Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

"But isn't today's topic bento boxes? It doesn't seem to have anything to do with noodles." Shoji Sato looked confused.

"Oh dear, how could you possibly understand Ah Xing's thoughts? Just hold the banner properly and that's it." Yoshino Yuuki looked at him speechlessly.

On stage, Chen Yuxing put the cut noodles into boiling water and cooked them for about twenty seconds. Then he took them out, rinsed them in ice water, and drained them. After draining, he mixed a little sesame oil into the noodles and that was it.

Chen Yuxing set the slender pieces aside for later use. Then he took out a handful of clean fresh shrimp and used the back of a knife to mash them into shrimp paste. He added diced meat, salt, sugar, and baking soda, and stirred until it became a translucent gel.

He took out the dough he had rolled out and cut it into squares. He then put a small spoonful of shrimp paste on each square, and soon a dozen or so shrimp dumplings were made.

The shrimp dumplings are done after steaming in a steamer over high heat for six minutes. The steamed shrimp dumplings have a translucent skin, and you can clearly see the pink shrimp meat inside, making them look very appetizing.

Alice Nakiri was also quick; after her centrifuge completed the centrifugation, the shrimp meat was separated into three layers.

The top layer is clear, water-like shrimp juice, the middle layer is shrimp mousse like cream, and the bottom layer is the settled shrimp fiber.

Alice took out the middle layer of shrimp mousse and put it into a siphon bottle. She screwed on the gas cylinder, shook it a few times, and then squeezed out small dots on a plate.

She put the plate into the steamer and steamed it at a low temperature for a while. After steaming, the shrimp mousse turned into shrimp-flavored round cakes that looked delicious.

"The temperature needs to be controlled well."

Alice explained as she worked, "You need to control the temperature so that the protein just coagulates without making it hard."

"This is the basic skill of molecular gastronomy. It's the same principle as controlling your strength when making sushi. It's just that molecular gastronomy quantifies all of this."

In the stands, Erina Nakiri sat with her arms crossed, looking down expressionlessly. Hisako Shinoto sat next to her and whispered, "Lady Erina, Miss Alice is very well prepared this time."

“It’s no use,” Erina simply replied.

"what?"

“The topic is bento boxes…” Erina looked at the two below her. “If it’s really like they say, we can just make simple bento boxes, but will it really be that simple…”

Meanwhile, Chen Yuxing was stuffing the prepared filling into the cavity of the boneless chicken little by little. After stuffing it in, he used a toothpick to sew up the opening of the chicken skin, and the whole chicken looked perfectly intact again.

He placed the chicken on a plate, poured over the prepared chicken bone broth, and finally arranged a few slices of ham and shiitake mushrooms next to the chicken before putting it into a steamer.

After doing all this, there were still forty minutes left.

Chen Yuxing turned around and began to prepare the side dishes needed for the bento box.

For example, carrots are sliced ​​thinly, broccoli is cut into small florets, and quail eggs are boiled and then marinated briefly with soy sauce and mirin.

Chapter 74 Molecular Bento and Chinese Food Boxes

Yuuki Yoshino in the audience was getting anxious watching Chen Yuxing's progress. "Why isn't Xing finished yet? Alice Nakiri is already packing her up..."

Alice on stage has already begun the final assembly stage.

She took a black, expensive-looking lunchbox from the side and first laid a layer of vinegared rice at the bottom of the lunchbox.

Then, like playing chess, they began to place various molecular gastronomy dishes, such as shrimp mousse cakes, liquid nitrogen-frozen crab meat, small pieces of tuna, and beef, one by one on top of the vinegared rice.

After preparing the side dishes, Alice squeezed out the last shrimp mousse from the siphon bottle for piping, and then took out the capsules made from the broth from the capsule former.

The capsule is also the most crucial part. It's made by simmering kelp and bonito in broth, then adding carrageenan and slowly dripping it into a cooling liquid. Finally, it solidifies into a crystal-clear broth capsule. The size of the capsule is just right; it bursts open with a gentle bite when you put it in your mouth, and the concentrated broth inside instantly fills your mouth.

"This is a bento box made with molecular gastronomy."

Alice placed the last broth capsule in the box and closed the lid. The black bento box gleamed with a mysterious hue under the light.

Alice glanced at the timer; there were only fifteen minutes left in the game.

At this moment, white smoke also began to rise from the steamer on Chen Yuxing's side.

He lifted the lid of the steamer and glanced inside. The chicken in the cloth bag was fully cooked, its skin golden yellow and trembling slightly in the steam.

Chen Yuxing gently poked the chicken breast with chopsticks. If the chopsticks could penetrate the chicken breast without any resistance, it meant that the filling was done and the gelatinous substance had completely melted into the chicken.

