Can you handle my Hikigaya's cooking?

It is difficult to make it taste bad, but also difficult to make it taste delicious. In short, if you don't use those ingredients, it won't taste like ramen, and if you use those ingredients, there won't be a big difference in taste.

Therefore, for them, ramen is a subject that they rarely try. After all, the plasticity is not very strong. They can't always think of themselves as Ichiraku Ramen next door, with a different emotional bonus...

Even if it was Shiroichiro, it was a little too casual.

Maybe that's how it looks in other people's eyes, but for Hachiman, it's because he knows his father well, so...

This is definitely not your ordinary ramen.

At a speed that cannot be distinguished by the naked eye, it is difficult to know what is added to the ramen.

And this will be the key to victory or defeat.

If you think Shiroichiro is letting the opponent win on purpose, then you don't know him at all. After all, he told Hachiman yesterday that cooking is his life. No matter who his opponent is or what the stakes are, as long as he is on the stove, he should abandon everything and focus completely on it.

In this case...

Hachiman took a deep breath and stopped focusing on his father.

After all, victory or defeat cannot be determined with the naked eye. The story of cooking is to judge everything through the inner qualities, and observation at the moment is no longer meaningful.

The best interpretation of this showdown is to place hope on your own cooking.

Hachiman did not gain nothing during this period. After all, he would open cooking books whenever he had free time and quickly caught up on the basic knowledge therein. Through communication with Takumi, he was also able to understand the unique charm of cooking.

The dish he was going to prepare in this duel was none other than coconut chicken noodles.

This snack comes from a small country in the world. Although it is not famous in the world, it is a very famous dish in the local area. The noodles are supported by beating them with flour and cut into short noodles about the length of the palm before being put into the pot. This can ignore the disadvantage of Yawata's own handwork to the greatest extent.

Secondly, the key to coconut chicken noodles lies in the soup. It is made with chicken soup as the base and fresh coconut milk from Southeast Asia. It has a rich taste. The most common dish is simple soup with noodles. In some places, bean sprouts, sliced ​​boiled eggs, coriander or a kind of fried thin noodles are added as toppings. The noodles are chewy and the soup is a blend of the rich aroma of chicken soup and coconut milk.

Of course, fish sauce and shallots are also indispensable. With the seasoning of lemon juice, it can be regarded as a very refreshing dish for breakfast and can quickly arouse everyone's taste buds.

...

Because Hachiman was a little slower, the first person to serve the food was, as expected, Shiroichiro. He still had that confident smile on his face, even though he was only serving an ordinary bowl of ramen.

Marui: "It's really ramen..."

Isshiki: "No... Why does the soup of this ramen look so thick..."

Ryoko: "What secret does it contain..."

Granny Wenxu: "Although it's a bit unpleasant to eat such thick food for breakfast, but... I'm going to eat."

Hachiman's gaze also swept over at this moment.

Chapter 75: You who are weak will also change here!

Perhaps not long ago, Hachiman had never imagined such a scene, as a chef competing with his father. Such a daily routine clearly happened in the former "Hikigaya Hotel", but at that time, he was just a bystander.

And now, after learning that his father, Shiroichiro, was once the second in command, the confrontation between the two of them can definitely be called a challenge.

If Komachi knew about this, how would she react? For some reason, even though we were in the middle of a duel, this strange thought came to my mind.

After all, it was just a fleeting thought, and Hachiman quickly turned his attention back to the previous one. After all, it was not a formal competition, so there was no need to wait until he finished cooking before serving the food.

That's right, Shiroichiro had already finished cooking. Even though it was just ramen, it would not be so easy to deal with the former runner-up among the top ten.

On the other side, Grandma Wenxu was the first to pick up the chopsticks. Although it was not good to eat such thick food in the morning, perhaps because she had eaten Chengichiro's cooking for too long, she ignored this factor.

For the others, after all, they are still young and energetic. Although they don’t have much appetite to eat such rich food early in the morning, but... this is Shiroichiro’s cooking after all, so this filter disappears.

Following Granny Wenxu's actions, others followed suit and slurped the noodles directly into their mouths. The expected smooth taste and gentle temperature danced on the tongue like a green snake, leaving behind a rich aroma.

I took just one bite but couldn't stop eating. It didn't have the rich taste I had imagined. It was obviously ramen, but it was different from the stereotype of taste and seemed a bit fresh and sweet.

Shocked by the unique taste, even Senior Isshiki couldn't stop himself from slurping the noodles into his mouth, and finally he clapped his hands.

“It’s amazing… Adding grapefruit to the flour really makes the noodles extra fresh and sweet.”

Granny Wenxu: "It's a thick soup base, but it makes you want to move your chopsticks. It brings a whole new shock without losing the taste of the ramen itself."

Tadokoro: "It's amazing... I can't stop..."

Ibusaki: "If I'm not mistaken, the soup base is made from soy milk and burnt miso, but it's impossible for the taste to be so strong. What's the secret..."

Mito: "It's so strange. There was a very strong smell of meat, but I didn't even get to eat a piece of meat. Why is that?"

