Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

Chen Yuxing put down the knife and placed the two portions of minced meat in two bowls. He added cooking wine to remove the fishy smell, then added water and stirred frantically until it became a paste-like substance.

"What are you doing making this meat paste-like stuff, Ah Xing?" Soma Yukihira scratched his head, looking completely bewildered.

“Look at that pot.” Ibuzaki Jun pointed to Chen Yuxing’s pot.

At this moment, Chen Yuxing opened the soup pot, and what was inside surprised everyone.

The soup in the pot was very cloudy, with a thick layer of grease and impurities floating on the surface, making it look greasy and nauseating.

"No, is this the soup he's been preparing for so long?"

"It looks disgusting..."

Chen Yuxing ignored the audience's voices. He picked up a sieve and scooped out the oil and dregs from the pot little by little. Then he poured the remaining, still somewhat cloudy broth into a new pot and turned up the heat.

As the broth began to simmer, Chen Yuxing picked up the bowl of minced pork, poured it into the pot, and started stirring quickly while turning down the heat.

Just then, a miracle happened.

The originally loose minced meat began to solidify as the temperature changed, and then, like a magnet, it absorbed all the tiny impurities and particles as it floated in the soup.

The minced pork eventually turned into a patty-like thing, which Chen Yuxing scooped out with a slotted spoon and threw away.

Then turn the heat up again to start making the soup, pour in the minced chicken and repeat the process.

As the last of the minced chicken was scooped out, the entire moonlit night fell silent as everyone stared at Chen Yuxing's pot of soup.

Chapter 57 Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth

As the minced chicken was scooped out, the originally oily and cloudy soup suddenly became clear and transparent, just like plain water.

The close-up on the screen also focused on the pot in front of Chen Yuxing.

The entire moonlit night fell into a deathly silence, and even the Ten Heroes on the second floor stared in astonishment at the pot.

"Why...why is this happening?"

"The soup was so murky, how did it turn into that? I think I know now!"

"This is similar to that! Similar to the consommé's approach!"

The students in the audience could tell that they weren't very familiar with Chinese-style clear broth, but they knew about French-style consommé, as both were similar techniques.

"Why does everyone seem to know already? So what is it?" Aoki Daigo from the Polar Star Dormitory looked completely bewildered.

"It's a key step in making clear broth in Chinese cooking," Marui Zenji explained, searching through his memory. "Because the minced meat absorbs small particles from the surrounding area during the heating process, and when it absorbs too much, it floats to the top. At this point, you can skim off the minced meat, and the broth will become clear."

"It's similar to the preparation method for French consommé. Haven't you taken a French stock class?" Shoji Sato looked at Daigo Aoki with disdain.

"No, of course I've slept with you, you bastard..."

Just as the two were about to start fighting, Yoshino Yuuki, who was standing nearby, gave them each a heavy blow with both hands.

"You two, stop messing around here." Yoshino Yuuki glared angrily at the two of them, then looked at the food battle below. "So, what dish will Hoshino be making?"

"As for ingredients like cabbage, hen, and dried scallops..." Marui Zenji thought quickly.

“It should be boiled cabbage in clear broth,” Ibuzaki Shun added. “I’ve seen the recipe for this dish by chance before. It’s similar to Ah Xing’s, except that the one is a bit more complicated.”

"Boiled cabbage in clear broth..." Upon hearing the name, Soma Yukihira suddenly seemed to remember something. "I think I saw my dad make this dish once before in the kitchen, but he spent a long time just making that pot of soup. In the end, it just looked like a bowl of boiled cabbage in clear broth."

"How can boiled cabbage taste good?" Aoki Daigo looked at Chen Yuxing below with some concern. "Besides, even Uncle Joichiro takes so long to make soup, and you can't make it in such a short time, Xing..."

When Daigo Aoki said those words, he noticed that everyone in the Polar Star Dormitory was looking at him like he was an idiot.

“I already said it’s made with broth, how could you still think of using boiling water? Daigo, I’m starting to doubt your intelligence…” Shoji Sato attacked first.

“Since A-Xing made this dish, he must have thought about it himself. He might have improved the cooking steps or something,” Tadokoro Megumi explained from the side. “Besides, we should trust A-Xing.”

"Exactly!" Yoshino Yuuki nodded in agreement and then gave Aoki Daigo another whack.

