Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Megumi Tadokoro's adorable face was filled with amazement: "That sounds amazing!"

"Of course!"

Lin Yu laughed and said, "Actually, similar dishes exist in many countries around the world."

"For example, Japanese crab sticks were originally made by people out of their desire for snow crabs. They used fish paste to create a similar shape and added seasonings to imitate snow crab legs."

"Later, to further reduce costs, some were made with potatoes and starch."

"Of course, this is just a relatively simple imitation."

"In Chinese cuisine, it is very difficult to make imitation meat dishes. It often requires a high level of culinary skill from the chef, meticulous selection of ingredients, and careful preparation."

"Truly skilled chefs can create mock meat dishes that taste even better than real meat dishes!"

Tadokoro Megumi's eyes sparkled. "Can Lin Yu-kun make mock meat dishes?"

Lin Yu chuckled lightly, "That goes without saying."

"That's amazing!"

Just as Lin Yu was enjoying the adoration from a cute girl, a spoilsport voice rang out behind him.

"Nonsense, what a disgusting man who lies to girls."

Lin Yu's expression immediately fell, and he turned to look at Mito Ikumi behind him.

"Tell me, what did I do to offend you this time?"

Mito Ikumi glared at him without any politeness and retorted:

"I can ignore what you just said, since I wasn't the one who was deceived. But what you're saying now is unacceptable to me."

"Vegetarian dishes taste better than real meat dishes? There's a limit to bragging, you know."

"Have you ever tasted truly top-quality meat cuisine?"

Do you know what a top-quality piece of meat looks like?

"Take out a large piece of icy beef from the cold storage, and only take the most premium part to cut a thick slice of steak."

"The surface of the beef is covered with frost-like patterns that are even more beautiful than snowflakes in nature."

"Whether it's pan-fried or grilled, the rich, tender texture and the wonderful feeling of the juicy meat filling your mouth as you chew."

Mito Ikumi wore an expression of ecstasy, her tongue unconsciously licking her lips, her eyes somewhat glazed over.

"That feeling... ah! Just thinking about it is wonderful!"

After saying that, she suddenly looked at Lin Yu, her eyes filled with malice, and said:

"That supreme experience, merely imitated with simple vegetarian dishes, how could it possibly rival truly top-quality meat!"

Faced with Mito Ikumi's barrage of impolite remarks, Lin Yu finally lost his patience and retorted impatiently.

"Leaving aside the fact that 'succulent and juicy' isn't a term exclusive to meat, who are you, kid? Do we know each other? I'm talking to my roommate, and whatever we're saying is none of your business, right? Aren't you being a bit nosy?"

Despite Lin Yu's unfriendly gaze, Mito Ikumi remained defiant.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Mito Ikumi, and I am Erina-sama's subordinate."

"I only have one area of ​​expertise, and that's meat!"

"Therefore, I absolutely cannot agree with what you just said!"

Mito Ikumi's tone was filled with strong confidence, but Lin Yu stroked his chin, revealing a reminiscing expression, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.

"Mito Ikumi, I think I've heard that name before."

Upon hearing this, Mito Ikumi wore a smug expression. "Is that so? You're scared now that you've heard my name?"

Lin Yu said uncertainly, "It's called [Flesh Enchantress], right?"

Upon hearing this name, Mito Ikumi instantly flew into a rage.

"Don't you dare call me that nickname! You rude bastard!"

An angry Mito Ikumi pointed at Lin Yu's nose and roared:

"Furthermore, I also heard that you had a conflict with Lady Erina in class yesterday?"

"I will never forgive anyone who opposes Lady Erina!"

Lin Yu waved his hand helplessly, signaling Mito Ikumi not to get so excited.

"Actually, my relationship with Erina isn't as bad as you think, and..."

Mito Ikumi's loud shout interrupted Lin Yu's words.

"I already told you not to call that person by their first name."

Lin Yu frowned, but gritted his teeth and continued, "Besides, my relationship with Erina is between the two of us, and it has nothing to do with you."

