"That dough is actually pale gold... what is the situation? Did he add eggs in there...?"
As the gauze covering the resting dough was lifted, Okabe's dough appeared before everyone's eyes—a mass of dough possessing a pale golden luster.
"Could it be that he is making egg ramen?
Although the method is quite common, adding eggs to the noodles can indeed make them full of elasticity and very chewy, while also making the texture smoother and less likely to get soggy..."
At the judges' table, Taeko Saitori, a mature beauty wearing a cheongsam with high slits, spoke up. She was the proprietress of a large noodle processing factory in Tokyo, whose main business was egg noodles.
Therefore, the moment she saw the golden-yellow dough, a judgment formed in her heart.
"Although it could be other types of eggs, the possibility of it being chicken eggs is the highest," remarked Ken Ito, a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache. He was the President of the Kanto Ramen Association in Japan and had considerable research into various categories of ramen.
"What exactly is the reason that would cause the dough to present such a golden-yellow hue?"
Unlike the judges who were unaware of the truth, the members of Polaris Dormitory understood that what Okabe was making was purely vegetarian noodles. logically speaking, eggs would not be used.
"It isn't eggs. The fundamental reason the dough presents a golden yellow color lies in the fact that it contains chickpea flour."
Seeing the puzzled expressions on Ryoko Sakaki and the others, Erina Nakiri shook her head slightly, her gaze looking deeply at Okabe, who was kneading the rested dough until smooth.
"Chickpea flour?" Yuki Yoshino tilted her head, her voice curious; evidently, it was her first time hearing of this plant.
"That's right, chickpea flour.
Chickpeas are a type of legume distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Their texture is dense and silky, and their flavor is powdery and sweet, carrying a nutty aroma similar to chestnuts.
This flavor forms a superb complement to the umami of mushrooms and the bright acidity of tomatoes. It can effectively increase the complexity and depth of the soup base and noodle flavors, making the taste of this ramen more three-dimensional and full-bodied."
As Erina Nakiri's voice fell, Okabe, standing before the cooking station, also sprang into action.
He quickly stretched the dough, folded it, and repeated this several times. The dough in his hands instantly turned into countless fine threads, which he gently slapped onto the kneading board.
And on that kneading board was precisely the wheat starch that Okabe had previously tried to melt into the dough—an attempt that had failed to work and instead hindered the formation of gluten.
This was also one of his little ingenious ideas.
Since making ramen with wheat starch mixed into the flour would cause the two to merge, he waited until the noodles were formed. Then, through a dipping method, he attached it to the surface, thereby forming a thin film of wheat starch to achieve an effect of inner toughness and outer bounce.
However, this was not the end.
If he stopped here, this would merely be a local style of ramen with slightly unique characteristics.
Okabe was naturally unwilling to settle for that.
On this foundation, he folded it two more times, making the thickness of the ramen resemble vermicelli. Subsequently, he took five strands from them, arranged them neatly, and rolled them along one side into a spiral shape.
The thin noodles seemed to come alive at his fingertips. Every twist emitted a subtle swish-swish sound before being set aside for later use.
And during the process of rolling the noodles, to prevent the loose noodles from bursting apart during boiling, he used internal energy while rolling to thoroughly fix both ends of the ramen.
After all, the opponent was a scion of a prestigious family.
It was reasonable for him to use a little bit of his true power, right?
However, because the distance was too great, the crowd in the audience stands could only see Okabe tinkering with his back turned to them; they were not clear on what he was doing.
Seeing him stay in front of the kneading board without moving for a long time, they turned their gazes toward Natsuo on the other side.
At this moment, Natsuo's dough had also finished resting. However, he was not in a hurry to pull the noodles. Instead, after kneading the rested dough once more, he covered it with an inverted iron basin to continue resting it.
Only after repeating this three times did he take the dough out.
"Traditional ramen requires Penghui water or alkaline water to increase gluten elasticity. This young man adopted the 'Three Rests' method to compensate for this step.
After the dough undergoes repeated resting, the internal gluten is sufficient to support the stretching of the ramen. With a little more skill in applying force, one can pull out ramen that is chewy and refreshing."
At the judges' table, the old man sitting in the middle, who had not spoken all this time, suddenly opened his mouth.
He looked at Natsuo with eyes full of appreciation because this was precisely his favorite style of ramen; noodles pulled this way had only a faint salty taste.
The old man's name was Kota Mendai. Starting from his grandfather's generation, their family had particularly loved ramen, eating it for practically all three meals.
