"It's just ordinary daily attire, let's get going!"
Being praised by Okabe like this, any irritation Ikumi Mito felt from waiting vanished into thin air in an instant.
She lowered her head, her face flushing bright red, her heartbeat accelerating to an extraordinary pace.
In her memory, she had never gone out alone with a man before, except for times with her father when she was little.
If parents didn't count, then this would be her first time going out with a man. What did this count as? A date? Calling it a date wouldn't be an exaggeration at all, right!
Many strange thoughts floated through her mind. Following by Okabe's side, Ikumi Mito's heart beat frighteningly fast, and her body temperature was climbing.
"At the foot of Tōtsuki Mountain, I remember the largest market is the Tōtsuki Morning Market run by Tōtsuki itself."
"However, I've been there a few times. It's quite lively in the morning, but by noon, there are fewer people setting up stalls or selling things."
"Compared to that, I heard that Kasuga Supermarket on the other side has a more complete variety of ingredients, and the quality of the goods is guaranteed. The only downside is that the prices are relatively expensive."
"Then let's go to Kasuga Supermarket!"
"That's what I was thinking too. There are three main elements to making ramen: soup, noodles, and toppings. Let's take this opportunity to solve all three elements."
Leading Ikumi Mito toward Kasuga Supermarket, Okabe didn't forget to explain today's plan to her.
To create a bowl of perfect ramen, none of the three elements could be missing.
Furthermore, the three elements must be somewhat related to each other, yet not highly overlapping. This was undoubtedly a severe challenge for a chef's cooking.
"Otherwise, let's make Beef Bone Soup Ramen!"
"My family's beef quality is the best in all of Japan. It can be slaughtered fresh on the day, and with your culinary skills to cook it, it will definitely bring out 120% of the ingredients' deliciousness!"
Ikumi Mito offered a suggestion, enthusiastically recommending her family's beef.
"Until just a moment ago, I was actually somewhat hesitant, not knowing what type of ramen to make."
"But after what happened just now, I already have an idea in my heart. Since that monk Natsuo specializes in vegetarian cuisine, we will defeat him with a pure vegetarian ramen."
Thinking of the mushroom mixture Natsuo used during his duel with Junichi Wasu—which could significantly enhance umami just by being put into the soup—Okabe showed an interested expression.
If possible, he actually wanted to add the production method of that mixture to the Shokugeki betting contract.
However, considering it was a secret transmission from the other party's temple, and the chips the other party had already offered were sufficient, Okabe didn't press the issue further.
"...I always feel like you have some bad taste, Okabe-kun."
Looking at the corners of Okabe's mouth rising slightly, Ikumi Mito couldn't help but retort.
She suddenly remembered that she, too, seemed to have been defeated by Okabe in her area of greatest expertise. Could this guy have some special fetish in this regard?
"After all, my purpose in accepting challenges is to appreciate the style of different chefs."
"If I cooked dishes I was good at for every duel, using my strengths to attack the opponent's strengths, then wouldn't the meaning of dueling with others be diminished?"
Okabe appeared quite carefree.
Rarely having a proficiency system in this life, he had to learn all cooking to the extreme.
Only in this way, when making a certain type of cuisine in the future, would it be possible to comprehend by analogy and go further.
Ikumi Mito was slightly stunned, turning her head to look at the calm profile of the boy beside her.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the roadside trees, casting fragmented, swaying spots of light on his shoulders.
He didn't look at her when he spoke, but gazed ahead. Yet, in his tone, there was a certainty and vastness she had never felt from other culinary geniuses.
It wasn't 'I want to become number one,' nor was it 'I want to prove myself.'
But an incredibly pure 'I want to appreciate all the scenery.'
"Okabe-kun, you really are different."
Ikumi Mito sighed with emotion from the bottom of her heart. The heartbeat that had originally accelerated due to nervousness was gradually replaced by a steadier throbbing.
"Is that so?" Okabe smiled. "It's probably just greed. The supermarket is just ahead."
As he spoke, he stopped walking. Directly in front of them was their destination for this trip, Kasuga Supermarket.
Different from what was imagined, this was not an ordinary large supermarket, but a comprehensive ingredient market with quite a sense of design.
Behind the bright glass curtain walls, the zones were clearly defined. From fresh produce to dry goods and seasonings, there was even a small area specifically displaying exquisite kitchenware.
Okabe pushed a shopping cart over and said to Ikumi Mito, who was looking around: "Let's start with the soup base. The soup base is the soul of ramen cuisine."
