(Two chapters in one!)
"It's actually you two, I should have thought of it."
Looking at the two extremely similar-looking sisters, Alice Nakiri's voice carried a hint of emotion, not expecting to encounter old acquaintances here.
Because too much time had passed, and back then she had focused all her attention on her opponent, after winning the match, she had immediately rushed to cling to Dylan, so naturally she wouldn't remember who the judges were.
And Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie, while deeply impressed by Alice Nakiri, weren't desperate enough to curry favor with a little girl. After the match, they took a plane back to Japan.
Later, as time went on, and they had many daily matters to handle, they naturally forgot about it.
"Indeed, back then I already found your surname very familiar, but since it was in Northern Europe, I didn't think too much of it. I never expected you to be from the Nakiri family."
Natsume Sendawara's voice was filled with emotion.
That child from back then had grown up so much in the blink of an eye. Truly, a girl changes dramatically at eighteen!
However, thinking about it carefully, only about a year seems to have passed since that match. Can such a huge change occur in a year?
First, she shed that childishness and became much more mature. She wondered what had happened to her, as she now gave off a feeling like a doll.
It must be an illusion, right?
Or perhaps it was because of her good figure, full and mature, which made one unable to help but fantasize. Thinking about it, that seems to be the only reason.
It must be said, the Nakiri family's genes are strong. Erina Nakiri seems to be the same; a few years ago, she looked so unremarkable, but suddenly she matured significantly.
Natsume Sendawara's face held a smile. As she spoke, she nudged the Chikai Orie beside her with her elbow. The other woman hesitated for a moment before finally speaking:
"I wonder if we could visit your residence?"
After saying this, Chikai Orie looked at Dylan with anticipation.
To be honest, as the leader of Japan's curry industry, this was her first time stooping so low, and her first time fawning over a man like this.
However, if the person was the chef who created Flowing Light Cuisine, let alone fawning, they would even be willing to kneel!
As long as he was willing to let them taste a Flowing Light-grade dish again, that taste—once experienced, it was impossible to forget; even a slight recollection would bring it back vividly.
"Can we?"
Blinking her bright, big eyes, Natsume Sendawara took two steps forward and grabbed Dylan's arm, speaking in a sweet, cutesy voice she would never have imagined herself using.
As women, especially women who had navigated the business world for many years, they naturally knew exactly what men liked and wanted.
It was just that they disdained to act that way towards the men they usually encountered.
But this person before them was different; he could create Flowing Light-grade dishes, which were the ultimate treasures they had yearned for.
"Please, pretty please~"
The more crucial the moment, the more one needed to display one's charm. This was also why Natsume Sendawara had changed into black stockings and high heels.
At this moment, she behaved intimately but without being overtly seductive, truly a captivating little imp.
"Now? It's not impossible."
Looking at the young woman's hand gently gripping his arm, and her noble, alluring face, and considering he had nothing much planned, and would be bored staying at home, Dylan nodded without much thought.
Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie were good-looking, and they were twins.
Chatting with them, discussing life and ideals should be quite pleasant.
No wonder ancient people liked confidantes. Talking to beautiful women who completely catered to your wishes, praising you, encouraging you—who wouldn't like that?
"Great! Then let's go."
Natsume Sendawara's face brightened with joy. She pulled Chikai Orie's hand and followed behind Dylan and Alice Nakiri, looking eager.
Alice Nakiri merely glanced at them and said nothing more.
She supported any decision Dylan made. Even if he wanted these two sisters to stay tonight, she would go and lay out the blankets.
Of course, Dylan would have to compensate her afterward.
Soon, the two sisters arrived at their home, a seemingly very grand house with lights on inside, which made them curious.
Besides Dylan and Alice Nakiri, was anyone else living here?
"Dylan-sensei, you're back."
"You're so slow, Dylan-sensei! I just finished my dish; come and taste it, and give me some feedback."
But soon, Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie had their answer.
As soon as Dylan unlocked the door, a chorus of chattering voices came from inside.
The girls, wearing aprons and holding meticulously prepared dishes, stood at the entrance waiting for his return.
"Do we have guests today?"
Megumi Tadokoro's gentle voice drifted over. Dylan nodded slightly, while bending down to get slippers for Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie.
This added to the two women's favorable impression of Dylan.
After all, in Japan, a country where male chauvinism is very prevalent, men typically do not get slippers for women.