By his generation, Japan's economy had exploded, and all sorts of ramen shops filled the streets and alleys. Every time he finished eating at a ramen shop, he would conduct a review.
Over time, he left behind the title of 'Ramen King' in the culinary world. When it came to tasting ramen, no one in all of Japan was more professional than him!
As Kota Mendai's voice fell, Natsuo also sprang into action.
What he wanted to make was not the traditional Japanese slender ramen strands, but flat, long Latiaozi (pulled strips). He only needed to flatten them slightly while pulling and fold them in one direction.
The Latiaozi had the same thickness as ramen but were wider, looking like willow leaves.
The pulled strips were dropped directly into boiling water.
Two minutes later, he fished them out with a bamboo strainer, quickly rinsed them in cold water, and then placed them into a preheated bowl prepared earlier.
After finishing these tasks, he arrived in front of the two pots of high stock. Lifting the lids, he sniffed the aroma within, and a look of incomparable satisfaction appeared on his face.
The beef bone high stock, having undergone long simmering, presented a thick, milky white color. The surface grease had been skimmed off, leaving only the mellowness of melted bone marrow and collagen.
The other pot, a clear soup hung with duck frames, Jinhua ham, and dried scallops, was as clear as amber. The moment the lid was lifted, it emitted an incomparably elegant fresh fragrance.
Natsuo did not crudely mix the two. Instead, he started a separate small pot.
He first injected an appropriate amount of the rich beef bone soup as a base. Then, using a fine sieve, he slowly blended in the clear soup while rapidly stirring with long chopsticks, allowing the two soup bases of different textures and flavors to complete a preliminary fusion within the rotation.
Next, he took out a small saucer of golden-yellow lobster oil that had been purified through distillation. Dipping the bottom of a soup spoon into it to take a little, he gently dotted it into the merging soup.
In an instant, an indescribable ultimate umami belonging to the ocean exploded forth, yet was quickly embraced and tamed by the rich bone soup and the elegant duck soup.
"A combination of double soups, with lobster oil as the finishing touch."
Such a technique was something ordinary people would never think of, and even if they did, they wouldn't dare to do it, because adding a massive amount of flavor to the soup would make it muddled.
But he still did it, and he evoked such a rich and complicated umami...
In the audience stands, Taki Kakizaki and Sonoka Kikuchi had arrived at the scene in a low-profile manner wearing sunglasses. Watching Natsuo, a gravity flashed through their gazes: "He indeed has the capital to be arrogant. I wonder if Okabe-kun's cooking can cope with this."
Rindo Kobayashi licked the corner of her mouth, the interest in her eyes deepening: "It's getting more and more interesting! Little Okabe, how will you deal with this kind of luxurious offense?"
Time passed minute by minute.
Of the four-hour time limit, less than twenty minutes remained in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately, both of their dishes had reached the finishing stage.
Natsuo poured the blended high stock, and the Latiaozi in the bowl floated up with it.
He first took the char siu made from Iberian pork cap meat, sliced it, and placed it diagonally at the edge.
Next, he placed the sea urchin caviar jelly—made from sea urchin paste, sturgeon caviar, agar, and clear soup—right in the center of the ramen, like a dazzling jewel.
Lobster slices, blanched to provide a crisp and tender texture, were spread evenly beside the char siu.
Finally, there were various vegetables.
Golden beet sprouts lightly tossed with sesame oil; white asparagus tips blanched in salt water for three seconds; purple carrot sprouts eaten raw; white jade radish shreds chilled in the refrigerator.
Red chicory rolls marinated in wine vinegar; finger limes taken as whole granules; candied pumpkin shoots immersed in honey.
Seven types of vegetables were arranged neatly in a semi-circle, corresponding respectively to the Seven Treasures of Buddhism: Gold, Silver, Lapis Lazuli, Tridacna, Agate, Coral, and Amber.
With this, the ramen was finally considered complete.
Unlike the incomparably plain Stone Turbid Soup from the previous match.
In this Shokugeki, Natsuo's cooking appeared bejeweled and magnificent, like a sparkling glazed jewel, utilizing every ingredient to its extreme.
"I am finished. Please taste it, three judges."
While speaking, Natsuo glanced at Okabe. Subsequently, he carried his ramen and strode toward the judges' table, his face written full of confident expression.
"This humble monk's ramen is named: Seven Treasures Glazed Mountain and Sea Noodles!"
