The delicacies of the heavens begin with obtaining gem meat.

Chapter 143 The Ingredients Chosen by the Four

After the five judges finished their introductions, Senzaemon Nakiri made a straightforward announcement.

"The Totsuki Autumn Selection Finals begin now!"

Upon hearing the announcement to begin, Jiang Yan, Yukihira Soma, Hayama Ryo, and Kurokiba Ryo turned and headed towards their respective cooking stations.

Jiang Yan opened the specially made insulated box and took out the main ingredient he was going to use: a volcano weathervane, which looked several sizes larger than a turkey.

Such ingredients surprised many trainees, who quickly flipped through the information sheets about various ingredients that had been distributed earlier, which included a basic introduction to the volcano wind signaler bird.

The others also began to take out their ingredients. Among them, Soma Yukihira took out pieces of beef with clear texture and a deep red color. The meat was clearly of the highest quality, with each part neatly cut from the ribs and tenderloin to the tail meat.

However, although it looks like beef, it is actually the meat of the Minotaur from the world of Delicious in Dungeon.

Hayama Akira then took out a giant flying duck leg.

Looking at the glossy, succulent duck legs, Ye Shanliang's nose twitched slightly, and he had already sketched out the perfect ratio of spices and ingredients in his mind.

As for Kurokiba Ryo, it uses the meat of a large sea snake with snow-white and elastic flesh. As soon as it is taken out, it emits a unique fresh aroma that is different from ordinary seafood.

Although the ingredients are from the world of Dungeon Meal, Kurokiba Ryo is confident he can handle any seafood.

Four contestants and four kinds of ingredients that looked very unusual instantly raised the audience's expectations.

On the judging panel, WG0 Second-Class Executive Officer Charme's gaze fell on Soma Yukihira, and he glanced down at the documents at hand.

"The boy with the headscarf, is he preparing to make stewed beef?"

"According to the data, the family restaurant that originated in the commercial district transferred to Totsuki Academy only six months ago."

"It feels like it will be difficult to produce something truly amazing in this final."

"This would be a waste of such rare ingredients."

The reason they were appointed as judges for the Totsuki Academy Autumn Selection was on the orders of WG0's Special Executive Officer, Kiri Makaze, to evaluate the value of the special ingredients that Totsuki had brought out.

According to the information provided by Totsuki Academy, Soma Yukihira used Minotaur meat, a very special type of beef.

An Weiwei, the first executive officer of WGO, nodded in agreement.

"That's right. The kind of cuisine that WGO pursues is the ultimate deliciousness that can touch the soul. The cooking logic of a family restaurant will become its shackles."

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Listening to Charme and Anne's conversation, Dojima Gin looked calmly at Yukihira Soma and slowly spoke.

"Perhaps your judgment is premature."

"The cuisine at a family-run restaurant is indeed very different from that at a high-end restaurant."

"The dishes in family restaurants aim for a delicious flavor that only emerges on the third bite. They are satisfying and not greasy, with a mellow taste that permeates the palate, making them suitable for diners to visit day after day."

"The cuisine of upscale restaurants needs to have a strong impact on the soul from the first bite, and be the ultimate flavor that can be remembered by the taste buds instantly."

"However, I believe he will understand that."

After all, Soma Yukihira is the son of Joichiro Yukihira.

Of course, Dojima Gin did not intend to say this.

As if confirming Dojima Gin's judgment, Yukihira Soma twisted his wrist, and the sharp kitchen knife cut into the minotaur's tail meat. The evenly sliced ​​pieces of meat fell into the hot frying pan, instantly producing an enticing sizzling sound.

High temperature locks in the meat juices, and the unique meaty aroma, along with the caramelized fat, explodes out instantly.

-

At this moment, Soma Yukihira's eyes were focused, and every movement was exceptionally smooth, without the slightest excess.

Seeing this, Dojima Gin slowly smiled with satisfaction.

"It seems that Yukihira has found his own answer."

Dojima Gin's thoughts drifted back to many years ago, to the time when he and Yukihira Joichiro fought side by side at Totsuki Academy.

The Soma Yukihira before us may not be as good as the young Joichiro, but he has extraordinary resilience, an impeccable foundation, and an astonishing rate of growth.

