Food Wars: Starting with Equipping the Greedy Wolf Pot

"This is your payment for working at my shop today," Xiang Ji said, handing an envelope to Tadokoro Megumi.

"Eh? Senior Xiang Ji, I can't accept this..." When Tadokoro Megumi saw the thick envelope in front of her, she became somewhat flustered and wanted to refuse it.

"Here you go. This money is a reward for your hard work, and it's also a recognition of your cooking by your customers."

Xiang Ji's left hand pressed down on Tadokoro Megumi's head again.

"Senior Xiang Ji, did the guests approve of my cooking today?" Tadokoro Megumi murmured unconsciously.

“Of course, if it weren’t for the recognition of Xiao Hui’s cooking, how could we have so many customers today?” Xiang Ji said with a smile.

"Senior Xiang Ji, I didn't actually do anything, and the Golden Ratio Shumai was a dish you came up with, Senior Xiang Ji," Tadokoro Megumi subconsciously denied.

pat~

A crisp sound of a flick on the forehead rang out in the air, and Tadokoro Megumi immediately covered her reddened forehead and squatted down on the ground.

It hurts so much~ It hurts so much~

Tadokoro Megumi looked at Xiang Ji with teary eyes, not understanding why Xiang Ji would suddenly flick his forehead.

"Xiao Hui, your golden ratio shumai isn't my dish, it's yours."

“From beginning to end, I didn’t tell you how to do it. All the golden ratio shumai flavors today were your ideas,” Xiang Ji said seriously.

"Trust me, Xiaohui, your cooking is fantastic, so show me your confidence."

"Senior Xiang Ji, is my cooking really as good as you say? My tomato-flavored golden ratio shumai is still not good enough, is it?" Tadokoro Megumi habitually denied herself once again.

Ouch~ Ouch~

Why did Senior Xiang Ji flick his head again, and even harder than before?

“Xiao Hui, your cooking is far better than what I just described. Instead of focusing on your failed attempts at making golden ratio shumai, you should be more concerned about your successful ones.”

"Our customers keep asking about your golden ratio shumai. They keep asking Sachi if you'll have the same golden ratio shumai tomorrow."

"Senior Xiang Ji, is this true?" Tadokoro asked, still feeling dizzy.

"Really, so Xiaohui, show me your confidence." Xiang Ji encouraged Tadokoro Megumi.

……

"Senior Xiang Ji, then I'll head back to Polaris Dormitory now," Tadokoro Megumi said goodbye to Xiang Ji.

“Okay.” After Xiang Ji finished speaking, he turned to look at Saqi.

“Sachi, take good care of Xiaohui on your way back to Polaris Dormitory.”

"Hey hey hey? Darling, don't you need me to stay and take care of you tonight?" Saqi stared at Xiang Ji with wide eyes, completely surprised that Xiang Ji wouldn't let him stay.

"No need. Didn't I stay here alone just fine last night?" Xiang Ji refused without even thinking.

What a joke! How could Xiang Ji possibly let a dangerous individual like Saqi stay and share a room with him?

Damn it~ Damn it~

Am I just going to let this rare opportunity slip by?

While cleaning, Saqi had already thoroughly searched Xiang Ji's house, inside and out.

Xiang Ji's house only had two rooms, and one of them belonged to Xiang Ji's grandfather. In other words, there was only one room that could actually be lived in.

If I can stay overnight, I can share a room with Xiang Ji. Most importantly, now there won't be any more Omiya Bunko ruining my plans.

No, I must seize this rare opportunity.

Sachi rode his bicycle to take Tadokoro Megumi back to the entrance of Totsuki Academy, and then sped away.

……

Yuanyue-jixingliao.

Upon seeing Tadokoro Megumi walk in through the door, Yoshino Yuuki couldn't help but ask curiously. Tadokoro Megumi's happy expression was like a bright sun.

"Xiao Hui, what good thing happened to you?"

