Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　However, it will definitely taste better if a skilled chef makes it.

　With a precise and earnest expression, Tadokoro Megumi slashed her knife into the fish's head, then used her arm to slice it in two, handling the fish with practiced skill.

　By the time Soma Yukihira returned to his original position, Megumi Tadokoro had already finished processing the monkfish and sea bass, removing the bones and perfectly extracting the fillets.

　The remaining bones with some meat on them are used to make fish soup.

　"These bones aren't enough; we need to add a whole sea bass. The broth for bouillabaisse requires extra fish."

　Seeing that Yukihira Soma had already chopped the side dishes and was heating the pan, Tadokoro Megumi reminded him that he didn't need to rush.

　"Doesn't it say on the whiteboard that we can just use the leftover fish bones to make soup?"

　Soma Yukihira asked with some confusion.

　Because he had never made bouillabaisse before, he didn't know the specific steps for making the dish, but based on the instructions on the whiteboard, it shouldn't be too difficult to prepare.

　But why did this little girl stop him? Could the things on the whiteboard be wrong?!

　"This is how bouillabaisse is made. In the Nordic region, fishermen sell the best-looking fish to customers after they catch them, and take the rest home. They remove the fish meat first and use the bones to make bouillabaisse."

　This is to prevent the fish fillets from falling apart during cooking. Before simmering the fish soup, the fillets are removed and cut into small pieces, then added to the pot for cooking only after the soup has been prepared.

　Tadokoro Megumi gave a brief explanation, then took a fresh sea bass, quickly killed it, and put it together with the previous fish bones.

　Beside him, Soma Yukihira nodded slightly after hearing her words, feeling a greater sense of approval for the girl. He then began preparing the spice packet for the bouillabaisse according to the instructions on the whiteboard.

　Thyme, bay leaves, orange peel, parsley root, and fennel, all prepared and rolled up with a scallion, make a simple French spice packet.

　After preparing the sea bass, Megumi Tadokoro officially began cooking. She poured olive oil into a preheated pan, added a chopped onion, fennel root, celery, minced garlic, scallions, seeded chili peppers, and star anise, and stir-fried until fragrant.

　Once the vegetables have softened, add the fish bones and fish meat, and continue to stir-fry until the fish meat turns completely white. Add a spoonful of tomato paste and two peeled and diced tomatoes.

　"And there's anise liqueur, right?"

　Soma Yukihira, with his keen eye, handed over the fennel wine. Looking at the fish and meat that were beginning to smell delicious in the pot, and thinking about the girl's skillful technique, he was slightly surprised.

　"That's right, it's a specialty of Marseille, France."

　Megumi Tadokoro nodded, took the fennel liqueur and poured it in, while Soma Yukihira brought some pre-boiled water, which was a small help.

　"Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. During this time, could you help make a baguette?"

　After tying the prepared spice packet with string to ensure the spices inside wouldn't leak out, put it into the pot. Then, Yukihira Soma saw that she added a little saffron, which wasn't on the whiteboard.

　"it is good."

　Soma Yukihira nodded in agreement.

　The recipe for baguettes is also on the whiteboard. Although it's not an ingredient used in bouillabaisse, it is an important side dish for bouillabaisse.

　"After grilling, slice it thinly and grill it again, then brush it with minced garlic to make it full of garlic flavor."

　Seeing that Yukihira Soma had immediately started kneading the dough, Tadokoro Megumi gave him some instructions, then stood aside and waited, her eyes fixed on the soup pot in front of her.

　However, now, when she looks at the pot, there is no tension in her eyes, but rather a sense of maturity and composure.

　"Chuangzhen-kun, please bring me the filter."

　Keeping a close eye on the heat in the pot, when she felt it was about right, Tadokoro Megumi took out the spices and star anise from the pot, and then took out the high-speed blender.

　This thing can function like a high-speed blender, similar to an egg beater, but it has blades on it to break up cooked fish soup.

　As for why this is done, it's obviously to allow the flavors to blend together perfectly.

　This is the most obvious difference between Chinese fish soup and French fish soup.

　One person prefers clear broth, while the other prefers thick broth. It's not a matter of which is better or worse; it's simply a difference in national tastes.

