Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Chapter 115 Culinary Review

As time passed, the aroma wafting from the oil pan gradually became stronger.

Lin Yu took a light sniff and felt the alluring fragrance in the air make his nose itch and his mouth water uncontrollably.

When the taro balls floated to the surface in the hot oil and their surface turned a deep golden color, Lin Yu took out a slotted spoon and scooped all the taro balls out of the oil.

Once removed from the hot oil, the aroma in the air became even stronger.

The unique aroma of fried food, combined with a faint, fresh scent of vegetables in the air.

"Glug!"

A distinct sound of swallowing saliva rang out, and Lin Yu knew it was an unconscious action.

"Glug!!!"

A louder sound of swallowing saliva suddenly rang out.

Lin Yu couldn't help but laugh.

He was certain that this time it was Yoshino Yuuki who made the noise.

"They should be almost done over there, right?"

Lin Yu looked at the earthenware pot on the other side of the stove.

A faint flame licked the bottom of the earthenware pot, keeping the soup in a state of constant steaming but never boiling.

In the slightly greenish soup, several snow-white, plump and round taro dumplings lay quietly.

Yoshino Yuuki noticed Lin Yu's gaze. "Lin Yu-kun, is it alright now?"

"Let me see."

Lin Yu took a soup ladle and scooped out a taro ball from the earthenware pot.

Lin Yu gently shook the soup spoon, and the taro balls bounced back and forth a few times in the spoon.

Feeling the tactile feedback, Lin Yu nodded.

"Okay, that's fine."

Upon hearing this, Yoshino Yuuki immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Great! I was worried I might mess it up."

"Haha, don't worry! Yuuki, you did a great job!" Lin Yu laughed and ruffled Yoshino Yuuki's hair.

"~"

Hinako Inui put down her chopsticks, let out a long sigh, and frowned.

"It doesn't taste good!"

Hinako Inui gave her evaluation directly, and at the same time declared the group of students in front of her unqualified.

The students who failed let out a wail, while the other students in the classroom held their breath.

"This situation is really too bad!"

A rustling sound arose from the crowd.

"Exactly, so many teams submitted their dishes, but only a handful were approved."

"Isn't Chef Inui's standard a bit too high?"

"I've heard that when Chef Inui was still studying at Totsuki Academy, he was a very cold and awe-inspiring chef who earned the title of 'Empress of the Mist' among his classmates."

"The Mist Empress? I don't quite understand it, but just hearing that sends chills down my spine!"

"What should we do?"

"Alright! Quiet!"

Hinako Inui's voice interrupted the discussion in the classroom.

She glanced around the classroom, her voice not loud, but carrying a chill.

"You can redo it an unlimited number of times before time runs out."

"Instead of wasting time discussing this here, we should hurry up and do it again!"

The students seemed somewhat intimidated by this cold atmosphere and quickly began to redo their work.

Sensing the somber atmosphere in the classroom, Hinako Inui shook her head slightly, looking somewhat disappointed.

"Although this topic has many limitations... making the same thing over and over again—grilled fish—inevitably gets a bit monotonous!"

"I really want to eat something chewy!"

Hinako Inui subconsciously wanted to pick up her teacup and take a sip of hot tea.

But after groping around in the empty space for a while, she suddenly remembered that all the tea she had brewed had been "robbed" by some despicable junior.

"That despicable thief!"

"They actually robbed my senior's things... I will never forgive them!"

Thinking of this, Hinako Inui clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, whispering, "If you can't cook a meal that satisfies me, I'll teach you a lesson!"

"Senior Inui!"

A voice suddenly rang out.

"You should keep your voice down when you're talking badly about someone... I heard you!"

Lin Yu and Yoshino Yuuki carried the finished dishes to the front of the classroom.

Upon seeing who it was, Hinako Inui pouted and muttered in an even softer voice, "I was speaking very quietly... how come my ears are so sharp..."

'

Lin Yu stood still, holding the dish, and placed the tray in front of Inui Hinako.

"Our group's meal is finished!"

"[Spring Vegetable and Rabbit Meat Tea with Rice Balls]!"

"They also have the same filling: [Fried Glutinous Rice Balls with Wild Vegetables and Rabbit]!"

Please enjoy!

As Lin Yu explained, he brought out a small bowl of pink sauce.

