Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

"What bad luck... It's Chef Shinomiya..."

"I heard that Chef Shinomiya has already expelled more than sixty students in the past two days."

Of the more than one hundred students who dropped out of school in the past few days, a large portion of them were brought down by Kojiro Shinomiya.

"Today's questions are also very easy." Shinomiya waved the stack of papers in his hand, and the staff next to him quickly took them and began to distribute the recipes to the students one by one.

"Simply follow my recipes and cook the dishes I specify, it's that simple."

The sound of turning over papers filled the classroom.

Chen Yuxing picked up the recipe and glanced at it.

【Nine Treasures Vegetable French Jelly】

"Cabbage, okra, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, celery, asparagus, baby corn, cucumber—nine kinds of vegetables, each processed and heated at different temperatures."

"Based on a clear broth made from chicken feet, gelatin is added to create a crystal-clear, jelly-like texture. The outermost layer is wrapped in blanched cabbage leaves, and when cut open, you can see nine kinds of vegetables arranged in a rainbow-like pattern."

"You shouldn't overemphasize the flavor of a certain ingredient, nor should you mask it."

"The key is the harmony of flavors," Kojiro Shinomiya emphasized simply. "Nine kinds of vegetables, none of the other flavors can be too bland or too prominent. The essence of this dish is that all the flavors complement each other."

He chuckled. "This dish is considered one of the simpler ones in my Recette. Or do you want to make something more difficult?"

"It's relatively simple..."

"hateful……"

"I really want to punch him..."

The students in the audience could only vent their frustrations silently.

"Also, this time the task will not be done in teams. Each person will cook one dish individually, and you are not allowed to exchange information or give instructions during the cooking process. Just pick the ingredients from that pile." Shinomiya Kojiro pointed to the vegetable cabinet at the back of the classroom. "Finally, here's a piece of advice for you—if you want to survive this task, you'd better put away your naive emotions and treat everyone around you as enemies to compete with. That would be the wise thing to do."

"The time limit is three hours. So, let's begin cooking!"

At Shinomiya Kojiro's command, the classroom erupted into chaos. The students, who had been standing quietly, rushed towards the pile of ingredients at the back of the classroom like madmen.

"Don't push me!"

"Get out of the way! I saw those asparagus first!"

"Who stepped on my foot?!"

The back of the classroom, which was originally quite spacious, was quickly surrounded and packed with people.

Students who are usually considerate of their classmates' feelings are now too stressed to care about such things due to the pressure of their research projects.

They waved their arms, shoved those around them, and fought desperately for the ingredients they needed.

"Everyone is so excited... The atmosphere is even more tense than yesterday..." Tadokoro Megumi stood on the outside, holding a metal tray, watching the crowd scrambling for the food.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot, Xiaohui!"

Chen Yuxing had observed the location of each vegetable in advance. With clean and efficient movements, he squeezed into the crowd using his height advantage, carrying various ingredients he needed. Asparagus, cucumbers, carrots... several vegetables that do not spoil easily were quickly thrown into his tray.

Seeing him go inside, Tadokoro Megumi gritted her teeth, lowered her body, and squeezed into the gaps in the crowd.

Although she was not as strong as the boys, she was agile enough. After some effort, she finally reached the edge of the food cabinet and quickly got most of the ingredients she needed.

When Chen Yuxing squeezed out of the crowd, all nine kinds of vegetables he needed had been taken, and each one was carefully selected by him, in perfect condition and without any flaws.

However, on his way back to the kitchen counter, he saw Megumi Tadokoro standing in front of the cauliflower table, looking somewhat lost.

All that was left on the table were some leftover cauliflower that had already started to oxidize.

Tadokoro Megumi's voice was tinged with tears: "What should we do? If we use cauliflower that doesn't look good to make the dish, the color of the terrine will become ugly because of the flaws in the ingredients... Moreover, appearance is a very important part of terrine. If the appearance is not good, the dish will definitely be unacceptable!"

"What...what should I do...Ah Xing..." Xiao Hui took out the amulet from her pocket and held it tightly in both hands.

"Xiao Hui".

Seeing that Tadokoro Megumi was about to cry, Chen Yuxing was about to go over and exchange the cauliflower he had picked for her, just like he had done yesterday.

However, just as he walked up to Megumi, Megumi seemed to sense something and looked up to meet his gaze.

