Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

Suddenly, Alice Nakiri remembered that she had been cooking according to Hakugen's instructions all along.

This is certainly the safest method, but it's not enough, it's far from it. She doesn't have the demeanor of a top-level chef at all!

"I see, I understand now, I understand everything. I'm sorry, Brother Bai Yuan, I've misunderstood your teachings all along. I will innovate from now on!"

Looking at the boiling soup in front of her, Alice Nakiri's eyes suddenly lit up, and her aura changed once again.

"I've decided on you! Miss, could you please go to the food storage room and get me some West Lake Longjing tea leaves?"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck the girl, and she thought of a famous lobster dish.

The legendary Longjing stir-fried shrimp.

She wants to use this as a springboard to create a shrimp dish that is uniquely her own!

"it is good."

Upon hearing Alice Nakiri's instructions, the attendant beside her, though puzzled, said nothing and silently turned to run towards the food storage room in the distance.

Their professional competence is evident.

Before long, she came running through the athletes' passage with a box of West Lake Longjing tea in her hand.

"What's that little girl doing over there? Why did the servant go to the food storeroom again? Did he forget to get some ingredients and call someone over at the last minute...?"

What happened to Alice Nakiri attracted the attention of the audience in the stands. They watched everything that was happening below with curiosity, and all sorts of speculations arose in their minds.

Chapter 405 The First 80 Points! This Competition Doesn't Seem So Difficult After All

I don't think so.

"Watching this young girl's movements, I realized how fluid and precise she was in cooking. Every step was executed flawlessly, clearly indicating she came from a reputable family. She doesn't seem like the type to forget an ingredient and send someone back to get it."

One of the people who had been watching Alice Nakiri since earlier spoke up, his face showing inquiry and obvious confusion about her current behavior.

Because Alice Nakiri performed so well, she didn't falter at all during the cooking process, as if she had rehearsed it countless times in her mind.

Such a person could not possibly be so careless.

Even the most skilled horse can stumble. Who knows if it was because it hadn't woken up properly in the morning and made such a fatal mistake due to carelessness?

"Don't be unreasonable and argue with me. Don't you listen to what you're saying? Does it sound like something that would normally happen?"

"Alright, stop arguing. That girl is moving. We'll find out what's going on as we watch!"

Just then, Alice Nakiri made her move, drawing the attention of the people arguing around her back to await her next move.

This time, Alice Nakiri didn't rush to complete the steps she hadn't finished earlier. Instead, she boiled water and brewed Longjing tea, her technique as skillful as ever.

Before long, the Longjing tea was ready.

The aroma of steaming tea leaves filled the air.

Alice Nakiri's idea was simple: she replaced the boiling water in the pot with Longjing tea, and then adjusted the proportions of seasonings and the amount of white wine added.

By doing this, she can create a unique and incredibly bouncy Longjing shrimp chip dish, which is her own creation and has a certain degree of creativity.

Remove the seasoned Longjing tea leaves, along with the scallions and ginger, and chill them in pre-prepared ice cubes.

This step requires removing all the scallions and ginger from the pot, as their flavor will continue to develop while the pot is left to stand.

Soaking the shrimp in water helps to enhance the flavor of the broth, resulting in a unique taste.

Rinse the shrimp that have been marinated for 20 minutes with clean water.

When Hisa Shinto picked up the shrimp, those sitting in the front row could clearly see that the shrimp was translucent under the light, like crystal.

Shrimp in this condition offer the best texture.

No matter how you cook it, it will taste good.

"These shrimp are marinated so beautifully, they're completely cooked through!"

"Indeed, if I could use such good shrimp, the next dish would definitely be even better."

"But I can't quite figure out what kind of dish she's going to make."

Besides shrimp, it seems like I haven't prepared any other ingredients. Wait a minute. I just grabbed a bag of Longjing tea leaves, but it's supposed to be for Longjing shrimp, but the cooking method doesn't seem to match.

"It might be an innovative dish. Compared to us mediocre people, geniuses always have unique ideas, and it's normal that we can't see through them."

Some of the other contestants noticed Alice Nakiri's marinated shrimp and their eyes flashed with envy.

I admire how well they performed in this competition, controlling the heat perfectly. They definitely couldn't have marinated such delicious shrimp.

After all, this thing looks simple, but it is the one that tests your basic skills the most and is the key to making a difference in taste. They really can't do it except with good luck.

"It's almost done cooking; the perfect blanching time is eighteen seconds!"

Holding the prepared shrimp in her hand, Alice Nakiri suddenly closed her eyes and carefully felt the temperature of the pot in front of her.

The next moment, her entire being was on edge.

Because in the next eighteen seconds, even a second more or less will have a huge impact on the taste!

After all, this dish is very easy to make, and every step is designed to enhance the flavor.

In other words, this dish will sacrifice all attributes in order to enhance the texture of the shrimp!

"Alice, you must remember that the cooking time of shrimp has nothing to do with whether the pot is boiling or not. The temperature above 60 degrees Celsius is the temperature at which shrimp are cooked."

