The delicacies of the heavens begin with obtaining gem meat.

Chapter 144 A Dish for Four

After frying, Jiang Yan quickly scooped out the dough balls and placed them in a specially made grill.

Firewood was piled up and lit, and flames rose up, licking the dough balls.

Only then did the audience and judges realize Jiang Yan's true intentions.

Jiang Yan did not intend to roast the volcano weatherbird, but rather to braise it.

Inside the "flour ball" is a sealed cooking space, like a natural pressure cooker.

The high temperature generated by the continuous baking of the flames will cause the moisture inside the dough to evaporate rapidly, creating a high-pressure and high-temperature environment.

The volcano weathervane is prepared by roasting the noodles over a fire and then simmering them in a broth using indirect heating methods.

This allows the volcanic weathervane to be cooked until tender and soft in a very short time.

Moreover, since it doesn't come into direct contact with an open flame, there's no problem of the outer skin being burnt and the inside being raw, perfectly avoiding the end of roasting the entire volcano messenger bird over an open flame.

However, this method has a fatal problem: ordinary flour dough has limited elasticity, and even after being deep-fried to harden the outer layer, it still cannot withstand too much pressure.

Before long, the dough ball will burst open under the pressure from the inside, and all the previous efforts will be wasted, and the entire dish will be a complete failure.

Everyone frowned, racking their brains but unable to figure out how Jiang Yan could solve this fatal problem.

In fact, Jiang Yan's solution was extremely simple, but in the world of Food Wars!, only he could do it.

That is the advanced application of "Nen" in the "Zhou", which covers the "sphere" with a layer of "Nen".

This is like putting a strong armor on fragile dough, making the "dough ball" as hard as steel.

This is sufficient to withstand the high internal pressure and ensure a stable cooking process.

Just as everyone was wondering if Jiang Yan's cooking would fail, an extremely rich aroma suddenly spread out, sweeping through the entire venue like an invisible wave, instantly capturing everyone's sense of smell.

The aroma is rich and layered, mellow and long-lasting, with the freshness of seven herbs, the sweetness of sesame chestnut, and the fragrance of tree pollen—the aromas of more than a dozen spices blend perfectly, layer upon layer, intertwining and entwining.

Despite being a blend of various spices that should have a strong and stimulating flavor, the exquisite proportions have made it exceptionally mellow and smooth.

The aroma is a blend of sweetness and spiciness, with a subtle sweetness accompanied by the fragrance of herbs and trees. It is refreshing without being pungent, and rich without being cloying.

The aroma caused many trainees in the audience to exclaim in surprise, as the smell alone was enough to whet their appetites.

Jiang Yan turned the dough ball in front of him, while glancing at the busy Ye Shanliang with surprise.

Unexpectedly, Hayama Akira has so quickly figured out the properties of the spices he had taken out earlier and was able to apply them to cooking.

He was really looking forward to seeing what kind of dish Hayama Akira would make.

On the judging panel, An Wei narrowed her eyes slightly, her nose twitched slightly, and a look of amazement appeared on her face.

"A very peculiar spice flavor."

"And it's a blend of more than ten spices! What should have been a strong, pungent aroma is actually quite mellow and rich!"

"A subtle sweetness with a hint of fragrance!"

"A truly perfect blend of spices; it's no easy feat to balance the flavors of so many spices to such an extent."

Charme nodded slowly, looking at Hayama Ryo with eyes full of approval.

"It certainly seems so. Hayama Akira's understanding and use of spices has reached a level of consummate skill."

On the judging panel, Erina Kiri looked at Ryo Kurokiba in the hall, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

He turned to look at Alice beside him and asked with some confusion.

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"Why is Kurokiba so quiet now?"

"Was it the cheers from the crowd that created pressure?"

Erina Kiri had naturally seen the previous showdown between Ryo Kurokiba and Megumi Tadokoro.

His movements were swift and sharp, revealing his sharp edge, yet now he remained silent.

Faced with Erina's question, Alice looked calmly at Ryo Kurokiba in the center of the venue and gently shook her head.