In response to these two questions, Shiroichiro simply told his story calmly:

"When I was traveling overseas, I met a monk who had to abstain from meat for several weeks due to various religious reasons. I was struggling with how to make him an unforgettable meal. After repeated failures, I finally found the key."

Under Cheng Yilang's explanation, everyone listened quietly, and as he picked out the "secret" from it, they finally understood the secret.

"This is Dougu, a fermented soybean product originated in Indonesia. It is made by fermenting a wine mold that parasitizes on hibiscus flowers and banana leaves. It has a history of more than 1 years in the local area and is a very popular food for vegetarians and local religious people."

Mito, who was standing by, also took a bite of the fermented black beans in her bowl. But for just a moment, she seemed to be so shocked that even the hand holding the chopsticks began to tremble slightly.

"Although the taste is light, it has a very good texture when you bite it, just like barbecued pork. It is obviously just a vegetarian dish, but... it tastes richer than meat. It's really amazing."

Even Mito, who has always been a carnivore, said such words, which shows how important the fermented soybeans are in this ramen.

During this time, Hachiman finally finished his cooking. After Shiroichiro handed over the food, he also took a light taste of the so-called "fermented black beans".

Yes, if it were just under normal circumstances, the role of fermented soybeans would definitely not be as great as it is now. Precisely because it is breakfast, Shiroichiro deliberately did not use any meat, and... if you chew it carefully, you will find that Shiroichiro also added soy sauce and cooking wine to this so-called "fermented soybeans" and simply roasted it, so it will have such a flavor.

But more...

Hachiman: "It seems that you, Dad, added some thick, delicate and sticky shrimp yam to the noodles. This way, the ramen, which is not very thick, will taste so thick, like cream."

It seemed that when he heard that it was his own son who had revealed the secret of this ramen, Shiroichiro's face showed some happiness. After all, as far as learning cooking was concerned, he did not teach Hachiman anything, and he relied mostly on his own learning.

Senior Isshiki also discovered this later after being reminded by Hachiman. If you don't look carefully, you won't be able to notice the thick cream under the soup.

Ryoko: "Hey, why does it taste hot to me?"

Hachiman: "It's the effect of the chili oil, minced ginger and minced garlic. The pungent taste is neutralized by the thick soy milk. It's obviously ramen, but such bold ingredients are used..."

Cheng Yilang: "Hey, little brat, now you know how powerful your father is."

Regarding such bickering, Hachiman was not Komachi. He was just too lazy to respond and continued to focus on his father's cooking.

The crispy thin lotus root slices and beef offal are fried until golden brown, while the carrots and turnips are roasted directly over charcoal fire until slightly charred. In order to bring out the sweetness of the ingredients themselves, fine salt is used for seasoning. Although it is a ramen that does not look special at all, every side dish is cooked to perfection.

Most importantly...even this soup is definitely not a simple soup base.

This is a taste that even Hachiman has never tasted before. The vegetarian soup made from the outstanding kelp and shiitake mushrooms, combined with the fermented black beans, is absolutely flawless.

Just taking a simple bite, Hachiman felt as if all the burdens were lifted from his body.

My dad’s cooking is something I can never surpass, no matter how hard I try. Be it the craftsmanship, the side dishes, the pairings, or even the care put into it.

As a chef, he knows his own dishes best. This seemingly simple ramen is definitely not something that a half-baked person like him can make. If he doesn't put in the corresponding effort, the taste will definitely not be on the same level.

Almost unconsciously, everyone finished all the food in their hands, not even leaving any soup. It was early in the morning, when everyone's appetite was not very strong, but they gave such an answer. Naturally, the score appeared in everyone's mind.

"77 points!"

Eight people scored a total of 77 points, which is perfect and cannot be criticized. Of course, why is it only 77? It is Granny Wenxu...

"Please, at least take care of an old man like me. I'm telling you, Joichiro, do you know that eating such thick food is very harmful to the body? You used to be like this. You were obviously a very weak opponent, but you directly challenged new dishes in the food battle, ignored the topic of the duel, and even used dark dishes to tease the referee. That's why you often lose to those weaker guys than you for no reason."

As for Granny Wenxu's chattering, Cheng Yilang was like a naughty child, listening in one ear and out the other, nodding his head and saying:

"Yes, yes, next time for sure."

As for the others, almost all of them gave full marks, and they were left with nothing but complete admiration for this man who once ranked second among the top ten.

Hachiman took a deep breath. He seemed to have anticipated the next outcome. If it were him in the past, since he would fail anyway, he would definitely choose to escape or leave. However...

Sometimes people are just like this, unable to make their own choices, or it is like this most of the time, so they are forced to grow up. As for Hachiman... he has long been accustomed to it. After all, he has never said it once. When it comes to talking about defeat in battle, he can be said to be a master.

Moreover, since my father told me that if I continue on this path, I might find the so-called "real thing", then there is nothing to escape from now on.

After everyone finished giving their scores, Hachiman quickly brought out his dish, coconut milk chicken noodles.

Joichiro on the side also spoke up:

"Come to think of it, this is my first time tasting my own son's cooking. It really makes me feel like a father."

