"Ladies and gentlemen, the final match of the Summer Selection is about to begin. Please turn your attention to the ceiling."
In the Tsukiten-no-Ma, where the lights were gathered, Satoshi Isshiki held a microphone and addressed the crowd, being the first to look up at the ceiling.
Following a loud rumbling sound, the ceiling of the Tsukiten-no-Ma slowly opened, revealing a touch of bright moonlight.
"How incredible!"
As the ceiling slowly opened, the audience below erupted in gasps of surprise. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the sky, and Dylan was no exception.
"It's almost time. The true face of the Tsukiten-no-Ma."
"The cooking time for the final is about two hours, starting from the moment the moon appears, crosses the celestial river, and finally disappears from view."
In the sky, the moon's form appeared at the zenith of the Tsukiten-no-Ma, looking exceptionally bright and spectacular. This brought little stars to many people's eyes, moved by the romantic scene.
Satoshi Isshiki's voice rang out at this moment. This match would not use traditional timing but rather the rising and setting of the moon, which was a consistent tradition of the selection tournament.
In the venue, many people were seeing the moon above the Tsukiten-no-Ma for the first time, their mouths agape in an "O" shape.
"Speaking of which, this is an annual tradition, but every time I see it, I find it eye-opening. It makes me recall those nostalgic days…"
Looking at the bright moon in the sky, Gin Dōjima couldn't help but be lost in thought, remembering his youth at Totsuki and his matches with Jōichirō Yukihira.
Under the same moonlight, the two had brandished their kitchen knives at each other.
"On the night of their own Summer Selection, every chef who stood on this stage once witnessed the same moon."
Gin Dōjima was somewhat emotional. They, back then, and these girls, now. Although the people were different, the beliefs woven in their hearts were likely the same.
"Dylan-sensei, I will win this match and take the championship of the Summer Selection. I'll let the world know that your judgment is sound, that you didn't misjudge me."
On the competition stage, Megumi Tadokoro looked at the moon in the sky, also somewhat lost in thought, her mind filled with images of Dylan's meticulous guidance during this time.
It was because of him that she could grow to her current level. Otherwise, she might have been expelled half a year ago, becoming a complete tragedy.
Therefore, she was extremely grateful to Dylan.
And beyond gratitude, there was an affection so profound it was hard to put into words.
It was this affection that made her persevere until now, wanting to win the championship for him! After winning the championship, she wanted to express her feelings.
This love had been hidden in her heart for so long that she could barely suppress it anymore. Even knowing she might be harshly reprimanded, or even disliked, she had to say it! This was her true heart!
"Leader, you must be watching right now. Although my opponent is an expert you trained, I won't hold back because of that. I will win this match and earn your approval!"
Both were looking at the moon, thinking of the same person, but the thoughts in their hearts were completely different. One was driven by love, the other by a desire for his approval.
However, regardless of the reason, their conviction to win the championship was the same. This was destined to be a battle of titans!
"Ready, begin cooking!"
Once the moon was completely in everyone's field of vision, Senzaemon Nakiri also stood up, spread his arms, and shouted at the contestants before him.
At the same time, both contestants sprang into action, shining brightly at their respective cooking stations!
"Neither contestant is handling the loaches first; instead, they are preparing other ingredients. Is this a conventional strategy?"
Watching the two on the competition stage, who shared the same idea, Gin Dōjima spoke while rubbing his chin.
"Any unnecessary steps will only reduce the freshness of the loaches. Their freshness must be guaranteed to the greatest extent possible, so they are processing the other ingredients first."
Senzaemon Nakiri's voice rang out, analyzing the reason for the contestants' actions. This was a very common practice in previous tournaments.
"Speaking of which, it's quite surprising that both contestants in this year's final are girls. This has never happened in previous years."
After saying this, Leonora Nakiri focused all her attention on the competition floor.
The finalists were two girls. After all, in the culinary world, excluding pastry chefs and dessert chefs, male chefs make up ninety percent of the population, while female chefs only account for ten percent.
For both finalists to be girls was undoubtedly an event of extremely low probability.
"The male students this year aren't very good, are they!"
Leonora Nakiri muttered to herself.
"That's not it, Mother. It's that the girls this year are stronger than in previous years."
Beside her, Alice Nakiri's voice sounded. Leonora Nakiri turned her head in confusion and found her talking animatedly.
"See that? That blue-haired girl over there was personally taught by Dylan-sensei. She's a pretty formidable one."
"The little girl with blue hair, you mean that one? She looks very confident. So she was personally trained by little brother Dylan, no wonder."
Following her gaze, Leonora Nakiri saw Megumi Tadokoro.
At this moment, Megumi Tadokoro was processing small loaches with clean and swift movements, her face filled with endless confidence.
"The little girl's knife skills are quite impressive. She can remove the bones and viscera from such small loaches without damaging their exterior."