"If it's soup base, vegetarian ramen generally uses dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu as a base, right?"
Ikumi Mito quickened her steps to the dry goods section, picked up a few dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu, and ran back to Okabe, dangling them in front of him.
"Yes, dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu, as dry goods, are excellent ingredients for making soup bases."
"Among them, dried shiitake mushrooms contain guanylic acid, and kelp contains glutamic acid. Boiling the two together will cause their umami flavors to superimpose, achieving a multiplied effect."
Taking the dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu from Ikumi Mito's hands and placing them in the shopping cart, Okabe went to the vegetable section and picked some fresh seasonal vegetables like soybean sprouts, corn, and radishes.
"Are we preparing the toppings next?"
Watching the ingredients Okabe selected, Ikumi Mito asked, following closely behind him.
"We haven't reached that step yet. We are still choosing materials for the soup base."
Okabe shook his head. Seeing purple tomatoes on the shelf, his eyes lit up. He stepped forward, took one in his hand, and rubbed his fingers over its surface.
Besides that, there were also bright yellow tomato varieties and even ones with green patterns nearby.
"Is this a tomato? The color is so strange..."
Ikumi Mito came to Okabe's side, looking at the object he held, her face unable to resist showing a curious expression.
"That's right. Different varieties of tomatoes have their own emphasis on internal flavor substances."
"Deep purple tomatoes are rich in anthocyanins and have a rich flavor. Yellow ones have a bright acidity, while green ones carry a unique grassy aroma."
Okabe selected carefully, picking up and putting down tomatoes one by one, while not forgetting to explain to Ikumi Mito.
Tomatoes, if broken down in detail, had dozens of varieties. And this was just counting those cultivated by humans; who knew how many grew naturally in the wild.
"I've seen yellow and green ones, but this is indeed the first time I've seen deep purple ones. I really didn't expect this place to actually have even this."
"I'm quite surprised too. I've only seen deep purple tomatoes in books. Because they aren't easy for ordinary chefs to cook with, they don't usually appear in markets."
"I can only say, it truly lives up to being an ingredient supermarket opened at the foot of Tōtsuki Mountain. Not only does it have common ingredients, but some niche yet uniquely flavored ones are also available in full."
Okabe picked up a pure black potato and conveniently placed it into the ingredient basket.
Although it might not necessarily be used in the dish, bringing it back was never a mistake. After all, if he thought of a use while cooking, he couldn't come down to buy it again.
"Buy enough of each to make three portions of the dish. Buy more of the relatively common ingredients."
"Considering the issue of freshness preservation, some must be chosen before they are fully ripe."
As ingredients were collected into his shopping basket one by one, the taste imagery deduction in his mind began to operate. Utilizing the knowledge Okabe understood in this area, he began to construct the soup base.
"If I don't use dried shiitake mushrooms, but directly use fresh shiitake mushrooms instead..."
He propped his chin on his hand, thinking seriously.
King oyster mushrooms had thick flesh and could provide a fullness similar to meat broth after boiling. Maitake mushrooms could make the soup body rich and viscous. Crab flavor mushrooms had a faint, clear sweetness...
"So you want to use the composite umami of fresh mushrooms to replace animal stock?"
Watching Okabe's movements and his muttering to himself, Ikumi Mito asked curiously.
"That is one method."
Okabe walked toward the spice section.
"The umami of mushrooms blends more easily with plant-based ingredients. Moreover, the textural differences of different mushrooms can form interesting layers in the soup."
He took down a small bag of dried lily bulbs, a few dried figs, and a small packet of dried tangerine peel from the spice rack, not forgetting to explain to Ikumi Mito: "These are supplements for sweetness and complexity. Pure umami needs a little sweet aftertaste to balance it, otherwise, one gets tired of it after drinking too much."
"To think there are so many intricacies... If it were me, I would probably just use dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu, at most adding some vegetables during production to increase the composite flavor."
"But using medicinal herbs in cooking, this is the first time I've seen it..."
"In China, this is called Medicinal Cuisine. A master surnamed Ma taught it to me."
"Erina's little secretary, that girl with pink-purple short hair, what she learns and specializes in is medicinal cuisine. I also learned a little bit alongside her studies, though I can't be considered particularly proficient."
Okabe spoke modestly, while silently placing several medicinal ingredients into the shopping cart as materials.