Wow~ It looks so different!

One serving consists of white glutinous rice balls soaked in a light green broth.

One plate contains fried glutinous rice balls that are golden brown and crispy on the outside, looking incredibly delicious.

Looking at the two different dishes in front of her, Hinako Inui excitedly clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Hearing Hinako Inui's words, Lin Yu chuckled and said, "Of course! If it's nothing new, wouldn't it be a disservice to the tea and snacks that Senior Inui has contributed?"

Hinako Inui sensed the sarcasm in Lin Yu's words and rolled her eyes at him. "Girls don't like petty boys."

Lin Yu retorted without hesitation, "There's no need for you to worry about that, senior!"

"Please enjoy, Senior Inui."

"If it doesn't taste good, I'm willing to accept the lesson from my senior."

"snort!"

"I'll get angry if you say that again!"

Hinako Inui waved her fist and complained before turning her attention to the dish in front of her.

"Which one should we eat first?"

Hinako Inui's expectant gaze swept back and forth between the two dishes.

Ultimately, the graduate who was hired as the instructor for this residential training program surprisingly chose to eat the "tea-filled glutinous rice balls" on the right first by "reciting a mantra while blindfolded".

"I'm starting!"

Hinako Inui happily picked up a wooden spoon, first scooped up a spoonful of the slightly greenish soup, and put it into her mouth.

As the hot soup entered her throat, Hinako Inui's eyes immediately brightened.

"What an amazing flavor!"

"The rich aroma of bone broth and the refreshing taste of tea blend together so harmoniously!"

"Especially the refreshing aroma of green tea!" Hinako Inui exclaimed softly.

"The bone broth not only didn't spoil the tea's fragrance, but it willingly played a supporting role, using its mellow flavor to neutralize the tea's blandness and further highlight the fresh and ethereal aroma of the green tea!"

Hinako Inui smacked her lips, and not satisfied, she scooped up another spoonful of soup.

"I can taste it; the ratio of bone broth to tea broth is very important. Even a slight difference will ruin the balance of flavors."

"Although the flavor is very simple, it is precisely this simplicity that gives this soup a rustic and direct sense of surprise!"

With a happy expression on her face, Inui Hinako looked at Lin Yu and smiled;

"I admit, junior, you've successfully raised my expectations."

Hinako Inui looked at the dish in front of her again, this time with a much more interested expression.

"If even the supporting character's tea soup is this amazing, then... what will the main dish taste like?"

Hinako carefully scooped a glutinous rice ball from the soup.

Compared to the glutinous rice skin of regular glutinous rice balls, the skin of this dish, made with wild taro, is more elastic and chewy.

The glutinous rice balls lay in the wooden spoon, even wobbling slightly.

Hinako Inui wore an "interesting" expression, clearly finding it quite amusing.

The next second, Inui Hinako put a whole taro dumpling into her mouth.

The taro paste glutinous rice balls were so elastic that they almost blocked the teeth when they landed on them.

With a little force, the outer skin of the glutinous rice ball is broken by the teeth, and then it transforms into a sticky, soft and chewy texture, with the smooth glutinous rice paste having a slight stickiness.

"It's so nice! It's so soft and fluffy~"

Just as Hinako Inui was pleasantly surprised by the dual texture of the taro paste, an even bigger surprise suddenly arrived!

The piping hot broth, carrying the fresh aroma of vegetables and a strong, vibrant flavor, burst forth in her mouth.

The crispness of bamboo shoots, the springy texture of shiitake mushrooms, and the fresh aroma of various wild vegetables.

The juicy filling inside the glutinous rice balls is dominated by the savory aroma of meat broth, while the refreshing fragrance of green tea serves as a backdrop, creating a richer and more complex flavor profile.

The two flavors, though from the same source, were completely different, creating a strong contrast in Hinako Inui's mouth, which she found quite novel.

As she continued chewing, a complex yet refreshing aroma broke through the mud, rushing around in Hinako Inui's mouth, making her tongue and nose itch.

After the fresh aroma of the vegetables dissipates like mist and rain, a gentle and delicious flavor takes center stage on the palate.

It was rabbit meat cooked over a low flame, wrapped in taro paste and tea soup.

Diced rabbit meat has a wonderful texture; when you cut into the meat with your teeth, you can feel the chewiness of the meat while also feeling its incredible tenderness and juiciness.

