Food Wars!: I Became a Fantasy Ingredient Supplier

"Okay, miss!"

Upon hearing this, Hisako immediately picked up her phone and made a call.

Subsequently, the luxuriously decorated headquarters building of the Sumo Hot Pot Cooking Research Association was razed to the ground in an instant!

……

broth.

Mayonnaise and eggs.

Parsley snails.

veal.

Ham and cheese toasted sandwich.

These particularly traditional French home-style dishes are always found in Ye Chen's small restaurant.

Here, familiar faces appear every day, as well as strangers who have never been here before, such as Kojiro Shinomiya!

This top culinary master from Japan, dressed in a well-tailored black suit, walked with a steady and elegant gait, as if he had stepped out of an ancient painting.

Despite his humble origins, he possesses no trace of simplicity; instead, he exudes an innate nobility.

At this time, there weren't many customers in the small restaurant, only a few tables.

A young man.

Busily moving between the kitchen counter and the dining table, that is:

Ye Chen.

……

"This guest."

"Hello, would you like something to eat?"

Ye Chen, dressed in a white chef's uniform, was taken aback when he saw Shinomiya Kojiro, a former graduate of Totsuki Academy, walk into the small restaurant.

Then, as if he had realized something, he immediately came forward.

Looking at Ye Chen in front of him, Shinomiya Kojiro, who hadn't even warmed his seat yet, was also slightly taken aback. Then, he quickly withdrew his surprised gaze and began to examine him carefully.

"You're Ye Chen?"

"Just as the rumors say, you really are young!"

Kojiro Shinomiya couldn't help but say.

Finally, he turned to Ye Chen with a curious expression and asked, "Shopkeeper, you're not French, yet you dare to run a small restaurant here. You must know a lot about French cuisine?"

"I only know a little bit about it!"

Even Ye Chen probably never dreamed that this first-time visitor, Shinomiya Kojiro, would ask him such a question.

Therefore, after a moment's thought, he could only reply calmly.

“I understand now.” Shinomiya saw Ye Chen’s modesty and could only bite the bullet and continue, “Since you know a little about French cuisine, then I’ll have a pan-fried foie gras.”

Unexpectedly, Ye Chen shook his head: "Unfortunately, the restaurant is temporarily out of foie gras today."

"No?"

"What about braised beef brisket with tomatoes?"

"You must have this French home-style dish here, right?"

Shinomiya Kojiro was slightly surprised.

"Have!"

"Please wait a moment."

Ye Chen nodded this time, then turned around and went back to the kitchen counter to get busy.

……

In fact.

French home-style and traditional dishes are only slightly above average in taste.

After all, there are too many greasy foods, such as foie gras, confit duck, and gratin, which are all too greasy. The cooking methods for meat dishes are also very limited, and due to insufficient use of spices, the variety of seasonings is also limited.

In Ye Chen's personal opinion, traditional French home cooking and French bistro food cannot compare to Italian and Chinese cuisine.

Of course.

French home-style dishes.

It's better than the home-cooked meals of any other European country.

……

Braised beef brisket with tomatoes.

This is a very classic French home-style dish!

The main ingredients are nothing more than those two:

Beef and tomatoes.

As for the ingredients, they include scallions, ginger, garlic, cooking wine, Sichuan peppercorns, etc.

As a hearty dish with a strong winter feel, its vibrant red color, rich flavor, and abundant protein, along with the sound of the beef simmering in the pot, make even the longest winter seem less unbearable.

When it's almost done stewing, add radishes and potatoes and cook for a while.

After cooking, pour the vegetables, meat, and broth over rice. One dish is enough to satisfy the whole meal, leaving a lingering fragrance in your mouth...

Ah!

Compared to other main dishes.

The difficulty level of making braised beef brisket with tomatoes is relatively low.

However, stewing it takes quite a long time.

The most important ingredient in the whole dish is definitely the beef brisket. Ye Chen had tried beef from the United States and Australia, and it was considered to be of the best quality and tasted the best!

……

Cut the beef brisket into chunks.

Mix well with sea salt and black pepper, cover with plastic wrap, and marinate in the refrigerator.

It's important to explain here that the reason for marinating the beef with salt is not only for seasoning, but also to break down the protein structure of the muscle, making the beef more tender.

then.

Heat the pot.

Pour oil into the pan and pan-fry the beef, but it doesn't need to be fully cooked.

Once each side has changed color and hardened, remove it from the refrigerator and set it aside.

Don't throw away the oil in the pan. Put in the sliced ​​ginger, onion chunks, and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add the peeled tomato chunks and stir-fry until the tomatoes soften.

Mix the beef and stir-fried tomatoes together, pour in cooking wine, add boiling water until it covers the beef, and then cover it!

It’s almost time to wait.

Once the lid is opened, the beef is basically ready to eat.

However, we chose to simmer it a little longer to reduce the sauce, add some specialty French vegetables, and stew it for another 20 minutes.

Finally, a pot of bubbling, steaming tomato-braised beef brisket is ready!

……

"So fast?"

"I remember this home-style dish takes at least two hours to prepare."

Looking at the tomato stewed beef brisket in front of him, and feeling the rich aroma that filled the air, Shinomiya Kojiro couldn't help but be astonished: "So, you, Shopkeeper Ye, were able to shorten it to 40 minutes?"

It's important to know that the boiling point of water is 100℃.

The boiling points of common cooking oils are usually above 200°C, such as peanut oil (around 335°C), soybean oil (around 257°C), and corn oil (around 246°C)...

Therefore, the water temperature for stewing beef is always kept at 100℃, while the temperature used for pan-frying steak is above 200℃.

That is:

When pan-frying steak, it only takes a few minutes to cook.

You can stew beef, but it will take at least 2 hours to cook through!

……

In short.

For various factors.

When asked to cook the beef brisket until it's tender in just 40 minutes, Kojiro Shinomiya's answer was simply: Impossible!

However, in Ye Chen's tomato stewed beef brisket, the beef brisket fibers had completely softened and begun to absorb the sweet and sour taste of the tomatoes and the aroma of the spices, becoming tender and flavorful.