Watching Megumi Tadokoro continuously process the loaches and toss them into a basin beside her, Leonora Nakiri couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"Such exquisite knife work requires persistent, day-after-day practice to achieve. It's not something accomplished in a single day. You can see the little girl works very hard."
Gin Dōjima's voice also sounded from the side, his eyes filled with appreciation as he looked at Megumi Tadokoro. This was the state a true powerhouse should be in!
"The little girl on the other side has pretty good knife skills too. Her loaches are processed very cleanly. But why has she prepared so many chili peppers… What dish is she planning to make…"
Leonora Nakiri looked towards Liu Yu on the other side. The girl's eyes were cold as she processed loaches at an astonishing speed, selecting ones that were neither too big nor too small.
Senzaemon Nakiri's voice rang out. It was too easy to tell what she wanted to make; it could be inferred from the ingredients she prepared.
"Dry-Fried Loach? This is the first time I've heard of this dish. I wonder what it will taste like."
Holding a finger to her lips, her eyes gazed at the sky, as if imagining the delicacy of Dry-Fried Loach.
If chili peppers were combined with loach, dry-fried in hot oil until fragrant and crispy, it should be incredibly delicious!
"Mother, you're being a bit embarrassing."
As her thoughts deepened, Leonora Nakiri's saliva began to uncontrollably dribble down, making Alice Nakiri break into a sweat. She then took a tissue to wipe it for her.
"I can't help it. When I think about getting to eat top-tier cuisine soon, I can't help but tremble with excitement."
Leonora Nakiri said, then elegantly wiped her mouth and continued to focus her attention on the two contestants.
"Tempura? Using loach to make tempura, a touch of innovation within tradition. That's a good idea, but I wonder how it will taste."
Noticing the ingredients Megumi Tadokoro had prepared, Leonora Nakiri's voice was surprised.
The other was preparing tempura batter, clearly intending to fry Loach Tempura.
"But why make a soup for tempura? Shouldn't you just marinate it simply and fry it directly in the wok?"
Watching Megumi Tadokoro's actions, the judges were a bit baffled and began to discuss among themselves.
She had made a batter for frying tempura, so logically, she should fry it directly.
But Megumi Tadokoro didn't do that. Instead, she used ingredients like mushrooms and bamboo shoots to make a pot of mountain delicacy soup. Could it be a dipping soup for the tempura?
This confusion lasted for a full hour and a half, until Megumi Tadokoro finished simmering the mountain delicacy soup and unhesitatingly threw all the prepared loaches into it.
"As expected, it's not that simple. She actually poured the prepared loaches directly in. Is she planning to boil them? But if boiled, the loach meat will become incredibly soft and fall apart, making it basically impossible to turn into tempura."
Leonora Nakiri pondered in her heart, thinking about the state of the loach meat after being boiled, somewhat unsure of what Megumi Tadokoro was planning to do.
On the other side, contestant Liu Yu's actions were very conventional. After killing the loaches, she removed their viscera and then flattened them with a knife to allow them to absorb more flavor.
Megumi Tadokoro didn't do this step because her loaches were smaller; flattening them would affect the texture, and one wouldn't be able to taste that substantial feeling when eating.
After flattening the large prepared loaches, Liu Yu also minced some ginger, garlic, and scallions.
Finally, she prepared some dried sea chilies moistened with rice wine, so they wouldn't burn easily during frying and could release more fragrance.
Heat the wok, add oil, coat the wok, then pour it out.
The purpose of this step is to season the wok. Then, adding cold oil afterward will prevent the ingredients from sticking to the wok, a very practical little trick.
The prepared loaches were placed belly-down into the wok, which was then rhythmically swirled. The most important thing for this dish is to prevent sticking, otherwise it would be ruined.
Everything done before was to prevent sticking, and now was no exception. Liu Yu felt the loaches in the wok, watched as their undersides gradually turned golden brown, then suddenly tensed her body, using power from her waist, hips, and wrist to execute a perfect wok flip.
And this action instantly caused an uproar. The audience bought tickets precisely to see things like this, to watch chefs display superb culinary techniques!
"A wok flip! That wok flip was amazing! Tossing such a large wok, and not a single loach fell out!"
"Forget falling out, every single loach was flipped over. What astonishing technique."
In the audience, some Chinese people recognized the technique Liu Yu was using and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Wok flipping is not uncommon in the culinary world, but it was the first time they had seen one so perfect. The precision was almost unbelievable.
"What a remarkable move."
"This is the kind of match I wanted to see!"
Many Japanese people were also cheering excitedly.
Although wok flipping isn't a popular technique in their country, they would still cheer for such an impressive skill.
On the other side, after the flip, Liu Yu quietly watched the wok, waiting for the moisture in the loaches to be rendered out, making their surfaces crispy.