Withdrawing his gaze, Dojima Gin's eyes naturally turned to Jiang Yan's cooking station.

At this moment, Jiang Yan was focused on dealing with the volcano wind messenger bird, with some wood carrying a faint fragrance beside him.

These are certainly not ordinary fruitwood, but branches from tree spirits in the world of Dungeon Mealtime. The temperature and aroma when burned are far superior to those of ordinary fruitwood.

Actually, there are some tree spirit branches next to Soma Yukihira, but there are far fewer of them.

The items Jiang Yan had prepared piqued the interest of all five judges on the judging panel.

Charme looked at Jiang Yan and guessed.

"Are they planning to roast it over an open flame? Roast that whole volcano messenger bird?"

"Even though these are high-quality fruitwoods, and the roasted meat will have a fruity aroma, the heat control during open-flame roasting is the most difficult part."

"If the temperature is too high or the cooking time is too long, the meat will become burnt and dry; if the cooking time is too low, it will become fishy inside."

"Is such a risky approach really feasible?"

"Don't end up serving a dish that doesn't even qualify as acceptable."

Roasting chickens and ducks over a wood fire usually takes at least one or two hours, not to mention that the volcano wind-measuring bird used by Jiang Yan is larger than a turkey. Even using an oven, it would take three or four hours to roast it thoroughly, let alone roasting it over an open flame.

"There is no kiln specifically for baking, so you have to use a high fire to bake it properly, and the temperature is impossible to control."

Dojima Gin watched Jiang Yan's actions without saying a word.

Dojima Gin still has a deep impression of the student who was the first to complete fifty steak meals during the residential training program.

Moreover, as a member of the Totsuki board of directors, Dojima Gin was well aware that the changes to the schedule of this Autumn Election were precisely because of the various ingredients that Jiang Yan had brought out.

Therefore, Dojima Gin believed that Jiang Yan must be confident to do so.

-

From the audience, Ryoko looked at Jiang Yan in the hall with a face full of worry.

"Roasting the whole thing over an open flame? That's way too risky!"

Yoshino Yuuki, standing to the side, looked very serious, her eyes fixed on the enormous volcano messenger bird in front of Jiang Yan.

"Roasting such a large bird requires extremely high temperatures. If the flames are not controlled even slightly, the skin will burn while the inside remains uncooked. It's far too aggressive."

Unlike Ryoko and Yoshino Yuuki, who were filled with worry, Ibuzaki Shun remained calm throughout.

"Don't worry, Jiang Yan won't make a mistake."

"His control over temperature far surpasses that of all of us."

When he collaborated with Jiang Yan to make smoked dishes before, Jiang Yan demonstrated an extreme control over temperature and a precise grasp of the cooking time of the ingredients, which he still remembers vividly.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Jiang Yan made a new move in the venue. After taking out a bag of volcanic ash from Mount Wu, he poured it into the flour and then added an appropriate amount of water.

With a steady wrist rotation, a dough ball with the right consistency and smooth texture is quickly formed.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Yan picked up the rolling pin, exerted force with his arm, and rolled the dough on the cutting board into a huge and even flatbread with just the right thickness.

Place the prepared volcano weathervane in the center of the dough.

Then, just like wrapping a giant bun, the edges of the dough were gathered and pinched together little by little, tightly wrapping the entire volcano weathervane inside, forming a giant bun.

This series of actions left the five judges and the trainees in the audience completely bewildered, unable to fathom Jiang Yan's intentions.

I originally thought they would bake it over an open flame, but now they're wrapping the ingredients in dough?

Clearly, Jiang Yan was not preparing to roast the food over an open flame as they had assumed.

Of course, it's definitely not meant for steaming.

While everyone was still puzzled, Jiang Yan picked up the giant wrapped bun and placed it into a huge pot of hot oil that was already heated up.

The sizzling sound of boiling oil coating the dough echoed throughout the stadium.

In a short while, due to the expansion of the internal air, the originally soft bun quickly swelled and puffed up, eventually turning into a huge, round dough ball with a golden-yellow skin and a faint aroma of wheat.