To Mito Ikumi, Lin Yu's expression and words were blatant provocation. She could no longer contain her anger and roared at Lin Yu:

"This is outrageous! I can't stand it, not even for a second!"

"Let's settle this once and for all! Now! Immediately!"

Lin Yu, however, appeared somewhat calm at this moment. "Is this alright?"

Mito Ikumi asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you just say you're good at cooking meat?"

Lin Yu raised his finger and pointed to the teacher on the podium.

"But the topic of this lesson restricts the use of meat."

To put it bluntly: This is really too much of a rip-off for you, it makes me feel guilty.

Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, Mito Ikumi let out a disdainful snort.

"Stop pretending. I can beat you even without meat!"

Lin Yu gave a helpless look that said, "I knew it."

"You don't appreciate kindness! I don't care, just don't go back on your word after you lose."

Don't underestimate people!

Ignoring Mito Ikumi, Lin Yu looked at Tadokoro Megumi, "What about Megumi? Would you like to try what real mock meat dishes are like?"

Megumi Tadokoro nodded. "Yes, I'm a little curious."

"In that case, I'll be a little more serious."

Lin Yu closed his eyes, and his breathing became long and deep.

Deep within his mind, the "God of Cookery Recipes" appeared, and as the pages flipped, a recipe was extracted from his mind.

Sweet and Sour Pork with Crystal Sauce

"You're the one!"

Lin Yu opened his eyes, his gaze shifting from languid to sharp, and he exuded a dangerous aura.

Like a dozing tiger, it has now opened its eyes.

Sweet and Sour Pork with Crystal Sauce

The original recipe calls for pork ribs or pork shoulder as the main ingredients for this dish, but since the theme of this class is vegetarian, Lin Yu decided to make use of his knowledge and temporarily modify the original recipe to create a vegetarian version.

"What's going on? This guy's aura has completely changed!"

Lin Yu stood in front of the ingredient cabinet, carefully selecting ingredients, while Mito Ikumi watched his back and felt extremely nervous, even unconsciously slowing her breathing.

Seemingly sensing the gaze from behind, Lin Yu turned around and looked at Mito Ikumi.

Their eyes met in mid-air, and a powerful sense of oppression washed over them.

Mito Ikumi felt that those eyes were not human eyes at all, but clearly the eyes of a tiger, sharp as a gleaming sword, piercing her eyes until they ached.

Lin Yu's lips curled into a rare, cold smile.

"Let me make it clear in advance, don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're not good at it."

"Don't...don't underestimate people!"

Mito Ikumi's voice trembled as she retorted, and even she herself felt that her words lacked confidence.

Lin Yu chuckled lightly, ignored the other person, and returned to the worktable with the selected ingredients.

"Xiao Hui, support."

"yes!"

Lin Yu issued his first order: "Steam two potatoes, then boil water and soak Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, angelica root, bay leaves, and cinnamon in warm water. You don't need too much."

"Yes."

Tadokoro Eri answered promptly and immediately carried out the order.

While Tadokoro Megumi was working, Lin Yu found a large basin, put two pieces of firm tofu into the basin, and kneaded them vigorously until they were smooth and delicate to the touch, without any grainy texture.

After Tadokoro Megumi finished doing what Lin Yu had asked her to do, she looked at Lin Yu.

"Lin Yujun, what's next?"

Lin Yu gave another order, "Chop the onions, scallions, and ginger into small pieces; we're going to make spiced oil."

"yes!"

Megumi Tadokoro obediently went to chop ginger and scallions.

Then, Lin Yu lit a fire and heated a pot of oil.

As the oil in the pan began to smoke, Lin Yu reached out and tested the air above the pan with his palm until it became too hot to touch before withdrawing his hand.

"The temperature is right."

After confirming the oil temperature, Lin Yu added the soaked spices and chopped ingredients to the pot.

"Sizzle!"

With a loud bang, the spices tumbled in the oil, releasing a rich aroma.

