Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Lin Yu moved swiftly, taking out a large pot and boiling a large pot of water.

"Could someone help me pick some vegetables from the garden?"

"I'll go!" "I can go too."

Many people raised their hands; there was a late-night snack to be had, so everyone was very enthusiastic about signing up.

"Lin Yujun, what kind of vegetables do you need? I promise to pick the best quality for you."

Lin Yu replied, "Anything is fine. Just make sure the quality is fresh and there's a good variety."

"no problem!"

Suddenly, Lin Yu remembered something and asked again, "By the way, does anyone have any eggs left in their room? I just noticed that the eggs in the refrigerator seem to be all gone."

"I!"

As soon as Lin Yu finished speaking, Yoshino Yuuki was the first to raise her hand.

"Although I don't have it in my room, I can go check the chicken coop."

Yoshino Yuuki said with a grin, "I'm sure my little darlings won't disappoint me! Hehe!"

Lin Yu nodded, "Well then, thank you all for your hard work."

Everyone excitedly walked out of the kitchen.

"Let's go pick the vegetables for the stir-fried noodles!"

"Doing a little work will make the food taste even better!"

Because the vegetable garden was right next to the dormitory building, the group of people who went out to pick vegetables returned shortly afterward, carrying a large pile of vegetables in their arms.

There were cabbages, carrots, onions, bean sprouts, and chives—a very diverse selection. They were brightly colored, glossy, and covered in dew, making them look incredibly fresh.

Yoshino Yuuki also proudly pulled several eggs out of her pocket, and when Lin Yu took them, he could even feel a faint warmth emanating from the eggshells.

"Thank you everyone, you've worked hard!"

"We're not suffering, Lin Yujun, you're the one who's suffering!"

Lin Yu laughed and said, "Haha, since everyone has said so, then I'm going to go all out later."

After receiving the vegetables from everyone, Lin Yu quickly and efficiently washed them all clean.

The vegetables were placed on the cutting board, and the next moment, a cold light flashed. Lin Yu raised his knife and slashed it down. In the blink of an eye, a large pile of vegetables was cut into thin strips amidst a series of crisp knife sounds.

"Lin Yu's knife skills are amazing!"

Faced with the praise, Lin Yu smiled modestly and said, "It's nothing special, just basic skills."

Just as Lin Yu was whisking the eggs, he suddenly seemed to remember something, looked at Isshiki Satoshi, and asked:

"Isshiki-senpai, is there a steamer rack in the kitchen?"

"A steamer rack?"

Upon hearing this, Isshiki Satoshi rummaged through the cupboard while asking a question.

"What does Lin Yujun want to steam?"

"Yes, for steaming instant noodles."

"Aren't instant noodles usually boiled? This is the first time I've ever seen steamed instant noodles!" asked Megumi Tadokoro, who was watching nearby.

"Instant noodles are generally cooked before eating, that's true."

"But we're planning to stir-fry instant noodles today, and the texture of the noodles is also very important."

Lin Yu explained.

"If you use boiled instant noodles, they will not only be too soft, but they will also become mushy and lose their texture when stir-fried."

"Moreover, cooked instant noodles have too much water. When you put them in a wok, the excess water will prevent the temperature from rising properly, so you won't be able to achieve that fragrant wok aroma and crisp, dry texture."

"Therefore, I plan to steam the dough first, using the heat of the steam to cook the noodles while keeping them dry and not too moist, and also to maintain a firmer texture, so they are not too soft."

"Oh, I see."

At that moment, Isshiki Satoshi actually found a steamer rack for Lin Yu. "Here you go, Lin Yu-kun, here's what you wanted."

"Thank you so much, Isshiki-senpai, you've been a huge help."

Lin Yu took the steamer rack. By this time, the water in the pot had already boiled.

Lin Yu placed the steamer rack in the hot water and then put a large plate on it.

However, instead of putting the instant noodle cake directly into the plate, under the curious gazes of everyone, Lin Yu took a large bowl, filled it with water, put the instant noodle cake into the water, soaked it for a few seconds, took it out, shook off the excess water, and then put it into the plate on the steamer rack.

"Lin Yujun? What's he doing?"

Lin Yu repeated the operation while providing explanations.

"Instant noodles are deep-fried, so they are very dry."

