The strongest anime shop owner

Soma's actions were clearly unexpected and even mind-blowing. It's unlikely that any normal person would think of such a thing. Perhaps only someone with creative abilities like Soma would do something like this.

"I see..." At this moment, Alice Nakiri bit her thumbnail, already understanding the secret of this dish: "The success of the broth is also related to its umami flavor... Soy milk and seaweed, like other foods, contain abundant glutamic acid, enough to support the deliciousness of this mixed dish! Moreover, their umami flavors complement each other, elevating the umami flavor of this mixed dish to another level. The inosinic acid in the saury and the glutamic acid in the soy milk! The combination of these two makes perfect sense!"

"Soy milk mixed rice...it's really...very interesting!!" Nakiri Senzaemon said, looking at this special dish. Facing such a unique dish, it was clear that it would bring a lot of novelty to the taster.

Dojima Gin immediately picked up his bowl and started eating, saying between bites, "It's so addictive... The creamy texture of the Parmesan cheese and the subtle miso flavor combine perfectly with the rice and vegetables! Plus the tender saury meat mixed in with the dishes..."

"It looks like... a red fruit... could it be—" Just as Dojima Gin was enjoying the taste of the fruit, he suddenly saw something in it and picked it up with his chopsticks.

“It’s crispy plum,” Soma explained to everyone, holding up one finger.

"What-!?"

"Again...again, using dagashi (Chinese sweets) as ingredients!? Like persimmon sushi jelly or something..."

"It must have been a sudden thought again! They think they can get away with something like this..."

Upon seeing this, everyone was at a loss for words. Soma's thoughts... were indeed beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, and it was clear that some people couldn't accept them for the time being.

"The plums are the highlight of this dish! Their crisp texture brings joy to the palate, and their vibrant color is delightful! Saury is naturally rich in fat, and the addition of plums cuts through the richness of the fish, leaving a lingering aftertaste... Plums themselves have a sour taste that stimulates the appetite, and this dish makes perfect use of that. Moreover, the plums are pickled, which adds the finishing touch to the succulent saury!" At this moment, when talking about the plums in this dish, Leonora Nakiri immediately fell into a rambling mode, and her words directly slapped the faces of those who previously disagreed with adding plums to dishes.

"Sōshin-kun's sudden inspirations in cooking... aren't based on talent, ability, or intuition... but solely on thought... Even if his explorations fail, he'll continue to try. While this is something everyone can do... it's not always the case. The reason they look down on Sōshin-kun is because—if they acknowledged Sōshin-kun, it would mean accepting their own lack of ambition." Clearly, Isshiki understood this perfectly: "Listen carefully, Eizan-kun, this chill is steadily warming up..."

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Chapter 241 Su Luo's Dishes 2

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"yes"

"That guy actually faced those two monsters... and they were evenly matched..."

"Maybe... we can do it."

"yes"

"Chuangzhen-kun - you're amazing!"

Upon seeing this, everyone was stunned. Clearly, they hadn't expected Soma's approach to achieve something so extraordinary, capable of rivaling the power of the "Ostrich Crossing the River" technique.

"...Hmm, rice bran, saury, and soy milk...these Japanese ingredients...combined with Western ingredients like Parmesan cheese, create a new flavor. It reminds me of when my dear husband and I first met...in different countries...with different educations...two people...holding hands, we were able to create something new...a unique encounter between Japan and the West—" As Leonora Nakiri ate this dish, she couldn't help but recall the past, a slight blush rising to her cheeks, a smile spreading across her face, looking utterly happy.

"Great! It can work! Another chance of winning!"

"Yes!"

Upon seeing this, even a fool would understand that Soma's dishes might not be inferior to theirs, and it seems that he still has a good chance of winning the championship.

"Look, the moon is about to disappear."

"Why isn't Su Luo finished yet? Although... I'm not very optimistic, she should at least be able to finish on time!"

"Xiaoxiao, ganbate!"

When Soma finished reviewing the work, the moon above the skylight had gradually moved from one end to the other, almost disappearing completely. Upon seeing this, the members of the Polaris dormitory couldn't help but worry for Su Luo. If she didn't finish before the moon disappeared, it would be pointless to continue, even though they weren't very optimistic about her.

