Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

From what Erina Nakiri and the others had just said, the proprietress had already figured out one thing: they wanted to use the kitchen. So, without the two of them reminding her, she took the initiative to give the chef who was originally stationed there a day off.

"We will be using this kitchen for the next ten days, and we will pay extra for it."

Hearing the landlady's words and seeing the two people in front of her with stunned expressions, Hisako Shinto, who was in charge of external affairs, stepped forward and stated their request.

"Do we need ten days? It's not impossible. Chen Yong, Chen Gan, we'll give you ten days off. You can do whatever you want, and your wages will be paid as usual."

Upon hearing Erina Nakiri's words, the proprietress paused briefly, then, as if remembering something, spoke to the two chefs waiting beside her.

"Ten days of paid leave?! Yong, did you punch me? Am I dreaming?"

As soon as Chen Gan finished speaking, Chen Yong's fist came flying out from the side, slamming into Chen Gan's shoulder. The sharp pain made him realize that he was not dreaming.

"Dare you? Give me a punch too. I'd think I was dreaming."

Another punch was thrown, and Chen Yong gasped in pain, an incredulous expression on his face.

Has the boss changed her ways? She actually gave them ten days off without any consequences! This is something I wouldn't even dare to dream of under normal circumstances!

"Alright, I'm giving you a holiday, that's what I mean. If you don't want a holiday, I can fire you instead."

Seeing the two people who were still lingering in the kitchen, the landlady couldn't help but get a little angry. She had paid them and given them time off, so why didn't the two of them hurry up and vacate the space?

"No, no, no, we want a vacation. We're leaving now, we're leaving now."

Seeing the proprietress's feigned anger, the Chen brothers, Yong and Gan, didn't hesitate and jogged away from the kitchen. However, Gan quickly turned back, placed the cleaver he had grabbed on the cutting board, and gave an embarrassed smile.

At this moment, only four people remained in the kitchen.

The proprietress, the Nakiri sisters, and Hisako Shinto.

At this moment, Alice Nakiri is opening the refrigerator to check the ingredients prepared by the hotel, intending to use them to cook a dinner.

Chapter 399 Prediction: The Difficult Inheritance of Vinegar-Peppered Fish

"Xiamen is a coastal city. Since the location of this school exchange competition has been chosen here, it means that the theme of this competition is most likely seafood."

Leaving aside the finals, the chances of seafood making it into the selection rounds are pretty high. In that case, how about we have seafood for dinner tonight?

"Your analysis makes sense. Xiamen is a coastal city, so there's a high probability that seafood-related questions will be on the exam."

"Shall we go to the store later?"

Thinking about the characteristics of Xiamen, Hisako Shinoto shared her insights, which were subsequently agreed upon by Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri.

“I saw some sea bass in the fridge, so let’s use it as the main ingredient. When I was little, Shirayu taught me a really delicious dish that’s perfect for the seaside. The ingredients are also quite simple. Erina, can you help me out?”

Upon opening the refrigerator, I saw that the sea bass inside was fairly fresh. It was most likely caught by fishermen that morning and then bought by the hotel staff.

"Huh? Why should I be your helper!"

Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Erina Nakiri complained, as she also wanted to make a good impression on Shiro Awakening and did not want to become someone else's helper.

What's more, that person is Alice...

"Just because my cooking skills are better than yours, and the dishes I make are more delicious, I'll work as your assistant when you surpass me in cooking."

Seeing Erina Nakiri's angry expression, Alice Nakiri remained remarkably calm and then proceeded to provide a reasoned analysis, leaving Erina speechless for a moment.

"you!"

Upon hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Erina Nakiri wanted to retort, but she didn't know where to begin. Her fair face visibly turned red with anger!

"What do you mean, 'you'? You can handle the sea bass over there. Cut the head in half, fillet the fish, chop the bones, and stew them with the head to make soup."

Ignoring Erina Nakiri's momentary lapse in composure, Alice Nakiri took a sea bass out of the refrigerator and handed it to her, calmly giving her instructions.

I haven't said I wanted to help you yet...

Seeing Alice Nakiri finish giving instructions and then walk to the stove on her own, Erina Nakiri had a helpless expression on her face.

However, since things had already come to this point, and Bai Yuan could get up at any moment, she couldn't say anything more. She went to the stove, picked up a kitchen knife, and quickly began to prepare the sea bass.

In less than a minute, the sea bass was separated from its bones and flesh. She chopped the sea bass bones into large pieces and cut the fish meat into long strips.

Pour the chopped fish pieces into cold water, add two slices of scallion and ginger to remove the fishy smell, and then soak for ten minutes until the surface is no longer bloody.

"Take it."

After picking the fish bones and heads out of the cold water, Erina Nakiri handed them to Alice Nakiri next to her with a disgruntled expression, and then stood next to her to wait.

She wanted to see what kind of dish the other party was going to make, that they actually had Erina Nakiri as their assistant!

"Look at me."

Noticing Erina Nakiri's curious gaze, Alice Nakiri's lips curled up slightly as she looked at the wok in front of her.

The normal procedure is to heat the oil in the wok.

"Oh! There's even lard here, that'll be a huge help! It should improve the taste of the dish considerably."

My gaze wandered over the stove, and then I noticed something in a small ceramic jar next to it.

She initially thought it was some kind of seasoning, but when Alice Nakiri picked it up and sniffed it, she realized it was lard!

Unfortunately, her dish required lard.

When Alice Nakiri saw that there was no pork suitable for rendering fat in the refrigerator except for ribs, she was about to give up. But unexpectedly, she found a new opportunity!

