"Based on the principles of making Gyozatsu Nabe, pairing fish with vegetables creates a wonderful harmony. Perhaps I should start from that angle."
In the kitchen of the Shōkei-en, Megumi Tadokoro, wearing an apron, looked at the various ingredients before her—each a heartfelt contribution from everyone—and felt an inexplicable nervousness in her heart.
Although Dylan would be the one competing, he had entrusted the important task of developing the dish to her. If possible, because she was using ingredients gifted by everyone, she wanted to create a dish that would carry everyone's memories and showcase everything!
"Monkfish is a necessary ingredient. The live monkfish has to be saved for the match to ensure its freshness. I'll use the ones I bought from the fish market for the experimental dish…."
Besides Gyozatsu Nabe, there was another famous local dish passed down from ancient times: Monkfish Hot Pot, a specialty passed down through generations of fishermen. It was perfect for a cold winter's day, with the whole family gathered around the stove to enjoy it. That atmosphere of family harmony is the essence of savoring this dish.
And the main ingredient Megumi Tadokoro was going to use this time... was monkfish.
"The greatest feature of monkfish soup is slowly sautéing the monkfish liver in the pot until it melts, then adding miso and sake as the soup base."
"If I add the right spices, the flavor will penetrate even more deeply…"
She didn't rush into cooking, but instead forced herself to calm down. She carefully examined the numerous ingredients before her. Not all of them would be useful; she needed to select the ones that would work for her culinary experiment.
Among them, monkfish, as the town's specialty, was famous for its delicious flavor. The Gyozatsu Nabe made from monkfish offal was also called the Golden Pot, which showed just how high the status of monkfish was in the town.
This was also why, for so many years, the monkfish carving had been a star attraction at the Shōkei-en. Many people came just for that, and when the head chef could no longer perform it, the Shōkei-en's business was significantly impacted.
Later, in order to perform this show again, she braved the elements to learn the technique from an uncle who was in the monkfish carving business. It was precisely because of the culinary talent she displayed then that Mieko Tadokoro finally decided to send Megumi Tadokoro to Totsuki Academy.
Now, everything had come full circle.
"During this time, I've tried various dishes, and I'm most skilled at tempura."
"If I can combine these ingredients, complementing each other, and use monkfish liver to make the sauce, perhaps it will have a unique effect!"
Her thoughts gradually became clearer, and Megumi Tadokoro quickly began to experiment.
First was making the sauce from the monkfish liver she had bought. Next was to adjust and see which part of the monkfish was most suitable for tempura.
At the kitchen doorway, Dylan leaned against the frame, watching the busy Megumi Tadokoro with his arms crossed, his eyes filled with a look of satisfaction.
If she didn't even dare to try, then her journey in cooking would end here. Fortunately, Megumi Tadokoro did not disappoint him.
"When you truly become a Special Grade Chef, you will find that Special Grade is just the beginning of the path of a chef, merely a starting point."
After a deep look at the busy Megumi Tadokoro in the kitchen, Dylan turned and went back to the living room, where Mieko Tadokoro was sitting, her eyes filled with anxiety.
"Don't worry, there's no possibility of us losing this match. You should just prepare to take over the Hyakuchō-kyo and develop it into a branch of the Shōkei-en."
Noticing Mieko Tadokoro's tension, Dylan smiled and patted her on the shoulder to ease her nerves.
This was a match that was impossible to lose from the start. The opponent just didn't understand his strength, which is why he was acting this way. Otherwise, he should be laughing happily right now.
"How confident are you? I've already made inquiries. The opponent is a Four-Star Special Grade Chef. If it's too much, we should just forfeit. There's no shame in that."
Thinking that Dylan didn't know how formidable his opponent was and was thus acting so relaxed, Mieko Tadokoro quickly reminded him. However, seeing his determined expression, she felt a strange sense of reassurance.
What a strange feeling.
He was clearly just a young man in his early twenties, yet he gave her the feeling of a mature man.
"I know, he already said so when he arrived. But if he's only a Four-Star Special Grade, then I can only offer four words: 'not worth my concern.'"
Looking at Mieko Tadokoro's expression, Dylan understood what she was worried about. To an ordinary person, a Special Grade Chef is like an insurmountable mountain.
Even if he acted incredibly confident, it was difficult to dispel Mieko Tadokoro's doubts. This was only human and didn't mean she didn't trust him.