This is understandable, though. Even without seeing the finished product made by Su Luo, just thinking about the smell during the process was enough to make one lose all appetite. As for the finished product, it was even more unimaginable.

Su Luo wasn't distracted by the seemingly short time. After all, soups and similar dishes often need to be simmered overnight to achieve a richer and more flavorful taste. Therefore, Su Luo wanted to dedicate as much time as possible to simmering the soup.

Seeing that time was running out, they had no choice but to leave it at that. The soup continued to simmer, and it was at this moment that Su Luo took out the main ingredient for the day: saury.

Su Luo placed the saury on the cutting board, picked up a small knife, and quickly made a cut at the head, neck, and tail. Then, she began to cut from the tail to the neck, and half of the fish meat was separated in one go. On the lower half, the fish bones were clearly visible above the fish meat. She flipped the fish over and, following the previous steps, completely separated the other half of the fish meat, leaving only a fish with the head, tail, and bones.

After quickly processing several saury, I started slicing the fish into thin slices along the grain of the flesh. After processing the saury, I took out several earthenware pots, about the size of small bowls, and heated them on the stove.

After being heated by the flames for several minutes, the air on the surface of the casserole dish almost exhibited a distorted, undulating pattern, indicating an extremely high temperature.

Place each of the three roasted clay pots on a white porcelain plate. Wrap the lid of one clay pot in gauze and open it. The moment the lid is opened, a thick steam rushes out, showing that the temperature inside is indeed very high.

Then, the moment the lid of the casserole was opened, a spoonful of fish soup and a spoonful of mutton soup were poured into it. Of course, the proportions of fish soup and mutton soup were in a certain ratio.

When the two kinds of soup were poured into it, the casserole immediately made a 'sizzling' sound.

Su Luo quickly picked up a certain amount of fish slices that had been cut earlier, and placed them into the casserole by rotating them. The fish slices disappeared into the soup one after another in a very regular manner. Finally, she put the lid on and did the same for the other casseroles. The whole set of actions was smooth and without any hesitation, as if she had done it hundreds of times.

Just as the moon was about to disappear into the skylight, Su Luo finished preparing the dishes and was now serving them.

Su Luo slowly walked towards the examination platform. The moon was now almost invisible, lacking its previous brilliance. Su Luo seemed to blend into the darkness. Although she didn't shine like the others before her, her slow movement in the darkness was exceptionally mysterious.

"Please enjoy your meal." Su Luo quickly walked to the judging panel, carried her dishes up, and as she passed the other contestants, she glanced at them with a knowing look, her eyes fixed on them. She then proceeded to offer her dishes, her gaze fixed on the other contestants, her expression a mix of admiration and resentment. She seemed to be asking for more information, her words carefully chosen and her manners carefully observed.

Su Luo ignored them completely and walked right through them. Compared to empty words, Su Luo preferred a silent slap in the face.

“My dish is called ‘Fresh’,” Su Luo said as she presented her dish to the three examiners.

"Don't joke around, kid. Someone who reeks of stench like you can call themselves fresh?" After hearing Su Luo's words, [the speaker] said, "Don't be ridiculous, kid. Someone who reeks of stench like you can be called fresh?"

"Please, all you examiners, begin tasting!" Su Luo ignored the incessant chatter. The goods, once transported to the designated area, were now being prepared for tasting.

"Oh my! Such a young child can cook, so cute." Nakiri Leonora said to Su Luo, resting her cheek on her hand.

Hearing this, Su Luo thought to herself, speechless, "Seriously, what does being cute have to do with being able to cook?!"

"Ahem... Everyone, please begin to taste!" At this moment, seeing that no one had started eating, Dojima Gin coughed a few times and said.

"Mmm... hurry up and try it." Su Luo nodded in agreement.

"Kid, you're so eager for us to eat you, did you put some poison in it?" Leonora Nakiri said, looking at Su Luo.

"Ha...ha...how is that possible?" Su Luo laughed awkwardly.