"Hehehe, Yuuki, my cooking skills have been recognized!" Tadokoro Megumi happily shared her day's experience with Yoshino Yuuki.

"Yes, Xiao Hui, Senior Xiang Ji is absolutely right."

"Megumi, you are an excellent chef, so show me your confidence." Yoshino Yuuki pounced into Tadokoro Megumi's arms, rubbing against her like a kitten.

"Hehehe, is that so?" Tadokoro Megumi said shyly.

“Of course, Xiaohui, do you really think Senior Xiang Ji would lie to you about this?” Ryoko Sakaki said with a smile.

"Oh, let's throw a party now to celebrate that Megumi's cooking has been recognized by so many people," Isshiki Satoshi suggested with a smile.

"Eh? Isshiki-senpai, don't you need to?" Tadokoro Megumi said in a panic.

"No, how can we not properly celebrate something so worthy of celebration?"

"Xiao Hui, I'm going to catch two of my pets right now to give you a good rest. You must be exhausted today, right?" Yoshino Yuuki suddenly pulled up her sleeve.

"Daigo, Shoji, you two take Megumi to Marui's room to prepare for tonight's party."

"Wait for me for half an hour, or at most an hour, and I'll be there."

“Yes, yes, this is definitely worth celebrating. Well then, I’ll make something to eat.” Ibuzaki Jun slowly stood up as well.

"I'll go get some drinks; I happen to have a batch of freshly brewed juice." Ryoko Sakaki got up to get the juice.

"Wait a minute, Yuuki, why do you guys have to have a party in my room?" Marui Zenji shouted in frustration.

"Is that even a question?"

"Of course it's because Marui, your room is the biggest, and it's also the cleanest."

"Come on, let's go set up the venue now." Aoki Daigo said, wrapping his arm tightly around Marui Zenji and walking upstairs.

"Wait, I haven't agreed yet..."

"Shoji, what are you standing there for? Come and help me." Marui Zenji was interrupted by Aoki Daigo before he could finish speaking.

"They're here, they're here."

“Wait…” Marui Zenji tried to make a final struggle, but no one in the Polaris Dormitory cared about his opinion.

……

At the same time, outside Xiang Ji's small shop, a dark figure sneaked in furtively.

Chapter 144 separates the texture, not the flavor.

"Hey~hey~ Megumi, what exactly is the Golden Ratio Shumai from Senior Xiang Ji?" Yoshino Yuuki asked Tadokoro Megumi curiously.

"I can't explain it either."

“But the golden ratio shumai of the Xiang family doesn’t seem to be a dish with a specific recipe; it’s more like a framework for cooking.” Megumi Tadokoro expressed her feelings about the golden ratio shumai.

"The framework of cooking?" Yoshino Yuuki looked puzzled and confused.

Meanwhile, Ibuzaki Shun and Sakaki Ryoko also looked at Tadokoro Megumi with the same curiosity.

"Yuuki, Ryoko, I'll make you a golden ratio shumai, and you'll understand." Unable to give an answer, Tadokoro Megumi decided to respond with a dish.

"Hey hey hey, Megumi, are you going to cook?" Yoshino Yuuki immediately came over to Tadokoro Megumi.

"Mmm." Megumi Tadokoro nodded.

"Golden ratio shumai? What kind of dish is that? I'm really curious!" Isshiki Satoshi watched Tadokoro Megumi begin cooking with the same anticipation.

……

Shrimp, vegetables, and eggs are all readily available at Polaris Lodge.

However, the ingredients stored in the Polaris Dormitory did not include Jinhua ham, but Tadokoro Megumi had already decided to use other ingredients to replace Jinhua ham.

Ta-da~ Ta-da~

Megumi Tadokoro used a wooden stick to pound the fresh pork into a paste, then added honey and garlic to marinate it.

Sizzle~

The beaten egg yolks were poured into a hot pan, and the boiling oil instantly fried the eggs into fragrant, fluffy egg yolk crumbs.

