Shokugeki: Start with an izakaya, making everyone cry

Chapter 161 Dishes without ingredients

"Never mind it!"

"Who can explain things like feelings clearly?"

When Zhang Fan heard this, he just looked back at Xiaolin Gentian, and then said: "By the way, you have eaten all the bear paws, isn't it time to go back?"

"Huh? Well...actually I'm not full yet, so..."

Xiaolin Ringtong's face suddenly turned red and he said softly.

"Really satisfied."

"Tell me, what else do you want to eat?"

Zhang Fan, who was not surprised, could only shrug and asked again.

Hearing that he had not been kicked out and could continue to eat here, Ringtong Kobayashi's eyes lit up, and he quickly shamelessly ordered a few more side dishes and a glass of ginger ale!
  Tonight, the izakaya is closed.

But maybe it was God's will to play tricks on people, but in the end, people like Kobayashi Rgentou and Nakiri Leonora came here to eat.

For Zhang Fan, this is actually not a very bad thing.

On the contrary, it shows that his izakaya has gradually become more and more popular over time!

……

Early morning, the fourth day of residential training.

In a cooking room, dozens of students were waiting quietly.

On the podium, the examiner Hyugako looked contented and kept eating the snacks in her hands, seaweed shreds!

As the second seat of the 80th Top Ten, she was known as the "Empress of the Mist" in the Totsuki era, so there is no need to question her ability.

Although, they started slightly later than Shinomiya and Mizuhara, who were one year older.

But with her outstanding talents and abilities, she has gradually gained a decisive position in the neon country cuisine industry in the past two years.

Not long ago, her self-operated Japanese restaurant "Kogiya" received a two-star restaurant rating from the WGO Food Organization.

So to speak.

Compared to the current stagnant Fourth House.

Her career as a chef has been booming.

……

"Examiner, it's already past 7 o'clock."

"Why haven't you announced to us the cooking topic this time?"

At this moment, among the many students present, the normally timid Tian Suohui was the first to raise his hand and asked softly.

"Ah? Don't you all know?" Hinatako pretended to be surprised, then looked at the entire cooking room and continued: "There is no question for the cooking this time, because I didn't even prepare the ingredients for you."

"No ingredients?"

"what is the problem?"

"Without ingredients, it's like a soldier without weapons. How can we cook or fight?"

"I'm going crazy. Why are all the training sessions coming up with these outrageous questions?"

As soon as this statement came out, almost all the students present were holding their heads and going crazy, and their mental state was close to collapse.

After all, this ridiculous assessment is really cheating!

“Nature is a bloody and brutal table, and you either become the eater or the food.”

“As you can see, ingredients are everywhere, it’s all around us, right here on our land.”

"Currently, I have fenced off the entire 1-kilometer radius of the kitchen. There are flowing streams, tall trees, and a small grassland here."

"I believe this place will be a treasure trove of good ingredients. It depends on whether you can find it."

"In short, seasonings, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and kitchen utensils are all prepared for you. Even fishing rods and other fishing tools can be used at any time."

“Being able to find ingredients in this area and make dishes that satisfy me is considered qualified!”

In the end, everyone finally understood what Gan Hinata meant.

After all, if you don’t have ingredients, then you have to collect, dig, pick up, and fish yourself...

No matter what method you use, as long as you can find the ingredients and make delicious food, it's OK!
  ……

how to say?

This kind of exam question, which is very random and does not have a single evaluation standard, is actually quite difficult.

If you can't find the ingredients, it will definitely be a dead end.

But if you find it, you have to consider its own suitability.

You may not necessarily have the ingredients for cooking that you know how to cook.

If you have the ingredients, you may not be able to cook the food you want.

Even if the dish is finally made, the taste and texture may not be comparable to those of Gan Hinata!
  It is probably for this reason that Hinata asked such a difficult cooking question.

After all, when facing unknown and unexpected situations, anyone's vision often becomes extremely narrow, and it is difficult to think quickly and change their thinking to solve the current problem.