------------

Chapter 242 Dish Name: 'Fresh'

"It would be strange if there wasn't something fishy going on..." Nakiri, standing behind, couldn't help but recall the time she served as an examiner for Su Luo. The thought of it made her face turn grim, showing that the incident was an unforgettable memory for her.

"Is that so..." Leonora Nakiri said, her hand already gripping the lid without her noticing. The top of the lid was covered with a cloth, so there was no need to worry about getting burned.

"Then let me..." Although she said that, Leonora Nakiri was still a little hesitant. After all, the stench that almost made people faint when Su Luozi made it was still fresh in her memory, so she was prepared to be overwhelmed by the stench.

"Hmm~" But just as Nakiri Leonora was halfway through her sentence, her words were abruptly cut off. Wisps of white smoke drifted out from the slightly ajar casserole. When Nakiri Leonora smelled that aroma, she was as if she had been electrocuted. Her whole body trembled, her hand lost its balance, and the lid fell off and was put back on. She made an alluring sound.

The aroma that wafted out didn't have the gamey smell or the fishy stench of previous cooking methods. Instead, it was a fresh, pure freshness, without any impurities or other flavors. The moment you smelled that aroma, the only thing that came to mind was freshness, pure and without any impurities. That aroma permeated from the tip of your nose to your whole body, making your very soul tremble.

“Fresh.” After that, Dojima Gin decisively opened the lid of the casserole. Instantly, a thick cloud of white smoke rushed out. The word flashed into his mind the moment he smelled the billowing smoke.

"I really don't know how to describe this smell. The moment I smelled it, I felt as if I was enveloped by a school of fish. This freshness was dozens of times stronger than that of saury itself, but without the pungent smell. Instead, it was the purest freshness." When he smelled this scent, Dojima Gin felt as if he were surrounded by a school of fish, swimming with them in the seawater, experiencing that purest freshness.

"This is unbelievable! Is this really made from that smelly, fishy stuff we had before?" Leonora Nakiri stared wide-eyed, her eyes filled with disbelief.

It wasn't just Leonora Nakiri who was shocked. Compared to the people in the audience, Erina Nakiri and others were more directly able to feel that strong freshness. Their eyes were filled with disbelief. But thinking about it, who could have imagined that the smell that was almost nauseating would eventually become such a fresh and delicious aroma?

"Well then... I'll start eating." Leonora Nakiri couldn't resist the almost mouthwatering aroma any longer and picked up a spoon.

Turning your gaze to the casserole, you see a milky white broth inside, its richness reminiscent of milk. Within this broth, slices of saury are arranged in the shape of water lilies, half-hidden and half-revealed. The silvery skin around the fish slices further enhances the contrast between the pristine white flesh and the milky white broth, making the whole dish resemble a silver-edged white lotus blooming in milk—exquisitely beautiful and incredibly appealing.

Leonora Nakiri couldn't wait to scoop up a spoonful of the thick, milky-white broth. As soon as she tasted it, a fresh sensation assaulted all her senses. There were no words to describe that fresh taste; it was simply pure, fresh.

On the other side, Dojima Gin and Nakiri Senzaemon were not slow either. Dojima Gin, sitting on the other side, had already picked up a piece of fish. It looked like he was being very careful, but that was an illusion. The fish was so tender and elastic that it trembled slightly when he picked it up, like fruit jelly, which created the illusion.

When Dojima Gin put the fish in his mouth, it melted like ice; the freshness and tenderness were simply delicious.

"This broth is absolutely delicious! I initially thought that even the best-tasting broth wouldn't be very good, given the smell it emitted during preparation. But... the final result was truly unexpected! Not only did it not have a single unpleasant odor, but it was incredibly flavorful. I don't know how this happened, but it proves the Chinese saying 'too much of a good thing can be bad.' This flavor... well... how should I describe it? Only one word: 'fresh.' It's unbelievable! This dish clearly contains many ingredients and seasonings, yet the taste is so unexpectedly delicious, with only one 'fresh' sensation. Su Luo-jun, how did you do this? It's incredible! I think I should probably research this kind of thing." After taking a sip of the milky-white broth, Leonora Nakiri was completely lost in thought.