This is the essence of dry-fried dishes.
"What a fragrant smell."
"A pure loach aroma. Because the moisture is lost, the fragrance is released. I never thought loaches could be this fragrant."
As time passed, a rich aroma of loach meat gradually filled the air.
It was a complex fragrance that made those smelling it for the first time swallow their saliva and show expressions of intoxication.
"It's not just the aroma of dry-fried loach, there's also a rich mushroom fragrance. They're making a mushroom soup over there, or more accurately, it should be a mountain and sea delicacies soup."
In the audience, Hisako Arato had taken the seat that originally belonged to Alice Nakiri, smelling the enticing aroma in the air and muttering to herself.
"Shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, green bamboo shoots, lion's mane mushrooms, morels, and cordyceps flowers, among many other mountain delicacy ingredients. And all these ingredients are dried."
Smelling the rich aroma in the air, Dylan began to analyze the flavors in the soup.
That rich and mellow taste could only be achieved by simmering dried goods.
"To braise loach with numerous mountain delicacies, creating a dish of mountain and sea treasures, I have to say it's a very novel idea. Little Megumi has grown up."
Letting out a breath, Dylan's voice carried a hint of emotion.
This cooking method was very innovative, definitely a result of Megumi Tadokoro's efforts during this period.
To have reached this level on her own showed how hard Megumi Tadokoro had worked. He was starting to look forward to the taste of her dish.
I should go up and ask for a taste later.
His eyes filled with appreciation, Dylan made up his mind. Based on the ingredients she had shown, he already understood Megumi Tadokoro's idea.
He constructed it briefly in his mind, felt it was feasible, and planned to study it more deeply when he got back to see if he could create an even better dish.
As the saying goes, teaching and learning grow together. He teaches Megumi and the others the basics, and they use their own ideas to develop dishes, thereby giving him feedback on new and trendy culinary techniques.
This was undoubtedly also progress.
"Braised Loach with Mountain Delicacies, is this the dish she wants to make? Combining all the mountain and sea delicacies into one, to ultimately present an unparalleled deliciousness!"
Hearing Dylan's words, the surrounding girls also focused their attention on Megumi Tadokoro.
So this was what she had been researching all this time. What a unique idea.
"What's the tempura batter for then? It can't be for the soup, can it…"
Yūki Yoshino voiced her confusion.
Since Megumi Tadokoro was preparing to make Braised Loach with Mountain Delicacies, what was the tempura batter for?
"Tempura batter, of course, is for frying tempura."
Dylan spoke slowly, giving the answer.
"Frying tempura?!"
"How is that possible!!"
"Exactly! After being boiled in the soup, the loach meat becomes incredibly soft and will fall apart at the slightest touch. It's impossible to coat it with batter and fry it into tempura."
Hearing Dylan's words, the surrounding girls immediately started discussing, none of them believing it could be made into tempura, chattering endlessly.
"That's why I say you are all still too naive."
Little Megumi chose these small loaches precisely so they could absorb flavor quickly.
This way, the cooking time isn't long, and the loach meat won't be completely cooked to mush.
Of course, if fried directly, there would still be a risk of it falling apart during the frying process.
To avoid this risk, she is using a drizzling batter method to solidify the soft exterior of the loach, and then using the tempura frying method. This will not only enrich the flavor but also create multiple layers of texture.
Just as Dylan said, after the loaches had absorbed the flavor and were full of broth, Megumi Tadokoro used a slotted spoon to scoop them out, then processed them using the drizzling method.
This process was tedious. Only when their surfaces turned a faint golden yellow did she place them in the wok. Then, she sprinkled tempura batter into the scalding hot oil, giving the loaches a crispy, thin outer coat. A Loach Tempura was thus completed.
To maintain the loaches' integrity and flavor, she couldn't fry too many at once, and there were requirements for the heat. Therefore, Megumi Tadokoro used three woks simultaneously.
She had to fry them in batches to ensure the heat for the loaches in each wok was the same.
And while she was frying the loaches, Liu Yu had already finished her Dry-Fried Loach. An enticing aroma immediately spread through the air, tempting everyone's appetite.
"I am finished. Using my specialty dry-frying method, combined with the characteristics of the loach ingredient, I have created this dish, Dry-Fried Loach. Please have a taste."
As she spoke, Liu Yu brought her dish to the judges' table.
Three small plates each held a portion of Dry-Fried Loach, exquisitely plated, looking very high-class.
"Chinese cooking method, Western plating."
Looking at the dish projected on the big screen, Dylan gave his evaluation.
Liu Yu's dish used the Chinese cooking technique of dry-frying. The loaches on the plate were overlapped, arranged with a staggered elegance, which is Western plating.
One couldn't really find any fault with it.
