Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　Seriously, after watching the whole competition, my butt was completely numb from sitting so long. If it weren't for Liu Xiaotian, the champion of the previous Youth Chef Competition, many people probably would have been eliminated. When you guys went back to the hotel, we had only just gotten back ourselves.

　Thinking about yesterday's match, and her still slightly numb buttocks, Alice Nakiri couldn't help but complain.

　According to the competition rules, if a contestant draws a theme that can be made from tofu in a short time, the organizers will have the contestant start by soaking soybeans.

　At the same time, the number of ingredients selected increased from ten to fifteen.

　This is to ensure the variety of dishes, and secondly, there are many variations in how to make tofu; different people make different kinds of tofu.

　Do we need to make the raw materials ourselves?

　However, considering the format of the competition, using this method to test the contestants is quite reasonable, since the first round tests their ability to adapt and be creative.

　Thinking back to when I watched "Cooking Master Boy" in my previous life, the Dark Cooking World kidnapped Tang Sanjie's father, Liu Maoxing's friend, and forced Liu Maoxing and his group to compete on the Loulin Ship. The theme of the final competition was tofu.

　At that time, Liu Maoxing and Shao An had to prepare the tofu theme themselves.

　At that time, Liu Maoxing used lard sheets as partitions to make black and white layered tofu, which was then heated directly using a mold.

　Melt the lard into the tofu, add a special Mapo sauce, attach threads to the mold, and cut the tofu the moment you lift it up.

　White tofu neutralizes the numbing spiciness that stimulates the tongue, while black sweet tofu brings out the numbing spiciness again, creating wave after wave of flavor that sweep over the senses.

　That Mapo Tofu, which is like a magic trick, is the so-called Great Magic Panda Mapo Tofu!

　"It was indeed a very intense competition. At the time, we all thought Liu Xiaotian's peach and almond tofu would win, after all, the judges gave it a very high rating, a solid three-star dish. But we didn't expect that Kawabika would still win."

　Thinking of this, Alice Nakiri's face became more serious.

　Because her goal was to win the Young Chef Competition, and Kawanishika's strength was undoubtedly an insurmountable obstacle for her.

　However, no matter how insurmountable the obstacle may be, she must overcome it. In order not to disappoint Bai Yuan's expectations and for all the efforts she has made since childhood, she must win the competition!

　"It's a pity I missed that match. I can't miss today's one."

　As Erina Nakiri stepped forward to draw lots, she wore an exquisitely patterned mask and calmly observed her opponent.

　As one of the main characters in the original world, Erina Nakiri's cooking skills have always been superior to Soma Yukihira's. Now, after being taught by him, how far will she go? She's a character we're really looking forward to seeing.

　On the big screen, the turntable pushed by Erina Nakiri slowly came to a stop, finally pointing to the "fish" on the turntable.

　Is fish the theme for this round?

　Looking at the contents of the turntable in front of her, Erina Nakiri pinched her chin and pondered for a moment, as one fish dish after another quickly flashed through her mind.

　"It seems like we can make that dish with fish."

　At that moment, standing opposite her was a young man with an afro and curly hair.

　The other person glanced at the theme on the spinning wheel in front of them, then at the very young-looking Erina Nakiri, their face full of ease and confidence.

　Lived for two

　If a man who is seventeen or eighteen is not as good as a young girl, then he might as well find a block of tofu and kill himself. The two are simply not comparable!

　I don't know how those useless guys lost. Despite being so much older, they were defeated by a chef who was younger than them.

　"I hope you can let me have some fun."

　The curly-haired man struck a "cool" pose, then spoke in a strange tone.

　His real name is Zhuang Lei. He is from Fuzhou, Fujian. Last year, he was defeated by Liu Xiaotian in the quarterfinals and unfortunately stopped. In the end, Liu Xiaotian won the championship.

　This led him to believe that he was no weaker than anyone except Liu Xiaotian, and that he had only narrowly lost to Liu Xiaotian at the time, proving that the gap between the two was not that big.

　"Enjoy yourself? Are you saying that to me? I hope your abilities match what you're saying, otherwise it's really infuriating."

　Zhuang Lei's words made Nakiri Erina's expression freeze for a moment, then she looked at his face and sneered, her voice filled with indescribable anger.

　As a pampered and privileged girl who has been adored since childhood, being ridiculed in front of the public is something she absolutely cannot accept.

　Moreover, the other party looked like a lowly soldier, and didn't seem capable of mocking her at all. The weak should just shut up!

　"Of course I have the ability. If I hadn't met the champion in the first round last year, I wouldn't have been eliminated so badly. I still lost by a narrow margin."

