Food Wars: Starting with Equipping the Greedy Wolf Pot

With a loud pop, the steak, with its natural marble-like texture, released a rich, caramelized aroma. The surface fat slowly spread, and the color gradually turned a deep brown.

Warm steam rises, and the rich, smoky aroma of roasted beef fills the nostrils of those around.

The enticing aroma made one's throat itch slightly, and all attention was drawn to it.

……

"What's going on?"

"Didn't Tsukasa Eishi already complete fifty set meals and pass the test? Why is he still cooking now?" Saito Somei, having finished the last dish, looked at Tsukasa Eishi in front of the kitchen counter with a puzzled expression.

“Saito, Tsukasa is in the food battle right now,” said Tousuke Megijima, who had finished his assessment a step ahead of Saito Somei.

"Food Wars? With whom?"

"There's actually someone who can make Tsukasa Eishi compete in a food battle?" Saito Somei said in a deep voice.

“It’s him, Xiang Ji.” Nyokishima Tousuke said, pointing to Xiang Ji who was marinating steak.

"Xiang Ji? It's him!" Saito Somei's pupils constricted slightly as he looked in the direction Nyogijima Tousuke was pointing.

Saito Somei was no stranger to Xiang Ji; he had noticed Xiang Ji back when he took the entrance exam for Totsuki High School.

In the previous food battle between Xiang Ji and Tanikawa Katsuya, Xiang Ji's Seven Star Instant Blade Dance left an indelible impression on Saito Somei.

"So it was him. No wonder, his strength is indeed worth Tsukasa Eishi's attention."

Saito Somei slowly exhaled, his half-closed eyes fixed firmly on Xiang Ji's direction.

Back in junior high, Saito Somei had seen Tsukasa Eishi cook quite often, and they even sparred with each other quite a few times.

For Saito Somei, Tsukasa Eishi's cooking didn't actually hold much appeal.

But Xiang Ji was different. Saito Somei was extremely curious about Xiang Ji's cooking, especially Xiang Ji's superb knife skills.

Not only Saito Somei, but Megijima Fuyusuke was also very curious about Xiang Ji, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed here specifically for that reason.

……

Sizzle~

Sizzle~

At this time, Xiang Ji also began to fry the cut steaks. The spices used to marinate the steaks instantly filled the classroom under the stimulation of the hot oil.

"Where is that fragrance coming from?"

"What is this? This aroma is too tempting!" After smelling the aroma of Xiang Ji's grilled steak, many students subconsciously stopped what they were doing and looked around to find the source of the aroma.

"Hey you over there, stop looking around and hurry up."

"There are less than ten minutes left before the end of the exam," the proctors, barely resisting the temptation, shouted.

"Damn it, damn it..."

"Damn it, there's no time left." Hearing the proctors' voices, the students who hadn't finished the exam could only resist the temptation and get back into cooking.

"Black pepper, Shaoxing wine, sea salt..."

"How is that possible?"

"How can it have such an aroma when it only uses the most basic seasonings?"

After analyzing the seasonings and spices used in the aroma emanating from Xiang Ji's grilled steak, Inui Hinako's eyes widened as she looked at Xiang Ji.

The spice inequality.

The effects of the seasoning techniques from the dark cuisine world completely exceeded Hinako Inui's imagination.

Even the simplest and most common seasonings and spices can create completely different flavors by varying the amount used and even subtle differences in taste.

Chapter 97 French Pan-Fried Steak: You're Not Interested in Working at My Shop

As the cooking was finished, just as Hinako Inui was marveling at the aroma emanating from the dish, Eishi Tsukasa had already dropped his completed meal.

Ding Ding Ding ~

Eishi Tsukasa presented the steak he had prepared to the three judges, including Hinako Inui.

Although Hinako Inui was still thinking about Xiang Ji's cooking, she was still deeply amazed by Tsukasa Eishi's cooking after he revealed its full potential.

French-style pan-fried steak.

It can be said to be the most basic steak dish in French cuisine.

The steak is marinated before being pan-fried, and the seasonings used during the frying process are the most basic thyme and black pepper.

However, the simpler the dish, the more it tests the chef's skill. For example, in the Chinese culinary world, the dish used to test a chef's skill is always the simplest of dishes: fried rice with eggs.

Sizzle~~

As Hinako Inui cut the pan-fried steak with her knife and fork, the juices, bursting with the romantic, smoky flavor unique to French cuisine, immediately overflowed from the cut.

After tasting the rich juices from the pan-fried steak, Hinako Inui's gaze towards Eishi Tsukasa instantly became more serious.

The steps for making French-style pan-seared steak are simple, but to achieve this level of perfection in the final step of resting the meat is something not everyone can do.

Hinako Inui gently pierced a slice of pan-fried steak with her silver fork and then put it into her mouth.

One bite and you’ll be enchanted!

The fragrant, juicy pan-seared steak instantly filled her tongue, and the rich aroma of the meat spread to her brain at the same time.

Moo moo moo~

A powerful bull roared angrily and charged at her.

Ahhhhh!

When the enraged bull rammed into her, Hinako Inui hugged herself tightly and groaned violently.

The bull's death wrestling.

Hinako Inui felt as if her body was about to be brutally smashed to pieces by the enraged bull in front of her.