The fact that he did so showed attentiveness on one hand, and innate good manners on the other. Being friends with such a person felt joyful no matter how one thought about it.
"These two… they seem to be the judges from the A and B blocks back then, and their companies are the leaders of Japan's curry industry! How did they end up here?"
Ikumi Mito's slightly shocked voice came as her gaze darted back and forth between Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie, finally exclaiming their identities.
"Don't make such a fuss. For Dylan-sensei's guests, it would be a rare thing for them to be of ordinary status."
Erina Nakiri's voice came. She also had a dish in her hand, eagerly looking at Dylan, waiting to receive his review.
"Erina Nakiri, you're here!"
Chikai Orie stopped, slightly shocked.
The other person was the famous God's Tongue, an object of fear and admiration for countless high-end restaurants!
"Greetings, Miss Natsume, Miss Orihime."
Seeing the other party proactively greeting her, Erina Nakiri naturally couldn't ignore them. So she also nodded amicably towards them and softly called out.
"The dishes will get cold and their taste will change. I'll attend to their matters first. You two sit there and rest."
Seeing the few people about to start chatting, Dylan interrupted, then walked towards Hisako Arato, who was also holding a plate.
On the plate was a fragrant seared rib, with beautiful grill marks, topped with a small sprig of rosemary.
"This dish has a strong flavor; you can use fewer spices. Pay attention to the pairing of spices, don't just blindly increase the quantity, as that will only make the taste muddled."
"This dish is acceptable, but you probably didn't deep-fry it before stir-frying, did you? Quickly deep-frying it once can lock in the meat's moisture, making it taste better. Right now, it's a bit too chewy."
Looking at the waiting girls before him, Dylan took the chopsticks handed to him by Ryōko Sakaki, and evaluated each dish, being very professional in all aspects.
Behind him, Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie were both surprised by this scene, especially when they saw one familiar face after another.
Because most of these people were participants in the Summer Selection.
So, he was the one who trained them.
No wonder...
No wonder he could make such delicious cuisine!
Watching Dylan move among the various girls, tasting their dishes, Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie did not go to the living room to rest. Instead, they followed closely behind him like little attendants, observing everything around them, their eyes full of curiosity.
As Dylan finished tasting and giving feedback and suggestions for modification on all the dishes, he found some free time.
Natsume Sendawara, who had been following closely behind him, blinked her eyes and tugged lightly at Dylan's sleeve, asking with a face full of curiosity, like a young girl.
"Is this what you usually do?"
"Yes and no. Daily routine is cooking. After a certain stage, we go out for assessments. Those who pass get two days off, those who don't pass receive punishment and extra training."
Hearing the question, Dylan thought for a moment, then explained their training method.
"Punishment…"
Chikai Orie murmured softly. She clearly felt that when the girls around them heard the word "punishment," their bodies trembled and their faces turned very red.
"Rewards and punishments, clearly delineated."
Only in this way can they be driven, giving them motivation to move forward. Even if they don't want to move forward, they will be forced by the subtle threat behind them.
Dylan nodded gently.
Daily training is the foundation; examinations and assessments are for testing.
This was also the method he used to train Alice Nakiri, and the results were quite remarkable.
In just a few years, he transformed her from a little girl who couldn't even make a proper cheese baked potato into her current Special Grade Chef status.
"So that's why. No wonder this year's Totsuki students are of such high quality, their average strength far exceeds last year's, and even the number of strong individuals is several times more than last year."
Taking the tea handed to her by Hisako Arato, and watching the girls bustling in the kitchen, desperately trying to make good dishes, Chikai Orie's face showed a sudden realization.
If these people were trained by Dylan, then everything made sense.
"The main reason is that this batch of students is naturally talented. My training method can only cultivate middle-to-upper-level students; it's difficult to cultivate geniuses."
Dylan shook his head.
The training method he had currently developed could turn ordinary students into middle-to-upper, and middle-to-upper students into top-tier.
Like the people before them.
With the same training time, Alice Nakiri went from Special Grade Chef to One-Star Special Grade, and will soon reach Two-Star Special Grade.
Erina Nakiri also possesses the strength of a top-tier First-Grade Head Chef.
The others, however, are still hovering between Second-Grade Chef and First-Grade Head Chef, with only a few having consistently reached the initial level of First-Grade Head Chef.
