The beginning is only when you become a chef

Chapter 178 The only cooking interpretation (6K)

Buzz!
In an instant, the small underground venue with only a few hundred people erupted into a noise comparable to that of a stadium.

"It's him?"

"Is the Shenzhou Group lying flat tactically?"

"Chef Chi, Chef Meng, what's wrong? They are all top ten masters in the world of special class, but they sent a newly promoted special class master to suppress them?"

At the Yuanyue seat.

Saiba Joichiro, who had folded his arms, gradually loosened his arms and opened his mouth.

As for the Totsuki female chefs behind him, Kobayashi Ryoudan, Akane Kubo Momo and others were cutely looking confused with their eyes wide open.

Jacob King and Dojima Gin, who had already gone on stage, also looked in disbelief at the figure carrying a kitchen box and walking towards them in the light.

"What were the considerations behind those two sending you as the general in the finals?" Dojima Gin couldn't figure it out and stared at Xia An.

Xia An smiled and said, "Actually, I volunteered."

Dojima Gin: ? ?
The legendary graduate muttered to himself as if he had seen a ghost:
"I volunteered... Do you know how difficult it is to cook Ruby Crab? This is a level 46 ingredient."

"To tell you the truth, up until now, I still don't know how to pry open its crab shell!"

The elegant middle-aged butler who was in charge had already urged them with his eyes. Xia An did not intend to explain verbally, and said softly: "Director Dojima, wait and see."

Hear the words.

Dojima Gin took a deep breath and said, "Okay! I'll wait and see!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped forward and shook hands with Xia An and Jacob King. This was a sign of respect to each other before the final battle began.

Dojima Gin turned and left.

Jacob King deliberately slowed down, stared at Xia An with a smile, and said in broken Chinese:

"Oh, the miracle-working chef from Shenzhou, if it comes to ancient dishes, I am definitely not as good as you and will be defeated by you. I will also admit defeat."

"But, in the field of fantasy genre, I, Jacob King, a Western chef...will never lose to you!"

Xia An was silent for a moment.

In the fantasy genre, indeed, the other party has the capital to be proud of.

But he suddenly thought of Senior Tang Meijun.

If we follow the trajectory of this world's development of the food industry, the pioneers were, after all, the group of people headed by Liu Maoxing. It was they who collected the eight legendary kitchen utensils and elevated the world to a higher level.

How come it is now the turn of Western chefs to claim to be pioneers and leaders in the field of fantasy and new genres?

Let’s not talk about the earliest pioneers.

Senior Tang Meijun is a vivid representative.

China has had so many outstanding people from generation to generation. They all vied with each other to expand the culinary world. In terms of background and accumulation, it is impossible for them to be bad.

Xia An felt an inexplicable surge of energy in his heart.

Re-creating ancient dishes?
The one who reproduces the luminous secret?
He is no longer satisfied with this.

"To carry on the lost knowledge of the ancient sages..." This sentence is the most appropriate to describe Xia An's excitement.

It is not only the unique skills of the ancients, but also the "unique skills" of generations of heroes since Liu Maoxing, who have opened up the world of food, explored new ingredients, and compiled new recipes.

"what?"

Jacob King was stunned for a moment, not understanding Xia An's whispering.

Xia An smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Jacob, in the field of fantasy, chefs from Shenzhou are also far ahead."

"I will stand on the shoulders of my predecessors and declare!"

Hear the words.

Looking at Xia An's back as he turned and went to the competition kitchen.

Jacob King's face turned grim.

"Ahead by a long way? Humph."

He came to his kitchen.

On the stage, the elegant middle-aged butler saw Takeshi Higashino in the wheelchair and nodded to him from a distance.

So the butler said loudly: "The finals begin, and the cooking time limit is 2 hours."

The words fell.

Three young servants presented the fresh [Ruby Crabs] to the fresh water counter in each kitchen.

"The food has been handed over!"

The servants bowed and left.

click!
The three broadcast screens above the small venue froze the camera on the water platform.

"Cough cough..."

It turned out that it was Tsuyoshi Higashino who was in charge of the commentary for the final.

But it's normal when you think about it. The theme of the final is to cook level 46 [Ruby Crab]. All the people present are top-level. Except for Tsuyoshi Higashino of Pseudo-Lin, no one is more qualified to commentate than him.