Sha sha~ sha~

The garlic that had been marinated in the vacuum tumbler along with the pork and honey was taken out separately by Megumi Tadokoro and chopped into minced garlic with a knife.

The cooking is done!

Honey, garlic, and pork flavored shumai with the golden ratio.

……

"The original recipe for the Golden Ratio Shaomai used Jinhua ham, but since we don't have that ingredient at Polaris Lodge, I replaced it with pork."

"Everyone, please try it," Tadokoro Megumi said somewhat shyly.

"Hmm, Xiaohui, what's this white thing on top of the shumai?" Ryoko Sakaki asked, leaning over to look at the Golden Ratio shumai.

"Salted shrimp paste".

"As the senior Xiang Ji said, the core of the Golden Ratio Shumai dish is the golden ratio of meat to shrimp to vegetables to eggs to make 80% of the ingredients," said Megumi Tadokoro, explaining the characteristics of the Golden Ratio Shumai.

"I used honey-marinated pork and garlic, which are 8 parts meat and 5 parts garlic, and I used the saltwater shrimp method for the shrimp meat, which perfectly balances the taste of the honey-marinated pork and garlic."

"Meat 8, shrimp 5, vegetables 5, eggs 5."

“No wonder the golden ratio shumai is made in this shape.” Marui Zenji diligently took notes.

"so it is."

"Is this why Megumi said the Golden Ratio Shumai dish is like a framework?" Isshiki Satoshi chewed the dish repeatedly, realizing something that Marui Zenji and the others hadn't seen.

"It really is, Xiao Hui."

"The pork belly and garlic are cooked together until tender, then marinated with honey and wine, and served with eggs and shrimp."

"How can anyone resist such a dish!" Yoshino Yuuki exclaimed, clutching her stomach.

"While Xiang Ji's golden ratio is quite interesting, is it really okay to separate the shumai filling like this?" Ibu Saki Jun murmured as he looked at the golden ratio shumai.

"OK OK."

"Ibu, why don't we try it and see?" Yoshino Yuuki couldn't help but say.

"Xiao Hui, I won't stand on ceremony." Yoshino Yuuki said, stretching out her chopsticks, picking up a golden ratio shumai, putting it in her mouth, and then swallowing it in one gulp.

Mmm~ Mmm~

How come this shumai tastes like this?

The flavors of pork, vegetables, shrimp, and eggs are perfectly blended in this small shumai, and with each chew, you are greeted by the simultaneous impact of four flavors.

How exactly did they do that?

"The secret to the perfectly balanced flavor of shumai lies in its wrappers," Isshiki Satoshi said slowly.

"Shāo mí huā?"

"Shumai?" Upon hearing Isshiki Satoshi's words, Yoshino Yuuki and the others exclaimed in unison, including Tadokoro Megumi.

"Wait, Xiao Hui."

"Why are you so surprised too?" Yoshino Yuuki couldn't help but retort after seeing Tadokoro Megumi's equally shocked reaction.

“This… Yuuki, Senior Xiang Ji never mentioned this to me. He just kept telling me to make golden ratio shumai.” Tadokoro Megumi’s body trembled slightly as she said this.

As Tadokoro Megumi spoke, she recalled her arduous day, describing it as being chased relentlessly by a brown bear, with no time to stop.

"what?"

"So, it was Megumi who came up with this shumai?" Yoshino Yuuki immediately hugged Tadokoro Megumi. "As expected of my Megumi! To think of such a dish."

"Alright, Yuuki."

"Didn't Xiaohui just say that?" Sakaki Ryoko looked at Yoshino Yuuki with some helplessness.

"Eh? Did Xiaohui mention it?" Yoshino Yuuki's eyes were filled with an incomparably clear light.

"Didn't Xiaohui say earlier that the original meat for the Golden Ratio Shumai was Jinhua ham? But since we don't have Jinhua ham at Polaris Dormitory, Xiaohui replaced it with pork," Ryoko Sakaki patiently explained.

If the main ingredients used in a dish change, even if the cooking method is the same, it is no longer the same dish.