This is just for now; the gap will widen over time until they can no longer see the backs of Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri.
Ikumi Mito and the others also understood this, but they had no choice but to constantly push themselves through intense extra training to become stronger, thus ensuring they wouldn't be left far behind.
"Alright, I'm done here. Tell me why you two came to find me."
Feeling he had said a bit too much, Dylan changed the topic, looking at the two sitting on the sofa with a scrutinizing gaze, his eyes sharp.
"Actually, it's like this: I'd like to invite Senior to become our company's endorser. You don't need to do anything, just shoot an advertisement with us."
As highly intelligent commercial rising stars and CEOs of large enterprises, Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie's business acumen was incredibly sharp; they immediately noticed the commercial value Dylan possessed.
Currently, he was holed up in Totsuki, acting as an ordinary teacher, unknown to outsiders, which is why he lacked fame.
But in the future, if Dylan ever decided to emerge, his extremely powerful culinary skills would surely draw worldwide attention, making him famous.
Even if he didn't emerge, his disciples making a name for themselves would ultimately be credited to him, still bringing him great fame.
By then, their companies might even break through Japan and truly face the world!
"Sorry, it's too much trouble. Please allow me to refuse."
Hearing Natsume Sendawara's words, Dylan was slightly surprised, then shook his head to refuse.
Shooting advertisements was too troublesome. He wasn't a celebrity; there was no need for him to do such public-facing things.
"Don't refuse so quickly! We can offer a lot in endorsement fees. Just for shooting an advertisement, we'll give you 1 billion Japanese Yen per year!"
Seeing Dylan's firm refusal, Natsume Sendawara hastily said,
As long as he agreed, money was no issue. Their group had no shortage of money, and furthermore, in the future, he could bring them ten or even a hundred times the value in return!
"Dylan-sensei's worth isn't that low. What your group can offer, Totsuki will give tenfold, a hundredfold! Please show some sincerity!"
Sensing Dylan's slight hesitation, Erina Nakiri, who had been observing the trio's conversation, stepped forward, speaking with great presence to Natsume Sendawara:
If the final outcome was an agreement, she would fight for Dylan's maximum benefit.
1 billion was a sky-high price for current celebrities, but for Dylan-sensei, it was a bit too low.
Even she, Erina Nakiri, when endorsing companies in the past, received hundreds of millions of Japanese Yen in endorsement fees.
For Dylan, her teacher, anything less than ten times that amount was simply unacceptable!
"Ahem, let's put this matter aside for now and discuss it later. Guests are here, and as hosts, we should personally prepare something to entertain them."
Erina Nakiri's intervention made Dylan nod.
This young woman truly lived up to Senzaemon Nakiri's designation as the next head of the Nakiri family; with just a glance, she understood his meaning.
Although he wasn't keen on being in the public eye, the offer was simply too generous!
The development of the Dark Cooking Society now required a large amount of money. As the leader, he felt it necessary to impress his subordinates.
He, Dylan, was not only a Seven-Star Special Grade Chef, but could also earn endorsement fees far exceeding those of celebrities!
Next was to create a sensational dish and invite Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie to taste it, so Erina Nakiri could negotiate better terms.
Billions of Japanese Yen in endorsement fees, all invested into the Dark Cooking Society, would surely make them develop rapidly, allowing them to become a top power faster.
Then he, as the leader, wouldn't need to perform for money.
"Or, taking this opportunity, should I assimilate these two young women? Instead of making them pay for advertisements, wouldn't it be more satisfying to have them work for the Dark Cooking Society?"
Standing up and walking towards the kitchen, such a thought surfaced in Dylan's mind, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled upwards.
To seize everything from others through cooking—that was precisely the style of the Dark Cooking Society!
"Bang!"
Outside, thunder rumbled, followed by a light drizzle. The sky darkened, making the expressions of the two inside stiffen.
"It seems Heaven wants us to stay and eat, raining to prevent us from leaving."
"Since that's the case, we can only stay here now. Let's go back when the rain lightens."
Looking at the rain outside the window, Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie exchanged glances.
Just now, they had intended to politely decline a couple of times to appear less eager, thereby maintaining the upper hand.
Now, heavy rain was pouring from the sky, and judging by the dark clouds, it wouldn't stop anytime soon.