His voice was not loud but exceptionally firm. As his voice fell, the ramen was placed in front of the three judges. He stood quietly to the side, awaiting evaluation.
"Seven Treasures Glazed Mountain and Sea Noodles..."
Looking at the ramen presented by Natsuo, the judges looked at each other, all seeing the astonishment in one another's eyes. Then, they picked up their chopsticks in unison.
"Such perfect ramen... even stirring it with chopsticks feels like destruction. There is an inexplicable sense of guilt."
However, if one wanted to evaluate, tasting was indispensable...
Kota Mendai couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"I'm digging in!"
Taeko Saitori's face was rosy; she could no longer resist extending her chopsticks into the noodle bowl, picking up the wide and long Latiaozi inside, and delivering it to her mouth to savor carefully.
In the next instant, her expression froze.
The pupils of those eyes, which originally carried a professional scrutiny, suddenly dilated.
"This... what is this?!"
She didn't even have time to utter a complete evaluation before the chopsticks in her hand uncontrollably reached into the bowl again, picking up noodles and sending them into her mouth.
Beside her, Ken Ito was even more exaggerated.
His entire person froze there, only his Adam's apple rolling violently.
After a long while, he looked at the noodle bowl in disbelief and squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth: "This noodle... this soup, they can actually be coordinated to this degree, as if made by heaven!"
Kota Mendai behaved the most steadily among them, eating several chopstick-fulls of ramen continuously before stopping. Yet, the hand holding his chopsticks was trembling slightly.
He closed his eyes, savoring it carefully for a full half-minute, before speaking hoarsely: "The noodles themselves...
The repeated three rests constructed the gluten network flawlessly, granting it sufficient toughness while retaining the most primitive sweetness of the wheat.
Can you tell me, what exactly is the water you used to knead the dough?"
Kota Mendai looked at Natsuo with piercing eyes.
At the same time, he asked the doubt buried in his heart, as well as in the hearts of everyone at the scene. He wanted to know what exactly was contained in the gourd Natsuo had taken out earlier.
"Actually, it is nothing much.
It is merely mountain morning dew, with added Bodhi seeds and agarwood chips, sealed and refrigerated to steep for seven days, then filtered, finally obtaining this 'Bodhi Dew,' that is all."
Hearing the inquiry, the corners of Natsuo's mouth raised slightly, revealing a set of perfect silver teeth. As he spoke, he opened the gourd he carried with him, and a cold, biting fragrance diffused in all directions.
"Mountain morning dew is extremely soft natural distilled water. Its mineral content is extremely low, which can effectively avoid minerals combining with flour proteins and affecting the chewy texture. It is the most suitable water for making ramen.
On top of this, you soaked Bodhi seeds and agarwood chips in it, bringing a trace of herbal aroma to the ramen. It truly is a very bold creative idea."
Hearing Natsuo's explanation, Ken Ito stroked his handlebar mustache, his words full of admiration for him.
The morning dew steeped with Bodhi seeds and agarwood chips provided the ramen with a fresh taste. This flavor perfectly neutralized the greasy texture brought by the soup base.
The two complemented each other, pushing the completion level of this bowl of ramen to a terrifying degree.
"Compared to the noodles, I feel the most superb part here should be the flavor of the fusion of the two layers of soup base."
"The beef bone soup base is as mellow as the earth, and the old duck clear soup is as elegant as the sky.
These two soups were originally incompatible, but he used the essence of the sea urchin caviar jelly and the lobster brain paste as a bridge connecting the two sides, making them merge perfectly.
This umami does not explode suddenly, but diffuses slowly in the mouth, with an influence that lasts for a long time!"
Taeko Saitori's fingers gripped her chopsticks tightly. Her two long, slender legs were crossed and twisting beneath the judges' table, and a mysterious flush appeared on her face.
"Plus these seven types of vegetables. The processing of each one was precise to the second, retaining the peak crispness and clear sweetness, perfectly neutralizing the heaviness of the soup base."
Kota Mendai looked at the numerous garnishes atop the noodles, the excitement in his voice becoming increasingly intense.
"And the char siu! The outer layer is a perfectly caramelized crispy shell, but the meat inside is shockingly soft and glutinous. The fat has long since melted completely, permeating into every fiber of the texture.
This is the flavor that only top-tier black hog pork possesses!"
Ken Ito's voice was impassioned. Deep in emotion, he even stood up, spreading his arms like a loudspeaker, his face written full of an intoxicated expression.