"First, the three finalists will face the first hurdle!"

"The shell of the ruby ​​crab is extremely hard. Ordinary kitchen utensils can't pry it open. Even the various high-tech cutting machines on Blue Star are useless!"

At this time, the audience let out a low cry.

View from kitchen No. 1.

Jacob King, the leader of the American team, has a confident look on his face. He pulls out a knife with a sharp blade from the built-in leather sheath of his kitchen box.

This knife has a strange shape and is made of black stone instead of alloy.

"Noble Phantasm!" Higashino Tsuyoshi said lightly.

Seat in the Shenzhou group.

Chi Xiaobai clicked his tongue and said, "Since Jacob became famous, he has always carried this treasure with him. It has helped him to dissect and decompose many difficult ingredients."

Meng Yulu nodded, her eyes calm:
"But I think that this treasure forged by the 'Grinder' that he got from somewhere is unlikely to be able to pry open the ruby ​​crab."

click!
Suddenly, on the screen.

The black blade tried to pierce into the crab's mouth.

This is the most common way to kill crabs. Ordinary crabs will die with just one poke.

who knows.

The ruby ​​crab, bound by the giant claws but still alive, began to struggle violently.

Everyone heard the sound of metal being gnawing.

Jacob King's face was gloomy and he quickly pulled out the kitchen knife.

"Hiss..." The venue was filled with gasps.

In the close-up shot, this kitchen blade, which was most likely of "blue quality", actually had a corner bitten off.

Even cracks began to appear on the blade surface.

"This knife is useless."

Higashino Tsuyoshi's indifferent commentary was equivalent to a cruel finishing blow, causing Jacob King's face to twitch violently.

"Ruby crabs live in deep seas of molten lava or in mines in the earth's core where they can access magma."

"Feeds on various metal ores."

"Although this knife is made of 'black gold', it is not a rare or hard supernatural mineral. It is normal for it to be broken by the ruby ​​crab."

The celebrity chefs watching were silent.

Because the capture level is 46, which is basically all added to the rarity, the combat power of the entity is very low.

The information about ruby ​​crab in the illustrated archive of igo app is vague and brief, even shorter than some level 50 or 60 ingredients.

It can be said that the huge loss that Jacob King suffered today is a lesson for all the famous chefs.

"No poking the mouth."

"What about piercing through the 'triangle' of the abdomen?"

Soon, the venue was filled with buzzing discussions.

exactly.

The picture is from the perspective of Kitchen No. 2.

Dojima Ginzheng turned the crab over and placed it on the water platform. He ran one finger along the "triangular area" of the crab's abdomen, stroking a large circle along the obvious gap line.

Then, Dojima Gin casually pulled out a long, sharp blade and stabbed it into the gap.

But the blade penetrated very deeply, and the crab turned over without any reaction.

"Sure enough, the position and structure of the organs and internal organs of these fantasy crabs are completely different from those of ordinary crabs!" Dojima Gin's muttering was transmitted throughout the venue through the camera.

Dong Yegang laughed twice:
"Ruby crabs can swim in magma. If these 'gaps' were weaknesses that could threaten their lives, the high temperatures and magma that penetrated would have killed them long ago."

on the screen.

Dojima Gin also tried to use brute force to dig into the gap, but after a lot of effort his face turned red, and this "triangle area" remained motionless.

"Tsk, it seems there is only one way!"

Dojima Gin shook his head, a gleam in his eyes.

"Kill alive——"

"Steamed alive——"

He dropped the blade and nodded to the young servant who was waiting not far away.

So, the young servant carried the extra-large steamer that Dojima Gin had specifically requested onto the stage together with several other logistical servants.

An adult ruby ​​crab is more than half a meter long and can only be put into an extra-large steamer.

"Steaming is a good cooking method."

It was rare for Higashino Tsuyoshi to reveal a slight smile.

Celebrity chefs also applauded Dojima Gin's solution.

As for killing alive and steaming alive.

cruel?

In pursuit of fresh and vivid flavor, this processing path is always unavoidable.

This is the reason why they say a gentleman stays away from the kitchen.

Some skilled seafood chefs will even smash some seafood, such as squid, to death on the shore.

This is not intentional torture, but this method of processing will make the meat more tender and delicious.