It is Lin Yu's precise cutting that creates this texture.

If the rabbit meat cubes are any smaller, you won't be able to feel the texture of the meat when you chew them; but if they are any larger, it will be difficult to achieve the same level of doneness.

With rich juices in your mouth, the collision of your teeth reveals a variety of ingredients with different textures.

Hinako Inui's eyes became more moist, as if a spring painting was unfolding before her eyes!

The weather was sunny and the sun was shining brightly.

It was springtime, a time when all things were growing.

In the lush forest, all kinds of wild vegetables grow everywhere.

Bamboo shoots in the bamboo grove, shiitake mushrooms on fallen logs, ferns on the hillside, water celery by the river, and a nimble wild rabbit darting through the forest, all enjoying the bounty of spring...

This is a landscape created by rabbit meat and a variety of different spring wild vegetables!

"Ah~"

Hinako Inui let out a joyful sound; at that moment, she felt as if she were about to get drunk!

"While it might be a bit of an exaggeration, compared to the dishes I've tried before, it's a world of difference..."

Hinako Inui took a few more sips of the warm tea and couldn't help but sigh.

Ignoring the despair in the eyes of the other students, Hinako Inui looked at another dish.

This is completely different from the previous dish that was soaked in soup and gave people a warm feeling.

The dish in front of me doesn't have a snow-white and soft appearance; instead, it has a deep golden-yellow crust.

Hinako Inui gently tapped the surface of the fried glutinous rice balls a few times with her chopsticks, and the crisp sound made the corners of her mouth involuntarily turn up slightly.

"I can't wait!"

With anticipation in her eyes, Hinako Inui picked up a fried glutinous rice ball.

"Snap!"

As Hinako Inui took a bite, the crisp sound echoed throughout the entire classroom.

"Ouch~ Ouch~ It's so hot!"

Hinako Inui opened her mouth wide and kept exhaling, even fanning her mouth with her hand, but she just couldn't bear to spit out the food in her mouth.

Before you bite into it, there's no sign of steam rising from the surface of this fried glutinous rice ball.

But the moment you bite into the shell, what reaches your mouth before the delicious aroma is the scalding heat.

Even though she was breathing heavily from the heat, Hinako Inui still tilted her head back, unwilling to give up the delicious food in her mouth.

"Snap!"

After the scalding heat in her mouth became slightly tolerable, Hinako Inui gently bit down, making a crisp sound once again.

"Snap! Snap!"

Each time Hinako Inui chewed, a crisp sound rang out.

"How delicious this is!"

Hinako Inui couldn't help but praise him.

"The outer layer is crispy and crunchy, while the inside is first filled with soft and mashed wild taro, followed by fresh and tender wild vegetables and rabbit meat."

"The texture is absolutely amazing!"

"The crispy outer layer, combined with the soft and glutinous wild taro, creates two layers that further encapsulate the fragrance of wild vegetables and the savory flavor of rabbit meat inside."

"No! This method further concentrates the delicate fragrance and deliciousness of the filling."

"The moment you bite into the outer shell, the concentrated, fresh and delicious aroma of the wild vegetables, mixed with the steam, rushes into your mouth and clings tightly to the tip of your tongue..."

"Wow! It's unbelievable that my persimmon seeds would turn into such an amazing fried food!"

Hinako Inui looked at Lin Yu with a gentle smile and a smile on her lips.

"Junior, I have to admit, you gave me a really big surprise!"

"Thank you for your compliment, Senior Qian."

Lin Yu smiled, bowed slightly to Inui Hinako, and then said, "However, you haven't yet experienced... the full beauty that I want to reveal through this dish!"

Following the direction Lin Yu pointed, Inui Hinako's gaze fell on the bowl of pink sauce.

"Really? Since Junior Lin Yu is so confident..."

"Well then... let me try this sauce and see what kind of scenery you're trying to show me, junior."

Hinako Inui picked up the bowl of pink sauce; the dreamy color naturally appealed to her as a woman.

She leaned closer and took a gentle sniff; the soft floral fragrance, like a lively sprite, danced and drifted into her nostrils.

"These are... cherry blossoms!"

As Inui Hinako said this, she involuntarily relaxed, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

After the first two dishes, her taste buds were now fully awakened!

I'm getting more and more excited...

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