Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　The powerful impact made Alice Nakiri's body go limp, but she managed to stand with her legs spread apart. At this moment, her entire body...

　Every cell is cheering!

　How could anyone possibly win with a dish of this caliber!

　Alice Nakiri's mind was screaming wildly. The difference was just too great! Compared to Shirayuki, the sea bream she was handling was practically a waste of food.

　Unable to refuse, I couldn't stop what I was doing.

　One bite, two bites, three bites...

　By the time I was about to take my fourth bite, all the sashimi on the mountain of fresh sea bream had been devoured, leaving not a single trace.

　The atmosphere was incredibly quiet throughout the process; you could hear a pin drop. Even after the food was finished, everyone kept their eyes closed, savoring the exquisite flavors in their mouths.

　After a while, Alice Nakiri suddenly opened her eyes, blushed, and ran back to her room. When she came out, she had already changed her clothes. Obviously, the effect of the clothes bursting out was still there, but she had just suppressed it and postponed it.

　Having been fed by Bai Yuan for so many years, her resistance to food has long reached a new level; ordinary glowing dishes cannot break her armor.

　"Shall we continue the competition?"

　Hearing footsteps, Leonora Nakiri snapped out of her reverie and looked at Alice Nakiri with a complicated expression, asking for her opinion. The outcome of this match was no longer in doubt.

　"Beat it! My master taught me that a chef must have a fighting spirit. Even if you know your chances of winning are slim, you must do everything in your power to fight for a sliver of hope!"

　Alice Nakiri said in a firm voice that she had requested this match herself and there was absolutely no reason for her to run away at the last minute.

　"Well said! Keep going, and I'll point out any mistakes."

　Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Bai Yuan nodded with satisfaction. All those years of teaching had finally paid off. He didn't need a useless disciple who would give up at the first sign of trouble!

　So, under Bai Yuan's urging, Nakiri Alice stepped back to her kitchen counter, picked up the knife again, placed her fingers on the prepared fish, and skillfully began to slice the sashimi.

　Standard sashimi slices are about 3 millimeters thick. This thickness ensures that the fish slices remain tender and smooth when eaten, while also allowing them to better absorb the flavors of the seasonings and enhance the overall taste.

　Without considering other factors, Alice Nakiri operates directly according to this standard, with an error of no more than 0.1 millimeters for each piece.

　Watching the girl's efficient cooking method, Bai Yuan nodded secretly. As expected, this girl's knife skills had reached the top level.

　"Very good, but since I've served sashimi, you can choose another dish."

　Seeing that Alice Nakiri was looking at him, seemingly seeking his approval, Bai Yuan smiled and nodded at her to show his approval, and then made a new request.

　This was a pop quiz, designed to test Alice Nakiri's ability to adapt to changing circumstances, a necessary quality for any chef.

　"There are many ways to make raw fish dishes, but the most representative one, without a doubt, is Sichuan-style boiled fish slices!"

　Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Alice Nakiri did not panic. Instead, she calmed down and began to think of a solution. She knew that she could not win with sashimi alone, so while cutting sashimi, she was also constantly creating new dishes.

　What kind of dish should I prepare to win the competition? Alice Nakiri remained silent, then trotted to the kitchen and brought out a bunch of spices.

　Since Bai Yuan has put effort into the texture of the fish, she will start with the aroma and use the charm of chili peppers to make an authentic boiled fish fillet dish!

　Chapter Thirty-Five: Tradition and Innovation, Boiled Fish Slices

　"It seems you already have the answer in your heart."

　Seeing the change in Nakiri Alice's expression, Bai Yuan immediately understood that she had a plan, and a look of relief appeared on his face.

　What he feared most was teaching a rigid apprentice who didn't know how to adapt.

　"Look at me!"

　A confident look appeared on Alice Nakiri's face, and then she began to operate. As a famous Sichuan dish, she naturally knew how to make boiled fish fillets, but she hadn't practiced it many times.