Suddenly, the teachings of Bai Yuan from their childhood flashed into her mind, and Alice Nakiri nodded to him across time.

Then she poured water into ice cubes and deftly poured the cleaned shrimp from the basin into the pot of boiling Longjing tea.

A rich aroma filled the air, but Alice Nakiri remained unmoved, her gaze fixed on the pot as she silently calculated the time in her mind.

"Start the pot!"

As her inner alarm rang, Alice Nakiri placed the shrimp from the pot into the ice water that had been prepared nearby.

The simultaneous rise of cold and heat creates a sensation of both ice and fire, and the sudden drop in temperature makes the shrimp taste exceptionally smooth.

Place the shrimp in ice water until the temperature drops to zero, then quickly move them to a bowl of scallion and ginger Longjing tea that has been cooled in ice water beforehand.

"The remaining time should be enough..."

She glanced at the time on the big screen; there were still thirty-five minutes left until the end of the selection competition, and her cooking was basically finished.

All that's left is to soak the shrimp in scallion and ginger Longjing tea, waiting for the flavor to slowly seep into them.

This process is very long.

Alice Nakiri moved a stool over and sat down to wait.

At the same time, he started paying attention to other people's cooking.

Because they came together, Yuuki and the others had their cooking station nearby. To her right was Tadokoro Megumi, who was placing lychees on a steamer.

The lychees are topped with peeled shrimp.

"What kind of dish is this? It looks so exquisite. Xiaohui's creativity is truly amazing."

As Alice Nakiri watched Tadokoro close the steamer lid, this thought crossed her mind before she looked away.

"Garlic, vermicelli, and butter—is this garlic vermicelli shrimp, a fusion of Western cooking methods? It's a fairly standard choice."

"Stir-fried prawns, stir-fried shrimp, shrimp with pine nuts, shrimp and tiger-skin rolls..."

As her gaze swept over the contestants, Alice Nakiri noticed that everyone was using ordinary river shrimp; so far, not a single person had used lobster.

Clearly, the judges' words had intimidated them.

Knowing that using premium ingredients would result in a deduction of points, everyone opted for ordinary ingredients by default, and some didn't even have the courage to take the challenge.

With just a glance, Alice Nakiri understood the situation. From their cooking process, she could tell that there were no experts here.

Realizing this, Alice Nakiri couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Her opponents in this match didn't seem particularly strong, and she had been preparing to unleash her full power...

"Forget it, the really strong ones are probably on other floors. After all, there are only one-seventh of the contestants here, so the probability of encountering a master is really not high."

Alice Nakiri comforted herself inwardly.

And just then.

Footsteps approached from a distance, and the audience looked over in surprise to find three people walking towards them.

Two of them are chefs from Xiamen.

The competition is held locally, and top local chefs are invited to serve as judges.

This has almost become an unspoken rule.

Its main purpose is to demonstrate the strength of the local area, and secondly, to protect some local students so that they do not have poor performance.

This can also be considered a form of local protectionism.

After all, no city can guarantee that it will always produce genius chefs, so naturally they will try to recruit as many of their own people as possible.

It takes a long time for a genius to grow from humble beginnings to greatness, but it's easy for them to die young. This is why there are many people here, but few geniuses.

"Now, please welcome our judges to the stage."

As the judges appeared in front of the judges' table on the high platform, Mr. Lin, one of the judges, raised his head slightly, put the microphone in front of his mouth, and showed an excited expression on his face.

"From left to right, the one on the far left is Mr. Xia Tianci, the head chef from the Emperor Hotel."

He is renowned for his exquisite Fujian cuisine, especially his soups, which are among the best in Xiamen and even Fujian province!

As they spoke, the lights on the platform came on, and a middle-aged man with a square face and regular features appeared in everyone's view.

The drone circled around him, and his resume was projected onto a large screen. The middle-aged man looked at the drone flying in the sky and greeted it generously.

"Everyone is welcome to visit the Emperor Hotel when you have time. I will be waiting for you here."

Xia Tianci raised his hand and clasped his hands in a fist salute towards the direction of the drone, then sat down without saying a word.

"The person on the right is Mr. Chu Yunsheng, the vice president of the Folk Cuisine Association."

He is skilled in all kinds of Fujian snacks. Someone once described him as having "a spring breeze dancing in the pot-side paste, wontons translucent like the moon, hand-beaten fish balls swirling with waves, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall containing a hidden universe"—a true master of Fujian cuisine and snacks.

After listening to Xia Tianci's introduction, Mr. Lin continued to introduce the chef in the middle. The lights then fell, and a lean, shrewd-looking old man appeared in front of everyone.

"Fuzhou has a wide variety of snacks. Because of its coastal location, I have a lot of experience with shrimp-based snacks. I hope to be able to eat a dish that satisfies me in this competition."

After speaking, Chu Yunsheng gave a meaningful look to the contestants who were still preparing food, then sat down and closed his eyes to rest and wait.

"The gentleman in the middle is Mr. Huang Tian, ​​the honorary vice president of the China Cuisine Association."