The opponent this time was no ordinary person; his lineage traced back to Wanshou Temple, the number one Buddhist temple in Guangzhou.
For Wanshou Temple to achieve the title of 'Number One Temple' in a major culinary province like Guangdong, there must be at least no fewer than three Super Chefs within it.
A bona fide scion of a prestigious family.
Although Tōtsuki ranked the opponent tenth, and he was ranked first, rankings were merely nominal to them.
Without a true contest, no one dared to assert they could steadily win against the other side. After all, even if one's comprehensive quality was superior, there was a high probability of slipping up.
"Erina? Are you speaking of the Academy Director's own granddaughter, Lady Erina Nakiri?"
"It is her, but why suddenly use an honorific..."
Hearing Ikumi Mito's address, a puzzled expression appeared on Okabe's face.
"Because the Academy Director has immense influence throughout the entire gourmet world. He is known as the Gourmet Demon King; a single sentence from him can decide the life or death of a gourmet enterprise."
"And his granddaughter, Erina Nakiri, has possessed the top-tier culinary talent, the God's Tongue, since birth. At three months old, she could clearly express that her wet nurse's milk tasted too bland."
"In the Japanese culinary world, she is such a legendary figure. I didn't expect you two to actually know each other."
'That is true. The Nakiri family has great influence in Japan. Let's go look at the flour next.'
Okabe nodded slightly. Hearing about Erina Nakiri from others' mouths gave him a subtle, weird feeling, especially given the circumstances of growing up with her.
"Mmm."
Ikumi Mito responded softly, then followed Okabe, striding toward the flour section.
"Since the decision has been made for the soup base, shouldn't the noodles need to be matched with the taste of the soup base to achieve an effect where '1+1>2'?"
"Smart, you know how to draw inferences now."
Hearing Ikumi Mito's words, Okabe couldn't help but praise her.
Before the two of them was the specialized sales area for flours.
Besides wheat flour, there were various starches and even rice flour. Only things they hadn't thought of were missing; nothing was unavailable here. It could be said to have everything one needed.
"The protein content of wheat flour used for ordinary ramen is between 11% and 12%..."
"But if it's pure vegetarian ramen, the flavor carrying method of the soup base will be different. The noodles need a tougher texture to balance it."
Okabe muttered to himself while putting high-gluten flour into the shopping cart.
"Adding a small amount of buckwheat flour can endow the noodles with a unique nutty aroma. Mixed in, the flavor will be even more unique. We can buy a little to try."
Buckwheat noodles, rice flour, mung bean flour, and even cornstarch—Okabe bagged a little of each to take back, preparing to try them one by one to find the most suitable noodles.
"Then the toppings..."
After buying the flour for making noodles, Okabe and Ikumi Mito turned to the vegetable section again, selecting some vegetables suitable for toppings before finally accomplishing their task and preparing to return.
"Dried tofu, tofu puffs..."
Placing all the purchased ingredients onto the checkout counter, Okabe stared at the dried tofu and tofu puffs in the shopping cart, somewhat lost in thought. Subsequently, he went back and retrieved some tofu and soybeans.
"Let's leave it at these for now."
Watching the prices of the items being confirmed one by one by the cashier's hands, Okabe stood in place, his brain spinning rapidly, constantly confirming he hadn't missed anything.
Ikumi Mito stood beside him, taking the shopping bags in which the cashier had placed the calculated goods, not stopping until both her hands were full.
"Give me the flour and vegetables, those heavier ones. You just carry these two light ones."
Glancing at the remaining ingredients, Okabe took the flour, potatoes, and tomatoes—these heavier ingredients—from Ikumi Mito's hands.
He gave her the dried tofu, tofu, and some vegetables.
"Okay..."
Looking at Okabe, whose tough attitude left no room for negotiation, Ikumi Mito responded with a slightly red face, her heart filled with the warmth of being cared for.
"Let's go, back to Polaris Dormitory to be my guinea pig."
"Yes, Okabe-kun."
Time passed like a white horse crossing a crevice.
In the blink of an eye, it was the night before the Shokugeki.
During this period, whether by coincidence or because the other party deliberately avoided him, Okabe and Natsuo didn't run into each other even once. However, Junichi Wasu found out his address and came over a few times.
He didn't say much, simply tasted the vegetarian noodles Okabe made, gave some advice, and then left.
From his words, Okabe obtained a lot of useful information. He adjusted the soup three times, finally settling on the ultimate plan with the fourth version.