Therefore, in her eyes, if you cannot stabilize your mentality, you cannot cope with this situation.

Even if he is the pride of heaven, he actually has no qualifications to stay in Yuanyue.

……

"Huh? Why are you still standing there?"

"The assessment time has already begun. If you can't find the ingredients and make the dishes within 2 hours, you will fail!"

Inui Hinata, who was eating seaweed shreds, saw the group of students standing there in a daze, at a loss, so she couldn't help but kindly reminded them.

"Can we form a team? After all, we have to find ingredients and cook. Time is very tight for us."

At this time, Takemi stood up and asked Miki Hinatako.

"Yes, but only in groups of two at most."

Hinata gently rubbed her chin with her hand, thought about it carefully, and finally reluctantly agreed.

"Okay, brother, let's set off."

Afterwards, Takmi hurriedly called his brother Isami, and they went out to look for ingredients together.

Time was indeed very tight as Tuckermi said, so many students began to form teams, and then they all took fishing rods and live fish buckets and went out to fish!

“As expected, most people can only think about fishing.”

Seeing this, Mikihiko could only sigh deeply.

……

In European countries, eating duck has always been a high-end choice.

Therefore, it is not that duck is not eaten in Western food, but that some Western restaurants do not have the strength and confidence to make authentic duck dishes!
  Just as many people were focusing on the fish in the stream, the brothers Takemi and Isami brought a duck.

"It's actually a duck?"

Gan Hinata, who was very bored with waiting, couldn't help but light up her eyes.

At the same time, Takmi didn't think much or stop.

I saw him holding a half-moon knife in both hands, and then cutting the duck on the chopping board with force.

In an instant, the burst of power, like a beast showing its sharp fangs, surprised even the experienced Hyugako!
  Although the force is very heavy and violent, it is somewhat delicate under the roughness.

In the blink of an eye, all parts of the whole duck were perfectly cut out. Then, take the breast meat, sprinkle it with salt and black pepper, and spread it evenly.

"Brother, it's your turn."

Immediately afterwards, Tuckermi's eyes tightened and he handed the half-moon knife to his brother Isami.

"Okay, brother, leave the next steps to me."

After receiving the Half-Moon Knife, the originally kind-hearted Isami suddenly became very vicious, exuding a chilling aura.

Then, he directly chopped the rosemary and garlic on the chopping board as quickly as possible and sprinkled them on the surface of the duck meat.

Press gently to allow the seasoning to fully penetrate.    Put the marinated duck meat into a fresh-keeping bag.

Pour an appropriate amount of olive oil, seal the bag, and marinate.

"These two..."

The whole process was naturally thrilling for Hinata.

The cooking styles of these two brothers are always completely different from their personalities. One is about strength, the other is about speed.

However, when they work together, they have a deep tacit understanding, which is perfect and harmonious.

So, unconsciously, Miki Hinatako began to look forward to it.

……

After marinating, bake in the oven.

Preheat the oven to a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius.

Bake for 40 minutes, until the surface of the duck meat turns golden brown, and finally take it out and apply a special seasoning on it.

In this way, a plate of Italian roast duck appeared in front of Miki Hinatako.

"I didn't expect that in less than an hour, you would be able to find the ingredients and make the dish."

Looking at the plate of roast duck in front of her, Hinata's eyes showed a hint of appreciation and she said with satisfaction.

"Italian cuisine is different from French cuisine."

“It pays attention to simplicity, freshness and nature, focusing only on the quality and combination of ingredients rather than excessive seasoning and cooking.”

"What's more, I don't like to delay the preparation of a dish and make diners wait for a long time."

Hearing this, Takmi did not show a proud expression, but responded calmly.

"Good, not bad."

"Having this realization proves that you are not a very exaggerated student."

Qian Hinata nodded.

Immediately, under the gaze of the brothers, she cut a small piece of roast duck breast, slowly put it into her mouth, and tasted it carefully.

……

Duck meat, marinated and roasted for a long time.

The flavor of the spices has been fully absorbed, exuding a rich aroma with every bite.