Moreover, a large business like the Shōkei-en had become a stake on the gambling table because of a casual Shokugeki, coveted by others.
If she were to trust him unconditionally, Dylan would actually find it strange and suspect some kind of scheme.
"Do your best. I was saving this up as Little Megumi's dowry anyway. Since she trusts you so much, it would be inappropriate for me to doubt you any further."
"Dylan, give it your all. Don't let her down!"
As she spoke, Mieko Tadokoro also turned her gaze to the kitchen, looking at the back of Megumi Tadokoro as she developed the dish, her tone full of heartfelt meaning.
"Don't worry, just believe in me."
Dylan thumped his chest loudly to express his determination.
After that, the two chatted for a while longer. To help Mieko Tadokoro relieve her tension, Dylan took the initiative to brew a pot of tea and they started drinking.
And because the two were in the main hall of the ryokan, there were quite a few guests moving about.
When they saw this scene, they couldn't help but be a little surprised, because many of them had personally seen Wang Zhi issue a Shokugeki challenge to Dylan.
Could it be that he's given up? Is that why he's here, acting so 颓废?
But it didn't seem like it. The young man's face was wreathed in smiles, showing no sign of giving up. If that's the case, it must be that he doesn't take his opponent seriously.
It's unknown who spread this news.
Eventually, it reached Wang Zhi's ears, causing him to let out a cold laugh and state directly: "With such an attitude, it's hard to imagine what kind of formidable chef he could be."
"A truly great chef, even when facing the weakest opponent, will give it their all, not be indulgent and dismissive like Dylan."
"He didn't even develop the competition dish himself, but handed it over to someone else. This is undoubtedly a grave mistake in a competition."
"After all, a dish that suits Megumi Tadokoro might not necessarily suit Dylan. This is a personalized difference caused by different life experiences."
"I just hope he doesn't use this as an excuse when he loses. That would be too pathetic."
Wang Zhi shook his head, and his tense heart relaxed considerably. He felt he had been taking Dylan too seriously. Against such an opponent, even if he gave him a one-hand handicap, he felt he could still win!
Shōkei-en.
After chatting with Mieko Tadokoro for a while about funny stories from Megumi Tadokoro's childhood and glancing at the clock on the wall, Dylan got up and headed to the kitchen.
As soon as he walked into the kitchen, a rich aroma of fried fish rushed into his nostrils. Lowering his head, he saw the monkfish tempura that Megumi Tadokoro had placed on the stove.
Without much hesitation, he strode over to where the dish was, picked up the monkfish tempura to taste it, then closed his eyes to experience its flavor.
"Did you use the tail meat? Compared to other parts, the tail meat is firmer, but has a lower fat content, making the texture lighter and cleaner."
Sensing the wonderful texture of the fried monkfish tail tempura, Dylan gave his evaluation.
"That's right. I also tried the back meat, cheek meat, and gill meat. The textures of these three are all different, each with its own flavor. They're all on that plate over there, you can try them."
Hearing Dylan's voice, Megumi Tadokoro, who was concentrating on frying vegetable tempura, immediately turned around, pointing excitedly at the other parts.
She had bought a large amount of monkfish at the supermarket, including all sorts of parts. It was just that after making them into tempura, only these few parts tasted relatively good.
Frying and stewing are two completely different methods.
Only by trying it yourself can you know the specific advantages and disadvantages.
"Next is the sauce. It's quite innovative. Did you combine monkfish liver with spices?"
"Monkfish liver itself is rich in oil. If not handled properly, the sauce can seem too greasy."
"That's the principle, but you shouldn't use no oil at all, or only a very small amount."
"It takes time for the oil to render from the liver. Before that happens, if you don't add extra oil, it's equivalent to placing it directly on a griddle to pan-sear. Such direct contact between the liver and the hot pan will seriously affect its flavor."
"The correct method should be to add a moderate amount of oil, sauté the monkfish liver in the pan until it melts, then pour out the excess oil, and then add mirin, sake, and spices for seasoning. This way, the taste will be richer without being greasy."
"Megumi's method was probably to use a very thin layer of base oil, using that oil to force out the fat from the monkfish liver, then slowly pan-frying it until it breaks apart, before adding mirin, sake, and spices."