"The jewel in the center combines the unique umami of sea urchin and the saltiness of sturgeon caviar. Perfectly locked in by agar, it explodes the instant it is bitten open!"
Taeko Saitori bit her finger lightly, the flush on her face becoming increasingly vigorous. When her teeth broke open the sea urchin caviar jelly, a surging umami swept through her oral cavity.
"This feeling..."
"This feeling is just like!"
Taeko Saitori's voice was halted and cadenced, carrying a soft moan. Her legs, which were originally intertwined and twisting, suddenly snapped straight. Immediately after, the chopsticks in her hand were snapped directly by her pinch.
"Stealing a taste of meat while sitting in a solemn and dignified Buddhist temple! Secretly tasting meat delicious to the extreme amidst the chanting of scriptures! That momentary sense of immorality—it's the best!"
In a trance, Taeko Saitori appeared in a solemn Buddhist temple. Beside her were countless devout Buddhas, closing their eyes, striking wooden fish, and chanting scriptures. Before her eyes was the Great Sun Tathagata.
And in front of her, there was also a wooden fish. However, it was not hollow inside; it was filled to the brim with meat and ramen. Pretending to chant scriptures, she quickly stole bites to eat.
The satisfaction brought by that instant was something no other cuisine could bring!
"Ah! I'm going!"
And as the evaluations of the three judges became higher one after another, the audience stands exploded completely.
"Even the Ramen King of Kyoto said so.
I remember he has over a million followers on Twitter. Rumor has it he has eaten no less than a hundred thousand bowls of ramen, and even uses ramen soup to bathe. He is super strict about ramen evaluation..."
"Is this the strength of Sequence 10? Too terrifying! If he possesses such strength, then what is the situation with those guys in the sequences further ahead?!"
"What's the situation on Okabe's side? He is Sequence 1; logically speaking, he should be able to serve an even better dish. But looking at the current situation..."
Almost everyone's gazes were cast at that instant toward Okabe, who was still busy in front of the cooking station. He was leisurely dropping the noodles into the pot.
"Too terrifying! Contestant Natsuo's cooking made all three judges voice extremely high evaluations. This is quite rare in the history of Shokugeki!"
"So now, with less than five minutes remaining until the end of the competition, let us look forward to Contestant Okabe's performance!"
Watching the atmosphere at the scene being ignited, the countdown appeared on the large screen in the sky. Yet Okabe remained unhurried, as if everything was within his grasp.
"Phew..."
He gently exhaled a breath of turbid air.
"You actually served a pretty decent ramen."
Gathering the spiral ramen from the kneading board and pouring them into boiling water with a large amount of rock salt and a little olive oil added, Okabe sighed with emotion from the bottom of his heart while smelling the rich aroma brought by Natsuo's ramen in the air.
Excellent beef bone high stock mixed with old duck soup, paired with noodles that had a palate-cleansing and fresh texture, as well as the domineering and peerless char siu.
Nothing was more satisfying than this. Even he wanted to have a bowl!
"After all, I spent so much time preparing. You are the first contestant in this academy I have treated seriously. I hope you won't lose too uglily later."
Watching Okabe holding chopsticks and stirring the pot leisurely, Natsuo crossed his arms over his chest. A few degrees of uneasiness inexplicably rose in his heart—was this guy acting too calm?
"The heat is just right."
Counting the seconds in his heart, after the spiral ramen had passed 30 seconds, he fished them out of the pot.
However, he did not run them through ice water as per routine. Instead, he pulled open the liquid nitrogen tank beside the cooking station and dragged out a frozen basalt slab.
"Sizzle—"
The extremely hot noodle threads contacted the extremely cold rock slab, erupting with a violent sound and a large amount of white steam.
The spiral noodles tightened and set instantly on the rock slab. The spiral patterns became clearer, and an extremely thin, crisp 'shell' formed on the surface, while the interior retained an amazing elasticity and humidity due to the rapid cooling.
"What kind of processing method is this?"
In the audience stands, even Erina Nakiri opened her eyes wide when she saw this scene, because the final improved version Okabe made last night did not include this step!
In other words, this method was something Okabe thought of temporarily on the way to the Shokugeki.
"Ah, so Little Okabe borrowed my liquid nitrogen tank this morning to use it here. Replacing ice water with a frozen basalt slab—what a truly bold idea."
Rindo Kobayashi also opened her mouth slightly upon seeing this scene, evidently not expecting him to handle it in this manner.
____
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