"Alright, alright, look at A-Xing," Ryoko Sakaki said, trying to smooth things over.

Everyone's attention was once again focused on Chen Yuxing.

Chen Yuxing divided the soup into two pots, kept them on a low heat to maintain the temperature, and then added some salt to each pot for seasoning.

Then he picked up three large cabbages from the side.

Without any hesitation, he peeled off the outer green leaves and threw them into the trash can, then the inner leaves, until only a small part of the heart remained, which was still a pale yellow color and its leaves had not yet unfolded.

Chen Yuxing briefly blanched the cabbage hearts in boiling water until they were about 70% cooked, then immediately took them out and rinsed them in cold water.

Then he took a thin silver needle from the side.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, Chen Yuxing held the heart of the cabbage in his left hand and used a silver needle in his right hand to pierce the cabbage from the root.

"What exactly is he trying to do?" Kuga Terunori had finished his Mapo Tofu and turned off the heat, but instead of serving it, he looked at Chen Yuxing.

The thorned cabbage heart looks almost the same as before, with the leaves still intact. However, upon closer inspection, you can see several rows of fine holes between the leaves.

Chen Yuxing placed the tied cabbage hearts in a strainer to suspend them, then picked up a soup ladle, scooped up a spoonful of the prepared, still-boiling broth, and poured it over the cabbage hearts.

The moment the hot soup touched the vegetable leaves, the tightly closed heart of the vegetable seemed to be awakened, and under the pouring of hot soup, the heart of the vegetable began to bloom layer by layer.

Once, twice, three times.

The cooking didn't stop until the cabbage heart was thoroughly cooked and became tender.

The clear broth used to blanch the cabbage will become less concentrated due to the moisture absorbed from the cabbage's heart, making it unusable. That's why the broth needs to be divided into two pots.

Finally, Chen Yuxing carefully placed the cabbage heart, which looked like a jade carving, into the prepared stewing pot. Then, he scooped out some clear broth from the second pot, which looked like boiling water, and poured it into the pot along the side of the bowl.

The heart of the cabbage floated in the clear soup like a lotus flower blooming in an icy spring.

On the surface, there wasn't a single speck of oil or any other color; it was simply a bowl of bland, tasteless cabbage in plain water.

"I guess it's finished."

Chen Yuxing looked at the boiled cabbage in front of him and let out a long sigh.

"Good!" Kawashima Rei shouted loudly, "Kuga Terunori-senpai and Chen Yuxing-kun have both finished their dishes within the allotted time."

"Next comes the exciting judging process!"

The spotlight shone on the two of them as she spoke.

Kuga Terunori picked up a towel and wiped his sweat. He looked at the bright red dishes on the plate and smiled. Although he didn't know how good Chen Yuxing's cooking was, he had great confidence in his own cooking.

He turned to look at Chen Yuxing.

At this moment, Chen Yuxing was washing his hands and cleaning. On his kitchen counter were three covered stew pots. He couldn't see the color or smell the aroma. Everything looked very ordinary.

"Hey, Chen Yuxing." Kuga Terunori picked up his three portions of tofu and walked out of the kitchen counter. "Let me see your cooking. Don't let my 'enthusiasm' completely overshadow you."

"Don't worry, Senior Jiuwo." Chen Yuxing picked up the tray and followed.

All the audience members were focused on the judges' panel, eager to see what the judges would say about the two dishes.

Meanwhile, in the private room on the second floor, Kobayashi Rindou was also leaning over the railing.

"Oh my gosh! Is it finally happening?" she exclaimed excitedly, looking down at the scene below. "Who will be the ultimate winner? I'm so curious!"

Isshiki Satoshi, standing to the side, also became serious, "My Mapo Tofu and the soup that Hoshi made..."

The other members of the top ten didn't say anything, but they all stared intently at the judges' panel, clearly concerned about the final result.

The two of them brought their dishes to the judges' table one after the other.

"Then, according to the rules, Kuga Terunori-senpai, who finished cooking first, will serve the dishes first!"

Terunori Kuga stepped forward and presented the three bubbling dishes to the three judges.

"Special Spicy Mapo Tofu, please try it!"

Kuga Terunori crossed his arms, his face radiating confidence in his dishes.

