Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

"Huh? Words burst open? What is that?" Yoshino Yuuki blinked, looking puzzled.

"It is said that when she eats a very delicious dish, her originally not fluent Japanese becomes fluent, and she can talk for hundreds of words in a row about her experience, and you can't stop listening to her."

"To put it simply, it's about turning the commander-in-chief's clothes-ripping into a chatterbox."

“What kind of amazing people are the Nakiri family…” Aoki Daigo’s lips twitched when he heard this.

Kawashima Rei stood in the very center of the stage, wearing a red and white host's outfit and holding up the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Today is the final battle of the 43rd Totsuki Academy Autumn Selection Tournament!"

"First, let's welcome our two main characters for today!"

"They are—"

"The genius boy from the Spice Research Club, known as the 'God's Sense of Smell'—Ryo Hayama!"

The left-hand passage lit up, and Hayama Akira, dressed in a silver-gray chef's uniform, walked out. He calmly walked to his work station, stood down, and then looked towards the contestants' passage opposite.

"The second one is Chen Yuxing from Polar Star Dormitory, who defeated the eighth seat of the Elite Ten and refused the Elite Ten seat, and is known as the 'Uncrowned Tyrant'!"

Chen Yuxing also came out from the passage on the right.

Today he was wearing a pure white chef's uniform and carrying his ever-present knife case.

After he came out, the audience continued to erupt in deafening cheers.

"Ah-Xing! Go for it! Ah-Xing! Go for it!" Yoshino Yuuki shouted at the top of her lungs while waving the banner in her hand.

"Take down that guy over there! Ah Xing! Let that white-haired guy see what you're made of!" Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji shouted along.

Chen Yuxing looked up at the people in the Polar Star Dormitory, waved to them, and then continued walking towards his cooking station.

He put the knife box away and took out the kitchen knife that he was most comfortable using.

Opposite him, Hayama Akira had also tidied up his spice jars. A dozen or so glass jars of different sizes were lined up on his counter, each containing a variety of spices.

He looked up at Chen Yuxing: "The time has finally come for our duel, Chen Yuxing."

"I've been waiting for this day."

Chen Yuxing took out the materials he had prepared and responded to his words with, "What a coincidence, me too."

Hayama Akira revealed a confident smile: "I will show you my full strength and let you know that my cooking is invincible in the realm of spices."

"Then let me see," Chen Yuxing replied simply.

On the stage, Kawashima Rei raised her arm.

"The match will last three hours!"

She swung it downwards with force.

"Now!"

"Game start!"

At the moment Kawashima Rei made the announcement.

Ye Shanliang quickly got to work.

He first turned around and took out a few saury from the freezer.

Each saury was long and slender, and looked very fresh.

However, instead of processing the fish first, he started preparing the spices.

Ye Shanliang took out a mortar and pestle and added Sichuan peppercorns, white peppercorns, dried tangerine peel, and a long, thin, dark-colored spice.

Vanilla pods.

The pestle gently crushes the spices in the mortar, and with each crushing motion, a faint fragrance wafts out from the mortar.

Gradually, those distinct aromas blended in the mortar into a complex and elegant fragrance.

Hayama Akira poured all the spice powder into a small bowl, added a little fine sea salt and olive oil, stirred it well, and set it aside for later use.

Then he began to prepare the saury.

He picked up a small knife and cut behind the fish's gills, then made a cut down the fish's spine.

The blade sliced ​​through the fish meat and bones, and soon a piece of translucent fish meat was sliced ​​off.

Then, Hayama Akira picked up the tweezers and began to carefully remove the small bones from the fish meat one by one. His movements were very careful, and the surface of the fish meat did not appear to have any marks.

The processed fish fillets are thin and transparent, and they take on a perfect pink hue under the light.

Then he dipped a brush into the prepared spiced oil and applied it to the surface of the fish, then picked up a small blowtorch and lit it.

"What are you doing?"

Chapter 94 Words Burst

"What is Hayama Akira planning to do? Grill saury?"

Daigo Aoki asked with some curiosity.

"No, it should be roasted."

Marui Zenji pushed up his glasses, his tone tinged with a hint of amazement, "By using high-temperature flames to quickly sear the surface of the fish, the outer protein layer is instantly coagulated."

"At the same time, this also locks in the flavor of the spices into the fish."

On the field, Hayama Akira picked up a blowtorch and quickly swept it across the surface of the fish fillet, the blue flame licking the fish meat.

The surface of the fish skin quickly curled up below the edges, and its color changed from the original translucent pink to milky white.

He only grilled each piece of fish for a short time, allowing the spices to release their rich aroma under the heat of the flames, while the inside of the fish remained tender.

This is the dish he prepared.

Grilled saury sashimi.

It's a simple dish, but it showcases his mastery of spices.

The grilling process locks in the flavor of the spices, while the freshness inside preserves the natural sweetness of the fish.

The coexistence of these two states within the same piece of fish meat is something that can only be achieved by having complete control over the flames.

Hayama Akira neatly arranged the prepared fish slices on a plate, then placed a pinch of wasabi and a few drops of soy sauce around the edge of the plate.

Ye Shanliang looked up at Chen Yuxing across from him.

