Shokugeki: Start with an izakaya, making everyone cry

Chapter 177 The Change of Nakiri Erina

In the Chinese food culture, there are three invasive animals that are gradually becoming popular among foodies:

crocodile.

Crab.

frog.

Crocodile meat has quickly emerged in the food world.

At this time, there were several crocodile dishes placed in front of Kobayashi Ryodan, such as teppanyaki crocodile belly, stewed crocodile soup, braised crocodile paws, stone pot crocodile meat, fried crocodile tail with chive-flavored black bean sauce... It can be said that it is a complete crocodile dish. Banquet!

The crocodile belly grilled on the teppanyaki looks very western-style when wrapped in black pepper. It not only gives the vitality of Western food, it is also very delicious and gives a sense of ritual.

Of course, the most important thing not to miss when eating crocodile meat is the crocodile paw.

Its thick gelatin makes every bite soft and chewy, and it's also very nourishing.

then.

Braised method.

It best highlights the delicious taste of crocodile paw.

Although the izakaya uses traditional braised ingredients such as garlic and pork belly, the alluring aroma is both familiar and unique.

In particular, the crocodile palm has been slowly fried at low temperature, and the skin on the surface has turned into a soft and fragrant crepe skin. It is paired with the sauce and fish stock as the base, and the fresh and sweet taste is full of it.

In short, no matter which crocodile dish it is, or which part of the crocodile it is, Zhang Fan always follows the procedures and does not cut corners.

The tenderness of the crocodile belly, the smoothness of the crocodile tail, the refreshing taste of the crocodile palm...

Almost different parts taste different.

So, after Kobayashi Gentian collected various crocodile parts for the first time, he ate them.

……

"Hmm~"

“It’s really enjoyable!”

The moment he finished eating, Kobayashi Ringtong suddenly felt extremely happy.

There is no doubt that whether it is bear paws from last time or crocodile meat this time, these two rare ingredients can be turned into food that Zhang Fan will eat up in her hands!

At the same time, accompanied by anxious footsteps, a girl with light red short hair quietly walked in.

She looked at Nakiri Erina from a distance and saw her processing beef in front of the cooking table. She couldn't help but be stunned, and then walked forward happily.

"Miss."

"You...are you really here?"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, great, I thought you were missing. I never got through the call, which made me worry about you all the time."

Before Erina could react, Nito Hisako rushed over and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you in advance. I've been working part-time at the izakaya since last night, and I also...also...lived here temporarily."

Seeing that she was so worried about herself, Erina regained her composure for a moment, then her nose became slightly sore and her eyes turned a little red.

Really, it's not her fault.

She couldn't control this emotion at all.

Although she has no blood relationship with Fei Shasha, she has been inseparable from her throughout her life, and even her daily life cannot be separated from her care.

It can be said that this emotional relationship integrated into life has already bound the two of them together forever.

"No, Miss, I...how dare I blame you?"

"It's just that if you want to leave my side suddenly in the future, can you tell me in advance?"

Fei Shasha raised his head and said aggrievedly.

Looking deeply into those pitiful bright eyes, Erina felt guilty and at a loss.

In the end, she could only cast a "helping" look at Zhang Fan beside her.

"Go and comfort her first, and leave the rest of the work to me!"

Zhang Fan understood and said softly.

……

Izakaya itself is a place where people can talk to each other.

At this time, Fei Shasha sat down casually and calmed down a little.

She recalled the moment she just walked into the izakaya, and Erina Nakiri was cutting beef in front of the cooking table, and she couldn't help but ask: "Miss, do you really work part-time at the izakaya?"

"Yeah that's right."

"And I won't go back to Yuanyue for a while, I will just stay here."

Erina, who was sitting next to her, glanced secretly at Zhang Fan who was busy over there, and then nodded.

"Hey, if outsiders find out that the eldest daughter of the Nakiri family, who once served as the supervisor of major restaurants, is willing to work part-time in a small izakaya, it will probably cause a sensation in the culinary world, right?"

Hearing this, Fei Shasha covered his mouth and smiled softly.

"What's the point? Mom is also the special executive officer of the WGO Food Organization. She also likes Zhang Fan...'s cooking."