　Dealing with a nobody like you is incredibly easy!

　Thinking back to when he lost the match last year, he felt like the sky had fallen. He couldn't believe that he was so weak that he would lose the match in the first round.

　However, when he later learned that the person who beat him was the champion of that year's Youth Chef Competition, he calmed down, since losing to the champion was not shameful.

　Long live the spirit of victory!

　"Then show us your skills. Talking without doing anything will only make people think you're bragging."

　Erina Nakiri's voice was indifferent, but she secretly became wary.

　Erina Nakiri was also present at yesterday's match and witnessed the duel between Liu Xiaotian and Kawahira. She realized that she is not as good as the two of them now.

　This guy in front of me said he only narrowly lost to Liu Xiaotian, so he might actually have some skills. I have to take him seriously!

　"I'll show you how powerful I am soon. After a year of hard training, I'm now far beyond what I used to be."

　"Now, I wouldn't lose even if I faced Liu Xiaotian, but unfortunately he was eliminated in the first round, so I couldn't avenge my defeat!"

　Zhuang Lei's face was full of arrogance, because he knew he could no longer go up against Liu Xiaotian, so he could talk trash without any pressure.

　"Enough with the nonsense, let's get started."

　Not wanting to waste any more time talking to the person in front of her, Erina Nakiri wanted to start the match quickly, so she looked at the host.

　In an effort to liven up the atmosphere, the host not only did not intervene in the two's argument, but also seemed to enjoy the spectacle.

　"It seems the Nagi fighter is ready to go, so let's have our staff bring out the ingredients related to the 'fish' theme!"

　As they were talking, a commotion came from behind the staff passageways on both sides, and staff members carrying trays came out one by one.

　They wore polite smiles, and their trays were filled with various fish and related ingredients.

　Freshwater fish, saltwater fish, and even lobsters and crabs, while vegetables include onions, carrots, celery, and tomatoes.

　Seasonings include salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, MSG, and chicken bouillon. Spices such as star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves are also present.

　"Who do you think will win between the two down there?"

　"I dare not make wild guesses. Yesterday I thought Liu Xiaotian would definitely win, so I made a bet with my friend and lost a Crazy Thursday meal."

　It's unbelievable that last year's champion was eliminated in the first round. It makes you realize just how formidable the world of bizarre cooking is.

　"Indeed, if the previous ones were acceptable, but now someone has suddenly appeared who directly defeated the previous champion, that's just too outrageous!"

　As Zhuang Lei and Erina Nakiri were selecting ingredients, sporadic discussions arose from the audience. These discussions grew louder and eventually turned into a debate, with the focus being on who would win between the two on stage.

　"How many contestants from the dark cuisine world have come? It's been their people for days on end! It feels like the Fujian Youth Chef Competition is being invaded."

　"There should be quite a few of them, but the difference in strength is quite large. The powerful ones are ridiculously powerful and directly defeated the champion, while the weak ones are only at the level of a special grader."

　"How dare you say something like 'just barely at the Special Grade level'? When did Special Grade become something so insignificant...?"

　Hearing the man's somewhat boastful remarks, those around him rolled their eyes. The fact that he could still create a top-tier dish under such constraints already spoke volumes about his skill.

　"That's the gist of it. There's a clear difference in strength, so don't make a big deal out of it!"

　The man said somewhat angrily, then turned his head away and stopped talking, looking like he had been upset.

　For a moment, the scene was filled with cheerful laughter. Everyone stared at the arena in front of them, quietly watching the two contestants choose and guess what dishes they would make.

　Before long, the two contestants placed their chosen ingredients on their respective cooking tables, and the host stepped forward at that moment.

　Zhuang Lei chose mackerel, hairy crab, eggs, cornstarch, salt, and white...

　Pepper powder, scallions, ginger, MSG, and peanut oil.

　The contestant chose sea bass, black tiger prawns, salmon roe, soy sauce, black pepper powder, tapioca starch, a three-year-old hen, onions, celery, and carrots.

　Now we move on to the anchoring phase; each side will choose three ingredients.

　"Mackerel, hairy crab, peanut oil."

　Zhuang Lei's voice rang out without the slightest hesitation. In his cooking, only these three ingredients were indispensable; the others were optional.

　"Sea bass, black tiger prawns, and a three-year-old hen."

　Erina Nakiri made her decision just as quickly, having her own plans in mind.

　The ingredients chosen by the two are largely complementary, so no matter what ingredient the other takes away, she can take it back in the next round.

