Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

Erina Nakiri is such a heartless capitalist; she sat down while Hisako Shinoto stood. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was physically punishing her.

Shaking her head, Alice Nakiri looked intently at the audience below, a hopeful expression on her face.

"Lady Erina..."

When Alice Nakiri brought over a stool, Hisako Shinomiya didn't sit down immediately. Instead, she looked at Erina Nakiri next to her, as if seeking her permission.

"Sit down, Hisako."

Alice Nakiri had already sat down, and it wouldn't make sense for Hisako Shinoto to still be standing next to her; it would look like she was sabotaging her subordinate. So she nodded, got up, and pulled her chair over to herself.

Hisako Shirato is on her side, what kind of logic is it for her to sit next to Alice Nakiri!?

"The competition has begun. This round's cooking theme is noodles, and the ingredients are provided by the organizers."

Alice Nakiri ignored Erina Nakiri's little tricks; her attention was focused on the stage, where the theme of the competition was displayed on the big screen.

"There are many types of noodles. In Japan, the most famous ones are ramen, udon, and soba noodles. In China, there are more than a dozen types of noodles, such as wide noodles, thin noodles, thick noodles, ramen, and knife-cut noodles. Looking at the world, there are even more types of noodles."

What choices will these two make?

Upon hearing Alice Nakiri's voice, Erina Nakiri also looked over and then saw the theme of the event, and couldn't help but murmur to herself.

The challenger, Hajime Yukihira, is a thin, bespectacled man.

The moment he saw the theme, his eyes lit up, and he looked at Soma Yukihira with a smug expression, saying, "Look, even the heavens aren't on your side! My family is a flour-producing family, specializing in flour production. That means I've been dealing with flour since I was a child, so I can't possibly lose when it comes to noodles!"

"Noodles? That's certainly a broad topic, but whether fate is on my side or not isn't something you can decide with just a few words."

Hearing the bespectacled man's smug laughter, Soma Yukihira spoke disdainfully.

Although noodles are not his specialty, that's only relative. Against someone whose skill level is not even that of a first-class chef, it's naturally a crushing defeat.

Of course, even knowing that he could easily crush his opponent, Soma Yukihira would still fight with all his might, as a sign of respect for his opponent.

This also prevented us from making a fatal mistake.

“Arrogant!

I started learning to make noodles from a young age, rolling around on the dough board; making noodles has almost become my second life.

Such hard work is not something a half-baked guy like you can easily defeat! Just wait to be trampled under my feet and hand over your competition spot!

Upon hearing Soma Yukihira's flippant words, the bespectacled man's face suddenly darkened as if he had been insulted, and he coldly shouted in Soma's direction.

"Let's see what it's like to be a mule or a horse; just talking big doesn't mean you have any real ability."

Soma Yukihira was equally unyielding, and as he spoke, he headed towards the food preparation area.

"Then I'll show you my strength!"

"I can't ask for it."

After exchanging harsh words, the two went to the food section in the center.

Looking at the many ingredients in front of him, Soma Yukihira's brain raced, and images of various dishes appeared in his mind, but he rejected them.

"Since the theme is noodles, I'll make the most classic tonkotsu ramen!"

Looking at the theme on the large screen high in the sky, the bespectacled man pondered for a moment and made up his mind: he would make the most classic Japanese tonkotsu ramen.

It's easy to make, tastes great, and most importantly, it's a classic that the Japanese love.

With that in mind, the bespectacled man quickly began selecting ingredients.

To make good tonkotsu ramen, broth is an essential ingredient, and what determines the deliciousness of tonkotsu broth is naturally the individual tonkotsu bones!

Pork bones are known as the king of bone marrow, characterized by their high content of bone marrow collagen, making them a top-quality ingredient for stewing soups.

Among different types of pigs, the black-haired native pig is the best. They have a long growth cycle, even fat distribution, full bone marrow, and rich collagen, making them the most suitable ingredient for making pork bone broth.

"That's you."

Looking at the bone with the words "Black-haired Pig" written on it, the bespectacled man couldn't help but marvel at the richness of Totsuki's accumulated wealth.

With just a little preparation, he was able to place the rare black-haired native pig bone in the food section, which was a huge help to him!

With the help of the black-haired native pig's bones, he will surely be able to make the most delicious pork bone broth!

With that thought in mind, he picked up the black-haired pork bone and strode toward his cooking station, while Soma Yukihira remained standing in front of the ingredients area, his chin resting on his hand as he pondered.

This scene sparked a lot of discussion among the people present.

"What's going on? Has Soma Yukihira still not decided what dish to make?"

"Could it be that they're scared and are stalling for time?"

"I don't know. The match lasts an hour. Let's see what he wants to do. Giving up the match is not his style."

"Yukihira is not weak. Although he is not qualified to represent Totsuki, he is not someone that just anyone can mess with."

He has a good chance of winning this match, but the focus is on the later matches. He'll likely be challenged by one of the Elite Ten soon, and only by winning can he represent Totsuki Academy.

"He can't possibly defeat the Elite Ten..."

Many people have a positive attitude towards the outcome of this match.

After all, Soma Yukihira has shown tremendous strength during this period, and even some second-year students have been defeated by him.

"Ramen? That's a pretty standard start."