"It smells so good!"

As Tadokoro Megumi was reminiscing, Lin Yu pulled her to the oil fryer, saying, "Come and watch the fire."

Tadokoro Megumi panicked a little. "Huh? Should I do it? What if the spices burn?"

"It's okay."

Lin Yu sniffed the aroma emanating from the oil pan. "I'll remind you when the time is up."

Lin Yu then took out the steamed potatoes, peeled off the skin, put them in an empty bowl, and stirred them continuously.

When the aroma of spices in the air reached an extremely strong level, Lin Yu knew it was time to take the oil out of the pan. Otherwise, if he continued frying it, the spices would burn and leave a bitter, burnt taste in the oil.

"Time's up, the spiced oil can be taken off the heat."

Lin Yu was panting heavily, his hands moving non-stop. He reminded Tadokoro Megumi to scoop out the spiced oil, and then instructed her to chop the mushrooms and bacon and sauté them in butter until they were caramelized.

On the other side, under Lin Yu's constant and frantic stirring, the potatoes in the bowl gradually changed from loose mashed potatoes to elastic and sticky, with a texture like rice cake made by pounding steamed rice.

Lin Yu exhaled, his forehead covered in sweat.

Sweat dripped down his skin, making Lin Yu feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He wanted to wipe his sweat, but the moment he instinctively raised his hand, he remembered that his hands were covered in mashed potatoes, making it inconvenient to wipe the sweat.

"Lin Yujun, let me do it."

"Okay, thank you, Xiaohui. My..."

Lin Yu was about to remind the other person where his handkerchief was, but then he remembered that his handkerchief was still with Nakiri Erina.

"What's wrong?"

Tadokoro Megumi looked puzzled, and at the same time took out a pink handkerchief from her pocket and carefully wiped the sweat off Lin Yu's face.

"You carry a handkerchief with you too?"

Tadokoro Megumi smiled and said, "Hehe, Lin Yujun gave me her handkerchief last time, and I was thinking that I shouldn't keep getting your handkerchief dirty. I brought one with me today, and I'm so glad I can use it."

After wiping away the sweat, Tadokoro Megumi wet the handkerchief with water, wrung it out, and wiped Lin Yu's face again.

The cool sensation on his face made Lin Yu feel much more comfortable.

"Okay, it's all clean now."

Lin Yu looked at Tadokoro Megumi and smiled, "Megumi is such a gentle girl."

"Lin Yujun, please don't say that. This is what I should do."

Tadokoro Megumi blushed and put away her handkerchief. "I've done everything Lin Yu-kun asked me to do. Is there anything else I need to do?"

"The next part is still physical work, which is not suitable for girls, so I, as a guy, will do it."

Mashed tofu, mashed potatoes, spiced oil, sautéed bacon and mushrooms.

Lin Yu mixed all the prepared ingredients together, seasoned them, and then added a little starch and egg white to adjust the texture according to the consistency of the tofu paste.

Then came an even more frantic stirring.

When the entire bowl of tofu paste was stirred until it reached a satisfactory consistency and was still firm and elastic, Lin Yu finally stopped and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Finally finished, I'm exhausted."

Heat oil in a wok.

Prepare two bowls of batter: one wet batter and one dry batter.

Lin Yu first tossed the kneaded tofu balls back and forth between his palms a few times to ensure that there were no gaps inside the tofu balls and that they would have a firmer texture.

First, coat the meatballs with a layer of wet batter, then coat them with a thin layer of dry powder, and carefully drop them into the oil.

Lin Yu moved swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, all the tofu balls were tumbling in the oil.

When the white tofu balls turned light brown, Lin Yu immediately scooped them out, increased the oil temperature, and fried them a second time until they turned an enticing golden brown.

The air was instantly filled with a captivating and rich aroma.

Lin Yu inhaled the fragrance in the air, a satisfied expression appearing on his lips.

Not only that, the rich aroma spread throughout the classroom, prompting all the students to take a deep breath and then start discussing it.