"That's right, didn't you just say that too much moisture is bad and that things should be drier?"

Lin Yu shook his head with a wry smile, "Don't take my words so extremely!"

"I mean, the noodles should be drier, but fried dough cakes are too dry. If you steam them directly for too short a time, the inside of the dough cake will easily become too hard. But if you steam them for too long, the inside will be cooked, and the outside will likely become too soft."

"So I soaked the dough in a little water."

"This method moistens the surface of the noodles, reducing steaming time, and also uses water as a medium to transfer heat, transferring some of the external heat to the inside of the dough, so that the inside and outside of the dough are cooked to the same degree as possible."

"The noodles steamed this way are neither too hard nor too soft; they are dry and have a soft, springy texture, which is the perfect consistency for stir-fried noodles."

After receiving Lin Yu's explanation, everyone finally understood.

"Oh! I see!"

"I never imagined that a simple stir-fried instant noodle dish would involve so many intricacies, just in the preparation of the noodles."

"That's what good food is all about."

"While expensive ingredients aren't necessarily required, every step of the cooking process has its own intricacies. Paying attention to detail is essential to creating superior cuisine!"

"Alright, the bread doesn't need to be steamed for too long."

A few minutes later, Lin Yu took the plate out of the pot and used chopsticks to loosen the steamed flatbread.

"See, isn't it just like I said?"

Lin Yu displayed the shaken noodles to everyone.

"It's cooked evenly inside and out, neither too hard nor too soft. The inside is fully cooked, but the outside isn't soggy; it's dry yet elastic."

Lin Yu picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks, letting everyone see it clearly.

"Am I right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and some even picked up a small noodle and put it in their mouths. After chewing it a couple of times, they found that it was indeed just as Lin Yu had said.

"Really!"

"Alright, just have one each, don't say you've run out."

"If you really want to eat it, just wait a few more minutes. Don't worry, it'll be ready in just a few minutes."

Lin Yu took the plate containing the noodles, added some cooking oil, and stirred it thoroughly with chopsticks. This not only cooled it down quickly to ensure the texture, but also prevented the noodles from sticking together.

Then, Lin Yu took out some bacon and garlic, cut the bacon into thin strips, and minced the garlic.

"Alright, everyone, stop crowding around the stove and step back a bit. I'm going to start stir-frying the noodles."

The crowd obediently stepped back.

Lin Yu also put on an apron and started operating.

Heat the oil in a wok. Once the wok is hot, Lin Yu places his hand a few centimeters above the bottom of the wok. When he feels the air is hot to the touch, he pours some oil into the wok.

While waiting for the oil to heat up, Lin Yu quickly prepared a bowl of sauce.

Once the oil in the pan was heated, Lin Yu first poured the eggs into the pan.

The liquid egg solidifies immediately under the influence of hot oil and expands rapidly.

Stir-fry for a few seconds until the eggs solidify and the aroma begins to waft from the pan. Then, Lin Yu wields the spatula to break the eggs into small pieces, then takes out the cooked eggs and places them on a plate.

Clean the pot thoroughly and turn the fire back on.

This time, Lin Yu turned the heat to maximum and waited patiently for a long time, until blue smoke began to rise from the pan and the air above the pan even began to distort. He still didn't make a move.

"Lin Yujun?"

Tadokoro Megumi looked at the distorted air above the pot, her voice trembling slightly.

"Lin Yujun, aren't you going to add the oil yet?"

"Wait a little longer."

Lin Yu crossed his arms and stood still, quietly watching the wok simmering in the heat.

"The temperature isn't high enough yet; this dish needs to be cooked at a higher temperature."

"Isn't this temperature enough?" Yoshino Yuuki's eyelids twitched. "If it keeps heating up like this, the pot will turn red-hot."

"We need to make it burn red-hot."

Lin Yu's casual remark startled everyone.

"For stir-fried noodles to taste good, the heat must be high enough. Only in this way can the aroma of the oil and the ingredients be fully brought out. At the same time, a high enough heat will produce a strong wok hei (wok aroma)."

Be patient.

Looking at the wok that was beginning to turn a faint red, and watching the air swirling wildly above it, Yoshino Yuuki felt a sense of despair. "I don't think this is a matter of patience at all..."

As everyone nervously wondered if the pot would explode, Lin Yu finally made a move.