　In my memory, Bai Yuan cooked it once a few years ago. The taste can be described in four words: numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant. The fish slices were tender and delicious.

　However, Bai Yuan used grass carp back then, while she is now using sea bream, and there is a clear difference between the two. The most important thing to pay attention to is the cooking time.

　Different types of fish require different cooking times. If you only know how to apply a formula, you'll never reach the premium grade!

　While silently pondering the difference between grass carp and sea bream, Alice Nakiri started simmering fish soup, an important part of the broth for boiled fish fillets.

　After simmering the soup, Alice took out some scallions and ginger, smashed them, added salt and cooking wine, and poured them into the plate to enhance the flavor of the sashimi.

　After this part is completed, the soul of boiled fish fillets lies in the preparation of the chopped chili peppers.

　The best choice for making slicing chili peppers is Erjingtiao dried chili pepper, which is spicy but not too intense, making it more suitable for the general public.

　Heat oil in a pan over low heat and stir-fry until the peppers change color slightly. Remove the peppers from the pan. At this point, the peppers will be crisp. Place them on a cutting board and chop them into coarse noodles with the edge of a knife.

　Prepare the Sichuan peppercorns in the same way and mix them with the processed dried Erjingtiao chili peppers. In this way, the part of the knife-cut chili pepper is completed.

　"If the chili peppers are too coarse, the flavor won't come through; if they're too fine, the flavor will be too diffused. Therefore, coarse noodles are the most suitable choice for making boiled fish fillets."

　select."

　Recalling Bai Yuan's teachings, Alice Nakiri carefully placed the prepared chili peppers into a bowl for later use.

　After preparing the most crucial ingredient for boiled fish fillets—the diced chili peppers—the next step is to prepare the base vegetables.

　Celery, garlic sprouts, cabbage, and lettuce tips are the four vegetables that form the basis of traditional boiled fish fillets, a tradition that Baek Yeon brought back from a hundred years ago.

　Heat oil in a pot, add fermented bean paste and stir-fry. Then add minced ginger and garlic, stir-fry over low heat until fragrant, then add fish bone broth (after filtering out fish bones), salt, a little soy sauce, and a splash of cooking wine.

　Alice Nakiri handled these steps with great care, making slight adjustments to account for the subtle differences between sea bream and grass carp.

　Looking at the bubbling soup in front of her, the girl picked up the plate of sashimi, picked out the leftover scallions and ginger, sprinkled cornstarch on top, and then spun the plate around to quickly lock in the freshness of the fish.

　This will also make the fish meat more tender and smooth.

　After the soup base boiled, she added the fish slices one by one. She then prepared to use a soup spoon to separate the fish slices to prevent them from sticking together. However, before she could make a move, Bai Yuan grabbed her wrist.

　"Wait a moment, let it set before pushing it. If you push it now, the starch on the fish slices will easily fall off, making the soup thick and affecting the final taste of the fish slices."

　"I see, I've learned a lesson."

　Looking at the bubbling boiled fish slices in front of him, Bai Yuan stood behind Nakiri Alice for more than ten seconds before gently pushing her forward with his hand after the fish slices had completely set.

　"Cook for three minutes."

　Cooking time that is too long or too short will affect the texture of the fish fillets. Sea bream fillets typically have a firmer texture and finer fibers, giving them excellent elasticity and resilience, so they need to be cooked a little longer than grass carp fillets.

　Looking at the state of the sea bream in the pot, Bai Yuan patiently explained, then released his grip on Nakiri Alice's wrist and stepped aside.

　Completely unaware that Alice Nakiri's ears were red, her heart rate had exceeded 100, and she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

　The master just taught her step by step!

　As far as I can remember, she didn't seem to receive this treatment after she turned ten.

　How I miss those days! Bai Yuan took her small hand in his large one and guided her step by step to experience how a top chef cooks.

