Era: You're asked to cook a home-style dish, but you cook Wellington.

Chapter 159 The Fujita Family Has Fallen From Grace

Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at it.

In Gao Yang's hand, there was a small dish containing bright red oil.

"What is this?"

Kong Xiangyun asked curiously.

"This is shrimp oil."

Gao Yang said calmly.

"Master Kong could put a little in his ramen."

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized why there were only shrimp meat and no shrimp heads in the ramen.

It seems the shrimp heads were already used to make shrimp oil.

Fujiwara Taro scoffed, his eyes filled with disdain.

"Adding unnecessary details, pairing clear broth with shrimp oil, the fishy smell clashes and will only ruin the taste of the whole bowl of noodles. This is completely superfluous."

"What a charade! What kind of trouble can a mere bit of shrimp oil cause? Don't let Kong Sang spit it out later!"

The notebooks echoed this sentiment, convinced that Gao Yang's move was a mistake, and everyone was waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

Gao Yang did not answer, but simply looked at Kong Xiangyun indifferently.

Without hesitation, Kong Xiangyun scooped a small spoonful of shrimp oil and dripped it into the ramen.

In an instant, a few drops of shrimp oil floated on the clear broth, making the overall color even richer.

Kong Xiangyun smelled it and found no particular smell.

He stirred it slightly with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

"boom!"

If what Fujiwara Taro did was like the hammering of a warhammer, then what Gao Yang did was like a nuclear explosion, causing his mind to go blank for a moment.

With the addition of shrimp oil, the ramen not only has no fishy smell, but also has a more concentrated umami flavor.

Especially noteworthy is the subtle woody aroma emanating from the shrimp oil.

"What is this?"

Kong Xiangyun snapped out of her reverie, sat down in her chair, and looked at Gao Yang with a thirst for knowledge in her eyes.

Gao Yang did not hide anything.

"It's saffron. I added a little bit of saffron to the shrimp oil."

"In this way, not only can it give the shrimp oil its color, but it can also play a neutralizing role, preventing the shrimp oil from clashing with the clear broth and producing a fishy smell."

Everyone suddenly realized.

It turns out that Gao Yang had calculated everything from the very beginning, ensuring that every ingredient was used exactly in the right amount.

In contrast, Fujiwara Taro clung to old ways, believing himself to be at the pinnacle of ramen, but in reality, he had long been silently eliminated by the times.

"Exquisite, absolutely exquisite."

Kong Xiangyun held the large bowl and kept putting the ramen noodles into his mouth without stopping.

This scene left everyone stunned.

Upon seeing this, Lin Ran was so happy she seemed about to jump for joy.

"Yay, does that mean we're going to win!"

Not only Lin Ran, but everyone present had their eyes shining with ecstasy, and they all straightened their backs, their faces full of excitement.

It should be noted that when Kong Xiangyun tasted Fujiwara Taro ramen just now, he only took a small bite, nodded in praise, and ate only one mouthful.

But now, when tasting Gao Yang's ramen, I couldn't stop eating it, one bite after another. The amazement and love in my eyes were impossible to hide. The difference in quality was obvious to the naked eye.

Wang Biao rubbed his hands and stomped his feet excitedly, cheering loudly.

"It's a sure thing, a sure thing! No one can compare to my master's skill!"

Nangong Hong and Nangong Lian smiled at each other, their long-held anxieties finally lifted.

"You idiots! Who said you were guaranteed to win!"

Fujita Daishu's shout interrupted everyone's joy.

He grinned and said, "The results aren't in yet, who says you're guaranteed to win!"

"Who does he think he is? What he makes isn't even Japanese-style ramen. Only our rich bone broth can be considered Japanese-style ramen!"

'

The group exchanged glances.

The definition of Japanese-style ramen is indeed unclear. If Gao Yang's version is not correct, it's like going off-topic in an exam, and that would be disastrous.

At this moment, Gao Yang stepped forward.

"Tell me, what are the essential elements of Japanese-style ramen?"

"Broth, dashi, noodles, sauce, side dishes—what part of it do I lack?"

Gao Yang's voice was clear and crisp, neither too loud nor too soft, striking Fujita Daishu directly in the face.

Fujita Daishu was momentarily speechless at the question. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

He just follows the trend and says that thick soup is the authentic one, but he can't explain any professional elements.

He looked at Fujiwara Taro standing to the side.

Fujiwara Taro's face grew increasingly grim, and he could only grit his teeth and forcefully put on the airs of a master, gritting his teeth as he tried to explain.

"The essence of Japanese-style ramen lies in its rich tonkotsu broth and its thick, oily flavor. Your clear broth and bland taste is not Japanese-style ramen at all."

Gao Yang smiled.

"Really? But your Japan also has ramen with chicken broth as the soup base."

"Kanto-style soy sauce ramen and Kansai-style salt ramen have traditionally featured chicken bones, kelp, and bonito flakes as the main ingredients, with a clear broth that is fresh, savory, and sweet."

"Where's the evidence? In your eyes, doesn't a 100-year-old, authentic Kanto-style ramen count as Japanese-style ramen?"

One sentence was enough to make Fujiwara Taro pause and fall silent.

He hadn't expected Gao Yang to be so skilled at making Japanese-style ramen; he had thought Gao Yang was just a chef who could only cook Chinese food.

Gao Yang gave him no chance to breathe and continued his overwhelming dominance.

He understood that the other side was trying to take advantage of the fact that everyone here was Chinese to exploit a cognitive gap. As long as they escaped today, it would be difficult to sanction them later.

"You say that the essence of Japanese-style ramen lies in the emulsification of the broth, but that's a characteristic of the Hakata school in Kyushu, not the only standard for Japanese-style ramen."

"The four main ramen styles—salt, soy sauce, miso, and tonkotsu—each have their own rules and flavors. Salt broth is the origin of Japanese-style ramen."

"What, do you want to continue?"

He pointed to the bowl of ramen that had solidified, with flakes of milky white fat floating on top, looking utterly disgusting.

Fujiwara Taro's expression grew even more unpleasant.

He understood, of course, that everything Gao Yang said was true, so he couldn't refute it now.

"Oh, I see. You scared me to death! I thought my master wasn't making Japanese-style ramen."

Seeing this, Wang Biao patted his chest and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Yes, so they were just taking advantage of our ignorance to fool us."

Lin Ran's pale face had not yet recovered, and she was panting heavily.

Meanwhile, Kong Xiangyun finished a whole bowl of ramen, even drinking the broth clean.

His admiration for Gao Yang remained undiminished. He had heard everything Gao Yang had said, but he hadn't expected the kid to have such amazing experience. The more he looked at him, the more he realized that this was not something a mere lad could display.

But that's all for later. What he needs to do now is decide the outcome of this match.

"Cough cough."

All eyes turned back to him, especially Gao Yang's side, whose faces were filled with barely suppressed hope.

"After comparison, I have decided that Gao Yang's dish is the best in this competition."

Therefore, Gao Yang wins!

Kong Xiangyun's tone was indifferent and lacked intensity, but it sounded different to Lin Ran and the others.

They high-fived each other in celebration.

After a long while, the group, having calmed down, finally looked at the group of notebooks opposite them.

"Well, the results are in. Now it's your turn to keep your promise."