She looked at Chen Yuxing's perfectly good cauliflower, then at the pile of defective cauliflower in front of her, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes, but quickly, that hesitation turned into determination.

"Xiao Hui, use mine." Chen Yuxing said, about to put the good cauliflower into her plate.

"no!"

Tadokoro Megumi suddenly took a step back, clutching her tray tightly, her tone filled with an unprecedented stubbornness.

“Ah Xing, I can’t rely on you forever.” She shook her head and gave Chen Yuxing a slightly apologetic yet stubborn smile. “Since the start of the semester, you’ve been the one to help me every time I’m in danger, whether it’s in Professor Xia Pei’er’s class or these past few days of dormitory training… If I take your ingredients away and you get eliminated because of this defective product, I’ll feel guilty for the rest of my life!”

“I can’t let A-Xing protect me like this forever. If I rely on A-Xing to help me every time I encounter difficulties, I will never grow up and will always be the same unimproving Tadokoro Megumi.”

She raised her head and looked at Chen Yuxing with a determined gaze.

"Didn't Ah Xing say that the flaws in ingredients are also a test for chefs?"

"This time... I want to overcome this difficulty on my own..."

"I want to prove myself, to prove that I can do it on my own."

Chen Yuxing looked into Tadokoro Megumi's determined eyes and remained silent for several seconds.

"Yes, if you always hide behind others, you won't be able to survive in Totsuki."

Chen Yuxing sighed inwardly, then reached out and gently patted Tadokoro Megumi's head.

"understood."

His tone was gentle and gratified, "Then let me see how Xiaohui has grown."

"Ok!"

Megumi Tadokoro nodded heavily.

The two exchanged a glance and then returned to their respective workstations.

……

The classroom echoed with the sounds of chopping vegetables and bubbling boiling water.

Chen Yuxing looked at the recipe in his hand.

The "Nine Treasures Vegetable French Jelly" requires cabbage, okra, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, celery, asparagus, baby corn, and cucumber.

Each vegetable has different processing steps and required temperatures. The most time-consuming part is actually making the vegetables into a jelly with broth and gelatin after cooking, and then refrigerating it to set.

Chen Yuxing took out a kitchen knife and placed all the vegetables on the cutting board to begin processing.

First, remove the root from the bottom of the cabbage and boil it in water. This will cause the cabbage leaves to fall off on their own.

Next, peel the zucchini, cucumber, and carrot, and cut them into long strips along with the asparagus, removing the ends. Soak the okra in water with some salt, then rub off the fine hairs and cut off the hard skin at an angle to prevent the mucus from flowing out. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and break it into small pieces.

Then, put four pots of water at the same time. In one pot, bring water to a boil and cook the cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, baby corn, and zucchini together until soft. In another pot, add salt, rice vinegar, and wine to soften the cauliflower. Okra also needs to be cooked separately in salt water. In the last pot, throw in the prepared chicken feet, add a little onion and a bunch of herbs, and start simmering over high heat to make a clear broth for the aspic.

After the chicken soup has reached the desired consistency, filter out the impurities on top, add the gelatin powder, and stir until fully combined.

Next, line the prepared mold with plastic wrap, then place cabbage leaves at the bottom, and then place the nine kinds of vegetables in the mold in the order listed. After each layer is placed, pour a layer of clear broth over it, so that the broth completely fills the gaps between the vegetables.

After placing all the vegetables inside, cover them with a cabbage leaf, then cover with a final layer of plastic wrap, weigh it down with a heavy object, and refrigerate to set.

After finishing these tasks, Chen Yuxing glanced at the clock and realized that only about an hour had passed, leaving plenty of time.

……

Tadokoro Megumi was also busy at her workbench in an orderly manner.

What to do with cauliflower that has already started to turn yellow and oxidize is a big problem.

"You can't boil it directly in water... If you boil it directly, the yellow color will not only not fade, but it will become even darker because it absorbs water. The resulting French aspic will have a very obvious color difference, which Chef Shinomiya definitely cannot accept."

Tadokoro Megumi's mind raced.

She turned around abruptly and rummaged through the spice rack behind her.

Olive oil, sea salt, black pepper... Finally, her gaze settled on a bottle of dark brown liquid.

Red wine vinegar!

Tadokoro Megumi's eyes lit up.