"Does anyone here recognize the Chinese character '鲜' (xiān)?" Su Luo asked the crowd instead of answering Nakiri Leonora's question.

"I know."

"What does this have to do with whether or not you know Chinese characters?"

"···"

Clearly, with increasing international contact and unification, Chinese culture has gained considerable international recognition. Furthermore, with many countries offering foreign language courses, it's not surprising to find Japanese people who can speak Chinese.

“Most Chinese characters actually make a lot of sense. Take ‘fresh’ for example. The word ‘fresh’ actually encompasses everything. It’s composed of ‘fish’ and ‘sheep’. I think you all understand without me having to explain it,” Su Luo explained.

"Do people in China all know that this method produces the freshest flavor?" Leonora Nakiri asked, pausing for a moment after hearing this.

"No, it's just that it makes some sense," Su Luo said with a shrug. What a joke! If every Chinese person did it this way, what would happen? Besides, it only makes some sense, not that it's absolute. And even if it tastes great, chefs from other countries must have heard of it by now.

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Chapter 243 The Final Result

“Could it be that you did it?” Leonora Nakiri said.

"You can't say that. There's a famous Chinese dish called 'Lamb Bites Fish.' While the principle is similar, strictly speaking, they're two different concepts. After all, that's the actual food, and it doesn't undergo much processing. In terms of freshness, it can't compare. After all, that's not the theme of that dish." Su Luo spoke quite frankly, since the theme of what she was making was freshness. The two dishes were only similar in concept, but in terms of taste, they were completely different.

Su Luo's dish doesn't have anything else to it; it simply emphasizes freshness. Whether you take the first bite or smell it, the only thing that comes to mind is freshness. There are no other flavors; it feels like the ultimate in flavor.

“Oh, I see.” Leonora Nakiri nodded and said.

"This dish is truly creative! Despite using such inferior ingredients, it's incredibly delicious. In particular, I can't taste any of the other ingredients at all. If it weren't for the sheer number of ingredients, I would have thought it was made from just one. To describe this dish in one word, 'fresh,' it's absolutely wonderful." Senzaemon Nakiri felt as if he had transformed into a fish, swimming with a school of fish. The freshness was incomparable, and his clothes burst open.

"Look! The commander-in-chief's clothes have ripped open!!"

"What? Even the Demon King can't taste the ingredients inside?"

"This...you must be joking, right?"

"How is this possible?"

"···"

After hearing Senzaemon Nakiri's words, everyone in the arena was in an uproar. Such high praise was simply unbelievable. Even the head of Totsuki Academy couldn't recognize this dish. Actually, it was quite normal. It's just that Senzaemon Nakiri had always been so revered in many people's minds that they found this incredible. No matter how skilled a chef is, he is still human at heart!

"Mmm~ This fish is so incredibly tender, it tastes just like pufferfish. It melts in your mouth, and this is only from the soup! It's even more delicious than the broth. The whole dish looks so exquisite and beautiful. It's made up of glutamic acid, amino acids, and so on. It feels like your tongue is melting when you eat it. The fish is simply prepared, but that's the essence of the dish." While Senzaemon Nakiri was speaking, Leonora Nakiri had already picked up a piece of fish and started eating. The thick layer of fat, the freshness and tenderness, the feeling of it melting in your mouth, it was like your whole body was melting.

"The review process is now complete!"

"Okay... Let's begin the judgment!"

After Su Luo's review was completed, the competition was nearing its end, and the final stage of judgment was approaching. Senzaemon Nakiri stood up and addressed the crowd.

As the competition entered its final stages, the atmosphere across the arena became incredibly tense. The atmosphere was electric, with players seemingly scrambling for position. The tension was palpable.

Of these four people, there can only be one winner!

The outcome is decided!

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of drumbeats rang out, the powerful sound echoing throughout the entire stadium.

"Thank you all for your hard work...! In the decisive moment, you all showed your individuality, which was enough to compete with others... In the end, all four of you served up delicious dishes in front of everyone, each with its own merits!"

Let's start with cooking skills! In this respect, the four of them are evenly matched, but Su Luo's control over this aspect is relatively better.