Erina's face turned red and she replied rather shyly.

"That's true. Even Auntie Managi can't stand Zhang Fan's cooking, let alone you, the eldest lady."

"So, you and Zhang Fan are living together now?"

Feishao blinked his eyes and became curious.

"That's right?"

"But here, I have my own room, so my life is not affected too much."

Erina continued to blush and replied.

"It rained heavily last night and there was thunder. Miss, your cell phone has been unable to get through."

"Only I know that you are usually most afraid of thunder. Without me by your side, you will have trouble falling asleep, so I... I am really worried about you."

"But now that I know that you have checked into the izakaya and that Zhang Fan is taking care of you, I feel that there is nothing to worry about."

"By the way, miss, did you sleep alone last night?"

As he spoke, Fei Shasha's tone became anxious, as if he was very concerned about this issue.

"this and that……"

"Of course I fell asleep by myself. As long as I covered my head and put on earplugs and didn't listen to the thunder outside, I could fall asleep quickly."

Erina, whose face was as red as a monkey's butt at the moment, said with a guilty conscience.

"Hey?"

"It seems that, Miss, you have grown a lot."

Hisako was stunned for a moment, and then a faint smile appeared on his face, completely believing what Erina said.

"Ahem, Fei Sha."

In order to cover up this embarrassment, Erina could only pretend to cough twice.

Then she quickly stood up, and then said: "Speaking of it, it seems that you haven't tasted my cooking for a long time. Tonight, you will treat me as a diner in an izakaya, and let me cook a few side dishes?"

"Is it really possible?"

"I...can I taste the food you cook, Miss?"

Upon hearing this, Feishao was very excited, almost jumping like a rabbit. "sure."

Erina reached out and patted her shoulder.

Finally, she rearranged her white chef uniform and returned to the cooking table.

……

A city built of reinforced concrete seems to have only superficial prosperity.

Everyone is busy on the road of life and has no time to take care of other things, and the human touch is getting weaker and weaker.

But some people say that an izakaya in Neon Country is still more humane, especially reflected in the various dishes.

Take a frying pan and put the chicken legs skin side down without adding oil.

Fry until the oil is released and the chicken skin turns golden brown, then turn over, cover and fry for another 1 minute.

Add the sauce, cover and sauté over low heat for 2 minutes, turning over halfway to allow even coloring on both sides.

When the soup thickens and bubbles, turn off the heat and remove from the pot.

Blanch broccoli and carrots in boiling water. Put some rice in a bowl, cut the chicken legs into pieces, and add garnishes to the bowl.

Next, prepare a teriyaki sauce, 1 spoon of honey, 2 spoons of soy sauce, a little rice wine, finally add 2 ounces of water, mix well, and pour the sauce.

In the past, she, Erina, had not bothered to make this so-called teriyaki chicken cutlet rice.

However, since she met Zhang Fan, her concept of cooking is quietly changing. Of course, it is also possible that she wants to explore a new way of cooking.

Take a closer look, the chicken steak has been carefully marinated and slow-roasted, the outer skin is slightly browned, and when you take a bite, it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Its delicious taste is perfectly combined with the sweetness of the teriyaki sauce, leaving Feisha with endless aftertaste.

After entering the mouth, the sweetness and mellow aroma of oil linger between the lips and teeth. The chicken steak is tender and tasty, and the vegetables are crisp and delicious. The combination is quite balanced and beautiful.

Especially when paired with the mellow teriyaki sauce, a full amount of "love" can be released instantly on the tip of the tongue.

Every bite is like a carefully prepared gift.

While enjoying the delicious food, Nito Hisako can also feel the producer's intention and sincerity!

"Ok?"

"This feeling……"

The strong taste, like the most brilliant red in spring, completely enchanted Fei Sha Sha.

She slowly closed her eyes and recalled the taste: "The mellow taste of teriyaki sauce adds a mysterious neon country flavor to this dish."

"The unique interplay of sweet and salty makes the chicken taste richer and more diverse, and the aftertaste of the sauce slowly releases in the mouth, making people want to take one bite after another."

"The plump rice absorbs the essence of chicken and teriyaki sauce, and each grain is full of deep flavor. When eaten together with the chicken steak, it forms a harmonious and wonderful combination of textures, which seems to play on the taste buds. A moving symphony.”

