Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

"Then soak the dried squid in warm water for half an hour, then take it out and cut it slightly, leaving two whole pieces."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and went to deal with the eggs.

First, I took a large bowl, cracked the eggs one by one, poured in the egg whites and yolks together, added a little salt, and quickly whisked them with chopsticks.

When he cracked the eggs, he made a figure-eight motion with his wrist, resulting in a very even egg mixture with a layer of fine foam floating on the surface.

After beating the eggs, Chen Yuxing poured a bowl of flour onto the work surface.

He piled the flour into the shape of a volcano, and then poured the egg mixture into the "crater".

Mrs. Fumio was dozing against the wall when his movements woke her up.

"Hey, kid." She walked over and stared at Chen Yuxing's hands. "You're going to use eggs to knead dough?"

"Ah."

"No water?"

"do not add."

Mrs. Wenxu smiled: "If you can make up for it, I'll give you an extra blanket tonight."

Tadokoro Megumi, who was soaking dried squid nearby, almost knocked over her bowl when she heard this.

Since she moved into the Polaris Dormitory, this was the first time she had ever seen Mrs. Fumio offer to add blankets for someone.

Chen Yuxing didn't reply; his attention was entirely focused on his hands.

Insert your fingers into the flour and egg mixture and start kneading.

His master once taught him a unique skill—using no water or hard flour.

He practiced for a full six months, and the calluses on his palms were thick.

The egg liquid and flour slowly blend together in the palm of your hand. At first, they are in a very loose state, like sand that cannot be squeezed together.

Mrs. Wenxu watched the show with her arms crossed.

But a few minutes later, the loose sand began to clump together.

Chen Yuxing's kneading technique is very special. He uses the base of his palm to push the dough outwards, then folds it back in, and then uses his knuckles to pinch the edges of the dough towards the center.

Each strike was delivered with even force, at a moderate pace, like a rhythmic beat.

Push, pull back, pinch.

Push, pull back, pinch.

The dough gradually became smooth under his hands, and its surface began to shimmer with the pale yellow luster of egg wash.

Mrs. Fumio's smile froze.

"Who...who taught you this technique?"

“Master,” Chen Yuxing replied briefly.

He began to knead the dough with more force, each push of his palm carrying a skillful touch, making the dough more and more elastic, so that it would spring back immediately when pressed with a finger.

But this is not enough.

Dough made entirely of eggs is harder to develop gluten than dough made with water; its elasticity depends entirely on skillful handling.

Chen Yuxing took a deep breath and then began to speed up.

Push, pull back, pinch — Push, pull back, pinch — Push, pull back, pinch —

His movements became faster and faster, his arms leading his fists to rhythmically pound the dough. Each time, his fists landed in a different place, sometimes in the middle, sometimes on the edge, and sometimes at an angle before folding it up.

Megumi Tadokoro's hand, which was cutting squid, stopped unconsciously, and she stood there, stunned.

She lived in the Polar Star Dormitory for a year, witnessing Isshiki Satoshi's effortless and graceful cooking, as well as Ibuzaki Shun's almost mechanically precise and calm preparation of smoked dishes.

But the way this new classmate kneads dough is completely different from Totsuki's method.

With the shadow of some ancient craftsmanship, every detail has a history, yet it is so fast that one has no time to observe it.

Mrs. Wenxu didn't say anything, she just stood there quietly watching.

After kneading the dough, Chen Yuxing set it aside to rest.

Turning around, I saw that Tadokoro Megumi had already soaked the dried squid and was carefully cutting it.

"Hold the knife firmly, curl your fingers, and use your knuckles to press against the blade."

Chen Yuxing went over and demonstrated for her, saying, "You have a good foundation, but you tend to get too nervous. It would be better if you relaxed a bit."

Tadokoro took a deep breath and tried the method Chen Yuxing gave her. Although the speed was not fast, the granules she cut were very uniform.

"Okay, that's it." Chen Yuxing praised her.

Megumi Tadokoro's ears turned red.

Chen Yuxing took the dried squid pieces and began preparing the filling.

He first put two whole pieces of dried squid into a small pot, added water and brought it to a boil, then turned the heat down to low and simmered it slowly.

Chop the remaining squid pieces together with the prepared minced meat for about twenty minutes, until the minced meat becomes sticky.

Then add minced ginger, chopped green onions, a little soy sauce and cooking wine, and stir in one direction until it becomes sticky.

The squid broth was simmered for half an hour, turning into a pale white broth.

Chen Yuxing scooped up a spoonful, tasted it, and nodded.

While it can't match the unique sweetness of crab roe, the umami flavor from soaking dried squid can indeed replace crab roe, and the addition of the salty umami of seafood makes the taste even more layered.

He poured some of the broth into the minced meat and mixed it well, leaving the rest for later use.

The dough has rested.

Chen Yuxing took it and started rolling out the dough.

Press down with the rolling pin, spread the dough out, flip it over, press it down again, flip it over again.

His hands were very steady, and he controlled the force very precisely. He rolled each shumai wrapper into a standard circle that was thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges, and they were all about the same size.

The rolled-out dough has a pale yellow sheen and is translucent when held up.

"Isn't it rolled too thin?"

Mrs. Wenxu returned sometime earlier, carrying a quilt in her arms. "These dough wrappers are so thin, they'll break when you steam them with meat filling."

"It won't break."

Chen Yuxing started wrapping.

