Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"There is a dish in Sichuan, China called cold-cooked rabbit. It has an appealing color, a spicy and savory flavor, and a crispy and delicious texture that leaves a lasting impression! The way it is made is somewhat similar to the spicy stir-fried rabbit you are making now."

Alice Nakiri further illustrated this point by picking up a piece of rabbit meat from the top, which was cooler than the other meats because it was on top.

"I see. This is the first time I've heard of this. It seems my studies are still insufficient."

Hearing what Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri said, the boy closed his eyes and thought for a while, deciding to try the so-called cold-cooked rabbit meat when he got back.

After all, he wasn't very skilled at cooking rabbits; this was probably only the second time, considering his previous experience cooking them in Totsuki.

"Just as I expected, this is the taste!"

As the aroma exploded in her mouth like a bomb, contrasting with the cool rabbit meat, a look of enjoyment appeared on Alice Nakiri's face.

"Same question, what's your name?"

"My name is Mitsui San."

When asked, Mitsui San revealed his name; he was one of the five second-class chefs who had performed exceptionally well in the special training.

“Mitsui-san, right? I’ll remember that.”

Erina Nakiri nodded, looking intently at his face, indicating that she had remembered his name.

In Totsuki Culinary Academy, those who can become second-class chefs before advancing to the advanced faculties are considered rare talents, and their chances of graduating smoothly in the future are very high.

Once she graduates successfully, she will have access to Totsuki Academy's connections. As the future headmaster of the academy, she will maintain due respect for the strong.

"Next, please bring your dish."

Beside her, Alice Nakiri didn't want to pay attention to these convoluted matters. She looked up at the last slender woman and urged her to step forward.

"Is it finally my turn? Please enjoy my dish, snake taco, a taco made primarily with snake meat and snake eggs."

As they were talking, the slender woman stepped forward and placed the delicious food she had prepared in front of the two of them.

"The base is made of bamboo leaves, and the filling is snake meat. There's even a sauce; judging from the smell, it must be made by simmering raspberries."

Alice Nakiri looked at the beautifully presented dish in front of her, her expression showing a hint of delight. This dish had a very girlish style.

“That’s right, I found raspberries in a remote place. Each one was very plump, so I added honey to them to make taco sauce.”

The yellowish-brown bamboo leaves were cooked to perfection, their sides arching up like small boats due to the heat, with snake meat stir-fried in oil inside.

There wasn't much seasoning; it was simply made by removing the fishy smell with wild onion water, adding snake eggs and mixing well, then stir-frying over high heat and placing it in the center of a bamboo leaf.

Then squeeze on some raspberry jam, and every bite is unique and flavorful.

"You shaped these bamboo leaves by baking, right? And since we're in the wild, you must have used a simple stone oven."

It's quite remarkable that they could maintain such precise temperature control under such rudimentary conditions.

Picking up the snake meat taco in front of her, Alice Nakiri praised the yellowish-brown bamboo leaves that cracked easily with the slightest pressure but didn't break.

She used to use a stone oven to dry and preserve the meat she hunted for a long time.

"This is actually one of the few successful products after more than ten failures."

Hearing Alice Nakiri's praise, the slender woman wore a bitter smile; only those who had tried it knew how difficult it was.

"You used nut oil, didn't you? This tart has a rich nutty aroma."

After being stir-fried, the snake meat has a slightly charred outer skin, while the inside remains tender and juicy. The wild onion water removes most of the snake meat's fishy smell, and because snake eggs are used in the preparation, the creamy yolks contrast sharply with the firm snake meat.

Savoring the taste in her mouth, Erina Nakiri slowly opened her mouth, her face showing a hint of respect, with no trace of contempt remaining.

Don’t say anything else.

It's quite an achievement to be able to collect so many ingredients in just one day.

Not to mention that these ingredients were perfectly combined. Although the taste was not perfect, it was definitely a work she put her heart into!

“That’s right. I roasted the nuts on a hot stone slab, crushed them, roasted them a second time, then wrapped them in bamboo leaves and used heavy objects to squeeze and pound them to extract the oil.”

The slender woman said, "This little bit of nut oil is really hard to come by."

From the first step of collecting nuts to the subsequent extraction and pressing of oil, each step took her a lot of time.

"To complete this step using traditional physical oil extraction methods, you must have collected nuts for a very long time."

"It takes about five hours, since I don't need a lot of nut oil. If I needed a lot, I would probably use a different method."

The slender woman explained that she chose physical oil extraction because she needed only a small amount.

"The best part here is actually the sauce."

Autumn is the perfect time to harvest plump raspberries, which, combined with honey stored up by bees for the winter, create a rich fruity aroma mingled with the sweetness of honey. The overall flavor is a delightful balance of sweet and sour, making it incredibly appetizing. Paired with stir-fried snake meat, it's simply perfect!