"What's with this fragrance?"

"Who's making fried meatballs? Did they not prepare any meat for this class?"

"But this aroma is clearly the aroma of fried meatballs!"

"Could someone have secretly brought in meat? Damn it, I should have brought some too. These mock meat dishes are so hard to make! It's impossible to simulate the taste of meat with vegetarian dishes! Damn it!"

"It smells so good! It's making my mouth water."

Behind Lin Yu, Mito Ikumi smelled the fragrance in the air and was immediately dumbfounded.

If she hadn't watched Lin Yu do it with her own eyes, she probably would have thought that Lin Yu was frying a pot of meatballs.

"It smells so good!"

"This guy may not be very likable, but his cooking skills are truly..."

Mito Ikumi subconsciously sighed, then woke up with a start.

"Why am I praising this guy in my heart?!"

Looking at the calm and composed figure in front of her, the immense pressure made Mito Ikumi feel a surge of anger.

"Damn it! I won't lose!"

Mito Ikumi gritted her teeth and sped up her work.

Ignoring the heat, Lin Yu picked up a freshly cooked tofu ball and put it in his mouth.

The outer shell is crispy and fragrant, while the inside is tender and juicy with a slightly chewy texture.

Feeling the hot, fragrant juice splashing in his mouth, Lin Yu revealed a confident smile.

He succeeded!

"Lin Yujun, how is it?"

Tadokoro Megumi looked at Lin Yu with anticipation.

"Just say you want some. Come on, open your mouth. They're freshly fried, be careful they're hot."

Lin Yu picked up a tofu ball and fed it to Tadokoro Megumi.

"Ah! It's so hot, but it tastes so good!"

Feeling the scalding juice in her mouth, Tadokoro Megumi's face showed a look of shocked joy.

"Are these really tofu balls? The chewy texture and the juicy filling are even better than meatballs! How did they do that?"

Lin Yu joked, "Didn't we make this together?"

"Lin Yu-jun!" Tadokoro Megumi blushed slightly.

"Alright, next up is the sweet and sour sauce."

Lin Yu set up a pot, poured in a spoonful of oil, and added a small spoonful of water.

After the oil and water began to boil, Lin Yu added a large spoonful of white sugar, turned the heat to low, and stirred constantly to cook the sugar into a smooth syrup.

Lin Yu added a spoonful of tomato paste to the pot and continued to stir and stir. The syrup in the pot quickly changed from a transparent color to a bright red color.

But looking at the sweet and sour sauce simmering in the pot, Lin Yu's face did not show any joy.

"What's wrong?" Tadokoro Megumi noticed that Lin Yu was acting strangely.

Lin Yu didn't answer, he just shook his head.

Smelling the aroma emanating from the pot, Lin Yu picked up a clean spoon, dipped it lightly in the sweet and sour sauce, put it in his mouth, smacked his lips, and his expression worsened.

Tadokoro Megumi noticed Lin Yu's actions and followed suit, taking a spoon, dipping it in the sweet and sour sauce, and putting it in her mouth.

The rich sweetness, combined with the tangy aroma of tomatoes, dances on Megumi Tadokoro's tongue.

"Lin Yujun, it looks delicious!"

Hearing Tadokoro Megumi's words, Lin Yu shook his head firmly.

"No!"

Lin Yu explained to Tadokoro Megumi, "The acidity of tomatoes is too mild, and the impact when you put them in your mouth is not strong enough. It can't compare to, or even surpass, a top-quality meat dish."

"Furthermore, it will be coated with a layer of syrup later. If the sourness is too weak, it will make the sweetness cloying and ruin the sweet and sour balance of this dish."

How can we enhance the impact of the sour taste?

Lin Yu pondered to himself.

Add white vinegar?

No! That would be strong enough, but the sourness of white vinegar would be too sharp and clash with the mild sourness of tomatoes.

Add black vinegar?

No way! This combination is even worse!

Think quickly! Lin Yu, think quickly! What can you do?

