Food Wars!: I Became a Fantasy Ingredient Supplier

Succulent duck meat.

Delicious fish meat.

And nourishing mutton, etc.

However, there is always a small minority of people.

To satisfy their curiosity, they are willing to try some very unusual animals.

Creatures teeming with bacteria and viruses, such as pangolins, bats, and lizards, also find it difficult to escape their appetites. This blind pursuit of wild game not only causes immense damage to the ecological balance but also poses a potential threat to human health.

……

"Elephant bear".

"The quality of its meat is related to that of elephants and bears."

"Take elephants for example..."

Ye Chen spoke slowly, his voice steady and magnetic, as if taking the audience back to ancient times: "Elephants, these herbivores that are quite common in our eyes, may not be as good as the beef and mutton that we eat every day in terms of meat quality."

"However, from a safety perspective, it is still safer, which is why it was included in people's diet in certain historical periods and regions."

Ye Chen paused slightly, then continued, "However, elephant meat really doesn't taste very good."

"It has a lot of fiber and a very rough texture."

"It is recorded in the great medical work 'Compendium of Materia Medica' that elephant meat tastes salty and sour."

"Although it is also used in some traditional Chinese medicine, it is really not suitable from a food point of view. At least in terms of taste, it is definitely far inferior to common animals such as pigs, cattle and sheep."

"As herbivores, elephant meat has been consumed throughout history."

"After all, breeding elephants is very costly, and their reproductive capacity is not high, so almost no one is willing to invest a lot of energy in such animals."

……

Hearing Ye Chen's explanation.

Hisako nodded slightly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, and said, "I heard that the gem meat that appeared last time was a kind of meat similar to that of an ancient mammoth, right?"

"Well, you're half right if you interpret it that way!"

Ye Chen glanced at her and said.

"Compared to elephants."

"The taste of bear meat is rather dry, not as good as beef."

"However, it may be because most bear meat comes from wild animals, so it cannot be compared with specially bred beef cattle. But unlike other wild game, bear meat has very little gamey smell and can be eaten after simple processing."

After a moment's thought, Hisako spoke.

Meanwhile, Erina continued Hisako's words, saying, "Historically, bear paws were a very precious delicacy."

"I remember that among the most exquisite delicacies of the Celestial Empire, the Manchu Han Imperial Feast, there is a dish called Braised Bear Paw, which is one of the Eight Delicacies. During the Qianlong era, it was one of the emperor's favorite dishes."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but cast an admiring glance at him.

Then he continued, "Bear paws were a tribute to the imperial court in ancient times, and they ranked first among the dishes in the Manchu Han Imperial Feast. Even King Cheng of Chu wanted to eat bear paws one more time before he died, which shows their status as a delicacy at that time."

After speaking, Ye Chen paused and sighed with emotion: "However, currently only a few places in the world, such as Canada and Japan, allow the legal consumption of bear paws. Other countries have explicitly prohibited it."

"China has even enacted relevant laws to prohibit the consumption of wild bear paws, and this ingredient must absolutely not be traded."

……

Ah!

Sigh is a sigh.

Ye Chen still had to deal with the fantastical ingredient that resembled bear paw meat.

As he spoke, he had already prepared all the ingredients and tools, and a culinary feast of precious delicacies was about to begin.

The first step is:

Remove the fishy smell!

This really tests a chef's culinary skills.

Ye Chen skillfully picked up a scallion and expertly cut it into even pieces of uniform length, as if it had been carefully measured, before placing it into a bowl.

He then cut the onion into pieces; unpeeled onions are also a characteristic of Japanese cuisine.

All ingredients.

Finally, they were all put into the pot together.

Ye Chen then poured in imported Shaoxing rice wine, and its rich aroma instantly filled the air.

……

Time, after a short while, passed by.

Erina and Hisako stared intently at the elephant bear paw in the pot, as if they were under a spell.

As time went on, the broth gradually became thicker and richer, and the enticing aroma became more and more intense.

Take a closer look.

It looks like a bear's paw.

Apart from a few dark hairs, the meat has changed noticeably, becoming fuller and more elastic.

Ye Chen quickly immersed the bear paw in cold water to cool it down. This step not only made the bear paw meat more tender, but also washed away some of the impurities produced during cooking, making the bear paw cleaner and more hygienic.

Next, Ye Chen carefully plucked the hair with tweezers, a crucial step.

It requires extremely precise techniques.

Like an artist sculpting a precious work of art.

If you are not careful and damage the texture of the meat, the whole dish will be ruined. This is especially true for the hair between the toes of a bear's paw, which is very difficult to remove and requires careful handling to clean.

At this moment, Ye Chen's gaze was focused and firm, and the tweezers in his hand were like his magic wand, gently picking up each hair.

……

Hisako held her breath.

Looking at Ye Chen's focused expression, she couldn't help but sigh, "This is truly a task that tests one's eyesight and patience. One must not be impatient during the process, otherwise it is easy to damage the integrity of the bear paw, resulting in a loss of appearance and taste."

"Just like anything we do, we need enough patience and care to succeed."

Erina nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right. Every detail needs to be strictly controlled. Only in this way can the most perfect appearance of the elephant paw be presented."

At last.

After some hard work.

Ye Chen finally cleaned the bear paws of hair and nails, and then began the soup-making process.

The extravagance of the side dishes amazed everyone: chicken feet, lamb bones, apples, red dates, onions, ginger, scallions, and garlic—these everyday staples were used as accompaniments today.

……

Slice the fresh apple.

As we all know, apples have the effect of softening quickly and reducing greasiness.

It allows the bear paw to absorb flavor more easily during stewing, while removing excess greasiness and making the taste more refreshing.

after that.

Place the chicken legs, chicken feet, and other side ingredients into the pot.

After the water boils, skim off the foam.

Then add various seasonings, followed by cooking wine to remove any fishy smell.

While simmering over high heat, all the various ingredients play their proper roles, working together to contribute to the deliciousness of the bear paw.

After washing away the remaining hair on the bear paw, Ye Chen wrapped it in a mesh white cloth and secured it with cotton rope to ensure that the bear paw would remain intact and the meat would not fall apart during the long stewing process.

Next, put it into the boiling hot broth to make it even more flavorful.

He stirred it gently to let it sink, then added some red dates to enhance the flavor.

Pour on some natural honey.

Sprinkle with a little white sugar to enhance the flavor.

Finally, add dark soy sauce for color, cover and simmer over low heat.

"If we compare it to braised food, then these ingredients are the braising spices, and the only braised dish is bear's paw," Ye Chen said with a smile, his smile full of confidence and love for food!

……

Time continues to flow.

And finally, the long three hours were over.

A rich aroma filled the kitchen, a scent that seemed almost magical, making one's mouth water.

As Ye Chen slowly lifted the pot lid, a fragrant aroma wafted out, indicating that the elephant bear paw had fully absorbed the effects of the various seasonings.