Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　If winning a game could be achieved through one or two exceptional performances, then what's the point of diligent practice every day?

　"There will be a way out!"

　Hearing Liu Yu's somewhat provocative words, Huang Mei's voice was exceptionally firm, and she met his gaze without hesitation. For a moment, they were locked in a fierce confrontation, neither willing to back down.

　"Let's begin then. I hope your cooking will be worthy of my preparation over the past few months."

　After the pre-battle pleasantries, both sides entered their optimal state of combat readiness. Huang Mei looked at the fresh grass carp in front of her, a serious expression on her face.

　Place the grass carp on a clean cutting board with its head facing you and its tail facing outwards.

　Before joining the world of culinary disasters, Huang Mei was a highly skilled fish butcher at RT-Mart. Despite her young age, she had extensive experience in butchering fish, and with her superhuman touch, every cut was precise and precise.

　Accurate.

　Hold the fish head firmly with one hand, and with the other hand holding a sharp cleaver, quickly slice it from below the fish head, keeping the blade close to the fish bones, and cut the fish body open to the tail, exposing the internal organs.

　Next, gently insert the tip of the knife into the fish's belly, slice upwards, and carefully remove all the internal organs without breaking the gallbladder, so as not to affect the taste of the fish meat.

　Then, use a kitchen knife to gently scrape away the black membrane and any remaining internal organs from inside the fish's belly to ensure that the fish's interior is clean and free of foreign objects.

　The process was smooth and seamless, without any awkwardness or hindrance. The fresh grass carp was like a greenhorn in Huang Mei's hands, completely at her mercy.

　"What a fast knife."

　In the audience, Kurokiba Ryo witnessed all of this and quietly expressed his admiration.

　Huang Mei's knife skills are all basic, but because she is extremely skilled, they appear very powerful, as if she is using some special knife technique.

　"This amazing skill level requires at least ten years of experience killing fish."

　Zhou Tai's voice rang out as he watched Huang Mei prepare to cook the grass carp, his eyes filled with admiration.

　"In comparison, the other one is quite average. While there are no obvious flaws, there's nothing particularly outstanding about him either."

　As soon as Senzaemon Nakiri finished speaking, Bai Yuan and Zhou Tai both looked over and noticed that Liu Yu's movements were slow, but his strikes were exceptionally decisive.

　"This is just the first step; the final result will depend on the dishes they serve."

　Bai Yuan spoke up, saying that Liu Yu wasn't good at butchering ingredients; she was better at cooking with the ingredients she had on hand. She was probably just showing off her skills by butchering live fish today.

　"That's true, but focusing on fish is a bit too broad, and it could easily turn into a competition of old recipes with nothing new."

　At this point, Zhou Tai pursed his lips, clearly dissatisfied with the theme of the competition. An overly broad theme is not a good thing for a chef.

　While the range of choices has increased, it can easily turn into a contest of experience; whoever has mastered a powerful and applicable recipe can win simply by applying it directly.

　Truly high-level culinary competitions add various restrictions, requiring chefs not only to create new dishes but also to test their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

　"After all, these are just competitions for beginners, there's no need to make them too difficult."

　Of course, there is another reason.

　"Totsuki Academy wants to show its strength to the outside world, so a topic that's too difficult could easily backfire. We'll naturally increase the difficulty during the second-year internal academy assessments."

　Senzaemon Nakiri spoke slowly, as he also had his own considerations.

　If it's an internal assessment within the academy, then the more difficult the better, since the goal is to eliminate students and put pressure on them to become stronger.

　However, the Summer Selection can be considered a recruitment brochure for Totsuki Academy, attracting outsiders to come and watch, while showcasing the talent of Totsuki students.

　If the performers on stage are good enough, it will be enough to attract parents to send their children to study there.

　Therefore, the themes of the cooking competitions chosen for the Summer Selection are all very conventional, just in case the contestants can't control themselves and embarrass themselves, bringing shame to Totsuki Academy.

　"That's true. Education must be done step by step; you can't get fat overnight."

　Zhou Tai understood the key point after hearing what Senzaemon Nakiri said, and he also understood why he did it this way. After all, for the culinary academy, enrollment was the most important thing.

　Although Totsuki Academy has always had a high dropout rate, seemingly disregarding students and even despising those without talent, they would certainly be unhappy if no students came.

　"Ah ha ha."

　Bai Yuan, Zhou Tai, and Senzaemon Nakiri exchanged glances, each pointing at the other's face with a smile, everything understood without being said.

　"Using scallions, ginger, orange juice, rice wine, and white pepper to remove the fishy smell is a good idea; it skillfully utilizes the natural aroma of the fruit."

