Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"A skin made of meat, wrapped around a meat filling, won't it just taste like a pure meatball?!"

Various doubts lingered in the girls' minds, forcing them to pick up their spoons and eagerly put the meat dumplings in their mouths.

Then everyone present stood there, stunned.

"The rich flavor of the bone broth permeates every fold of the swallow skin, which, after absorbing the broth, turns a translucent amber color and trembles slightly in the spoon..."

Looking at the glistening meat swallow in front of her, Alice Nakiri was almost reluctant to eat it. However, this feeling did not last long. The rich aroma gradually overwhelmed her rationality, and she finally put the spoon in her mouth, closed her eyes, and savored it.

Without prior arrangement, a look of shock appeared on their faces.

"Come on, tell me, what have you all learned from this dish?"

Seeing the girls frozen in place for a long time without moving, and having devoured all the meat swallows in the basin, Bai Yuan's voice held a hint of inquiry.

"It's clearly a combination of meats, so why does it taste like this in the end?"

Erina Nakiri was puzzled by this, and she suddenly realized that she had underestimated this street food.

I originally thought this snack would taste similar to meatballs, but it turns out that it's not only different, but the two are completely different.

It can be said that, apart from both being made from meat, the two have nothing in common.

"Indeed, if I hadn't been there the whole time, watching Bai Yuan and You Ji make it, I would have definitely thought that they added something I didn't know about!"

Alice Nakiri nodded in agreement, looking quite surprised, and felt a strong curiosity about the dish called Rouyan (meat swallow).

Why are they both made from meat?

The taste difference is so big?!

"Meatballs are simply piles of minced meat. The umami flavor inside explodes in a single layer. Once you put it in your mouth, the flavor spreads in a straight line, a bit like a bomb that blasts your taste buds."

In contrast, meat swallows are a layered enclosure of umami flavor. The swallow skin is made of minced meat and sweet potato starch, and has an elastic net-like structure inside.

Fish, pork, and shrimp are folded and wrapped inside. The moment you bite into it, the umami flavor explodes like a ninja dart, creating a multi-layered taste sensation in your mouth. This is the fundamental reason why their textures and flavors are so different!

Bai Yuan began to explain with a serious expression.

Every step in cooking has its reason. Meat swallows have so many more steps than meatballs, so there's no reason why they would taste similar.

It is precisely because of the tireless research of the older generation that meat swallows today have such a unique and layered flavor that makes people cheer with joy when they taste them.

"Indeed, depending on the preparation method, the experience will be different. It is understandable that meat swallows are complicated to make and taste very different from meat balls."

After listening to Bai Yuan's explanation, Nakiri Alice carefully recalled his preparation steps and realized that it was indeed much more than meatballs, so she said with an expression of agreement.

"Teacher Bai Yuan said you wanted to help us learn something new through meat swallows, but I'm not very bright and still can't figure out what's so special about this dish."

Just then, Hojo Miyoko spoke up with a frown.

She had been thinking about this question for a while.

Meat swallow dumplings are undeniably delicious, their flavor irresistible, but to grasp the true essence of cooking through them is surely too mystical for them!

"Think about it carefully. When you encounter a problem, don't rush to ask for the answer. Think about it more and keep your brain in a state of high-speed operation at all times."

With consistent training, one can increase their ability to adapt to changing situations in cooking.

After all, cooking in a competition is never as smooth as you expect; unexpected events can happen at any time. A chef's basic competence is evident in their ability to handle these unexpected events efficiently.

When asked by Hojo Miyoko, Shiro didn't tell her the reason directly.

For chefs, creativity is extremely important, and the prerequisite for having abundant creativity is to think more and analyze the principles of cooking.

If he asks questions about anything he doesn't understand without any thought process, then what's the difference between his apprentices and the new policies Azami Nakiri wants to implement? They're all just leeches relying on others!

"I'm sorry, I was too hasty."

As soon as Bai Yuan finished speaking, Hojo Miyoko realized that she had been a bit too hasty. Her face flushed slightly, and she quietly went to the corner of the kitchen.

What exactly is hidden inside this meat swallow?!

Ugh, I'm so confused!

Hojo Miyoko scratched her head, looking at the meat swallow as just a meat swallow, not sensing anything amiss.

"The key is the meat swallow skin."

Just as everyone was racking their brains, Alice Nakiri's voice rang out from the crowd as she picked up the leftover meat swallow skin.

If the filling of meat swallow dumplings is the same as that of wontons, then the reason for its magical taste must be the outer skin.

And this meat swallow skin...

What makes it truly special is that it's made with pork and tapioca flour, giving it a fantastic texture.

"Bingo, that's clever! The key is in the meat swallow skin."

Upon hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Bai Yuan's face showed a satisfied expression. As expected of his eldest disciple, she had hit the nail on the head with just one sentence.

"Meat swallow skin is a combination of meat and sweet potato starch, which creates a wonderful texture."

While there are precedents for combining meat and sweet potato starch in cooking, it is generally used in stews and not in ordinary dishes.

I think this is very similar to molecular gastronomy; both involve breaking down existing ingredients and rearranging them. This technique could perhaps be applied to other dishes as well.