Ah ah ah~

Ah ah ah~

Kobayashi Ryudou and Akane Kubo Momo also uttered alluring sounds, their faces unconsciously flushing a delicate rosy blush under the influence of the aroma of Tsukasa Eishi's pan-fried steak.

Huhuhu~

After recovering from the taste of Tsukasa Eishi's cooking, Hinako Inui, slightly out of breath, was about to speak.

Standing in front of the judges' table, Tsukasa Eishi suddenly produced a silver sauce boat from somewhere and poured the sauce from the sauce boat onto Hinako Inui and the others' pan-fried steak.

What, what is this?

When the sauce was poured over the pan-fried steak, Hinako Inui was immediately captivated by Eishi Tsukasa's cooking once again.

It contains hot sauce, and not only that, the sauce also contains red wine.

Ahhhhh!

Hinako Inui was instantly captivated by the flavor of the pan-fried steak drizzled with sauce after just one bite; it was a completely different taste from what she had just had.

If the previous flavors were the wildness and untamed nature unique to the south of France, then this one is the romance of fallen leaves on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Oh~baby!

Hinako Inui felt as if a handsome man wearing a horned hat appeared before her, kneeling on one knee to propose to her, holding a bouquet of bright red roses in his hands.

I'm willing.

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Just as Hinako Inui was about to utter those words, she immediately coughed, as if to cover up her embarrassment.

"Very good food, Tsukasa-kun."

"By the way, Mr. Si."

"Are you interested in Japanese cuisine? Would you be interested in working at my restaurant?" Hinako Inui asked Eishi Tsukasa after clearing her throat.

……

"What? What's going on?"

"Is Senior Inui inviting Eishi? How did Eishi get an invitation from Senior Inui?"

"How is this possible?"

"Inui-senpai is known as the 'Empress of Mist' in the Japanese cuisine world, and her restaurant, 'Misty House,' is one of the top Japanese restaurants in the industry."

……

After Hinako Inui extended an invitation to Eishi Tsukasa, many students exclaimed in shock.

For them, although Tsukasa Eishi was the top student in their 90th class of Totsuki Academy, he was still no match for Inui Hinako.

However, not everyone thinks this way. For example, Ryudou Kobayashi, Momo Akanekubo, and Muneaki Saito all know better than anyone just how terrifying Tsukasa Eishi's culinary talent is.

"Siji-kun, Siji-kun, are you interested?" Hinako Inui asked Siji Eishi again.

"I, I, I..." Faced with Hinako Inui's renewed invitation, Eishi Tsukasa still stammered and couldn't utter a complete sentence, just like before.

After the cooking was over, Tsukasa Eishi's cowardly personality resurfaced.

Even with the influence of Xiang Ji and Polaris Dormitory, Tsukasa Eishi still falls into a passive and cowardly state when faced with things other than cooking, and hasn't changed much.

Otherwise, Tsukasa Eishi should have placed the sauce boat on the plate and let Hinako Inui and the others choose their own sauce, instead of personally pouring the sauce for them.

Eishi Tsukasa was worried that Hinako Inui wouldn't be able to control the amount of sauce poured on, thus ruining the taste of his dish.

The sauce was poured on after Hinako and the others had tasted it, again because Eishi believed that the first bite of his pan-fried steak should be the original cut of steak without any sauce.

Compared to Eiji Kichi, Megumi Tadokoro, who also has personality flaws, underwent a much better transformation.

There was nothing she could do; all Tadokoro Megumi heard every day was praise, and Kobayashi Ryudou was especially eager to stick to her 24/7.

Under these circumstances, it was impossible for Tadokoro Megumi not to feel confident, since Kobayashi Ryudou was the second-best student when he went on to high school.

Moreover, they all thought the same about the remaining Xiang Ji.

Moreover, Megumi Tadokoro's culinary skills are not weak; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to get into Totsuki Culinary School from Hokkaido. It's just that her mindset has prevented her from fully demonstrating her true abilities.

Encouraged by Kobayashi Ryudou and Xiang Ji, Tadokoro Megumi became more confident and was able to unleash her true potential.

As her abilities came into play and her grades improved, Megumi Tadokoro naturally entered a positive cycle.

Seeing that Tsukasa Eishi couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time, Hinako Inui knew in her heart that it was impossible for her to recruit Tsukasa Eishi.

Immediately afterwards...

Xiang Ji finished cooking at this time, and all the students who had completed their exams in the restaurant looked curiously in Xiang Ji's direction.

……

"Special casserole-baked steak, please enjoy." Xiang Ji reached out and slowly unveiled his dish.

Boom!

Boom!

When the dish was unveiled, Hinako Inui couldn't help but show a strong shock on her face.

Even though Inui Hinako is already a star chef, and even though she had already prepared for Xiang Ji's dish.

Chapter 98 The Pity of Hinako Inui

The investigation begins, while Hinako Inui is shocked by the dish that Akihito has prepared.

Rindou Kobayashi and Momo Akanekubo are already eagerly starting to enjoy the Japanese cuisine.

Mmm~

Each piece of baked steak was soaked in the braising juices, and the beef was incredibly tender. As soon as they bit into the steak, the juices burst onto their tongues.

The aroma of steak blends with the fragrance of ginger, scallions, garlic, and the smoky aroma of Sichuan peppercorns.

The flavors of spices and beef are tightly intertwined, which instantly conquers the taste buds of Kobayashi Ringtong and others.

Ta-da, ta-da~