Can be sudden.

Higashino Tsuyoshi changed the subject:
"Ruby crabs are not afraid of high-temperature magma. How extreme must the steam and heat be to steam them thoroughly?"

Everyone in the audience was stunned.

Including Dojima Gin who had just put the ruby ​​crab into the steamer.

"Hey!"

Dojima Gin couldn't help but slap his head and said in annoyance, "Yes, I'm afraid it would have to be much hotter and hotter than the magma to boil it to death!"

Immediately, Dojima Gin, like Jacob King, paused his activities, frowned, and thought about other solutions.

People's eyes naturally move to Kitchen No. 3.

Eh?
The whole audience was stunned.

What a big crab...dismembered?
on the screen.

Xia An pulled out a short, white bone blade from the "triangle area" under the crab's belly in due time.

Afterwards, he didn't seem to be using much effort.

Just break it.

It was so easy to break off a piece of the shell.

Of course, this cannot be called "dismemberment", it only means removing a corner of the crab shell.

Everyone saw Xia An holding an unknown bone blade and continuing to cut a whole circle along the "triangle area" that had been broken off on the inner layer of the crab shell.

"Tear--"

Finally, Xia An used his Qi again, poured tremendous strength into his hands, and forcibly separated the ruby ​​crab into two parts: the crab shell and the crab body.

Dojima Gin and Jacob King noticed the sudden silence in the venue.

Look up.

His eyes widened.

???

Just...disassembled it?

Gin Dojima looked at the almost "invulnerable" ruby ​​crab in front of him, and a look of doubt about life emerged on his face.

Jacob King was very observant, staring intently at the bone blade that Xia An had just placed on the water table on the broadcast screen from Kitchen No. 3.

"This is definitely a high-quality treasure forged by a grinder!"

His tone was full of desire and jealousy.

Then he looked at the black gold kitchen knife in his hand, with a corner bitten off.

Shop around.

It has to be thrown away!
"Clap clap clap..."

The dead silence was broken by loud applause.

Dong Ye Gang's face was full of surprise and admiration: "Who would have thought that Chef Xia An actually holds a high-quality Noble Phantasm blade!"

"It's so easy to cut the ruby ​​crab's shell."

"That means the strength and grade of the material of this pure white bone blade cannot be lower than that of a level 46 ruby ​​crab."

As soon as the words were spoken, the venue with hundreds of people went crazy.

That's right.

The level 46 Ruby Crab is very weak in combat power, but its crystallized shell is hard, with a hardness worthy of its capture level.

The knife that can cut the ruby ​​crab completely must be made of something that is stronger than the crab shell.

Chi Xiaobai opened his mouth wide: "Where did he get this kitchen blade made by a blacksmith?!"

Meng Yulu shook her head in confusion, then glanced at Jing Nina seriously:
"Did you give it to him?"

Jing Nina just shook her head and said speechlessly: "Uh? Don't look at me like that, don't use that look."

"The descendants of the Phoenix Eight Immortals are not as rich as you think. The kitchen blade forged with the corresponding level 46 material base is given away casually."

Seat in the Totsuki Group.

The female chefs were equally stunned.

Saiba Joichiro sighed: "The foundation of Shenzhou... is really formidable. Such an instrument was equipped for him to use."

Obviously, Caiba Chengichiro misunderstood and thought that Xia An was enjoying the benefits of the Shenzhou Association.

at the same time.

The faces of the people sitting in the American group were not very good.

Pry open the crab shell and disassemble the crab body.

Just by overcoming this first hurdle, Xia An was far ahead in the final.

"Excuse me, Chef Xia An, where did you get this blade?" Tono Tsuyoshi said politely and in a negotiating tone.

Xia An, who was processing the crab's stomach, lungs, mouth and other parts, paused:
"It's just the grace of our predecessors."

"I see."

Dong Yegang didn't ask any more questions, his eyes flickered.

So next, the broadcast from Kitchen No. 3 became the focus of the whole audience, and everyone was watching Xia An's processing process.

Even Dojima Gin and Jacob Kim, their opponents in the final, stopped and looked up, with no intention of thinking about their own solutions.

Under the hard shell, the body structure of the ruby ​​crab is not much different from that of an ordinary crab.

Remove the lungs, stomach and crab heart.