When they were at Polar Star Dormitory, Chen Yuxing once told her while she was helping her deal with yellowed old vegetables that acetic acid can not only prevent vegetables from oxidizing, but also bleach them to a certain extent, keeping the vegetables' original bright color and bringing out their natural sweetness in the seasoning.

"That's it!"

She carefully poured a few drops of red wine vinegar into the water used to boil the cauliflower.

As the hot water is used to steam the cauliflower, the acetic acid begins to take effect. The cauliflower's originally yellowish surface gradually changes color and returns to its original milky white appearance. Although it is still not as white as fresh cauliflower, at least the traces of oxidation on the surface are no longer visible.

Megumi Tadokoro carefully scooped out the cauliflower, rinsed it with cold water, and then placed it in a mold along with other vegetables, pouring in the clear broth.

Time passed by, and students gradually brought in their work.

Kojiro Shinomiya leaned back on the sofa, fork in hand, expressionlessly critiquing the students' dishes.

"The cut surface has obvious color difference, and the gelatin ratio is incorrect. It is substandard!"

"The vegetable leaves weren't wrapped properly, and it was already falling apart when it was poured out. How dare you serve this? It's unacceptable!"

Before long, several students were deemed unqualified and walked out of the classroom dejectedly.

The atmosphere in the classroom became tense, and some students who hadn't finished were so trembling that they couldn't even hold their kitchen knives steady.

It was Chen Yuxing's turn.

He took the set French jelly from the refrigerator, placed it on a porcelain plate, and carried the plate to Shinomiya Kojiro, putting it down in front of him.

Nine different kinds of vegetables are frozen in the crystal clear broth, each layer with distinct colors, like a piece of amber inlaid with rainbow gems.

Kojiro Shinomiya picked up his fork, cut a small piece from the edge of the pudding, and put it in his mouth.

The broth has just the right consistency, with a perfect ratio of gelatin, retaining its clarity while providing a satisfying gel-like texture.

The nine vegetables were cooked to perfection, with no single flavor standing out and none overpowering the others. Instead, they blended together wonderfully, creating a harmonious and layered flavor profile in the mouth.

"qualified."

Shinomiya Kojiro put down his fork and gave Chen Yuxing a deep look.

"This is exactly what I needed, perfectly presented according to my recipe."

Chen Yuxing nodded and returned to the worktable with the empty plate.

Not long after, Megumi Tadokoro also took a deep breath and walked up with her plate.

Her hands trembled slightly from nervousness, and the plates made a soft clinking sound on the tray.

Tadokoro Megumi walked up to Shinomiya and placed the sliced ​​French jelly on the ground.

Chapter 30 Food Halberd

"Please...please let the chef have a taste."

Shinomiya Kojiro looked down at the food on his plate.

The French aspic looked pretty good, the broth was fairly clear, and the arrangement of the nine vegetables was also quite standard. The originally shoddy cauliflower was in the center, and its slightly yellowish color had faded, making it look very white.

Shinomiya picked up a fork, cut off a small piece, and put it in her mouth.

The moment you chew, a slightly sour sweet taste unfolds on your tongue.

That smells like red wine vinegar!

This subtle sourness perfectly complements the natural sweetness of the cauliflower, blending seamlessly with the flavors of other vegetables, like a gentle breeze carrying a sweet and sour aroma suddenly blowing through the otherwise dull air.

"You used red wine vinegar when you were cooking the cauliflower that was starting to oxidize, didn't you?" Shinomiya Kojiro said, looking at Tadokoro Megumi.

"Yes...yes..." Tadokoro Megumi nervously fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, "Because the cauliflower oxidized, I wanted to use red wine vinegar to restore its original color, and also to add some sweet and sour flavor..."

"Very clever. Using red wine vinegar to bleach oxidized vegetables while preserving their original color, and also using vinegar for seasoning, the sweetness of the authentic vegetable terrine and the slight acidity of the red wine vinegar combine to create a wonderful flavor." Shinomiya Kojiro praised, "It's very good that you could come up with this remedy in such a short time."

“But…” Shinomiya pushed up his glasses, lowered his head, and said coldly, “Tadokoro Megumi—unqualified, expelled.”

"Alright, everyone's handed in their papers, right?" Shinomiya stood up from the sofa. "Those who didn't pass, pack your things and assemble in the hotel lobby..."

Tadokoro Megumi's face turned pale instantly.

"Why...why?" Her voice trembled slightly. "You just praised my French jelly...so why..."

"Who told you that you can modify my Recette at will?"