"He didn't hear any cheers!"

This statement made Erina Kiri even more curious.

"Now, all the senses are focused on the ingredients in the pot as it cools down."

"The gradual color changes of the ingredients during grilling, the subtle sounds of the juices bursting at high temperatures, the aroma released as the oil blends with the ingredients —"

"At this moment, he was cut off from all the noise of the outside world, and only cared about the food in the pot. Nothing else mattered to him."

After listening to Alice's explanation, Erina looked at Ryo Kurokiba in the venue again.

Kurokiba Ryo's expression was extremely focused, and he seemed completely unaffected.

At that very moment, Kurokiba Ryo made a further move.

Kurokiba Ryo took out a red wine coconut jelly, cut it open, and found a large amount of rich red wine inside. He poured it into a pot, and the red wine evaporated when heated, and the aroma of wine and meat intertwined and spread.

Erina Nakiri watched Ryo Kurokiba's actions with a knowing look on her face.

Is Kurokiba using a "French-style fish stew" method to process the sea snake meat?

Alice, who was standing nearby, nodded and then added.

"Furthermore, he wrapped the prepared sea snake meat in bacon made with honey pork before frying it."

"The bacon coating helps the sea serpent meat remain intact and prevents it from falling apart during the cooking process."

"At the same time, the bacon fat slowly seeps into the meat, making the sea serpent's flavor richer and more mellow, greatly enhancing its impact and giving it a very refreshing coolness!"

Erina Nakiri seemed lost in thought.

She used to take a cooking class with Ryo Kurokiba in the same classroom.

At the time, Kurokiba Ryo gave her the impression of being perfunctory.

However, her performance in the autumn selection changed Kirie Erina's mind.

Ryo Kurokiba's cuisine pursues the ultimate taste impact: intense, rich, and domineering, directly hitting the taste buds. This dish continues his unique style.

On the field, time slowly passed, and Jiang Yan and his three companions' dishes were all in the final stages of preparation.

Soma Yukihira was the first to stop what he was doing, a confident smile on his face, as he picked up the plate in front of him and walked to the five judges.

He placed the plate on the table and spoke with a cheerful expression.

"Alright, everyone, please enjoy."

"Yukihira-ryu Minotaur Stew!"

The plate contained various parts of the Minotaur, their colors glistening and inviting: tail, cheek meat, tongue, diaphragm meat—

The broth is thick and coats the meat, with a subtle charred aroma from grilling over charcoal, making it feel like an ultimate feast exclusively for beef.

However, upon seeing the dish, Charme frowned, revealing a displeased expression, and coldly looked at Soma Yukihira.

"Stop joking."

"6

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"This is stewed beef—a hodgepodge of various cuts of meat lumped together and stewed together; it's basically just a random beef stew!"

"Different cuts of meat have drastically different textures, cooking times, and flavor profiles. Stewing them together will only cause the flavors to mix, completely ruining the original taste of the ingredients and making the whole dish taste terrible!"

It was initially thought that Soma Yukihira's choice of the Minotaur's tail meat as the main ingredient meant he had already grasped the secret of the "first bite".

Unexpectedly, they ended up serving such a poorly made stew, which was truly disappointing.

Despite Charme's rebuke, Soma Yukihira remained calm and composed, his smile unwavering, and slowly began to speak.

"This is definitely beef stew, because everything else is just side dishes!"

"What?!"

Charme's eyes widened suddenly, his displeasure instantly replaced by astonishment. He stared incredulously at the dish on his plate, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"Are they all just side dishes?!"

An, who was standing to the side, looked thoughtfully at the food on the plate. Her nose twitched slightly as she caught a faint aroma of charcoal grilling.

"It has a charcoal-grilled aroma; it's not simply stewed, but rather grilled first and then stewed?"

"The stewing was done perfectly; the dish showed great care."

Leonora Nakiri stammered.

"It may seem messy, but it actually hides ingenuity."

Dojima Gin's gaze fell on Yukihira Soma, with a hint of admiration.