　As the fish soup in the pot was broken into a fine paste, Soma Yukihira pushed the strainer over, which made Megumi Tadokoro give him a second look.

　"You're quite observant. It seems that what you said at the opening ceremony was based on some truth."

　"Such a trivial matter is not worth praising."

　Tadokoro Megumi spoke softly as she poured the musai soup, now reduced to scum, into a strainer to remove all the large particles of residue.

　Beside him, Soma Yukihira shook his head and said something, while staring intently at her. The girl's cooking skills seemed to be better than he had imagined.

　And these were just the people he randomly encountered.

　I'm starting to feel...excited!

　The thought that his future opponents would all be of such strength made Soma Yukihira's body tremble slightly, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up a few degrees.

　Choosing this school was definitely the right decision!

　"We've finally reached the wrap-up stage."

　Two hours is more than enough time to prepare this dish, as it can be done in forty minutes if you cook quickly.

　However, now there is an S-level rating, and accumulating ten times will allow you to receive a personal lesson from Teacher Baiyuan.

　This was extremely tempting for everyone present.

　In other words, everyone will do their best to cook in the best possible condition, and even improve the dishes, all in order to get the highest rating.

　But she didn't care, after all, she was eating special meals prepared by Bai Yuan for them every day, and besides, she didn't think anyone here could surpass her.

　Thinking of what that figure had said to her that day, Tadokoro Megumi felt a warmth in her heart, followed by a surge of strong confidence.

　Pour the strained fish broth into a clean pot, then add chopped potatoes and fennel roots, along with salt and white pepper, until the vegetables are cooked through.

　While she was doing this, Soma Yukihira had already finished preparing the sauce, which was a garlic mayonnaise, also written on the whiteboard.

　Add one egg yolk, a pinch of paprika, a few sprigs of saffron, two cloves of minced garlic, and a spoonful of yellow mustard, and whisk quickly while adding olive oil.

　Watching the sauce puff up quickly, Tadokoro Megumi nodded in satisfaction. Then she took out the cooked vegetables and started adding the previously cut fish fillets.

　"First, put in the monkfish and cook for five minutes. Then add the sea bass and mussels and cook for another three minutes before taking them out. This way, you can ensure that each ingredient is at its best."

　Knowing that Yukihira Soma was a chef from out of town, likely from a small restaurant and with little experience in making bouillabaisse, Tadokoro Megumi broke down her own experience and explained it to him in detail.

　This is her consistent style; she is very gentle with people, and teaching others to cook also helps her solidify her own knowledge.

　"I understand, but isn't the more fish you use in this bouillabaisse, the better, and the richer the flavor? Why are we only using three kinds of seafood?"

　"

　Soma Yukihira asked with some confusion, pointing to the words on the whiteboard as he spoke, without feeling embarrassed that he was asking a little girl for advice.

　"That's true. Using a variety of seafood would make the flavor much richer, but I don't yet have the ability to perfect all of them."

　Upon hearing the question, Tadokoro Megumi paused for a moment, then scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly.

　She had learned this soup recipe in Bai Yuan's class. Back then, Teacher Bai Yuan used seven kinds of seafood to make a super delicious soup.

　Its quality naturally reached the level of flowing light.

　Later, someone tried to replicate this feat, but the dish they made was not even as good as a third-class dish, and they were ridiculed for it.

　When they asked him out of curiosity, Bai Yuan revealed the answer.

　It turns out that the more seafood used, the more difficult it is to achieve a balance of flavors.

　Only highly experienced individuals can handle a variety of seafood, ensuring the soup retains the flavor of each type without any flavor mixing.

　Some innovative chefs combine the individual flavors into a single soup, creating a completely new taste experience.

　However, this method is more difficult than the former because it requires perfect control of the ingredient ratio to ensure that the soup tastes good.

　Seafood is fine on its own, but once it's mixed up, it becomes very troublesome to handle. Fujian's Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and this Bouillabaisse are similar in that they are quite similar.

　This also illustrates a point.

　The path to culinary excellence may differ, but the destination is the same.

　"finished."

　Letting out a long sigh, Tadokoro Megumi focused her mental energy to the extreme as she looked at the dish in front of her, and then put the fish in the pot.