　While mentally calculating the time, Alice Nakiri placed the cooked fish fillets into the previously prepared bowl of vegetables, then cleaned the pot and poured in the bottom oil.

　The key to making delicious boiled fish fillets is to place chopped chili peppers on top of the fish fillets and then pour in boiling hot oil. The hot oil will release the aroma of the chopped chili peppers, making the whole bowl of boiled fish fillets spicy, numbing, and fragrant.

　"Not bad. Although it doesn't have any special features, it's very solidly made and adheres to tradition. It's worth mentioning that some people in the martial arts world replace the final drizzle of oil with spiced oil."

　Spiced oil is oil made by frying various spices. It has a richer and more fragrant flavor than ordinary oil, which enhances the taste of boiled fish fillets.

　However, if the fish fillets are fresh enough, using flavored oil will mask their natural flavor, thus lowering the quality of the dish. I'm glad you remember what I told you back then.

　After finishing the boiled fish fillets, Alice Nakiri placed them directly in front of Bai Yuan, staring at him with her big eyes, like a puppy expecting praise.

　Faced with such a Nakiri Alice, Bai Yuan smiled faintly and began to comment on the fish slices.

　When he first taught this dish, he asked her to find information online to make it, and then he used her boiled fish fillets as a teaching example.

　The version of boiled fish slices that Nakiri Alice found at the time was a version from a Jianghu restaurant. The details were much rougher than the original, but what impressed Bai Yuan the most was the spiced oil poured on at the end.

　This method only works on fish fillets that are not very fresh. Since less fresh fish fillets retain very little umami flavor, other methods are needed to enhance the flavor profile. Flavored oil is the best choice.

　However, even if one does this kind of cooking very well, it is difficult to reach the threshold of the top-grade level, so Bai Yuan does not recommend that Nakiri Alice learn it.

　"That's right, I've always kept that in mind! The main point of boiled fish fillets is to highlight the freshness of the fish, I would never make such a basic mistake!"

　"Actually, it wasn't exactly a mistake. I was a bit too absolute in what I said at the time. It masked the freshness of the fish slices. The main problem was that the flavor oil in your recipe was not right."

　Later, I tried it a few times on my own and found that as long as I made a spice oil using galangal, sand ginger, white pepper, cardamom, and perilla seeds, the umami flavor of the fish slices would actually come out.

　I call it, "Boiled Fish Slices - Modified!"

　Bai Yuan launched into a long, unrestrained speech, refuting his previous statements without any reservations.

　He became incredibly excited when the topic turned to food, and as he spoke, he picked up his chopsticks and began to taste the boiled fish fillets made by Alice Nakiri.

　Numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant!

　Once these four elements are complete, the dish reaches the top level. To go further, one needs to master the control of heat, understand the ingredients, and delve deeper into the flavor!

　Chapter Thirty-Six: Plans to Open a Shop

　"The spices you mentioned are all spices that remove the fishy smell from fish. The spice oil made from them can indeed enhance the freshness of fish."

　Although the impact on marine fish is not obvious.

　But its impact on river fish is decisive; it can even elevate the final flavor of the dish by several levels—truly a brilliant idea!

　At the same time, Leonora Nakiri's voice rang out from the side, her gaze towards Bai Yuan becoming increasingly satisfied.

　This guy is not only a superb cook, but also has a deep understanding of all kinds of spices and ingredients. He's practically a perfect superman!

　"You're right. Compared to the muddy taste of river fish, sea fish is relatively better. It doesn't need too many spices to stimulate it. You should try it too. This dish is really well made."

　As Bai Yuan spoke, he pushed the boiled fish slices in front of him toward Nakiri Leonora. It was a pity there was no rice here, otherwise he could eat ten bowls!

　"Delicious! The fish is tender and smooth, the spiciness is within an acceptable range, and the numbing sensation makes it truly unforgettable!"

