing wine, creates a sweet aftertaste in the mouth.

The salty and umami flavor of soy sauce is cleverly balanced by rock sugar, neither overpowering the other, but allowing the taste to settle into a deep amber-like depth, which is simply wonderful!

"What a wonderful flavor!"

If I were to make it, I absolutely could not recreate such a rich and layered sauce. Even if I were lucky enough to make it once, it would be impossible to replicate it a second time!

As soon as the piece of meat entered her mouth, Erina Nakiri let out a gasp.

"Not only the sauce, but also the meat filling is exceptionally flavorful, and the richness of the two does not overlap, resulting in a very unique final taste."

Alice Nakiri's voice rang out, and at that moment she closed her eyes.

With a light touch between the teeth, the outer crust cracked softly between the lips and teeth, revealing the loose yet firm meat inside.

The crispness of the water chestnut pieces is like a fleeting glimpse of beauty; the moment they break open, they pierce the rich aroma of the meat and burst forth with sweet juices.

The marbled pork cubes retain a slightly granular texture, each one soaked in broth yet stubbornly preserving the original flavor of pork, with the subtle aroma of scallion and ginger water appearing as you chew.

"The collagen-rich pork skin and scraps are simmered in broth for fifty minutes until they transform into a sticky, gelatinous substance."

The warmth of the pepper powder spread from my throat to my stomach.

As the last trace of saltiness faded, a subtle sweetness, reminiscent of water chestnuts, rose on the tongue, like a cup of light tea at the end of a banquet, perfectly balancing the richness.

With the lingering aftertaste of the tea still fresh in her mind, Hisako Shinomiya slowly put down her chopsticks.

When she came to her senses, the braised lion's head meatballs in front of her had been completely devoured.

"I must say, Professor Bai Yuan, you are truly a genius."

No matter what dish you're given, you can cook it with incredible ease, as if there are no technical barriers whatsoever.

At the same time, Erina Nakiri finished her lion's head meatball and couldn't help but sigh.

"I'm not a genius; these are all the results of my hard work."

Bai Yuan simply waved his hand dismissively.

The reason he can cook these dishes so well is mainly because he has cooked them before.

Otherwise, it would have been difficult for him to improve the lion's head to this level of perfection; at most, he could only barely reach the level of "flowing light".

Although the Flowing Light level is already the pinnacle of existence in this world, for Bai Yuan, merely reaching the Flowing Light level is still somewhat lacking.

After all, his ambition was to become the Dragon Chef, a title that hadn't been seen for many years.

And Chef Long...

He still has no clue.

What level of cuisine must one create to have the confidence to challenge all the masters in the world?

"It's all the result of hard work..."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri exchanged a glance, their lips twitching slightly.

It wouldn't be surprising if this statement came from anyone's mouth.

It sounded rather strange coming from Bai Yuan's mouth...

A pure genius who actually said that his success was all due to hard work.

Okay, there might be some connection. But to reach that level of skill, hard work alone is absolutely not enough; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many chefs in the world who haven't reached the Special Grade.

"Let's eat."

Looking at the expressions on Erina Nakiri's and Alice Nakiri's faces, Bai Yuan knew that they didn't believe him, but he didn't have a better way to explain.

In his view, talent is one aspect, but without hard work, even the highest level of talent is useless.

He happens to be a genius who possesses both talent and hard work.

Dinner ended quickly.

Looking at Erina Nakiri, who was rubbing her belly with a satisfied expression, Bai Yuan coughed lightly twice, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "The school exchange competition is coming soon. What have you thought about? Are you going to go with Totsuki Culinary School or join the Dark Cuisine World?"

Don't worry, I'll accept whatever choice you make. You don't need to feel any pressure; just tell me what you think.

"I'm willing to join the world of 'dark cuisine'."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's question, Erina Nakiri paused, finally understanding why she had been summoned today. She then pretended to think seriously for a moment before giving the answer she had prepared long ago.

She struggled for a long time with the decision of whether to pledge allegiance to Totsuki Culinary Arts or to the Dark Cuisine World.

As for why she ultimately decided to represent the Dark Cuisine World, it was mainly because she was personally trained by Bai Yuan.

If she hadn't met Bai Yuan, and had relied on her own exploration or the guidance of her academy mentors, she might not even have reached the level of a top-tier chef.

Without a top-tier chef present, even if they were to go to the competition in place of Totsuki, they would definitely not achieve very good results.

This is not self-deprecation, but the truth.

She is indeed very talented in cooking, but that's only in the eyes of an average person, and she is far from being fully developed yet.

After her trip to Fuzhou, she finally understood the truth that there are always people more capable than you in this world.

Although Bai Yuan's training enabled her to achieve a top-three finish in the Fuzhou Youth Chef Competition, that achievement was only possible under his meticulous guidance.

In other words, if Erina Nakiri hadn't met Hakugen, she would be nothing...

The heroes of the world are as numerous as the people crossing the river, their words flowing endlessly.

Bai Yuan was definitely a benefactor in her life, and now that this benefactor needed her help, she had absolutely no reason to refuse.

As for Totsuki, their mission this time is simply to finish in the top ten.

Since Bai Yuan has promised Nakiri Senzaemon, he will naturally keep his promise. There's no need for her to worry about these things; it makes little difference whether she's there or not.

What she needs to do now is to follow in Bai Yuan's footsteps, join the dark cuisine world, and fight alongside them.

Go fight, go grab, go strive, and carve out a formidable reputation for the world of dark cuisine!

That should be her goal.

"Welcome to the team, Erina."