Lin Yu frowned, his gaze quickly sweeping over the condiment cabinet in the classroom.

Noticing Lin Yu's frown, Mito Ikumi's tension immediately eased considerably.

I was definitely overthinking it. This guy with such a terrible personality thinks he can make a dish that rivals juicy meat just by using tofu?

Was I just imagining things and scaring myself when I saw his change in demeanor?

"Why did you stop? Did you find it too difficult?"

"That's fine, as long as you keep admitting you're exaggerating!"

"Shut up!"

Lin Yu, who was deep in thought, was suddenly interrupted. He felt a little angry and turned around. He shouted angrily, and his cold eyes made Mito Ikumi shiver.

"Go ahead and cook!"

Lin Yu grew increasingly anxious, his eyes rapidly scanning the entire kitchen, while his mind raced through various seasonings and ingredients.

It should increase the impact when you eat it, but without ruining the mellow acidity of the tomato, while also considering the sweet and sour balance with the syrup, and ideally, it should also enhance the rich flavor of the tofu balls.

What should we use?

and many more!

Lin Yu suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

That should work!

Lin Yu's eyes brightened from dimness, and he rushed to the cabinet where the spices were kept, rummaging through a pile of bottles and jars until he finally found a bottle of dark red dried fruit.

"Found it!"

"Although it's not my best condition, it's still usable."

"With this, there won't be any problems."

Lin Yu poured the dark red dried fruit from the jar onto the cutting board, chopped it into small pieces, poured it into a pot, turned the heat to high, and stirred it vigorously.

A strange yet incredibly harmonious sour aroma immediately rose from the pot.

"Xiao Hui, follow my method from before, mix the oil and water, use only white sugar, and boil another pot of white syrup."

"OK."

Upon receiving the instructions, Tadokoro Megumi immediately began the operation.

Light the fire, mix the oil and water, pour in the white sugar, and then stir constantly to prevent the syrup from burning to the bottom.

The entire movement was clean and efficient.

Lin Yu noticed that compared to yesterday's class, Xiao Hui's movements were much more efficient today, and even her emotions seemed more stable than yesterday, without her constantly crying.

The bright red sweet and sour sauce thickened continuously under the heat. Lin Yu scooped up a spoonful of the sauce with a spatula, tilted it slightly, and the thick sauce slid in the air in a silky line before falling back into the pot.

Looking at the sweet and sour sauce in its current state, Lin Yu's somewhat tired face immediately broke into a smile.

"Finally, it's over."

The fried tofu balls are poured into a pot, where a thick, sweet and sour sauce quickly coats each ball.

Under continuous high heat, the sweet and sour sauce was completely absorbed into the tofu balls, and there was no obvious broth left in the pot.

"Xiao Hui".

"Lin Yujun, the syrup is here."

Lin Yu poured the bowl of syrup that Tadokoro Megumi brought into the pot. With his vigorous tossing of the pot, each bright red meatball was coated with a layer of syrup, shimmering with a subtle luster.

Yes, that's exactly the feeling!

Smelling the alluring sweet and sour aroma emanating from the pot, Lin Yu's expression became increasingly focused, but a fiery fervor burst forth deep within his eyes.

That's not enough, there's one last step!

"Ice cubes!"

Following instructions, Tadokoro Megumi immediately ran to a refrigerator in the corner of the classroom, hurriedly took out a large basin of ice, and then jogged back to the workbench.

Lin Yu took the large basin of ice with one hand and lifted the large pot with the other, his movements decisive and without hesitation, he poured the pot of meatballs into the large basin full of ice.

With the help of a large amount of ice, the syrup on the surface of each tofu ball is rapidly cooled at low temperature, forming a thin, transparent hard shell that makes it crystal clear.

At first glance, they look like bright red crystal balls, with red liquid seemingly flowing inside.

"Perfect!"

"Finally finished."

Lin Yu let out a long sigh of relief, shook his aching arms, and showed a relieved expression.