"You two just sit back and relax. Dylan-sensei's dishes, if they were outside, would definitely be treasures that even hundreds of millions of yen couldn't buy."
Erina Nakiri said with slight nervousness, though in her mind, Dylan's dishes truly were worth hundreds of millions, and wealthy individuals would be willing to pay for them.
A Seven-Star Special Grade Chef, regardless of the country, is a national treasure-level figure, and usually these are seventy or eighty-year-old men. Someone as young as Dylan is absolutely unique in the world!
"Gulp."
Hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie did not doubt her. Instead, they swallowed, their faces showing expressions of anticipation.
At this moment, their minds were filled with the All-Sheep Shumai they had eaten back then.
Once they started reminiscing, that wonderful taste surged forth, lingering on their tongues, making them reluctant to leave.
"I can't wait."
"Hold on a little longer, don't let others laugh at us. We are the CEOs of Japan's largest 'curry' distribution company. We must be dignified, we must endure!"
Natsume Sendawara whispered to Chikai Orie.
At this moment, Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato had gone to the kitchen to help, leaving only the two of them in the living room.
"I know, but I can't help it!"
Grabbing Natsume Sendawara's arm, Chikai Orie's voice carried a hint of grievance.
How could this be easily endured?!
Even though several days had passed, every time she recalled the taste of that dish, she couldn't help but be entranced, her heart pounding.
This was the aftereffect of tasting Flowing Light-grade cuisine.
"You have to endure even if you can't! Being too eager will put us at a disadvantage. We still need to negotiate terms later. Even if it tastes good, you have to hold back."
Natsume Sendawara's expression became serious, and she said with slight sternness.
She saw that Dylan was somewhat moved and willing to increase the price, but she didn't want to be a patsy.
Now, it was a matter of who would lose their patience first.
Business dealings start from every small detail.
Natsume Sendawara glanced at Chikai Orie, then sat upright in the living room, silently waiting for Dylan to prepare the dish.
Megumi Tadokoro also came out of the kitchen at this moment, thoughtfully turning on the television for the two. After politely nodding, she returned to the kitchen.
On the other side.
Dylan appeared in the kitchen.
"Since these two sisters are the bosses of the Curry Company, then the dish to entertain them will use curry. Let them completely become prisoners of curry!"
Thinking about what he was going to do next, Dylan's face showed a mischievous smile. For this dish, he was confident he could conquer their taste buds!
"However, I didn't expect there to be a Cone Sea Eel here. As for other ingredients, the kitchen has them all. Hmm, I'll just make that very classic dish then."
Looking at the huge sea eel on the counter, it probably weighed seven or eight pounds.
A street snack made with curry appeared in Dylan's mind.
He then clapped his hands and drew out the Ever-Soul Blade, which had hung at his waist for years and was rarely used.
The reason was simple: this Cone Sea Eel wasn't fresh enough. It looked like it had been caught yesterday and left at home overnight.
For others, it might be acceptable, but for him, it was not.
"Ever-Soul Blade"? This dish actually made Dylan-Ge use a legendary cooking utensil! It seems he's taking this dish very seriously!
Alice Nakiri watched Dylan draw the Ever-Soul Blade, her expression somewhat surprised, because he rarely drew this knife unless the dish was exceptionally important.
It was clear that Dylan placed great importance to the two women in the living room. Was it because of the endorsement deal? Could it be that Professor Dylan was very short on money?
Because she went to the kitchen to get busy after only hearing a few words, Alice Nakiri didn't know exactly what was happening outside. She could only guess the reason for Dylan's change in attitude from the scattered remarks she overheard.
But that didn't make sense either. If Dylan was short on money, why wouldn't he tell her?
Although she didn't control the Nakiri family's finances, over the years, she had accumulated quite a bit of her own personal savings.
With this thought in mind, Alice Nakiri decided to ask Dylan before going to bed tonight. If he needed her to contribute, she would give everything without hesitation!
"That's the legendary cooking utensil, rumored to be able to restore freshness to ingredients that have been spoiled for years—the Ever-Soul Blade! It's truly incredible!"
Having been with Dylan for a long time, they had all heard something about what he possessed.
Especially this legendary cooking utensil, the Ever-Soul Blade, which only had this effect when used by Professor Dylan. If others picked it up, it was just an ordinary kitchen knife!