The third round of adjustments mainly lay in the temperature and time for roasting the tomatoes.
He discovered that as long as the three colors of tomatoes were roasted at different temperatures respectively, and then mixed and mashed, they could form a super three-dimensional layer of acidity.
"In that case, the soup base part is considered complete."
Okabe looked at the pot of soup on the stove, which was glowing with an amber luster, and let out a long sigh of relief.
The soup simmered in the pot.
The mellowness of the mushrooms, the brightness of the tomatoes, and the faint sweet fragrance of the tangerine peel and lily bulb rose with the boiling steam, lingering at the tips of the two people's noses.
"Indeed, this aroma is more perfect than any previous time. Next, if we just handle the noodles and toppings well, victory in tomorrow's match is certain!"
Although she didn't know what kind of cuisine Natsuo would present, in a vegetarian ramen duel, Ikumi Mito truly couldn't imagine how the opponent could match, let alone surpass, Okabe's soup base.
Although it was a common and classic tomato and mushroom soup base, under the synergistic effect of three different tomato varieties, the soup base's flavor was 150% richer than an ordinary tomato mushroom soup base. This was an astonishing improvement!
"Then, let's adjust the ramen around the soup base made from tomatoes and mushrooms."
Okabe turned his gaze to the flour on the cooking counter.
These past few days, he had tried many ratios, but he always felt the combination of the noodles and the soup base still lacked a point of 'tacit understanding.' Unfortunately, he had lacked inspiration.
"The elasticity of high-gluten flour and the nutty aroma of buckwheat flour are the foundation. Perhaps I can add a little of this."
While pondering, Okabe turned back to the shopping bag and took out a small bag of wheat starch.
"Is this... wheat starch?"
Ikumi Mito's somewhat puzzled voice sounded.
"That's right, Cheng Fen is wheat starch."
"The difference lies in the fact that wheat flour contains components like protein and fat, while starch, having undergone processes like washing to remove gluten, is pure carbohydrate."
"Adding it to the flour can make the noodles more translucent and the texture smoother. The crystal shrimp dumpling skins in Cantonese dim sum are made with wheat starch."
As he spoke, Okabe mixed the high-gluten flour, buckwheat flour, and a small amount of wheat starch. He dug a hollow in the middle, then poured in alkaline water prepared with ice water and a little salt.
His palms pressed the dough with power. With the turning of his wrists, the dry powder gradually gathered into a clump. Then, after repeated folding and slamming, the surface of the dough became smooth and resilient.
This was a mixed application of the Rotation Kneading Method and the Conventional Kneading Method, and it was also something he had groped his way toward during this period.
It made up for the areas that the Bailuo Snake Coiling Chain took into account but the Rotation Kneading Method didn't, truly bringing the dough to its optimal state.
"I'll let the dough rest naturally for the rest. As for the toppings, they are more or less there, but there's a lack of a protagonist. We need a ruthless character capable of dominating the whole field."
Okabe covered the dough with a wet cloth, then looked at the toppings beside him.
There were dried tofu slices that had been braised with spices and then pan-fried to have charred edges; tofu puffs that had soaked up the mushroom high stock inside; and crisp wood ear mushroom shreds tossed with sesame oil and a small amount of Sichuan peppercorn oil to increase the crunchy texture.
However, Okabe's gaze penetrated them, finally landing on the soaked soybeans.
"Next, let's make the soybeans transform."
As he spoke, Okabe stepped forward and lit another stove fire. He drained the moisture from the soaked soybeans, poured them into the pot, and dry-fried them until the skins wrinkled slightly, emitting a faint bean aroma.
Then he poured a small amount of clear water and a piece of kombu into the pot, turning to low heat to simmer slowly.
"Make the soybeans transform?"
Ikumi Mito's voice carried surprise.
"Yes, I'm preparing to make the most classic character in noodle dishes: Meat Mince."
Okabe revealed a mysterious expression.
"Meat Mince? Meat Mince can indeed become the protagonist in noodle dishes, but isn't this pure vegetarian ramen? Adding Meat Mince would be putting the cart before the horse..."
Ikumi Mito was even more confused. While she felt Okabe was being unreliable in her heart, she also uncontrollably gave birth to a feeling of anticipation.
Back then.
It was exactly when everyone thought it was impossible that Okabe used a Fruit Pork Cutlet to defeat her A5 Wagyu.
He was just such a person who excelled at creating miracles!
_____
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