Does this dish require lard?

Hearing Alice Nakiri's words and seeing her excited expression, Erina Nakiri asked in confusion from the side.

There aren't many fish dishes that use lard, so Erina Nakiri couldn't figure out what Alice Nakiri was up to.

However, she is not mute.

I didn't know what she was going to do, so I asked her.

"Lard has a unique aroma that can add a rich meaty flavor to the delicate fish."

There's a dish called fish head stew with flatbread, which involves sautéing the fish head in lard to create a contrast between the meat and vegetable flavors, resulting in a richer and more complex taste.

Upon hearing Erina Nakiri's question, Alice Nakiri pondered for a moment before replying.

The saturated fat in lard can mask some of the fishy smell, making it especially suitable for freshwater fish with a strong earthy smell, and it also has some effect on saltwater fish.

In addition, lard's high smoke point makes it suitable for high-temperature frying, and using it can make fish skin crispier, in other words, it tastes better.

Of course, this does not apply to this dish.

"Okay, we'll talk about it later. The oil temperature is about right, I'm going to start cooking."

Seeing that Erina Nakiri still wanted to ask something, Alice Nakiri waved her hand, her expression turned serious, and her attention was completely focused on the pot in front of her.

"Since it's for making soup, there's no need to worry too much about the shape of the fish bones and head. Just put the fish in the pot and fry it until it's cooked through and tender."

As he spoke, he poured the fish bones and head into the pot. The moist fish meat sizzled loudly when it came into contact with the oil, and a burst of steam rose up at the same time.

As the fish bones were added to the pot, Alice Nakiri quickly mashed them with a spatula. Only when the fish meat turned completely white did a satisfied smile appear on her face.

"Erina, scoop two spoonfuls of broth from over there."

"coming."

Before she could even speak, Erina Nakiri had already taken action. Using chicken broth to make fish soup is not an uncommon practice. It's likely that Alice Nakiri made this dish largely because there was chicken broth in the kitchen.

Simply put, this dish is easy to make.

Since she didn't know when Bai Yuan would wake up, and in order to make sure he wouldn't be hungry when he did, Nakiri Alice decided to cook this dish first.

"Turn up the fire! Turn up the fire!"

As the chicken soup was poured into the pot, Alice Nakiri muttered to herself as she turned the stove flame to its maximum.

When making fish soup, you must use high heat to bring the soup to a boil; only in this way can the flavors blend together.

Use scallions and ginger to remove the fishy smell, simmer over high heat until the soup turns milky white, then strain it with a sieve and set aside. This is also the base soup used to make vinegar and pepper fish.

Clean the pot from which you cooked the fish soup, add water, and then add two slices of scallion and ginger.

While waiting for it to boil, Alice Nakiri carried the fish soup to the seasoning area. Looking at the many seasonings in front of her, Bai Yuan's teachings came to mind.

Add pepper, salt, MSG, sugar, and white vinegar to the mixture.

"This flavor... lacks vinegar and salt."

This is a dish that requires skill, testing not only the chef's physical abilities but also their culinary skills, demanding that the chef have a precise control over the flavor of the dish.

The difference between adding one gram more salt and adding one gram less salt is enormous!

Logically speaking, it would be most appropriate to have Erina Nakiri season the dish, but she has no experience in making this dish and does not know its correct flavor.

In this situation, even with a divine tongue, one cannot cook without rice.

"That's about right, that's the taste!"

Savoring the lingering taste on her tongue, Alice Nakiri nodded in satisfaction.

Once the water in the pot boils and the scallions and ginger release their aroma, remove them. Then, turn up the heat to bring the water to a boil again before adding the fish fillets. This process ensures the surface of the fish is cooked through and removes any remaining slime and fishy smell.

During the blanching process, bring the fish soup to a boil on the stove. Once the surface of the fish meat turns slightly white and the skin becomes firm, you can transfer it to the boiling fish soup.

During this process, a little foam will appear on the surface of the fish soup. Alice Nakiri took a spoon and scooped it up. After the fish soup boiled, she turned the heat to medium.

Chop some scallions and ginger into thin strips, add them to the pot before serving, and let them simmer in the residual heat of the broth until cooked through. Then it's ready to be served.

Instead of using ordinary round plates, we use dishes that expand outwards and have a concave interior; serving food with such dishes makes the dish appear more upscale.

The milky white and golden fish soup ripples like silk in the porcelain dish, with tender white fish pieces half-submerged in it, their skin taut and translucent, and garnished with emerald green and golden shredded scallions and ginger.

As the steam rises, the aroma of lard first emerges, enveloping the rich and sweet fish soup, with a hint of refreshing sourness from white vinegar in the finish, making one's mouth water.

"Excellent quality!"

Looking at the dishes in front of her, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but sigh. The rich aroma of the food lingered around her nose, constantly stimulating her appetite.

"Try it."

Hearing Erina Nakiri's praise, Alice Nakiri felt a little proud. In any case, she had made the dish. She just didn't know how it would taste in the end.

In short, give it a try!

"Sour, spicy, and with the unique aroma of chicken oil, all the flavors blend together in one bite."

Erina Nakiri picked up the dish in front of her, took a spoonful of hot soup, and the rich and fresh taste instantly bloomed on her tongue, making her eyes light up.

The fish soup, simmered over high heat, is rich in collagen, while the savory flavor of lard spreads across the tongue. The acidity of white vinegar, like lightning, breaks through the thick soup, bringing out an even deeper level of sweetness.