"It looks quite good, the plating is very exquisite. But for a dish, the most important thing is the taste. Now let me see how it tastes…"
Picking up her chopsticks and putting a piece of loach into her mouth, Leonora Nakiri's eyes suddenly widened.
Then, she rested her face on one hand, savoring the taste carefully.
After high-temperature dry-frying, the skin of the loach had become incredibly crispy. A slight chew produced that delightful 'crunch' sound.
It's worth mentioning that although the skin was crispy, the loach meat remained tender and succulent. This contrast of crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, a rich textural experience, made one's eyes light up.
"The Chinese dry-frying technique first appeared in Sichuan cuisine. Small, uncoated ingredients are mixed with seasonings, then put into a wok with oil at eighty percent heat and quickly stir-fried. When the outside becomes golden and crisp, side ingredients and seasonings are added to finish the cooking."
This is a dish that greatly tests a chef's skill.
A good chef can integrate the delicious flavors of the ingredients, making them a harmonious whole.
If the technique is poor, the flavors won't meld, and the dish is essentially a failure.
Gin Dōjima's voice echoed in the hall. As he spoke, he picked up the Dry-Fried Loach in front of him and put it in his mouth, chewing and savoring it carefully.
"Your Dry-Fried Loach is very well made. It has a dry fragrance, crispiness, and a slight numbing sensation all at once."
"Loach is an ingredient that absorbs flavor very well. Whatever seasoning you put in, that's the flavor it will have. It perfectly absorbs the taste of the seasonings, which, combined with its own umami, is simply invincible!"
Senzaemon Nakiri also nodded.
Although it was a relatively common dry-fried dish, to be able to make it to this level, it had definitely reached the Special Grade standard.
Another point worth mentioning is that the dry-frying method perfectly showcased the loach's deliciousness, and its spiciness paired very well with the loach's umami flavor.
Just then, Leonora Nakiri suddenly stood up from her seat, attracting the gazes of many people, as she was, after all, a great beauty.
"It's about to happen. Mother's 'clothes-bursting'."
Standing next to Erina Nakiri and looking at the extremely excited Leonora Nakiri, Alice Nakiri said, word by word.
"Eh?!"
"In front of all these people!?"
"For real?"
"That's not acceptable."
Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, the audience instantly went wild. Countless pairs of eyes stared intently at Leonora Nakiri.
Of course, the ones with the biggest reactions were the girls sitting next to Dylan. Their faces flushed slightly as they watched the scene, their voices filled with disbelief.
For a beautiful, mature woman to suddenly have her clothes burst in public, even if she had underwear on, it's hard to imagine what a huge impact it would have on her reputation.
"What are you all thinking? Sister Nora's clothes-bursting refers to…"
Seeing their expressions, Dylan was at a loss for words.
Just as he was about to explain that Leonora Nakiri's clothes-bursting wasn't what they thought, she "burst" first.
"This is an exceptionally outstanding loach dish. A large amount of chili and Sichuan peppercorns, as well as ginger, garlic, and other seasonings have been added, perfectly enhancing the umami of the loach."
At that moment, Leonora Nakiri's entire body seemed to be shining. She spread her hands and began to list the merits of the loach dish before her.
"Whenever Sister Nora tastes a particularly delicious dish, she will fluently speak a few words of her thoughts."
Looking at the sparkling Leonora Nakiri at the judges' table, Dylan's voice rang out, causing Yūki Yoshino and the others' expressions to become a bit strange.
"What do you mean, 'speak a few words'…"
"Isn't she super talkative!"
Watching Leonora Nakiri, who continued without any sign of stopping, Yūki Yoshino and the others couldn't help but roast her wildly in their minds.
"Dry-frying and loach really are a good match."
Senzaemon Nakiri put a piece of Dry-Fried Loach into his mouth with his chopsticks, and this thought couldn't help but appear in his mind.
Of course, that was all.
"My dish is also complete. Mountain Delicacy Loach Tempura."
Just then, Megumi Tadokoro stepped forward with firm steps and placed her dish first in front of Senzaemon Nakiri, causing him to look up and see who the young girl was.
"Mountain Delicacy Loach Tempura? I saw you boil it in broth earlier. Loach is an ingredient that can absorb a lot of broth. You wanted to take advantage of that, right?"
Looking at the tempura before him, Senzaemon Nakiri didn't rush to taste it but instead looked at Megumi Tadokoro and stated the reason for her actions.
"Although I don't know how you managed to fry it so perfectly, this looks really good, like a proper tempura. It doesn't look at all like loach that has been boiled in a soup pot for over ten minutes."
Beside him, Leonora Nakiri sat down and couldn't help but marvel at the dish before her.
The presentation was just too good!
If it were just a simple tempura, that would be one thing.
The key was that for this Mountain Delicacy Loach Tempura, the loach inside had been boiled in a soup pot for quite a long time! Logically, it should be incredibly soft and fall apart.
_____
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