The moment the plate was placed down, a visible wave of red heat, carrying a spicy aroma, entered the noses of the three judges.

Erina Nakiri subconsciously leaned back and frowned as she looked at the Mapo Tofu in front of her.

For her, who possesses the 'God Tongue', this spicy taste felt like someone was pricking her with needles.

On the other hand, Shiomi Jun was the complete opposite. This usually timid professor's eyes were shining like light bulbs.

"Wow...this aroma..." She stood up and leaned closer to the bowl: "Different chili spices combined together, and there are other flavors too, did you add anything else?"

Terunori Kuga grinned: "Professor Shiomi is truly a spice expert. I also mixed in a little Sichuan pepper powder, and the fermented soybean paste is made by myself using soybeans from different years."

“I see.” Shiomi Jun also forgot that he was still on the judging panel and entered academic research mode. “In other words, you used soybeans at different fermentation stages to produce different aromas.”

"That's about it." Terunori Kuga nodded.

“It’s not just the spices.” Teacher Chappelle picked up a spoon and scooped up a spoonful. “The rich aroma of meat and the flavor of stir-frying in chili oil are also key factors.”

Erina Nakiri, standing nearby, snorted coldly, hesitated for a moment, and finally picked up a spoon, scooped up a piece of bright red tofu, and put it in her mouth.

At the moment the teeth close.

"boom!"

Erina's pupils suddenly contracted, and her originally fair face quickly turned red.

hot!

It's very spicy!

Extremely spicy!

With her divine tongue, she is extremely sensitive to spiciness; what others consider mild spiciness is extremely spicy to her.

But behind this spiciness comes the crispy aroma of beef and the tender texture of tofu. The unique savory flavor of fermented bean paste locks all the spiciness together, and finally, the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns, similar to a weak electric shock, stimulates the tongue and brings a unique experience.

"what……"

Shiomi Jun on the left let out a gasp, and the spoon in her hand fell directly onto the table.

Ms. Chappell on the right also closed her eyes and savored the moment.

With each blink of the eyes.

The three judges suddenly discovered that the moon and sky in front of them had disappeared, replaced by a huge volcano.

Boiling lava was churning below. Upon closer inspection, the three discovered that the lava was actually composed of rich red chili oil and fermented bean paste. What was falling from the sky was not volcanic ash, but Sichuan peppercorn powder with a tingling, electric sensation!

"It's so hot and spicy... but I just can't stop eating it!"

The usually proud and dignified Erina's uniform was now tattered and torn by the heat from the volcano.

In reality, she was panting heavily, sweat dripping down her fair neck.

Even though tears were welling up from the spiciness, my body couldn't stop me from wanting to keep eating and taste more.

Numbing, spicy, hot, fragrant, crispy, and tender.

The essence of Mapo Tofu is fully revealed in Terunori Kuga's dish.

Teacher Chappell's forehead was covered in sweat, but he did not stop chewing for a moment.

Even the usually picky Erina Nakiri kept spooning the bright red tofu into her mouth.

"call……"

Only when all three plates were completely empty did the three judges reluctantly put down their spoons.

The large screen above the venue clearly displayed this scene.

The audience erupted in discussion upon seeing the three judges' performance.

The members of the Chinese Cuisine Research Club waved their flags even more wildly and shouted Terunori Kuga's name at the top of their lungs.

"This is incredible! It's amazing that it made the three judges, and even Ms. Erina, eat like this."

"Kuga-senpai has brought out his ultimate weapon! How could he possibly lose!"

"I really want to eat my senior's cooking too..."

Hearing the cheers from the audience on stage, Terunori Kuga looked at Chen Yuxing with a hint of pride: "See that? This is my specialty, Chinese cuisine, which combines the ultimate spiciness. It's a rare experience for diners. So, what about your dish, Chen Yuxing? I'm curious how you'll handle my 'enthusiasm'."

Chen Yuxing simply smiled faintly at Kuga Terunori's provocation.

He stepped forward and placed his three stew pots on the judges' table.

"Senior Kuga, Sichuan cuisine isn't just about spiciness. If you only focus on the strong flavors of Sichuan food, it's hard to reach a higher level." Chen Yuxing said as he reached out and opened three stew pots.

There was no dazzling golden light, no soaring heat, and no fragrance whatsoever.