　Refocusing his attention on the competition, Zhou Tai noticed Huang Mei adding various ingredients to a bowl of fish and offered his unreserved critique.

　"Orange juice is rich in organic acids such as citric acid. These acidic components can give fish a unique sour and refreshing taste, making the pickled fish more appetizing and tempting."

　In addition, during the marinating process with orange juice, the proteins in the fish denature, changing from translucent to opaque, and the texture becomes harder and crisper, thus improving the taste of the fish.

　Bai Yuan acted as the commentator, for no one knew more about common ingredients than him. He had already memorized the functions and uses of these common ingredients in order to better prepare his dishes.

　Ordinary people think that his rapid growth is due to talent, but only Bai Yuan himself knows that the reason he can become so powerful is entirely due to his own efforts, step by step reaching the pinnacle!

　"People in Latin America use orange juice to marinate fish, which is quite a unique dish."

　Zhou Tai looked at Bai Yuan in surprise. He hadn't expected that Bai Yuan would have such a thorough understanding of ingredients at such a young age. No wonder he could become a top-tier seven-star chef.

　Although he couldn't go into such detail, he knew that this dish was popular in Latin America because he had eaten it there.

　"The citric acid in orange juice can neutralize the alkaline compounds in fish, thus effectively removing the fishy smell. At the same time, the aroma of oranges can also add a refreshing fruity fragrance to the fish."

　Of course, the most crucial

　It keeps the fish meat tender and smooth, which helps improve its texture; it's truly a clever design.

　Senzaemon Nakiri has been the headmaster of the academy for so long, and he has seen all kinds of cuisines when he was young. Using fruit to cook dishes is actually not uncommon in Totsuki Culinary Academy.

　After all, fruit is a very good ingredient for cooking.

　Set the marinated fish aside, then chop some orange peel and scallions. When preparing the scallions, Huang Mei made decorative cuts to make it easier to release their flavor.

　On the other hand, the fish was marinated for ten minutes and then deep-fried directly without needing to be coated with any starch. This was the result of an experiment.

　This move is called "clear fry".

　Deep-frying without coating with flour, batter, or starch, and directly frying the ingredients, preserves the original flavor of the ingredients to the greatest extent, making the finished product more delicious.

　Deep-fry until dry and golden brown. Once set, remove and set aside.

　Add water to a pot, blanch the scallions briefly, remove them, then add the chili peppers and blanch them as well. Remove them and set aside.

　These were things Bai Yuan had taught her before.

　Because frying food involves the loss of moisture, excessive heat can easily cause the food to brown instantly, preventing the aroma from being released. Blanching beforehand can effectively solve this problem.

　"This is the first time I've seen this method. The purpose is probably to retain the moisture in the ingredients. This little girl really knows a lot."

　Watching Huang Mei's skillful movements, Zhou Tai couldn't help but sigh.

　This technique was something he had never seen before. As an eight-star chef, he quickly figured out the secret behind it and looked at Bai Yuan, suspecting that it was his doing.

　After all, it would be difficult for a novice chef to come up with such a constructive cooking method.

　Facing Zhou Tai's gaze, Bai Yuan's expression remained unchanged. He simply watched the arena silently, pretending not to notice the scrutiny in Zhou Tai's eyes.

　Seeing this, Zhou Tai couldn't help but smile wryly, knowing that the other party didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't continue the topic and instead turned his attention back to the competition field.

　Just as a glimpse reveals the whole leopard, Huangmei's current culinary performance can, in a sense, reflect Baiyuan's culinary expertise.

　He didn't know Bai Yuan well, so he didn't want to miss any details. He needed to know at least where Bai Yuan came from. He couldn't possibly be a genius who appeared out of nowhere!

　On the field, Huang Mei steamed the fried scallions, then poured out most of the oil from the pot and added scallion segments, dried chili peppers, and orange peel.

　“Smells so good!”

　"The aroma of scallions, chili peppers, and oranges blend together, creating a deep and rich flavor that makes your mouth water just by smelling it!"

　In the audience, the aroma of food sizzling in the oil filled the air, and every spectator wore a look of pure delight.

　At the counter, Huang Mei saw that the heat was almost right, so she added a spoonful of Shaoxing wine directly into the pot. The aroma was further enhanced the moment the Shaoxing wine entered the pot.

　After that, add another spoonful of soy sauce, and then pour in all the previously fried fish.

　Cover the fish with water, add salt, pepper, oyster sauce and other seasonings, bring the water to a boil over high heat, then add dark soy sauce and fresh orange peel.

