Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

　"Niu Chong, isn't that just a cow's..."

　"I never expected it to be this kind of ingredient. I naively thought it was a cow's tail."

　"I also thought it was a tail, I really didn't think of it that way!"

　As the truth was revealed, a heated discussion broke out at the scene. Many women wore mocking smiles, while the men squeezed their legs together.

　"Then I'll leave first."

　Letting out a long breath, looking at the bull in front of her and the theme, Alice Nakiri casually said something to Erina Nakiri next to her, and then quickly left through the contestant passage. At this moment, she already had an idea.

　Although the idea is vague, at least there is a direction to move forward, so as not to get lost.

　"The most famous dish made with eel and stir-fries is braised eel in hot oil. However, to maintain the originality of the dish, let's make some changes to it."

　Watching Alice Nakiri's departing figure, Erina Nakiri's mind raced. She wasn't very familiar with Chinese cuisine, only having a few scattered pieces of knowledge.

　Even though she wasn't familiar with Chinese food, she knew there was a famous dish called "Sizzling Eel Strips".

　During the final selection of the early summer, Liu Yu used this dish to improve her cooking and created the Braised Loach Strips with Hot Oil.

　"Never mind, let's set off first. Maybe seeing the ingredients will inspire some cooking ideas."

　The beauty of this random ingredient and random cooking method lies in the fact that it puts a great test of a chef's basic skills; even a slightly less skilled chef would struggle to handle it.

　After all, not every chef is an expert in all kinds of cuisines outside their own field.

　A chef who is good at stir-frying may not be good at making soup.

　A pastry chef who is good at making pastries may be terrible at cooking.

　A deep-fry chef with an excellent grasp of heat and temperature might find steaming dishes incredibly difficult to master.

　Everyone has different strengths and tends to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses during competitions, but this is a youth chef competition, which requires you to be proficient in everything!

　"Both athletes have set off."

　"I wonder what kind of dishes they will bring. The side that drew eel as an ingredient will be cooking stir-fries. It seems that only the dish of braised eel in hot oil is famous."

　However, this competition requires original dishes, meaning that braised eel in sizzling oil won't be an option; she'll need to come up with a dish herself.

　"It's hard to say. More likely, it will involve modifying the cooking method, since there aren't many ways to cook eel."

　Improving a dish requires a chef's understanding of the original ingredient; otherwise, haphazard modifications will result in a dish that tastes neither fish nor fowl, making the original less desirable.

　"Compared to that, I feel that the contestant who drew beef is really unlucky. There are relatively few people who make this kind of ingredient, and the dishes developed from it are just a few over and over again. Now that the organizers have limited it to braised cooking, the answer is basically set."

　"Indeed, eels can at least be modified according to their own characteristics, but beef tendon, an ingredient full of collagen, is simply too tough to chew without long-term stewing or pressure cooking."

　However, once you start stewing or braising in a pressure cooker, the result is almost identical to what previous generations have made, making it difficult to create anything truly innovative.

　Looking at the long, thin thing on Alice Nakiri's counter, the people around fell silent; they couldn't think of a good solution.

　If the contestant loses the competition because of such ingredients, he wouldn't be willing to accept it!

　"I don't think so. Ai is very knowledgeable about molecular gastronomy, and the biggest function of molecular gastronomy is to change the appearance and properties of ingredients. Maybe she will bring us a different kind of surprise."

　Some disagree, arguing that molecular gastronomy can alter the properties of ingredients.

　"Although molecular gastronomy can change the characteristics of ingredients, the limited cooking method is braising, which cannot be changed by molecular gastronomy."

　Some people have expressed concern because the competition has specific cooking methods.

　If it's a free-flowing theme, with Alice Nakiri's abilities, creating an exquisite dish using molecular gastronomy techniques shouldn't be a problem.

　But now the theme is limited to braised.

　Molecular gastronomy would play a very small role; she would need to find another way, or even combine all her knowledge, to possibly create a winning dish.

　I must say, this theme is really exciting!

　Walking through the wide market, Alice Nakiri's lips curled into a dangerous smile. How long had it been since she had felt this nervous?

　Challenge yourself, challenge the impossible, challenge your own limits, and create the perfect dish!

　"This theme is really good."

　From the audience, watching Alice Nakiri's upturned lips and her fighting spirit almost overflowing the screen through the live broadcast, Bai Yuan couldn't help but give his evaluation.

　These kinds of themes, full of randomness, are the best way to showcase a chef's skill.

　Don't say you were unlucky and drew a difficult theme.

　For chefs, no matter the theme, they must adapt and overcome any challenge, even by using any means necessary.

　Only in this way can one be called a chef.

　Alice Nakiri is currently in this state, abandoning everything around her, with only the thought of how to make the dish even more perfect remaining in her mind.

　Alice is terrifying at this moment.

　She will face Erina Nakiri in her strongest form ever.

　Thinking of this, Bai Yuan looked at Erina Nakiri on the screen next to him. She had just arrived at the market and her eyes were equally piercing.

　She took this match very seriously.

　This was her first time facing Alice Nakiri in an official match, someone who had become a source of psychological trauma for her for a period of time.

　As long as I can defeat her fair and square in this match...

　"Boss Bai, who do you think will win this match?"

　Seeing the two looking quite well on the screen, Liya, who had somehow ended up sitting in Bai Yuan's lap, raised her head and looked at his face curiously, asking a question.

　"It's best not to make any assumptions before the results are in."

　Bai Yuan did not respond to this.

　He watched the big screen quietly as Erina Nakiri went to the farmers' market and bought some chives, bamboo shoots, and a bunch of seasonings.

