Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

After everyone had quickly washed up, Tadokoro Megumi opened the lunchboxes on the table. "Lin Yu-kun and I made three different kinds of rice balls for everyone!"

"Three kinds? Since it's Lin Yu's cooking, it must be incredibly delicious!"

"To be able to enjoy three different flavors at once, just thinking about it makes me so happy!"

Hearing everyone's expectant tone, Tadokoro Megumi covered her mouth and chuckled, "I've already tried them all, and they're all delicious!"

"Xiao Hui, that's so mean. You shouldn't say things like that."

"In that case, I'll have the second one."

Yoshino Yuuki was the first to rush to the table, grab a rice ball from the lunchbox, stuff it into her mouth, and her expression immediately brightened.

"What a refreshing taste! So fragrant!"

"It's salt and scallion sauce!"

Yoshino Yuuki, her face beaming with happiness, took another big bite.

"After a hard day's work, when you're all sweaty, something savory is just so wonderful!"

"The scallion flavor is so strong! And when you chew it, it has a tingling, numbing sensation, like being electrocuted, it's amazing!"

"Electric shock?" Ryoko Sakaki asked, somewhat puzzled. "Yuuki, isn't your description a bit too strange?"

"No, it really does have a tingling, numbing sensation!"

Yoshino Yuuki defended herself, even sticking out her tongue. "My tongue feels like it's been electrocuted; it's completely numb."

"What's going on?" Ryoko Sakaki was quite surprised.

"It's Sichuan peppercorns!"

Isshiki Megumi was also holding a rice ball with salt and green onion sauce. With his extensive knowledge, he only took one bite and immediately grasped the key to this dish.

"Sichuan peppercorns? What's that?"

"It's not surprising that you don't recognize it, because it's a spice that's rarely used in Japanese cuisine," Isshiki Satoshi continued to explain.

"Sichuan peppercorns are a spice native to Sichuan, China. They are characterized by an extremely strong, pungent flavor that can produce a strong numbing sensation on the tongue when tasted. It's like the 'electrocution' feeling you just mentioned, Yoshino-kun."

As he spoke, Isshiki Satoshi's face showed a thoughtful expression.

"Although Sichuan peppercorns have a unique flavor and can give you a strong impact when you put them in your mouth."

"However, simply using Sichuan peppercorns shouldn't achieve this level of deliciousness."

Isshiki Satoshi took another bite, savoring it carefully.

"The aroma of scallions, the aroma of Sichuan peppercorns, and even the aroma of salt."

"In this small rice ball, all three flavors are distinct yet perfectly harmonious. Instead of clashing, they complement each other, elevating the rice ball's flavor to a whole new level."

Isshiki looked up at Lin Yu.

"Lin Yujun, I'm very curious, how did you manage to use such a strong-flavored spice as Sichuan peppercorns, yet still ensure that the aromas of the scallions and salt weren't overwhelmed by the peppercorns, and instead, that all three had equally strong and distinct flavors?"

"This is very simple."

"The key is that I pre-processed all three key ingredients."

Lin Yu readily provided answers to the questions raised by Isshiki Satoshi.

"Sichuan peppercorns have a unique flavor and a strong pungent taste. So I slowly roasted them over low heat to remove the moisture before grinding them into powder. This way, I could increase the aroma while reducing the pungent taste."

"At the same time, I also made two small adjustments to enhance the flavor of the scallions and salt."

Lin Yu held up two fingers.

"First!"

"The salt used in the rice balls was also roasted in an iron pan over low heat. This not only brings out the salty and fragrant flavor of the salt, but also gives it a subtle caramelized aroma."

"second!"

"As for the scallions, I used very hot oil to enhance their flavor. Hot oil can maximize the aroma of scallions without destroying their original fragrance."

Isshiki Satoshi's eyes widened in surprise. "It's that simple?"

Lin Yu laughed. "Of course, otherwise how difficult did you think it would be?"

"By wrapping three ingredients into a rice ball, the three flavors blend together with the rice, complementing and enhancing each other to form a stable whole, just like a triangle."

"Lin Yujun, I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

Isshiki Satoshi clapped his hands, a look of admiration on his face.

"There is no doubt that your braised mackerel in white sauce impressed me last time, but now, the ingenuity you showed in a small rice ball makes me admire you even more."

Faced with the praise, Lin Yu didn't react much, simply smiling calmly. "While it's certainly nice to hear from Isshiki-senpai, is it alright?"