　Once the cooking is done, all that's left is plating.

　French cuisine is extremely particular about plating.

　However, for Tadokoro Megumi, who had received three years of elite education at Totsuki Academy, these were all minor matters. She set out the plate in a few minutes and brought it to Roland Chapel.

　“Professor Chapel, please have a taste.”

　Seeing the serious-looking man in front of her, whose expression softened upon seeing her, Tadokoro Megumi felt a slight stirring in her heart.

　Although he is known as a chef who never smiles, his expression softens unconsciously when facing talented juniors.

　When they taste a truly delicious meal, they will also surprise the public with a smile.

　There are no chefs who can't smile; it's just that your cooking doesn't bring them joy. The reason boils down to those four words.

　When it comes to cooking, just practice more!

　"Odadoka, is this the bouillabaisse you made? Let me have a taste."

　He looked down at the food laid out in front of him.

　A serving of fish, a serving of fish soup, a serving of sauce, and a slice of baguette smeared with minced garlic.

　A very standard bouillabaisse.

　Without hesitation, Roland Chapel picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of fish soup, and, under the watchful eyes of Megumi Tadokoro, Soma Yukihira, and several other trainees, put it in his mouth.

　"This is..."

　Close your eyes, and it feels like you're in a green dreamscape.

　The various spices used in this dish appeared in this illusion, transforming into tiny figures that held hands and surrounded him.

　Their warm songs instantly calmed my restless heart.

　The freshness of thyme, the fragrance of bay leaves, the slightly bitter and sweet taste of orange peel intertwine, along with the unique aroma of parsley root and the subtle spiciness of fennel, all slowly released as the vegetables are sautéed in olive oil, laying a complex and harmonious foundation for the fish soup.

　"I don't know why, but this soup tastes so rich and flavorful. You must have used only monkfish, sea bass and mussels."

　Opening his eyes, Roland Chapel's aged face flushed slightly. He then looked at Tadokoro Megumi and voiced his doubts.

　"That's right, we mainly used these three ingredients."

　However, when I was making the fish soup, in addition to using the bones of two fish, I added a whole sea bass, which made the flavor richer.

　With her hands hanging naturally at her sides and a confident and smug look on her face, Tadokoro Megumi confidently shared her secret to making the soup taste richer and more mellow.

　"Did they add a whole fish? No wonder the flavor is so rich."

　Although this soup needs to be simmered with many kinds of seafood to achieve a rich and thick texture, the method you used is also fine.

　Knowing your weaknesses and making up for them in other ways, you certainly didn't disappoint me.

　Upon hearing the answer, Roland Chapel murmured to himself. As a master chef, he naturally understood Tadokoro Megumi's creative ideas immediately.

　Because she couldn't handle a variety of seafood, she only used three to establish the flavor base, but this would reduce the richness of the soup. To prevent this from happening, she added a whole sea bass.

　"Thank you for the compliment, Professor Shaper."

　Upon hearing the praise, Tadokoro Megumi simply smiled modestly, and her composed demeanor earned Roland Chapel's silent approval.

　However, he was also very curious.

　What could have happened to turn this timid girl, whose cooking skills weren't very good, into this state?

　It must be from experiencing some hardships.

　"I will not give this dish a rating for now. I will decide which dish to give an S grade to when the other two dishes are served."

　Roland Chapel withdrew his smile and uttered...

　He exhaled a breath of stale air and said this.

　Soma Yukihira witnessed all of this and became curious about the taste of the dish. He decided to make a copy when he got back.

　Now he was certain that the girl in front of him was very capable.

　I really want to have a match with her.

　The thought popped into his head and then became unstoppable. However, now was clearly not the best time, so Soma Yukihira closed his eyes, intending to avoid seeing it altogether.

　"My dish is ready."

　Just then, another male voice rang out. Turning his head, he saw that the person who had just mentioned the competition was Ueno Sugi. At this moment, he was holding a bouillabaisse plated in the same way as Tadokoro Megumi. Yukihira Soma's eyes couldn't help but show some complicated emotions.

　Because he didn't know how to make the bouillabaisse, he wasn't much of a help this time. In a sense, his contest with Ueno Sugi became a contest between Tadokoro Megumi and Ueno Sugi.