"This method is fine for a soup base because the oil doesn't have a major impact on the soup. The broken-up monkfish liver only serves as the base of the soup, while the main focus is still on the deliciousness of the fish meat."
"But as a dipping sauce, and one that's meant to accompany fried tempura, no less…"
"The importance of the monkfish liver becomes prominent. If you pan-sear it directly without enough base oil, it will affect the balance of the sauce."
"Furthermore, too many spices will mask the umami of the fish liver, while too few will fail to elevate the overall flavor profile. This is a difficult challenge."
"This part you didn't do well. The tempura is acceptable. Combined, they would be considered a delicious first-grade dish, but they are far from being a Special Grade dish."
Dylan gave an incredibly fair evaluation. The dish could only be considered average. The idea was good, but there were significant problems with the execution.
However, considering it was Megumi Tadokoro's first time preparing a tempura sauce, these mistakes were understandable and excusable. These mistakes could all be solved after extensive trial and error, but it was clear the opponent hadn't left them that much time.
"It's getting late. The match is in two hours. Leave the rest to me. Let me show you what the final version of this dish looks like."
Because the opponent was a Four-Star Special Grade Chef, Dylan wasn't being arrogant.
Although he let Megumi Tadokoro develop the dish for him to perfect, perfecting it also took time. A rushed job could at most produce a Glowing-level dish.
To transition from Glowing to Flowing Light requires extreme control over details. Even the slightest mistake makes it impossible.
Therefore, Dylan definitely had to polish this Monkfish Tempura before the match. If he only managed to make a Glowing dish during the competition, ending up on the same level as Wang Zhi, where would he hide his face?
Dylan grumbled internally, but his hands didn't stop moving. He quickly took Megumi Tadokoro's spot and began to bustle around the kitchen.
Her spot taken, Megumi Tadokoro didn't stand idle either. She actively assisted on the side, while observing Dylan's movements and secretly committing them to memory.
It was also his first attempt, but Dylan's culinary experience was clearly far superior to hers. Even just knowing the principles, he could produce a Glowing dish right from the start.
In just over ten minutes, Dylan was frying the monkfish tempura while simultaneously preparing the sauce with monkfish liver, a prime example of multitasking.
He knew his time was limited. If he wanted to test the dish as much as possible and control the details within this period, he needed to go all out!
As for why he didn't use the Ten-Pot Silver Flash, on one hand, that move was only for general cooking, and on the other hand, he needed to increase the precision of the dish.
For the first dish, he followed the research Megumi Tadokoro had just done. He didn't make any major changes, only adjusting some details.
"It's done. Have a taste."
As he spoke, Dylan placed the just-completed Monkfish Tempura in front of Megumi Tadokoro. The golden, crispy coating shimmered with a tempting luster under the light, glowing with a faint, continuous light.
Megumi Tadokoro carefully picked up a piece, dipped it in the special sauce made from monkfish liver and spices, and put it in her mouth.
Instantly, her taste buds were enveloped by a rich, savory flavor. The tempura's outer skin was perfectly crispy, making a slight 'crunch' sound when bitten, as if it were exploding in her mouth.
The firm texture of the monkfish tail danced on her tongue, carrying a hint of sweetness that formed a perfect contrast with the tempura's crispiness!
And that sauce was the finishing touch. The rich flavor of the monkfish liver slowly released in her mouth, and the aroma of the fat, subtly balanced with the spices, brought an incredible sense of satisfaction.
This was distinctly different from the sauce she had made. This sauce's texture was exceptionally fine and smooth, neither heavy with excessive grease nor thin and dry. The moment she dipped, it perfectly coated every piece of tempura, making its flavor even richer.
"It's a bit too monotonous."
"There's no problem with the execution, it barely reaches the level of a Flowing Light dish, but the issue with the flavor is quite obvious. Using only monkfish is too simple."
"If this is to be the inn's signature dish, this level is clearly not enough."
"He could make this dish delicious because of his superb technique, but if others were to replicate it, they could at most achieve the level of a first-grade dish."
"Then let's add something new…"
Dylan looked towards the other ingredients on the cooking station. There were other parts of the monkfish, as well as local specialty vegetables like Kogiku Pumpkin, Tachikawa Burdock, and Red-rooted Radish.
Since it was a kind gesture from everyone, it would be a shame not to use them.
In that case, let's just make it a grand medley!
_____
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