Looking at the dish chosen by the bespectacled man, Soma Yukihira's expression remained calm. He then lowered his gaze, and a rough idea of ​​the dish was gradually forming in his mind.

He doesn't intend to make the kind of noodles that everyone knows, because even if he wins, there won't be much of a sense of accomplishment.

"Since you've decided to win with soup, then I'll defeat you with soup."

Ingredients: scallions, ginger, chili peppers, vinegar, chicken, soy sauce, salt.

And most importantly, all-purpose flour.

Yukihira Soma's hands kept grabbing ingredients from the ingredient area, and soon he placed the ingredients he needed in front of his cooking station.

Surprisingly, he didn't choose the ready-made noodles prepared by Totsuki, but instead brought all-purpose flour, seemingly preparing to make his own noodles.

"It seems the ingredient section doesn't have the noodles Yukihira needs, so is he going to make them himself!?"

"Don't you know what kind of noodles to make? You just used all-purpose flour and didn't even look at the noodles next to you. Looks like this is going to be interesting."

Seeing Soma Yukihira's skillful movements, the discussion on site started again.

"He started."

In the VIP stands, Erina Nakiri calmly watched everything that happened on the field. As Soma Yukihira poured flour into a bowl, she spoke softly.

"Salt, alkali, regular salt and alkali noodles?"

Hisako Shinto murmured.

Looking down, she could clearly see Yukihira Soma adding salt and alkali to the flour, then adding water in small amounts several times, allowing the dough to clump together.

Once everything was ready, he took all the dough flakes out of the bowl, then kneaded them on the work surface until smooth; not a single movement was superfluous.

Chapter 387 A Round Belly, the Judge's Duties!

"It should be hand-pulled noodles. I saw Brother Bai Yuan make them a long time ago."

However, judging from the ingredients that guy just retrieved, this bowl of noodles probably doesn't come with any condiments; it's a pure soup noodle dish.

After observing for a long time, Alice Nakiri revealed her guess.

On stage, Soma Yukihira shaped the dough into buns, covered them with plastic wrap, and let them rise, which is an essential step in making noodle dishes.

The noodles will be more chewy after resting.

While waiting for the chicken to wake up, Soma Yukihira began to cook chicken soup.

"Is this for chicken noodle soup? Using the umami of chicken broth to counteract the flavor of tonkotsu broth is not a wise choice."

Seeing Yukihira Soma's actions, Nakiri Erina voiced her guess, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

If nothing unexpected happens, the other party is most likely preparing to make chicken noodle soup.

And let's not even talk about whether chicken broth ramen can directly compete with tonkotsu ramen.

Comparing your weaknesses to the strengths of others is not something a smart person would do.

Is the person that Teacher Baiyuan has taken a liking to really so arrogant and conceited?

Beside her, Alice Nakiri refrained from making any hasty judgments. She quietly watched Soma Yukihira, observing his movements, while the surrounding audience also watched him.

Upon noticing these gazes, Soma Yukihira, the main character present, couldn't help but smile broadly, then pulled up a chair and sat down.

Most of the cooking process has been completed, and all that's left is to wait for the chicken soup to release its flavor. To speed things up, he specifically used a pressure cooker, which can extract the delicious flavor of the chicken soup in the shortest amount of time.

Twenty minutes later, Soma Yukihira took the risen dough out of the plastic wrap, then used a rolling pin to flatten it out and roll it out to make it uniform in thickness, turning it into a huge circle.

"Yukihira's technique isn't very good; it's just a regular way of rolling out dough."

Watching Soma Yukihira's decisive actions, Alice Nakiri, sitting in the VIP audience, shook her head slightly, her voice tinged with disappointment.

After being taught by Bai Yuan, her understanding of pasta dishes has surpassed that of ordinary people. Yukihira Soma's kneading technique is standard, but his rolling technique is very basic.

To roll out such a large dough ball and make it evenly thin, you must start rolling from the middle, then roll the dough up with a rolling pin, rolling it twice and then changing direction. This is to ensure the roundness of the dough.

On the field, Soma Yukihira's face looked big and round, but it was actually oval, and there was a difference in thickness between the middle and the edges.

Although the difference isn't huge, it certainly exists.

"The technical problem is that without a professional pastry instructor, it is difficult for him to master the correct way of rolling out dough, which is also a drawback for chefs working in restaurants."

"I can't help but sigh," Erina Nakiri remarked.

Compared to the output of a single mentor, the content taught in academies may not be as in-depth, but it is comprehensive and will not leave students with obvious weaknesses.

"You're right. How to balance the relationship between apprenticeship and academy will most likely be a very difficult pain point to deal with in the future of culinary inheritance."

Alice Nakiri nodded gently. The difference between studying at the academy and studying with a master is enormous, even worlds apart.

Entering the academy as a student, if you persevere, you will at least become a second-class chef upon graduation, and you may even become a first-class chef within three years.

Following a master requires considering two things: firstly, whether the master is genuinely kind and willing to impart all their knowledge; and secondly, even a master has limitations, and their teaching cannot be as comprehensive as that of an academy.

Soma Yukihira grew up by his father's side and received a top-notch education. Even so, his achievements in making noodles were still only average, which illustrates the drawbacks of apprenticeship.

It is not suitable for training all-round talents.

Of course, it also has its advantages.