Xia An took a large brush and carefully scrubbed every corner of the crab's body.

Especially the crab legs, which are easy to harbor dirt, were scrubbed repeatedly.

Soon, the audience saw Xia An wielding the sharp blade again and completely cutting off the crab's large legs, including the crab claws.

"what?"

Seeing that Xia An's focus suddenly shifted to the crab legs and claws, the celebrity chefs became even more curious about his recipe and started discussing it enthusiastically.

“Why deal with crab legs, which are harder and more complicated to process?”

"Yes, the crab meat and roe are already visible in the crab body. We can dig them out and make delicious delicacies."

"There's no need to worry about the crab legs and crab feet!"

But in the face of all the questioning voices, Xia An's expression remained unchanged. He held the bone dagger and cut the crab legs and even the large crab claws cleanly and neatly from head to tail. He then cut repeatedly until a notch was formed, and took out the tender crab leg meat in the shell intact.

The step of removing the crab legs and crab claws alone was delicate and tedious, and it took more than half an hour.

and.

Xia An was already prepared. After taking out the meat from the crab legs, he placed it all in an ice basin filled with ice cubes.

This is not over yet!

The camera zoomed in and saw Xia An opening a bottle of wine and pouring the entire bottle into an ice basin.

"Ice drunkenness method..." Higashino Tsuyoshi's voice of praise spread throughout the venue, "Put the crab meat in the ice wine mixture. The low temperature and alcohol can paralyze the crab meat's nerves, making it 'drunk to death'. Not only can it preserve its freshness, but it can also make the crab meat more refreshing and sweet!"

At the Totsuki group's seat, the two current students, Kobayashi Ryoudou and Akane Kubo Momo, as well as graduates such as Inui Hinatako and Kikuchi Enka, all had looks of reverence on their faces.

"Where is the [Golden Wheat] that I want?" Xia An asked the servant standing nearby.

"Here I am."

When the camera captured Xia An holding a bone dagger and cutting the huge, golden grains of wheat.

The entire audience was stunned.

Is there something wrong?
It’s not enough to just process the ruby ​​crab meat.

Now, I have to deal with cooking another level 10 gold ingredient?
"I seriously feel that I am the new top chef." Some international top chefs complained and made fun of themselves.

"Look at how he handles 'Golden Wheat'. It's so skillful and smooth."

"It feels like I've already cooked up the answer recipe with 'Golden Wheat'..."

Dojima Gin's expression changed again and again.

His eyes were filled with deep confusion.

Ok?
Who is the senior master who has perfectly cooked [Golden Wheat] and written the ingredients and recipes on the menu of life?

The air suddenly turned dead silent.

This time.

Even Higashino Tsuyoshi fell silent, his eyes full of admiration and seriousness, immersed in Xia An's cooking performance.

The wheat kernels are cut and crushed into flour using machines.

Prepare the batter with flour.

Among them, Xia An did not forget to use the food skills of [Harmony] (Great Mastery) and [Soothing Touch] (Perfection).

It's just that it's a relatively sophisticated interpretation of high-end fantasy ingredients.

These cooking skills and methods seemed to have become a green backdrop, and not many viewers discussed them.

After mixing into batter.

Just take the crab foot meat, roll it in a bowl, and evenly coat it with a layer of dough.

Heat up the pan!
Xia An seemed very confident, glancing at the pseudo-golden icons of [Inferno] and [Extreme Fire] on the panel with a faint golden glow.

The combined cooking time of the two is enough for him to fry the most perfect crab meat.

"Whoo, whoo, whoo..."

Soon, the rich aroma wafted through the small venue.

Gulu…

The sound of swallowing saliva came one after another.

Higashino Tsuyoshi, the owner of the venue and the manor, had unknowingly become a supporting role in this amazing cooking performance, and the camera no longer turned to him.

But outside the camera, in the wheelchair, Higashino Tsuyoshi's eyes were full of appetite and his face was full of intoxication, no different from everyone else.

"Just judging by the smell, he has cooked it successfully." Higashino Tsuyoshi whispered with difficulty, his tone was uncomfortable, as if he was trying hard to suppress something.

The maid Kumiko said worriedly: "Master, your backlash..."

Dong Yegang waved his hand, "Wait a little longer, wait a little longer!"