Originally, Erina Nakiri was somewhat skeptical about this, wondering if Alice Nakiri had exaggerated the power of the Ever-Soul Blade too much.
But at this very moment, what was happening before her eyes made her realize that what Alice Nakiri had said back then was likely still a conservative estimate.
She saw the fish, which had been left out for a day and was slightly less fresh, suddenly emit a dazzling light as the Ever-Soul Blade processed and cut it.
The next moment, the fish looked as vibrant as if it had just been caught, and its internal flesh was in the freshest possible state.
"How is such an incredible thing achieved?"
Amazed by the Ever-Soul Blade's magic, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but ponder its principles.
Everyone present saw the girl's eyebrows furrow slightly, but she couldn't come up with an answer for a long time. In the end, she could only sigh and choose to give up.
"Is it the knife that possesses such miraculous power, or has Professor Dylan's culinary skill reached the point of reversing time, and the so-called Ever-Soul Blade is merely a means for him to mask his own formidable cooking abilities?"
Watching Dylan process the Cone Sea Eel at an astonishing speed, this thought couldn't help but surface in Erina Nakiri's mind.
Thinking about it carefully, others couldn't use the Ever-Soul Blade; only Dylan had gained its recognition. Could this be a benevolent lie?
It wasn't impossible.
Professor Dylan possesses so many incredible culinary techniques. Making ingredients go from spoiled to fresh is certainly exaggerated, but if the subject is him, it seems possible...
It's just that this move is too shocking, so Dylan doesn't find it convenient to display it in front of outsiders. If he really needs to show it, he'll attribute this ability to the knife itself, making it a "legendary cooking utensil."
"Truly amazing!"
Erina Nakiri's thoughts gradually became twisted. The more she thought, the more she felt her reasoning was correct. So, looking at his busy back, she sighed, and in her heart, she found him increasingly unfathomable.
That such a person could become her teacher was truly a blessing she had cultivated in her past life!
"Professor Dylan, what dish are you preparing? Also," and "also, this knife in your hand," why are there so many small holes on the blade?
Yūki Yoshino stepped forward, curiously looking at the knife Dylan had switched to.
That knife wasn't as thick and heavy as a normal kitchen knife; it looked half as thin.
Of course, this wasn't what surprised her the most. What surprised her most was that this kitchen knife had many tiny holes in it, making it look intimidatingly mysterious.
"This is one of the Dark Cooking World's Dark Kitchen Knives. We call it the Hundred-Hole Kitchen Knife. The principle is to bore a hundred small holes into the surface of the knife, allowing air to circulate easily so that ingredients don't stick to the blade. Additionally, it greatly increases the knife's flexibility, making it easy to process ingredients."
As Dylan's words fell, all the fish meat was deboned from the fish skeleton and evenly dropped into a bowl.
Next, he dealt with the remaining flesh on the fish skin. The fish bones within the flesh, however, were perfectly left on the fish skin.
With a gentle scrape of the knife, they were cleanly removed.
Afterwards, he placed the fish meat into the refrigerator to freeze.
"Besides having many small holes on it, which allows the fish meat to be scraped off so smoothly, there must be steel wires threaded inside these small holes, right?"
Squinting, Erina Nakiri could clearly see the thin steel wires in the knife's holes. She spoke at the opportune moment, her face revealing an expression of sudden realization.
"Indeed, steel wires are tough and slender. Using them, one can indeed scrape down the fish meat very well. No wonder, I was wondering how the knife could scrape the fish meat and turn it into a paste so quickly."
Hearing Erina Nakiri's explanation, everyone who had been confused immediately showed expressions of relief.
This way, their doubts were certainly resolved.
After all, no matter how exquisite Dylan's knife skills were, it would be difficult to directly turn fish meat into a paste with an ordinary kitchen knife. To process it, several more steps would be needed.
After finishing processing the Cone Sea Eel, Dylan then brought out fresh Yellow Croaker, Horse Mackerel, and many other saltwater and freshwater fish, quickly turning them into fish paste.
Once everything was ready, he piled all the fish paste into a large basin, adding salt, MSG, and ginger water, with the ginger water added in multiple increments.
He stirred the fish paste clockwise. To prevent the temperature from rising, he continuously added ice cubes beforehand. After vigorously stirring, he added tapioca starch and continued to beat it.
"Megumi, please boil a pot of warm water for me."