　After all this is done, all that's left is to let time do its work. Once the heat has evaporated the moisture, all the flavors in the pot will be absorbed into the fish.

　To bring out its original freshness, Huangmei uses very little seasoning, and she personally controls the proportions!

　Meanwhile, Liu Yu was halfway through cooking. She had chosen crucian carp as her ingredient, but what was puzzling was that there was also a piece of mutton next to her, which she was chopping vigorously.

　Upon seeing the ingredients she had prepared, Zhou Tai and Bai Yuan exchanged a glance and almost instantly guessed what she was going to cook.

　Fish and mutton soup.

　As the name suggests, it is half fish and half mutton. When combined, they form the character "鲜" (fresh/fresh).

　This dish combines the two ingredients, making it a dish that perfectly showcases the freshness of fish and mutton, and it was very famous in ancient times.

　Although it's a famous dish, it's actually quite simple to make. Just boil a pot of fish soup, stew the fish until tender, strain it, and then add lamb and simmer it slowly.

　A little bit of spices and herbs need to be added in the middle, but not too much, since the key to this dish is to highlight the original flavor of the ingredients.

　Only when the flavors of fish and mutton are balanced can they be combined to create a new taste, which is known as "fish and mutton freshness".

　In other words, it's about controlling the proportions.

　This is precisely Huangmei's specialty.

　Watching the two cooking, Bai Yuan felt a strange feeling arise inexplicably. If Huang Mei were to make this dish, with a little effort, she might be able to break through the standards of a star-level dish.

　Unfortunately, there is no such thing.

　Choices are important.

　Judging from Liu Yu's appearance, she must be very familiar with this dish. She has spent a lot of time practicing it this week, and now her movements are smooth and effortless.

　In comparison, Huang Mei's movements seemed much more clumsy, as if she had been forced to participate in a competition before she had even learned how to cook.

　Although Bai Yuan could see that she had already tried her best and had pushed her super-touch sense to its limit, without a clear direction, it would be futile no matter what she did.

　Of course, in terms of completeness, the dish that Huang Mei researched is not bad, and can even be said to be very good, and can be considered an innovative dish.

　But if we compare it with the history of the past...

　The dishes passed down through generations are incredibly poorly made. Although the Super Touch method gave it a slight edge, it still doesn't have the same chance of winning as Liu Yu's Fish and Lamb Stew.

　The 40/60 split has become a 30/70 split.

　Liu Yu became seven.

　"What remains is the essence of this dish!"

　After the water boiled away, Huang Mei placed all the cooked fish meat into the serving dish and arranged them neatly.

　After doing all that, add scallion oil to the pot, then throw in the steamed scallions.

　Add dark soy sauce and fish sauce, bring to a boil over high heat, then add two spoonfuls of cornstarch slurry.

　"I finished!"

　Huang Mei poured the secret sauce over the fish and let out a long breath, the sound of which rang out and attracted the attention of the judges and Bai Yuan.

　"Wow, that's fast! It seems like only an hour has passed since it started. This is definitely the fastest cooking competition dish I've ever seen completed!"

　"That's fast indeed. The one over there, judging from the state of her cooking, will need at least another half hour."

　In the audience, people chatted amongst themselves, their faces showing a hint of excitement.

　Chapter 194 Spear and Shield, Quasi-Special Grade Strength

　"It looks pretty good."

　Looking at the specially prepared grilled fish that was served in front of him, Kakuzaki Taki sniffed and couldn't help but murmur his praise as he smelled the wonderful aroma wafting from it.

　"Let's try it first."

　Mizuhara Fuyumi swallowed, her face flushed slightly. As she spoke, she picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of fish, closed her eyes, and savored it.

　When you put the fish in your mouth, the first thing you feel is its extreme tenderness. After several cooking processes, the texture of this fish can be described as extremely tender!

　With just a gentle sip, the fish melts in your mouth, leaving only its rich, fresh flavor.

　"The addition of orange juice brings a distinct fruity aroma and tangy flavor to the fish. This sweet and sour taste not only effectively neutralizes the fishy smell, but also adds a touch of freshness and elegance to it."

　Hinako Inui's voice rang out in the venue. Those around her could only see her covering half of her face, her face full of enjoyment, clearly captivated by the taste of the food.

　"After being deep-fried, the fish has a crispy outer skin while remaining tender and smooth inside."

　This crisp, clean texture, perfectly complemented by the tangy flavor of orange juice, makes every bite incredibly satisfying!

　Dojima Gin's voice rang out, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he raised his hands as if embracing the heavens and earth.

　With each chew, the flavor of the fish spreads throughout the mouth, and as the number of chews increases, all the flavors are released.