At this point, Alice Nakiri's voice became more excited; she felt as if she had finally found what Bai Yuan had asked them to find.

Cut the meat into thin slices and coat it with sweet potato starch; this will make the meat exceptionally tender.

Nowadays, sweet potato flour is no longer applied to the outside of the meat, but is combined with the pork itself, and the two are more harmoniously integrated.

Isn't this combination of ingredients exactly what they excel at in molecular gastronomy?

"That's right, combining ingredients together to create a new ingredient."

In cooking, this is known as compound ingredients. These are not simply mixtures, but rather processes that alter the form, texture, or flavor of the original ingredients, ultimately transforming them into entirely new culinary materials.

Seeing that Alice Nakiri had finally gotten to the point, Bai Yuan stopped keeping her in suspense and began to explain after a moment of contemplation.

"First, there's the type of dish that combines starch and protein. This type of dish typically utilizes the binding properties of starch and the elasticity of protein to create a dish that ultimately has an amazing chewy and springy texture."

Representative examples of this type of cuisine include meat swallow dumplings, Vietnamese shrimp dumplings, and Chaoshan beef balls, all of which utilize these characteristics.

The second category is protein recombination, which involves altering the fibrous structure of meat through methods such as pounding, marinating, and fermentation.

Dishes like "pissing beef balls," originating from the Italian "Carne Salada," and Fuzhou fish noodles are both examples of this type of cuisine.

In addition, there are plant-and-animal protein fusion products, which combine plant-based ingredients with meat to create a unique flavor.

Alice should be very familiar with this; the fruit-roasted meat we used to eat was this type of dish, as well as vegetarian meat, and tempeh, a traditional fermented bean product originating in China and popular in Indonesia…”

Seeing the girls' eager eyes, Bai Yuan felt a strange sensation. He then met their gazes and began to speak eloquently.

Although these are all basic theories, cooking without theoretical support is just empty talk, and even if you want to go further, you won't know where to start.

Therefore, teaching theory is very necessary.

Seeing the girls' somewhat bewildered looks, Bai Yuan became even more determined in his mind.

"Complex ingredients? So the intermediate ingredients used in this preparation are called complex ingredients..."

After listening to Bai Yuan's story, Nakiri Erina let out a long breath.

She had made similar dishes before, but when Bai Yuan actually talked about it, she felt a sense of reality and understood many things she hadn't understood before.

These are things that are not taught in school.

It seems that the personal qualities of the teachers recruited by Totsuki Academy still need to be improved!

Bai Yuan was unaware that Nakiri Erina had already decided to change her teacher. At that moment, he came to the cooking station and continued to practice cooking with the available ingredients.

This time, he made Mongolian milk tofu, a dish made from milk residue and starch.

It is also a dish that is very representative of his theory.

After all, once you have the theory, you need to put it into practice. Compared to beginners who know nothing, he is a perfect role model.

Time passed quickly under Bai Yuan's tutelage.

No one left the hotel during that time, and even the purchase of groceries was done by a delivery person.

They kept engaging in food battles in the kitchen, attempting to quickly improve their skills through actual combat. However, because it was a simulated battle, the effect was relatively small.

but.

The continuous matches also helped them relax a lot.

"Bang bang bang."

Several days passed like this, and then on the night before the match, there was a knock on the hotel room door.

"Who is it? I'll be right there."

The proprietress, who was stationed at the front desk, yawned as she approached. She was about to go to sleep; who would come at this hour? Wasn't she just wasting her time?

With this thought in mind, her tone turned somewhat harsh as she opened the hotel door.

"Hello, is Chief Bai Yuan here?"

The first thing they saw was a young girl dressed in beige. Upon seeing her, she bowed slightly politely and inquired about Bai Yuan's whereabouts.

"Chief Bai Yuan? What do you want with him?"

Upon hearing Huang Mei's words, the proprietress's face showed a wary expression.

As a member of the Dark Cuisine world, she naturally knew the identity of Bai Yuan, the leader. But who was this little girl before her? How did she also know Bai Yuan's identity...?

"I am also one of the participants in this school exchange competition. I stayed in the Dark Cuisine World for quite a long time due to special training, and I only just got here now."

Seeing the wariness on the proprietress's face, Huang Mei didn't feel that anything was wrong; on the contrary, she was very satisfied with her sense of responsibility.

As she spoke, she briefly explained her purpose for being there: to represent the dark cuisine world in the competition.

As for why so many chefs chose her, it's mainly because she possesses super-touch abilities, and her strength has increased significantly after this period of training.

With the intention of giving her experience, Bai Yuan had her participate in this academy exchange competition.

"Do you have anything that can prove your identity?"

The proprietress remained strict and did not let Huang Mei in based solely on her one-sided account.

"This cleaver was a gift from the leader. He carved a five-pointed star on it, which is also a secret code in our dark cuisine world."

As she spoke, Huang Mei took out a kitchen knife from the kitchen utensil box. This knife was a gift from Bai Yuan to her as a formal member of the Dark Cuisine World. The handle of the knife had a black five-pointed star that he had personally carved.

"That's right, this is our code. Please come in."