"Stupid, it's too much of a failure to have it now."

As if they were amused by the bickering between the two, everyone just focused their attention on the two of them, but did not realize that their hands had already reached out to the bowl.

Unlike Joichiro's ramen, Yawata's coconut chicken noodles constantly exude a strong coconut flavor, which would probably not be achieved with just simple coconut...

In fact, the traditional coconut chicken noodles are just a common dish made by combining cooked chicken and coconut, but...

Knowing that there was nothing outstanding about this dish, Hachiman completely disrupted the steps when making it.

After simply processing the chicken, he just cooked it and took it out. In the prepared coconut, he placed the chicken directly inside the coconut, heated the coconut with charcoal fire, and directly merged the coconut water and chicken inside.

This is the most effective method and the one that brings out the most prominent coconut and chicken flavors.

As the noodles went down their throats, the cool sea breeze seemed to surge towards everyone. Although Shiroichiro's ramen had brought freshness to everyone, it was still too weak compared to coconut water.

Ryoko: "No, that's not right.. this noodle..."

Marui: "I've never tasted noodles like this before. What is it?"

Isshiki: "It's coconut powder..."

Shiroichiro: "Very creative..."

Indeed, as Isshiki said, because he knew very well that his own cooking skills could never catch up with his father who had been engaged in cooking for so many years, Hachiman directly crushed the inner shell of the coconut through a machine and added an equal amount of coconut powder when kneading the flour.

This is not enough. Although it can maximize the coconut and chicken flavors, both coconut and chicken are fishy ingredients, so...

If you put too much of it into a dish, it will only make people feel sick, and the not-so-rich taste will only become a failure in the end.

Hachiman, who had thought of this a long time ago, completely solved this problem by adding another ingredient, and this ingredient is the legendary Cordyceps flower. While removing the fishy smell, it also alleviates the sweetness of coconut milk to a certain extent, making a dish less sweet, which is also extremely important.

After all, no matter what flavor it is, if it is excessive, it will have the opposite effect. If a chef cannot even control this point, it will be extremely difficult to make delicious dishes.

In fact, cooking is a very sophisticated skill. As a chef, you need to consider not only whether it tastes good or not, but also put yourself in the other person's shoes and think about what this dish represents from the other person's perspective.

Only in this way can we make the fastest progress.

Compared with the previous dish, Granny Wenxu seemed to enjoy the coconut milk chicken noodles more. Although the chicken seemed too ordinary compared to the "fermented black beans", it was this ordinariness that made Granny Wenxu feel at ease. Through the combination of chicken and coconut milk, this is a dish that is more suitable for the elderly. The chicken is also smooth and not dry. With the help of coconut water, it has a unique flavor.

The same was true for Mito. As a strong carnivore, she quickly showed a happy smile on her face: "Can this chicken really be made by simply steaming it?"

Faced with this question, Isshiki seems to have found the answer:

"This is chicken with cornstarch added... The sweetness it exudes after being roasted is somewhat different from the sweetness of coconut water."

I can only say that he is worthy of being senior Isshiki. He can distinguish such delicate flavors. Just as Isshiki said, this is the chicken he made by baking. Although the side dishes are not as sophisticated as his father's, it is absolutely impossible for him to not have any response.

Tadokoro: "Hikigaya-san, you are amazing..."

Ryoko: "It really is very much like your cooking, Hikigaya."

There is nothing wrong, Hachiman's cooking is like a machine, there will never be any weird taste in the cooking, but if it is just a conservative machine, it is completely different, because his combination of ingredients is absolutely creative.

The refreshing taste, although the noodles are steamed, they taste like cold noodles, and the soup base and chicken are sweet but not greasy. The occasional coconut shreds also bring rich taste layers to this coconut chicken noodles.

As if he was satisfied with Hachiman's ability, Joichiro, who had just been bickering with him, also smiled indifferently at this moment.

"Well, now it's time to score."

"Judges, please give your scores."

Under the moderation of Grandma Wenxu, everyone wrote down their numbers on their papers one after another. However, Tansho Kei still seemed a little hesitant. The shock brought by the two dishes was definitely not something that could be simply judged. The conflict from within was like two little men, constantly attacking her spirit and questioning her heart.

This is the Culinary Academy, where everything is decided by food. No matter who the other party is or what kind of relationship you have, when you stand on the stage, you must do your best to cook your best dish. Only in this way can you show respect to the other party. As a judge, you must also abandon all selfishness and make the most correct choice.

"9 points!"

With the final words from judge Kei Tadokoro, everyone seemed to have made a very difficult decision at this moment, and they just looked at the two of them with somewhat unpleasant expressions.

And according to Granny Wenxu's statistics, the score of Hachiman's Coconut Chicken Noodles is about to appear.

"76 points!"

Upon hearing this score, Hachiman felt as if he had lost control of his body. Although he was a very rational person, he felt like he was dreaming at this moment.

He thought winning or losing was not important, but at this moment, he truly felt the meaning of victory or defeat. Even though his opponent was his father, who was once the runner-up of the top ten, but...