　Clearly, Zhuang Lei shared similar thoughts with her.

　In the next mutual selection process, Erina Nakiri took the salt, and he took the soy sauce.

　He took away Erina Nakiri's onions and celery, and Erina Nakiri took away his scallions and ginger, so neither of them gained an advantage over the other.

　"After watching yesterday's game, today's games just don't feel very interesting."

　"Come on, that tofu dish took four hours to make yesterday, just for that final shudder. Although the dish was great, it wasn't very visually appealing!"

　Hearing what the audience next to her said, a girl couldn't help but purse her lips in rebuttal.

　She prefers a quick two-hour match to one that lasts five hours, as it's not only faster-paced but also more exciting!

　Even if the food served is not quite up to par, they are the audience, not the judges. Since they can't eat the food, they should appreciate the cooking performance even more.

　"You came to watch this game, wasn't it all for that final scare?"

　After being refuted, the spectators nearby couldn't help but mutter. "Everyone came to watch the match to find out who's stronger and who's weaker, right?"

　“I do have some spiritual pursuits, not just for such low-level needs.”

　The girl shrugged, realizing she couldn't reason with him, and ignored him, focusing intently on the match. At that moment, Erina Nakiri had already taken action.

　Place the sea bass on the cutting board, knock it unconscious with the back of the knife, then scrape off the scales from tail to head, cut open the belly, and remove the internal organs.

　Remove the head and tail, slice the fish open along the spine, remove the spine with a knife, pick out the small bones with tweezers, and then make a cut on the surface with the back of a knife to check for any omissions.

　Although there were no fancy techniques, the basic skills were very solid. The whole process only took one minute, which was more concise and efficient than the most skilled fishmonger in the seafood market.

　"Speaking of the 'shrimp' in the first round of the competition, and now the 'fish,' they are both aquatic products, specialties of Fuzhou. As locals, we have a natural advantage."

　Zhang Zhong couldn't help but comment that for people living by the sea in Fuzhou, seafood-related dishes are undoubtedly a huge advantage.

　"It all depends on the players' performance and whether they can turn these advantages into victory. Both sides chose to pair fish with a certain seafood product."

　While this method maximizes the umami flavor of the seafood, it could also lead to an over-synergistic effect, resulting in a mixed flavor profile.

　Jinshan squinted, his hands tucked into his sleeves, calmly scrutinizing the two contestants before him.

　"If that's the case, then fish aren't fish, shrimp aren't shrimp, and crabs aren't crabs. Isn't that how that little guy in the first round lost his match?"

　Chu Qiu shook his head, thinking of Zhong Yi, who lost the first match. It was precisely because he was too obsessed with seafood that his own cooking became ordinary.

　"Let's wait and see, maybe they can bring us some unexpected surprises."

　Watching the two contestants neck and neck on the field, the three judges on the panel began to discuss.

　There was a cup of hot tea on their table. When they felt thirsty while talking, they would pick up the teacup and take a sip, looking extremely relaxed and content.

　Chapter 246 How did this guy even get into the main competition?!

　On the playing field.

　After processing the fish, Erina Nakiri quickly slaughtered the old hen, removing its internal organs and chopping it into pieces. She then added the fish bones and simmered them together to make fish bone and chicken soup.

　After processing the chicken and fish, all that's left are the shrimp in the net basket. The black tiger shrimp are relatively large and easier to handle.

　Erina Nakiri prepared the shrimp in less than five minutes, separating the shells and brains.

　Although this dish most likely doesn't require shrimp shells and shrimp brains, as a professional chef, Erina Nakiri will still prepare them properly.

　Just in case a brilliant idea strikes later, it might come in handy.

　After preparing all the ingredients, place the sea bass and shrimp meat together on the cutting board, mince two-thirds of it, and cut the remaining one-third into small cubes.

　This method ensures the best possible texture for the filling; if both are processed too finely, the filling will have no texture whatsoever.

　Mix the prepared fish paste and shrimp paste together, add water, cornstarch, salt, black pepper, chopped green onion and ginger, and stir clockwise until it becomes a paste.

　Next, add salmon roe to the surface to further enhance the texture and flavor. After that, set it aside to rest.

　After cleaning the sea bass belly, blanch it in boiling water with scallions and ginger to remove any fishy smell. This will serve as the container for stuffing the shrimp paste later.

　"It would be nice to have eggs, what a pity."

　Looking at Zhuang Lei with eggs on the table not far away, Nakiri E...

　Rina felt a pang of regret.

　If the egg on Zhuang Lei's table is hers, then her cooking skills can be improved even further.