　As she put the fish slice into her mouth, a look of enjoyment appeared on Leonora Nakiri's face. She then placed a hand on her cheek, closed her eyes, and savored the taste.

　"The chili peppers are prepared perfectly, allowing the spiciness and numbing sensation to be fully released. The starch effectively locks in the moisture of the fish, ensuring its freshness while maintaining its tender texture."

　I didn't expect you to be so good at seafood cooking, besides molecular gastronomy.

　Kurokiba Ryo opened his eyes, exhaling hot air and feeling the delicious flavors swirling in his mouth. He then looked at Nakiri Alice with a slightly strange expression. Was this girl an all-rounder?

　"Hmph, molecular gastronomy is just one of my specialties. I can also do a little bit of boiling, grilling, stir-frying, and pastry!"

　Alice Nakiri said proudly, because Shirabuchi's teachings were comprehensive, so her learning was naturally comprehensive as well, only with a greater emphasis on molecular gastronomy.

　Because it's a field she's interested in, Alice Nakiri studies exceptionally hard, and her win rate against Ryo Kurokiba has been remarkably high in recent years.

　"Master, I lost this match, but I won't give up. One day I will defeat you and make you fall at my feet!"

　Watching the group enjoying the food with happy expressions, Alice Nakiri suddenly appeared in front of Shiro Awakening. Without needing any evaluation, she knew very well that she had no chance of winning, so she simply conceded defeat.

　However, not being able to win now doesn't mean she can't win in the future. She's still so young. Even if there's a huge gap in other fields, she'll be able to defeat him in the field of molecular gastronomy sooner or later!

　"I'm really looking forward to this day, but your last sentence was a bit strange!"

　Bai Yuan said sincerely that one of the greatest pleasures in life is competing with masters, and it would definitely be even more exciting to fight against masters he had trained! Just thinking about it made him incredibly excited!

　But what did Alice Nakiri mean by her last sentence? Did she intend to defeat him and then make him kneel and worship her? Is she trying to rebel against the Heavenly Generals?

　"Hmph, anyway, I wasn't wrong in what I meant. You'll understand the meaning of my words in the future, you blockhead Bai Yuan!"

　Seeing Bai Yuan's expression, Nakiri Alice hesitated, but in the end she turned her head away and snorted softly, without explaining what she had just said.

　"What a youth."

　Watching all this, Leonora Nakiri couldn't help but sigh, her face beaming with a satisfied smile, clearly pleased with the way the two got along.

　"Master, I have realized my shortcomings this time, and I want to go into seclusion to hone my skills! Please teach me even more advanced cooking techniques!"

　Suddenly, Alice Nakiri changed the subject, looking at Bai Yuan with a sincere expression.

　After this battle, she realized her shortcomings and that there are still many areas where she can improve and make progress.

　"Actually, I've already taught you everything I could. The rest can't be solved by just practicing."

　A soldier can never become a general without the trials of battle, and the same applies to a cook.

　Looking at Alice Nakiri's expectant eyes, Bai Yuan pondered for a moment and then said seriously, "This girl's foundation is already good enough. It's time to take it a step further!"

　"Isn't that unnecessary? Practicing at home is just as good, isn't it? Besides, Kurokiba opened a shop too, but his skills are still inferior to mine."

　The clever Alice Nakiri naturally understood what Bai Yuan meant. He was preparing her to open a shop to practice, but was there any difference between that and practicing at home?

　"I just made a mistake. Don't think you're really better than me! If you don't believe me, we can have another match now and see who's better!"

　"Oh? You made a mistake and have been making mistakes for 5 years in a row? I remember our record over these 5 years is 12:299."

　I'm 299, you're 12. Four of those wins were in the first year, and the remaining four years saw a total of eight wins, all by surprise.

　As for the competition, I'm already exhausted today and simply don't have the energy to deal with another person. Then again, even if I were to win against someone in this state, there's nothing to be proud of.

　If she can't beat Bai Yuan, can't she beat Kurokiba Ryo?