In fact, judging from the appearance.

The bowl of teriyaki chicken cutlet rice made by Erina is actually nothing special. Rice, chicken cutlet, braised eggs, and vegetables are all standard configurations.

But for some reason, Feishao was able to use her chopsticks to pull the rice with her hands every time she tasted it, as if she couldn't control it, and kept bringing it to her mouth, and chewing it.

"My God!"

"As expected of Miss Erina."

"As expected, your cooking always fascinates me!"

Finally, Feisha started to marvel as if she was bathing in a sea of ​​"satisfaction".

"Fei Shasha, do you think my current cooking is deliberately imitating Zhang Fan?"

Seeing her expression like this, Erina was just quite calm.

She thought for a while and then simply said: "Actually, I have begun to understand that ingredients are just ingredients, and there is no high or low end in themselves. They just grow naturally there, and then are harvested and made into food for people to taste. "

“Those who make food are humans, and those who eat food are humans, that’s all!”

"This……"

Fei Shasha was dumbfounded.

She never expected that in such a short period of two months, Erina, who had always despised civilian cooking, would finally realize this truth.

……

On the other side, at Totsuki Academy.

In a certain cooking laboratory, Alice Nakiri is making a transparent pumpkin pie.

Because the essence of this molecular cuisine lies in "distillation", which is to extract the flavor of pumpkin with water vapor, a high-end instrument is needed:

Rotary distillation apparatus!

First, the distillation flask.

Here the pumpkin puree is heated at a high temperature to distill out water vapor with pumpkin flavor.

Through the condenser tube, the water vapor cools down, becomes liquid, and flows into the collection container.

In this way, you will get a transparent liquid with pumpkin flavor, which can be used to make the essence of the whole pumpkin pie, transparent jelly.

The next step is simple. Bake the pie crust according to the recipe. In order to make the color of the transparent pumpkin pie more advanced and harmonious, the pastry is deliberately not baked into a golden color, but an elegant milky white color.

Finally, gelatine is added to the distilled liquid to solidify and make a filling.

Top with a little whipped cream and you're done!

This dish is a reverse Longyin strawberry. It looks crystal clear, colorless and tasteless, but tastes as rich and sweet as a real pumpkin.

At this moment, looking at the transparent pumpkin pie in front of her, even Nakiri Onora was a little tempted because the whole process used "distillation" technology and then re-solidified into the shape of "pumpkin pie" through the liquid state. .

"Mom, how does it taste?"

Looking at her mother, she tasted her own molecular cuisine without thinking.

Alice Nakiri asked, her watery eyes immediately filled with anticipation.

"how to say?"

"Compared to you before Yuanyue, you have indeed improved a lot."

"But your cooking is still too novel and creative. As a result, the whole process of making the transparent pumpkin pie is quite amazing, but it doesn't taste very delicious!"

After swallowing, Leonora couldn't help but analyze and reply.

……

"Ugh!"

"Zhang Fan said the same thing about me."

Alice couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

Obviously during this period of time, I have worked harder than anyone else, but why is there no obvious progress?

Could it be said that molecular cuisine, which is based on high-tech instruments and physical and chemical knowledge, will no longer be able to make breakthroughs after reaching a certain stage?

“No matter how unique the cooking method is, no matter how careful you are, and no matter how innovative you are, it’s all important.”

"But I think the most important thing for any kind of cooking is the chef's personal ability. If you haven't been able to significantly improve your cooking level, it's probably because your thinking is a little rigid and you've hit a bottleneck!"

How hard did Alice work during this time?

As a mother, she naturally sees it clearly.

But to be honest, her current ability is not enough to survive in Totsuki Academy of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. If she does not change, it will be difficult for her to have a good future!

"Alice, think about it again."

"Can you improve the taste of this transparent pumpkin pie a little bit?"

In the end, Leonora Nakiri could only sigh, lowered her head slightly and asked Alice.

"Mom, I...I'll try again."

Alice, looking at her mother's cautious and serious expression, already knew that the molecular cuisine she had just made was substandard.

Therefore, her eyes flickered and her tone was firm as she responded.

(End of this chapter)