Erina Nakiri licked her lips and said with great satisfaction.

"Same question, what's your name?"

"Qingguo Ruoji."

The slender woman said calmly.

"Qingguo Ruoji? I'll remember that name. You've passed!"

After glancing at the woman in front of her and then at the snake meat tacos on the table, Erina Nakiri announced that she had passed.

"You can go down the mountain now. This is the hotel's access card."

Alice Nakiri said, tossing the three cards into the hands of Kenji Nishikio, San Mitsui, and Wakaki Aoka respectively.

"Please wait a moment, we will go down with them."

"them?"

Upon hearing Kenji Nishikio's words, Erina Nakiri's voice held a hint of doubt, followed by a commotion coming from the jungle.

Immediately afterwards, countless figures dressed in black emerged, each carrying a dish they had meticulously prepared.

"Hurry up! If you slow down, don't blame me for being ruthless with my whip!"

In the spacious and bright hall, a strong-looking man addressed the crowd who had slowed down their movements.

As soon as he finished speaking, the people around him immediately sped up, their faces full of tension.

Clearly, the strong man wasn't joking; if he slowed down, the whip really would fall on him.

"Looks pretty good, Wang Hai."

The sudden sound rang out in the hall, causing the strong man to turn his head. His face first showed surprise, then respect.

"You flatter me, Chief."

"Don't stop! Chief, this way please."

As they were talking, Wang Hai gestured to Bai Yuan, inviting him to go outside to talk.

Bai Yuan nodded and then walked in the direction he pointed.

"Phew, finally I can take a break."

I practiced deep-frying all day, but no matter how I fried it, Old Deng was never satisfied. If he weren't like that with everyone, I would have suspected he was deliberately targeting me!

As Wang Hai walked away, a man in front of the kitchen counter breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and complained to his friend next to him.

"That's right. After all this time, I only got 60 points for my tempura shrimp dish; all the others were failing."

The assessment a few days ago was the same; where did these guys even come from? They were way too strict!

Thinking about the training he had undergone, a pained expression appeared on the man's face.

"It's okay, it's okay. Today is the last day. The next few days should be much easier."

During this period, they systematically learned 24 cooking methods, including stir-frying, quick-frying, braising, deep-frying, and stewing. If all goes well, today's lesson will be over.

"At least we're much better than those bottom-ranked teams who were eliminated on day one. Their points haven't changed at all since the beginning, so they're definitely out!"

When discussing their own situation, they always like to compare themselves to people who are worse off, and that's the kind of thinking they have now.

"But there's something strange. A few students dropped out of school because they couldn't handle the pressure, and their names and points disappeared from the leaderboard."

Even though those at the bottom of the pack have left, their points are still hanging on the table.

Thinking of the bottom 100 on the leaderboard, someone said with a puzzled expression.

"No matter what, with their less than thirty points, they are destined to be expelled."

"That's true."

After the teacher left, the people at the surrounding cooking stations gathered together, cooking and chatting at the same time.

This is their only form of entertainment during their daily high-pressure training.

For the first few days, they still had the energy to play cards before bed, but now they fall asleep as soon as they get back to the dorm, sometimes without even having time to cover themselves with a blanket.

"I'm so envious! Suzuki, you're currently stuck at 50th place. If you work hard in the next few days, you'll most likely be able to stay."

“Indeed, if we’re talking about who’s most likely to stay, it’s you, Suzuki.”

When the topic of dropping out of school came up, a sense of melancholy appeared on the faces of the group. Then, someone looked enviously at the boy among them who remained silent throughout.

"Sigh, I was ranked 40th at the beginning, but now I'm almost down to 50th."

Those guys are working like they're on steroids; it looks like they'll have to give it their all from now on.

Hearing the praise from those around him, the boy called Suzuki tossed his hair in a showy manner, then sighed, feigning sadness.

Even so, it's already amazing!

"Indeed, although the assessments here are very tiring, once you get through them, you can clearly feel yourself improving."

"It's just so exhausting. It feels like I've shortened my lifespan by a year in less than a month here..."

I don't know when it started, but the hall was filled with complaints. Although they could feel their strength improving, this improvement was just too tiring!

They want a more comfortable way to improve themselves.

"Excuse me, is this the twentieth venue?"

Suddenly, a slightly muffled voice rang out from the doorway, drawing the attention of the students who were practicing making tempura.

"That's right, this is the twentieth venue. Who are you?"

The girl sitting at the counter by the door looked towards the entrance in confusion after hearing the noise. She then saw a group of boys covered in injuries and dressed in black.

"According to the mid-term assessment regulations, you have completed all the assessments starting today, and the mid-term assessment has officially entered the second stage."