He carefully took the steamed chicken out of the dish, and the broth underneath had turned a thick amber color.

After taking out the chicken, Chen Yuxing didn't rush to plate it. Instead, he took out the prepared lunchbox and placed a hot water bottle at the bottom.

Next, scoop out the bamboo-pressed noodles and coil them up in the middle layer of the bento box, making them look like a flatbread. Place a few slices of ham and broccoli on the side.

Afterwards, Chen Yuxing carefully transferred the chicken in a cloth bag to another new plate, and poured a spoonful of thickened sauce from the pot next to him onto the chicken, giving the surface of the whole chicken a shiny color.

He placed the whole chicken in the top layer of the bento box, along with the prepared ingredients: marinated quail eggs, carrot slices, and shrimp dumplings.

Finally, take out a thermos, pour the broth from the plate used to steam the chicken into it, and tighten the lid.

"Alright, time's up!"

"Then both contestants, please stop cooking!"

Kawashima Rei's voice rang out in the venue, and at the same time, the timer above the Moon Sky Pavilion returned to zero.

Alice was the first to pick up her prepared bento box and head towards the judges' table.

"Please enjoy my molecular gastronomy bento box—the Pearl Jewelry Treasure Box."

Alice placed five identical bento boxes in front of the judges.

The judges looked down at the pitch-black box in front of them. Although it hadn't been opened yet, the white mist constantly emanating from it already piqued their curiosity.

"Hmph, all this secrecy." Kakuzaki Taki crossed his arms. "If it doesn't taste good, I'll give it a low score."

"Alright, Kakuzaki-senpai, Alice is a genius in this area after all," Kikuchi Sonoka said weakly from the side.

Senzaemon Nakiri, who was sitting in the middle, did not speak, but silently reached out and pinched the lid of the box to open it.

"Click".

As the lid was lifted, a large cloud of white mist drifted out of the bento box.

White mist cascaded down the judges' table and flowed onto the ground, refracting a dreamlike blue halo under the spotlight.

Wow! This is so beautiful!

"It's like magic."

"Wow, this is so cool! Is this molecular gastronomy?!"

The students in the stands were also surprised by this scene.

As the white mist dissipated, the food inside the bento box was finally revealed.

Twelve temari sushi pieces of various shapes lay quietly in the twelve compartments, each covered with molecular mousse of different colors, and adorned with crystal-like capsules in the center.

"The temperature control is perfect." Saotome Seishu pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes: "The cold air created by using liquid nitrogen not only gives people a stunning visual impact, but more importantly, it can perfectly preserve the freshness of seafood."

"Oh? Isn't this sushi?" Oizumi Kakinosuke leaned closer to examine it, gently poking the surface of one piece of sushi with his fork. The surface dented slightly but quickly bounced back. "The top layer is..."

"This mousse layer is made by separating the seaweed broth using a centrifuge, taking out the clearest layer, adding lecithin, and whipping it," Alice explained from the side. "This kind of mousse melts in your mouth."

"It's an interesting design, but we'll have to taste it to know for sure." Kakuzaki Taki snorted and picked up his chopsticks, taking the first pink shrimp sushi from the top left corner and putting it in his mouth.

The moment you close your teeth, the mousse on the outside of the sushi melts on your tongue, and the flavor of the seaweed broth bursts forth and surges through your mouth.

Before she could even catch her breath, the shrimp mousse underneath melted away, just like cream, only with a flavor ten times stronger: the sweetness of peony shrimp. Paired with the slightly sour vinegared rice underneath, it was incredibly appetizing.

"This temperature..."

Kakuzaki Taki was eating when he suddenly looked at Alice.

“The bento box will gradually cool down when it’s taken out,” Alice said matter-of-factly. “So I turned up the temperature of the ingredients a little bit so that it will be at the perfect temperature when you eat it.”

"And I suggest starting with the sushi in the top left corner and trying them one by one. That way you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Kakuzaki Taki didn't say anything, but simply picked up the second piece of sushi in order and began to taste it.

"Um……"

Kikuchi Sonoka, standing to the side, was already blushing, letting out a soft moan that would make anyone blush.

In her world, the surrounding walls collapsed with a roar, and she was plunged into a deep sea made of geometric shapes.

The seawater was composed of crystal-clear seaweed broth, surrounded by transparent fish and shrimp made of molecular structures. She was wearing a swimsuit and constantly diving into this molecular ocean, savoring the sweetness of the seafood with each new depth she reached.

"It's so delicious..." Tears welled up in Kikuchi Sonoka's eyes, but her hands kept moving as she picked up sushi and ate it. "It feels like it's been washed by the sea, all the sweetness of the seafood..."

Oizumi Kakinosuke and Saotome Seishu also put aside their formalities and began to enjoy the food heartily.