"Right away, right away..."

"You can...eat..."

Witness Xia An frying crab meat to perfect color.

Chi Xiaobai slapped his thigh and exclaimed: "I'll give him my igo international ranking!"

Meng Yulu sneered:
"Do I need you to give in?"

"If he wants it, just go get it."

Kyonina said cautiously and silently:

"My two seniors, in addition to the Shokugeki competition, the international ranking is based on the overall performance, among which the proportion of various competitions and titles is very high."

Chi Xiaobai continued to pat his thigh:

"That's right, this kid doesn't even know how to hide his tricks."

"Look, in this so-called 'Villa Cup' which has little traffic and is not public, his horrible cooking skills are exposed."

"Who among the famous chefs on the list will be willing to take on your food battle? They are not stupid, they are just throwing themselves at me!"

At the same time, on the screen.

Xia An took out the golden crab legs from the oil pan one by one and placed them on the oil drain rack.

His cooking is not over yet!

“It still needs dipping sauce.”

Every word of the notes and recipes appeared in his mind. For such a high-standard recipe, Xia An had no intention of modifying it.

I don't want to, and my ability is far inferior.

At this time, don't tinker with it because of sudden inspiration.

Keep calm.

Remove the crab roe from the crab body.

Mixed with honey and lemon juice.

"Finish!"

At this step, the great [Harmony] food skill is also quietly playing a role.

Xia An couldn't help but reveal a look of amazement when he looked at the perfectly colored sauce in the preparation bowl.

The fried crab legs and sauce were placed on a plate, and Xia An looked up.

Ah this...

All around, the venue.

Quietly.

If it weren't for the lighting and the shadows of people in the audience, he would have thought that everyone had left.

At this time.

Higashino Tsuyoshi tried his best to suppress something in his hoarse voice:

"…Are you done yet, Chef Xiaan?"

Xia An smiled: "Yes."

"So what's your dish?"

"Crispy Ruby Crab Legs!"

"it is good!!"

To express this praise, Higashino Tsuyoshi slapped the armrest of the wheelchair and almost shouted it out loud.

The maid Kumiko glanced at the hunched over, shaking Tono Tsuyoshi, and her tone was full of surprise and excitement:
"Chef Xia An, please serve the dishes for Mr. Dongye to taste."

clang!
The elegant middle-aged butler rings the bell.

In the sound of bells.

The first and only contestant to perform presented his final dish.

Dojima Gin looked at the timer on the kitchen counter.

There is only half an hour left until the end.

Even if we add another zero to time, it is still difficult to find a solution.

He let out a long breath.

"I give up."

"I give up too." Jacob King's heavy voice came from Kitchen No. 1.

No one laughed.

The celebrity chefs present cast sympathetic and complicated glances at him.

In particular, the famous chefs all sighed when they saw the fresh ruby ​​crabs on the water table that they had no way to cut.

Can't be pried open.

It's impossible to pry it open.

If you can’t even get past the first step of killing the crab and opening the shell, how can you expect to cook it?
It’s the same no matter who goes up!

Step by step... Dongye Gang tried his best to look up, looking at Xia An walking towards him with a plate in his hand, his throat unable to stop sobbing with excitement.

"I'm coming."

There was another voice in his body, like a whisper from the abyss.

"eat…"

Bang!

The meal tray is placed on the examination table.

"Mr. Dongye, I'm sorry for the poor hospitality." Xia An took a half step back.

Dongye Gang was like a wild beast. He grabbed a piece of fried crab leg that had been drained of fat on the plate and thrust it hard into the sauce bowl, causing the liquid to splash.

You should know that the roe of the ruby ​​crab is the essence of its body, exuding a gemstone luster, like a pool of gem liquid.

The crab roe sauce is mixed with honey and lemon juice.

The color and texture turned into amber gemstone.

In close-up.

It was as if Higashino Tsuyoshi thrust a colorful amber gem into his mouth and swallowed it whole.

"Crack clap..."

The umami taste, like a concentrated ocean storm, blew up from Higashino Tsuyoshi's mouth.

call--

call--

at the same time.

The audience sniffed hard.

At some point, a faint smell of sulfur smoke wafted through the air.

The entire venue seemed to have suddenly sunk into the center of the earth and into a lava cave.

(End of this chapter)