He reached out a hand and probed into the swirling air above the wok.

In an instant, Lin Yu felt a strong burning pain on the skin of his palm, but he revealed a confident smile.

"Now the temperature is finally starting to look normal!"

The next moment, Lin Yu moved.

Lin Yu deftly poured a spoonful of oil into the red-hot iron pot.

The moment the cooking oil touched the scorching hot iron pot, the high temperature caused the oil to steam, and in an instant, a burst of flame shot out of the pot, reaching a height of more than a meter.

"what!"

The Polaris Dormitory members watching from behind gasped in shock.

Aside from Chinese cuisine, very few dishes in the world use such intense heat.

The Japanese and Western cuisines they had previously learned used relatively gentle heat. This was the first time they had ever seen flames shooting up more than a meter high from the pot, let alone operated one.

Compared to the shock of the people in the Polar Star Dormitory, Lin Yu seemed much calmer in the face of the towering flames that were within arm's reach.

He had seen this kind of scene far too many times.

He calmly added the chopped bacon and garlic to the pot.

Because the pot is very hot, within just a second or two, a strong aroma of garlic and smoky meat wafts out.

Lin Yu then added the finely shredded vegetables and eggs to the wok, and with a few vigorous and smooth tossing motions, the vegetables danced in the flames, releasing a slightly sweet and refreshing aroma.

The flames in the pot hadn't died down yet. Lin Yu quickly added the noodles to the pot, used a pair of chopsticks to stir the noodles, and tossed them in the pot to ensure they were fully heated.

The next moment, Lin Yu picked up the bowl containing the sauce and poured it into the pot from the side.

The sauce was poured onto the still-burning pot, and with a "sizzle," the high temperature caused the sauce to evaporate instantly, the water evaporated, leaving only a rich and savory aroma.

Lin Yu intensified his tossing motion in the wok.

The immense force traveled up his arm to the pot, and then through the action of tossing the pot, it was transferred to the vegetables and noodles inside.

Brightly colored and diverse ingredients tumble and dance in the pot, tossed into the air and then caught steadily as they fall.

The shredded vegetables are wrapped in noodles, and the flavor of the sauce coats every strand of noodle. The three elements dance together in the flames, quickly blending into one in a very short time.

When the intense aroma in the pot reached a certain critical point, Lin Yu raised his arm, and the pot of fried noodles was poured into a large plate that had been prepared beforehand.

"alright!"

While everyone in the Polaris Dormitory was still in awe of the acrobatic fire-making skills and staring blankly at the strong aroma in the air, Lin Qi had already completed the dish in the blink of an eye.

The sound of the clattering wok being put back on the stove finally snapped the Polaris Dormitory members out of their daze.

"Is that all?"

Everyone was quite surprised because Lin Yu's stir-frying movements were so fast that they hadn't even had time to react.

Seeing the astonished looks on the faces of everyone in the Polar Star Dormitory, Lin Yu couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course, otherwise how long do you think it would take?"

Lin Yu took out chopsticks and a bowl and handed them over.

"Weren't you just saying you were hungry?"

"Are you spacing out now?"

Lin Yu first picked up a small bowl of fried noodles for himself.

He was busy with the food battle today, had some drinks earlier, and now he's made midnight snacks for everyone. After all that, he's been starving.

Seeing that the members of the Polar Star Dormitory hadn't made a move yet, Lin Yu reminded everyone, "Hurry up and eat, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

After saying that, Lin Yu picked up a piece of fried noodles with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

The moment it enters your mouth, a strong aroma explodes in your mouth.

The rich aroma that oils develop at high temperatures, the subtle smoky flavor of bacon, the intense fragrance of garlic, the mellow aroma of eggs, and the strong, slightly sweet aroma of several vegetables stir-fried at high temperatures.

Countless flavors are wrapped around the noodles, as they are sucked into the mouth and bitten off strand by strand with the teeth.

As he gently chewed, countless mixed yet harmonious aromas lingered in Lin Yu's mouth.

On this night, the stir-fried noodles cooked over a high flame, with their unique carb-rich satisfaction, made Lin Yu feel as if his soul was floating on air.

"really!"

Lin Yu's face showed an expression of rapture, and he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Late-night snacks...that's how they should be!"