　For a stir-fry dish, it doesn't need to be rushed, chaotic, or over-processed; it requires precise control of the heat, which is related to the chef's skill.

　Coincidentally, Erina Nakiri has been deeply studying techniques during this period, and the effect of using her sense of touch and smell in stir-frying is the most remarkable!

　"Chives and bamboo shoots, are you planning to stir-fry eel with these two? That would be a good choice."

　Watching Erina Nakiri shopping at the market on the big screen, Bai Yuan nodded. In this situation, playing it safe was probably the most correct decision.

　After all, she only needs to perform consistently and let Alice Nakiri produce results on her own.

　If a mistake is made, there is absolutely no possibility of defeat.

　"Black garlic? And red wine...?"

　On the other side, Bai Yuan had just turned his gaze to the video of Nakiri Alice when he saw her put a bottle of black garlic into a shopping bag and then pick up a bottle of red wine to examine it.

　Even he was somewhat confused about Alice Nakiri's thoughts at this moment.

　However, one thing is certain: black garlic and red wine are most likely used to make sauces.

　For braised dishes, which already have sauce, wouldn't it be a bit incongruous to make another seasoning?

　He didn't offer any comment, just watched. He wanted to see what kind of dish Alice Nakiri could make under such extreme pressure.

　Half an hour later, Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri returned to the competition venue after purchasing the ingredients, and then began cooking without any hesitation.

　"call..."

　In the wooden basin, dozens of eels, like black and gold interwoven silk, swam nimbly in the shallow water, their scales shimmering. The young girl stood before the basin, her eyes closed, breathing evenly.

　Suddenly, Erina Nakiri opened her eyes, her five fingers like hooks, and swiftly plunged into the water, instantly grabbing a thick, live eel by its seven-inch mark and pulling it to the surface.

　The eel twisted and turned like lightning, the water droplets it flung out drew silver arcs under the light, and its tail fin slapped against the cutting board with a "smack", splashing up a sweet and fishy mist.

　With a flash of steel nails, the eel's head was nailed to the wooden anvil. The tip of the knife cut in from behind the neck, slicing straight down the spine to the tail—the blade rubbing against the bone made a soft "shh" sound, as if tearing a taut piece of satin.

　The next moment, eel blood seeped out, winding like dark red threads, seeping into the ring-like patterns on the cutting board.

　With a flick of the blade, the entire spine was ripped away as if a sword had been drawn. The eel meat was still trembling nervously. Erina Nakiri used the back of the knife to scrape away the blood membrane in the abdominal cavity with a "swish," revealing the pearly white tender meat.

　At that moment, the eel's tail suddenly convulsed and curled up, wrapping around the wrist, only to be cleanly severed.

　The prepared eel segments were thrown into ice water, instantly taut like a bowstring. The blood streaks spread out in the water like pale red smoke, while the eel meat became as translucent and lustrous as a jade hairpin, ready to be cooked in oil over a high flame.

　The process takes no more than ten seconds, and she possesses such formidable anatomical skills thanks to Bai Yuan's teachings; she can even dissect cattle and sheep.

　"Holy crap! Did you even see that clearly just now?"

　"I saw it clearly, but I still couldn't see it clearly. Such superb skills! The eel was prepared in no time!"

　Her mouth was agape in an "O" shape, her face filled with shock. No one expected that a young girl not even 18 years old could properly prepare an eel in less than ten seconds.

　You know, even an experienced chef can stumble over this slippery thing, but Erina Nakiri handles it so well.

　On the playing field.

　After processing all the eels, Erina Nakiri cut them into thin strips of equal size. Then she marinated them with rice wine and pepper to remove the fishy smell, and light soy sauce to enhance the flavor.

　During the pickling process, cut the bamboo shoots into thin strips, then blanch them in boiling water until just cooked through.

　The marinated eel shreds are also quickly blanched in boiling water for five seconds to remove the fishy smell and set their shape.

　"The most important thing when stir-frying is to use high heat throughout the process and not to linger. Short cooking time can effectively lock in the moisture of the eel and keep it tender and chewy."

　Bai Yuan's teachings came to mind, and at this moment her mind was incredibly clear, and all her senses were amplified to the extreme.

　Heat oil in a wok, sauté minced ginger and garlic until fragrant, add eel shreds and stir-fry over high heat until slightly curled, drizzle with a spoonful of light soy sauce, then add dark soy sauce for color, and set aside.

　In a separate pot, heat oil, add Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili pepper segments, and fry over low heat until fragrant. Strain out the peppercorns and chili peppers, leaving the oil in the pot. This is called Sichuan Peppercorn Oil.

　Stir-fry bamboo shoot strips in Sichuan peppercorn oil until just cooked, then add chopped chives and stir-fry for ten seconds.

　Once the aroma is released, pour the eel shreds back in, drizzle with Sichuan peppercorn oil and sugar, stir-fry quickly and evenly, and sprinkle with Sichuan peppercorn powder before serving to enhance the numbing sensation.

　After plating, pour hot Sichuan peppercorn oil over it to release its aroma.

　"Please try our Sichuan-style stir-fried eel with chives and Sichuan peppercorns."

　As she spoke, she placed the dish in front of the judges' table. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she stared intently at the three elderly men before her.

　The old man on the left is tall, the old man on the right is short, and Zhang Zhong in the middle is neither tall nor short, appearing to be of average height.

　Although there were two people she didn't know, Erina Nakiri was confident that her cooking would win them over.

　"Stir-frying is all about speed. From the moment the food goes into the pan to the moment it comes out, there's a set time. I've been observing this the whole time, and you did a great job with that."

　Putting everything else aside, if this step is done well, the taste of this eel shreds is bound to be excellent.