Chen Yuxing was also cooking.

However, instead of rushing to process the saury, he took out several small sealed jars from the food box.

Chen Yuxing opened the sealed jar, and a sour and spicy smell wafted out.

This is chopped chili pepper, made by mincing fresh red peppers, adding salt and white wine, and then fermenting.

The other sealed containers contain Yangjiang fermented black beans, perilla leaves, and so on.

Chen Yuxing took out all these items and put them in a bowl for later use before starting to prepare the saury.

He picked up the saury, cut the blade from behind the gills down the belly, and scraped out all the gills and internal organs to clean it.

Then he shaved off all the fascia, sea salt, and blood clots inside the fish's belly.

Chen Yuxing put the prepared saury into a bowl, added various seasonings, and then mixed it.

"Ah Xing cleaned it very well. The main source of the fishy smell in saury is the black membrane inside the belly and the blood and bones," Yoshino Yuuki said, watching Chen Yuxing's actions.

"Moreover, marinating with baijiu also helps to remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma," Marui Zenji explained, adjusting his glasses. "This is because the ethanol in the baijiu can dissolve the fishy smell in the fish and also help the seasonings penetrate the fish better."

Meanwhile, while the fish was marinating, Chen Yuxing also began to prepare the other side dishes.

He first crushed the garlic cloves and chopped them into minced meat, then cut the ginger and perilla leaves into thin strips, and finally toasted the sesame seeds in a pan over low heat until they turned slightly yellow.

After a while, once the fish was marinated...

Chen Yuxing took the fish out of the bowl, wiped off the moisture on its surface with paper, and then heated oil in a frying pan.

Add the saury when the oil is almost hot.

"Sizzle—!"

The fish skin makes a crisp sound the moment it touches the hot oil.

Chen Yuxing held the handle of the pot and gently shook it, allowing the hot oil to coat the entire saury.

After frying both sides, remove them and set them aside.

After all the fish are taken out, don't throw away the oil in the pan. This oil has absorbed the fat and caramelized flavor of the saury after being fried, making it the best oil for stir-frying.

He added a few spoonfuls of chopped chili peppers and fermented black beans to the pot and stir-fried them over low heat.

The chopped chili peppers release their bright red color and spicy and sour aroma in the hot oil. During this time, Chen Yuxing also stir-fried the sugar, minced garlic, and shredded ginger.

The original spiciness of the ginger shreds is softened by the hot oil and blends with the flavor.

White sugar is used to neutralize the flavor of the chopped chili peppers, and soy sauce and cooking wine are added to thicken the sauce.

Chen Yuxing placed the fried fish on a plate and poured the rich broth from the pot over it.

As you sprinkle a handful of chopped perilla leaves on top, a refreshing aroma instantly fills the air.

Finally, sprinkle a small pinch of white sesame seeds on top.

Looking at the finished product on the plate, the fish was intact, and the sauce was just the right consistency.

The emerald green of the perilla leaves and the bright red of the chopped chili peppers create a harmonious scene on the plate.

Time passed by, second by second.

Akira Hayama's saury sashimi was completed first and served to the judges.

"Please enjoy the seared saury sashimi."

Hayama Akira took a step back and waited for the judges' reaction.

The three judges on the judging panel looked down at the dishes in front of them.

Thin slices of fish, as thin as cicada wings, are arranged in a fan shape on a white porcelain plate, each slice with a fine, dark brown char mark around its edge.

However, the central part retains the translucency characteristic of raw fish.

The spices were evenly applied to the surface of the fish, which gleamed moistly under the light.

The wasabi and soy sauce garnished the edge of the plate, making the presentation simple yet elegant.

Dojima Gin was the first to pick up his chopsticks. He first picked up a piece of fish, looked at its cross-section, and then took a bite.

The first thing you smell is the scorched aroma of the fish. The flames of the blowtorch leave a charred film on the surface of the fish, which cracks under the pressure of your teeth.

Next comes the aroma of the saury's own oil. The saury in this season is so plump that it's almost sweet, and there's not a trace of fishiness.

After the fish melted on his tongue, Dojima Gin could taste the spices.

Before grilling, Hayama Akira mixed the spices together with olive oil and applied it to the surface of the fish. The high temperature of the blowtorch quickly locked the flavor of these spices into the fish.

Dojima Gin put down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair.

He closed his eyes and continued to savor it.

In his mind, the moon and sky disappeared.

He stood in an orange grove, with an unreal blue sky above him.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the ground.

The air was cool and damp, mixed with the fresh scent of citrus and the saltiness of the sea.

Just then, a group of silver saury suddenly swam over from the end of the woods. What's even more amazing is that they weren't swimming in the water, but in the air.

The fish swam around him once, then darted past him one by one.

The oil that splashed from the fish's tail was still warm on his hands. Dojima Gin wanted to reach out and grab the fish, but just as his hand touched the fish, the fish turned into a cloud of fragrant mist that enveloped him.

When Dojima Gin woke up from the illusion, he found that the plate of sashimi in front of him was empty.

"Two states exist simultaneously in a single piece of fish."

"The surface has a charred and spiced aroma from grilling, while the inside retains the fresh and tender texture of sashimi."