He picked up a piece of dough and placed it between his thumb and forefinger, scooped in a spoonful of meat filling, and pinched the edge of the dough with his other hand, quickly pleating it with his thumb and forefinger.

One, two, three... In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen pleats were made, and the dough was gathered and folded in the tiger's mouth, and a shumai stood up.

The wrapped shumai resembles a small flower, with the opening gathered into a slender waist. The dough is covered with dense, evenly spaced pleats, and the top is slightly open, revealing the pink meat filling inside.

He wrapped them very quickly, finishing twenty in less than two minutes.

Then he sprinkled the previously chopped dried squid on the surface of the filling, replacing the original preserved egg white in the recipe.

"Boil the water in the steamer," Chen Yuxing said to Tadokoro Megumi.

Tadokoro Megumi quickly went to start the fire.

After the water in the steamer boiled, Chen Yuxing put the shumai in and covered it with the lid.

Six minutes.

After he finished speaking, he leaned against the control panel and waited.

Soma Yukihira's bluefish burger steak was ready by then and was served to Mrs. Fumio.

"Please enjoy! This is the Yukihira-ryu fast-food herring burger steak set meal!"

Two golden-brown hamburger patties sit on the plate, drizzled with a thick sauce, accompanied by a bowl of egg drop soup.

Mrs. Fumio forked a piece of hamburger patty and took a bite.

Then her eyes widened.

"This...this is made from canned fish?"

“Yes, canned herring!” Soma Yukihira smiled smugly.

Mrs. Wenxu took another bite, and the expression on her face slowly changed.

The corners of his mouth, which had been tense, relaxed, his brows unfurrowed, and he chewed more slowly.

"There's no fishy smell... no, not none at all, the fishy smell has been transformed into a very rich umami flavor. Plus this crispy coating, and this sauce..." She took another sip of the soup, "Is the broth made with dried squid?"

“That’s right! These are the snacks I brought with me!” Soma Yukihira pulled a small bag of dried squid from his pocket. “After soaking them, I boiled them in water to bring out their flavor, and then added some soy sauce and minced ginger to enhance the taste.”

Mrs. Wenxu put down her spoon and remained silent for a long time.

Then she pulled out a key: "Room 303, this is your room."

Soma Yukihira took the key, turned to look at Chen Yuxing, and said, "It's not over yet. I want to try his."

Chen Yuxing's shumai were ready at this time.

The moment the pot lid was lifted, a savory aroma of flour, meat, and seafood wafted out.

The steamed shumai are neatly arranged in the steamer. The dough has been steamed to a translucent golden yellow, through which you can vaguely see the pink meat filling inside. The squid bits sprinkled on top gleam slightly in the steam, like a handful of gold dust.

Chen Yuxing picked up two shumai, placed them on a plate, and pushed it in front of Mrs. Wenxu.

"Three-egg shumai, please enjoy."

Mrs. Wenxu picked up her chopsticks and took one.

The shumai wrappers are so thin they can be seen through. They tremble gently when held between chopsticks, yet show no sign of breaking.

She took a small bite.

The moment the dough pops open, a burst of scalding hot meat juice gushes out first, followed by the umami flavor of squid broth, and then the sweetness of the pork filling.

The squid bits in the filling bounced between your teeth, adding another layer of texture to the meat filling.

The dough itself has a subtle eggy aroma, which blends with the savory flavor of the meat filling. After chewing this bite, a lingering fragrance remains in your mouth.

Mrs. Fumio paused her chewing for a moment.

Then, without saying anything, she stuffed the remaining half of the shumai into her mouth.

After finishing her meal, she picked up a second, a third, and a fourth one.

He ate six shumai before putting down his chopsticks, his expression a mix of surprise and something else.

"You..." Mrs. Wenxu looked at Chen Yuxing, "Who taught you to make pastries?"

Chen Yuxing was putting the remaining shumai onto a plate for Yukihira Soma when he heard this and looked up: "Master taught me this."

"Who is your master?"

"He ran a small restaurant." Chen Yuxing thought for a moment, then added, "He's already passed away."

Mrs. Wenxu didn't press further, but simply placed a key on the table: "Room 301. The bed is a double bed, larger than the others, and there's a blanket too. I said I'd add one for you, and I definitely will."

She placed the blanket she had been holding onto the chair next to her.

Yukihira Sosuke is actually eating Chen Yuxing's shumai.

His way of eating shumai was completely different from Mrs. Wenxu's—he would first take a small bite, let the juice flow out, sip it, and then chew with his cheeks puffed out, making "mmm" sounds as he chewed.

"What's in this minced meat? It feels bouncy and chewy," he asked.

"Scrap squid," Chen Yuxing said. "We couldn't afford crab roe, so we used dried squid instead."

"What about the dough? How come it's so bouncy?"

"I used pure egg liquid when kneading the dough, so it will be very elastic without adding water."

Soma Yukihira was silent for two seconds, then sighed: "I'm not as good as you."

Chen Yuxing leaned against the sink, munching on a shumai: "Your hamburger patty isn't bad either. You can fry the batter from canned fish to this texture; most people can't do that."

"But I still can't compare to you."

Soma Yukihira stuffed the last shumai into his mouth. "But it's good this way. With someone like you in this year's Totsuki Academy, I have a goal to strive for."

He laughed again after saying that: "Come and have a cooking showdown with me next time."