Isshiki Satoshi asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Lin Yu grinned mischievously and pointed at everyone who was scrambling for the rice balls. "Xiao Hui and I ate in the kitchen, but if you keep taking your time, everyone will snatch up all the rice balls."

"So that's what Lin Yu meant..."

Isshiki Satoshi, on the other hand, seemed quite calm. "Everyone likes Lin Yu-jun's cooking, which is a recognition of Lin Yu-jun! It's okay if I eat a few less; consider it a senior being modest in letting a junior have his way."

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. "Really that generous?"

"Hmm...actually, it wouldn't be a problem to eat one more."

When Lin Yu saw through Isshiki Satoshi's thoughts, he pretended to be deep in thought to ease the awkwardness.

But a few seconds later, seeing the rice balls in his lunchbox almost gone, he gritted his teeth and finally put his composure aside.

While shouting "Stop fighting, everyone!", Isshiki Satoshi rushed into the crowd and, taking advantage of his height and arm span, managed to grab a rice ball by weaving through the gaps between the people.

"Let me see what the second type of rice ball tastes like?"

Isshiki Satoshi picked up another rice ball and took a bite.

"Hmm~ it's ground beef."

The stewed beef is so tender it melts in your mouth, and the rich red wine sauce flows through your palate.

"Is it beef stewed in red wine?"

Isshiki Satoshi savored it carefully, a look of pleasure on his face.

"Wow, this beef is stewed so tender and soft!" Soma Yukihira, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but exclaim after tasting the stewed beef rice ball.

"And the sauce is so flavorful! Rich and aromatic, it's so delicious with rice that you'll want to swallow your tongue!"

Soma Yukihira became more and more excited as he ate, and in just a few bites he swallowed the rather large rice ball.

Licking his lips and savoring the lingering taste in his mouth, Soma Yukihira expressed his feelings.

"And for some reason, even though the dishes have such strong flavors, they feel very mild when you eat them. After one bite, you can't help but want to eat a second bite. There's absolutely no feeling of greasiness."

Satoshi Isshiki also noticed the peculiarities of the red wine braised beef in the rice ball. "There seems to be a... subtle sour taste in this braised beef?"

"But the sourness is not unpleasant. It does not spoil the rich flavor of the beef stew in red wine. On the contrary, it further stimulates my appetite."

Isshiki Satoshi looked up at Lin Yu with a questioning expression.

"Lin Yujun?"

Lin Yu readily gave the answer: "It's hawthorn!"

"By the way, this was Xiaohui's idea!"

Lin Yu pulled Xiao Hui over, patted her on the shoulder, and said in an approving tone:

"I used hawthorn in a previous project. Xiaohui was my partner at the time, and she remembered the idea. Today, I added some hawthorn to the stewed beef."

"The results were surprisingly good! Even I was amazed."

"Hawthorn? What's that?"

Suddenly, Soma Yukihira raised his hand and asked in confusion.

"Could it be another spice, like the Sichuan peppercorns we used before, that's not commonly used in Japanese cuisine?"

Lin Yu looked at Yukihira Soma and explained, "Yukihira, you must have eaten candied hawthorns from Chinatown before, right?"

"Of course I've eaten it! When I was little, my dad would often buy it for me when he took me shopping."

Soma Yukihira smiled and nodded, recounting his memories. "I remember that candied hawthorns were skewered on bamboo sticks. The red fruit inside was sour and soft, while the outer sugar coating was crisp and sweet. The combination of the two was delicious."

Although Soma Yukihira is usually a bit oblivious in his interactions with others, he is definitely not stupid. When he got to this point, he suddenly realized what was going on.

"Wait, could this be it?"

"That's right!" Lin Yu snapped his fingers, confirming Yukihira Soma's guess. "The sour and soft red fruit in the candied hawthorn is hawthorn."

Recalling that mellow sour taste, Soma Yukihira couldn't help but exclaim, "It's amazing, just by adding one thing, the flavor of the stewed beef is completely different."

Lin Yu explained, "That's because hawthorn not only softens meat, making stewed beef more tender and melt-in-your-mouth, but it also..."

"Moreover, hawthorn has the effect of stimulating appetite and digestion. Just adding a little bit of hawthorn to stewed beef can give the originally mellow red wine stewed beef a mellow flavor, making it irresistible."

"That's amazing!"

Soma Yukihira was completely captivated by Lin Yu's words. "When I have time, I'll also get some hawthorns to study and see if I can develop a new dish."

"Alright, let me see what the third filling is."