As soon as you bite into it, you can instantly feel some oily and refreshing taste, which is the slightest hint of duck fat on the duck skin.

"Huh? This taste..."

Qian Hinata couldn't help but be stunned.

"I see, the focus is on the sauce, especially the freshly minced rosemary."

"This spicy spice is really suitable for roast duck. It can remove the fishy smell and greasiness while adding flavor to the meat."

"The heat is also controlled very well. It will not be over-cooked or over-tender. It is crispy but also fresh and tender, with a mellow and rich taste."

"At the same time, when roasting, I brushed a layer of honey on the duck meat. In addition to keeping the duck meat from burning so quickly, it also keeps the food moist, so it doesn't taste so dry or woody!"

"And honey also contains a lot of fructose, which has a sweet taste and a pleasant smell."

After swallowing, Gan Hinata raised her head slightly and said to Takemi and Isami: "This kind of cooking is qualified."

"Brother, we have indeed succeeded."

When Isami heard this, he smiled and turned to Takmi.

"Well, it's a trifle."

Although there was no smile on Takmi's face, he was secretly relieved.

……

Generally, even in the early morning in summer.

After casting the hook bait, you have to wait about 20 minutes before the fish bites the hook.

If it is in early spring or winter when the temperature is low, it may take more than an hour for the float to make any movement.

And don’t forget, there are generally twenty or thirty students who go fishing.

But there are only so many fish in the entire creek, which is not enough for everyone to catch.

Furthermore, fishing requires patience.

In this situation of participating in a cooking test, who can keep a calm mind?
  "Ruined!"

"It's been an hour and I haven't caught a fish yet."

"Stop talking, the fish will be scared away when you open your mouth!"

"That's right, can you be quiet?"

"yeah?"

"There is movement on the float, hurry up, hurry up... pull it up quickly."

"Wow, I finally caught a silver carp, so I can wrap it in egg liquid, stick it with bread crumbs, fry it in a pan until it's golden and crispy, and take it out..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Where are you going to find eggs and bread crumbs in this environment?"

"Look at my memory, I actually forgot that I have to find all the ingredients for this assessment myself."

Time, little by little.

The panic among all students is gradually spreading.

Just as Miki Hinata expected, even if he caught a fish, even if he found ingredients.

It is really difficult to rely on limited space and conditions to create perfect dishes, and many students are bound to hit a wall because of this!

……

Fresh vegetables picked in the morning.

It often has an amazing fresh taste that is better than vegetables that have been stored for a period of time.

In fact, the most perfect cuisine comes from the healthiest and most natural-tasting ingredients, born from a close relationship with fruits, vegetables, herbs, beans, mushrooms and grains.

Of course, it’s also because I’m good at local cuisine and ingredients that come out of the soil.

Therefore, Tadokoro didn't focus entirely on the fish like other students.

She just went to pick a basket of mushrooms, carrots, and onions, and then quickly returned to the cooking room.

Then, she cut the carrots and onions into small pieces, poured them into a small pot together with the chopped onions, added water and mixed well, then added sugar, rice wine, oyster sauce and soy sauce.

Bring to a boil over high heat, wait until the aroma of the sauce comes out, filter out the residue, and then simmer the remaining soup until it becomes thick.

Finally, wash the mushrooms again.

Heat a wok, pour in appropriate amount of oil, add sliced ​​mushrooms and stir-fry.

Stir dry the water, then pour the thick teriyaki sauce over the mushrooms.

"It's interesting, they are all vegetarian."

As Hinatako looked at the plate of teriyaki mushrooms in front of her, she seemed to have some realization.

From this dish, she could tell that Tazoe's dishes were fresh and elegant, emphasizing the word "element", rather than being fancy and pretentious like Takemi and Isami.

“The relationship between a chef and the ingredients he uses should be intimate.”

"Although your cooking looks relatively simple, it shows an incredible amount of thought and care. Yes, it's a special way of caring."

"I think this will be a dish that makes me feel warm and humane, right?"

Looking back, Miki Hinatako smiled.

(End of this chapter)