From the first piece of sushi to the last, the flavors of the twelve pieces of sushi progress in layers: the shrimp mousse in the first half, the crab mousse in the middle, and finally the tuna and beef mousse at the end.

When the last piece of sushi was eaten by Senzaemon Nakiri, the capsule made of dashi broth exploded in his mouth like a bomb, simultaneously connecting all the flavors of the previous eleven pieces of sushi.

The commander-in-chief closed his eyes, and his kimono began to tremble, with the sound of tearing fabric suddenly ringing out.

"It's coming." Kakuzaki Taki's eyes widened.

"The commander-in-chief is about to explode..." Kikuchi Sonoka hadn't finished speaking.

"Shoot-"

As if unable to withstand some kind of force, Senzaemon Nakiri's kimono ripped open from the chest.

Fragments of clothing fell through the air, revealing the commander-in-chief's incredibly strong muscles, unlike those of an old man. His muscular body gleamed under the spotlight, his muscles and veins bulging, as if telling the story of the deliciousness of this dish.

"It's here! The Demon King of Food's robes have been ripped open!"

Kawashima Rei screamed, nearly dropping the microphone in her hand.

"My God! We're going to see the head coach's clothes rip off in the very first game of the main competition?!"

"As expected of the prodigy of molecular gastronomy..."

"Lady Alice is invincible!"

The entire moonlit night was filled with revelry, even surprising the people in the Polaris Dormitory.

"Really?! The commander's clothes are all ripped..." Aoki Daigo almost dropped the banner in his hand as he stared wide-eyed at the muscular commander on the judging panel.

"You didn't see wrong..." Shoji Sato was equally dumbfounded, "And it was blown up completely..."

Yoshino Yuuki put down the banner, grabbed Marui Zenji by the collar, and shook him violently: "Marui, explain yourself! What's going on with this torn collar?!"

"Stop shaking! Stop shaking!"

Marui Zenji struggled free, adjusted his glasses, and said, "This seems to be the Commander-in-Chief's unique reaction."

"When the commander-in-chief tastes a very delicious dish, his clothes will rip."

"Alice has already reached this level in just one year of school..." Ryoko Sakaki couldn't help but grip her thermos tightly.

“What’s even more terrifying is that she’s using molecular gastronomy.” Ibuzaki Jun rarely spoke up, “Molecular gastronomy and traditional cuisine are two completely different paths, but she’s already come this far. Is this the bloodline of the Nakiri family…”

"Wow, that's amazing!" Soma Yukihira didn't think too much about it. His eyes lit up as he looked at Alice below. "After the Autumn Selection, I definitely have to find Alice and have a match with her!"

Grandma Wenxu, sitting in the middle of the group, said irritably, "Stop arguing. Ah Xing's dishes haven't even been served yet, what's the rush?"

From below the stage, Alice Nakiri looked at Chen Yuxing with a smug expression.

"See that, Chen Yuxing? This is my molecular gastronomy."

Chen Yuxing did not respond to Alice, but simply picked up his lunchbox and placed it on the judges' table.

"Please enjoy the exquisite Chinese food box."

"Chinese food box?"

Oizumi Kakinosuke raised an eyebrow, reached out and picked up the bento box in front of him, opening the top lid.

A burst of hot air shot out and hit Oizumi Kakinosuke's face.

The steam carried the fragrance of bamboo, the rich and savory flavor of old hen, and the sweetness of fresh shrimp.

The others nearby also opened their lunch boxes.

"This is... noodles and shrimp dumplings?" Kikuchi Sonoka looked at the food displayed on the first tier with surprise.

The first layer of the bento box contained a plate of golden noodles, while next to the noodles were four translucent shrimp dumplings and a few dark brown quail eggs.

The shrimp dumpling wrappers are very thin, allowing you to clearly see the shrimp meat and bamboo shoot pieces inside; the dark brown quail eggs also have an enticing sheen.

"What kind of noodles are these? They smell like duck eggs." Saotome Seishu looked at Chen Yuxing curiously.

“It’s bamboo-pressed noodles,” Chen Yuxing explained. “The characteristic of bamboo-pressed noodles is that they have less alkaline water. Because they are made with duck eggs and no water is added, the noodles are smooth, chewy, and have a rich egg flavor.”

Saotome Seishu couldn't wait to put the noodles into her mouth.

A crisp snapping sound came from his mouth.

"This texture...unbelievable!" He exclaimed, his eyes wide, as he picked up noodles and tasted them, saying haltingly, "It feels like eating cartilage...the aroma of duck eggs...and the sesame oil added to the noodles...it gets better and better with every bite..."

Kikuchi Enka also picked up a shrimp dumpling and took a bite.