Isshiki Satoshi picked up the last rice ball in the lunchbox, and before he could even put it in his mouth, he saw a piece of crispy fried fish skin exposed on top of the rice ball.

Isshiki Satoshi felt a strange sense of familiarity.

He looked at Lin Yu, "Lin Yu-jun, if I'm not mistaken, this couldn't be...?"

"You didn't see wrong, Isshiki-senpai."

Lin Yu revealed a teasing smile.

Pan-fried salmon with butter!

"And Xiaohui made it too."

"Megumi's gotten so good!" Isshiki Satoshi looked at Tadokoro Megumi. "This salmon is cooked just right, especially the skin, which is crispy and fragrant. Your technique is very skillful, not bad!"

"Isshiki-senpai, don't say that. I'm actually not that good!"

Xiao Hui scratched her head shyly and gave a bashful smile.

"Although I had eaten the [Braised Mackerel in White Sauce] that Lin Yujun made last time, I didn't actually know the correct way to fry fish at first."

"It was Lin Yujun who reminded me that I should use the pan-frying method. The fish skin should be facing down, and you should keep frying it in oil while continuously drizzling oil over the fish meat. This way, you can fry salmon with crispy skin and tender meat."

Satoshi Isshiki took a bite of salmon.

As Tadokoro Megumi said, the salmon in the rice ball was pan-fried, which ensured the crispy texture of the fish skin while making the fish meat very tender.

With each chew, the tender fish releases a delicate umami flavor, which, combined with the rich, creamy aroma of butter, makes it irresistible.

Isshiki Satoshi offered heartfelt praise, "Lin Yu-kun, and Xiao Hui too, you are both amazing! You can make such delicious fillings with such simple ingredients through your superb cooking skills and ingenuity."

Yukihira Soma, who was munching on a rice ball next to him, couldn't help but interrupt when he heard Isshiki Satoshi's words.

"And not only is the filling delicious, but the rice on the outside of the rice ball is also amazing!"

"Lin Yu, is it because of the pot of secret-recipe soy sauce you made this morning?"

"That's not all, Yukihira-kun."

Isshiki Satoshi said with a smile, "The reason this rice ball is so delicious is not just because Lin Yujun's secret soy sauce was added to the rice."

He flipped the rice ball in his hand over, revealing the side that hadn't been eaten yet, and tapped it with his fingertip, producing a crisp sound.

"If I'm not mistaken, the crispy outer layer of the rice ball must have been baked over a fire. Am I right, Lin Yujun?"

Lin Yu nodded and smiled, "That's right. I brushed a layer of soy sauce on the surface of the rice ball and baked it over a fire. The baking process forced the umami flavor of the soy sauce into the rice, making it very flavorful."

"Then brush on soy sauce, and bake until dry, until you finally get this crispy outer layer."

Lin Yu held up three fingers, his expression quite smug.

"A crispy, caramelized crust, soft and savory rice, and a rich, flavorful filling. These three ingredients coexist within a single rice ball, blending together to create three distinct textures and flavors!"

"What an ingenious idea!"

Isshiki Satoshi couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, her eyes filled with unspeakable shock, "Lin Yujun, your ingenuity is truly amazing."

Isshiki Satoshi looked at the rice ball in his hand and examined it carefully. "I never thought that the secret to creating such a multi-layered flavor was just to simply grill it over a fire."

"bake?"

"Isshiki-senpai, this rice ball is clearly not baked, is it?"

Soma Yukihira suddenly voiced his doubts.

"Huh? Isn't that right?"

Satoshi Isshiki was somewhat surprised to hear Soma Yukihira's words, and actually thought that he had made a mistake in his judgment, so he quickly took another bite of his rice ball.

The rice ball makes a soft "crunch" sound as you chew it, and its crispy outer shell releases an irresistible aroma of roasted grains, lingering in your mouth and leaving you wanting more.

Isshiki Satoshi reaffirmed his earlier judgment, "This crispness... it must be from baking, right?"

"But mine really doesn't look baked. It doesn't have the crispy crust that Ishiki-senpai described."

As he spoke, Soma Yukihira handed the rice ball in his hand to Satoshi Isshiki.

Satoshi Isshiki then noticed that the rice ball in Soma Yukihira's hand was different from the one in his hand. It did not have a crispy, caramelized crust, but was a dark, light brown color.

"This is?"

"It's smoked!"

Before Lin Yu could explain, the usually taciturn Ibuzaki Jun suddenly spoke up and gave the answer.