During the stirring process, Dylan's gaze fell upon Megumi Tadokoro. The girl immediately sprang into action after hearing his words, bringing a large pot to the stovetop.
She turned up the heat to boil the water. When it was nearly ready, she turned off the heat, allowing the water in the pot to maintain a constant temperature. This way, when the fish balls were added, they would set, and then turning up the heat again would allow them to cook through simultaneously.
He reached in and grabbed a handful of fish paste, continuously squeezing it with the web of his thumb and forefinger. Soon, one by one, plump, white little balls dropped from Dylan's hand into the pot.
Before long, the pot was covered with plump, white fish balls.
He brought them to a boil over high heat, then used a strainer to scoop them out and placed them into ice water for rapid cooling, which served to increase their elasticity.
After rapid cooling, he scooped them out and drained them. At this point, the fish balls were incredibly springy and bouncy; if dropped onto a cutting board, they would immediately bounce up, like ping-pong balls.
Once they reached this stage, he spread the fish balls flat on a sieve to air dry naturally.
While waiting, Dylan didn't stand idle. After a quick tidy-up, he began preparing the curry portion of this curry dish.
Curry paste, satay sauce, peanut butter, turmeric powder, and other ready-made seasonings.
Next, he took out garlic and shallots, chili powder, dried chilies, star anise, bay leaves, salt, sugar, and MSG for seasoning.
These formed the curry base for the curry fish balls.
For traditional Hong Kong-style curry fish balls, the curry base is indeed very important, but there's also a key ingredient: fish paste.
Fish paste can enhance the flavor of fish balls, making them even more delicious.
"It's about to begin..."
Dylan surveyed the ingredients before him with a calm gaze, like an emperor inspecting his subjects. Once he confirmed there were no issues, he picked up his kitchen knife.
Seeing this, those around him immediately showed expressions of excitement, and the scene became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Every time Dylan cooked, they would invariably stop what they were doing and focus all their attention and energy on him.
More accurately, on his cooking.
The next moment, Dylan moved.
A silver gleam flashed in his hand. The scallions and shallots were instantly pulverized and set aside.
At the same time, he took another large plate.
Two tablespoons of curry paste, one tablespoon of satay sauce, half a tablespoon of peanut butter, one teaspoon of red chili powder, half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, half a teaspoon of sand ginger powder.
Then, appropriate amounts of salt, sugar, and MSG.
"I can already imagine how rich the flavor will be, to use so many seasonings!"
Ikumi Mito twitched her cute little nose, her face full of intoxication as she smelled the rich aroma in the air.
"Indeed, whether it's curry paste or satay sauce, both are made from various spices, and there are some overlapping components. Adding them simultaneously requires the cook to have an unparalleled understanding of their ingredients to make the combined flavor far surpass either one alone, rather than being superfluous."
Erina Nakiri nodded, indicating her agreement.
Such rich flavors would be very difficult to master. Even with her God's Tongue, she would need a significant amount of time to adjust the proportions.
However, Dylan merely twitched his nose, sensed the diffused aroma in the air, and then, using his Super Sense of Smell, could precisely determine the seasoning proportions down to the gram.
This extremely high-precision cooking, with the most suitable ingredient ratios for this dish, undoubtedly produced an incredibly delicious flavor. In some ways, it aligned perfectly with the philosophy of molecular gastronomy.
"However, using these two ready-made pastes is actually to save time. With Professor Dylan's skill, he could directly blend the spices to create the exact flavor he desired, without a single wasted bit. That kind of cooking is truly top-tier!!"
As if something came to mind, Alice Nakiri's voice rang out in the room. As she spoke, she swallowed, her face showing a faint nostalgic expression.
"Cooking from scratch!?"
Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, everyone present turned their heads in unison. Although they hadn't tasted it, just thinking about it, they could feel the deliciousness within.
Dylan paid no mind to the discussions behind him.
At this moment, he simultaneously set up two pots. In one, he poured a large amount of oil and put the air-dried fish balls into it, frying them until golden brown before transferring them aside.
In the other pot, he added salt, white wine, and ginger slices to remove the fishy odor from the fish balls. However, because these fish balls had just been prepared and fried, their fishy smell was negligible.
After boiling vigorously for another five minutes, he placed them into a large bowl on the side for later use.
After washing the pot clean, he poured in a small amount of base oil, then added minced garlic to sauté until fragrant. Once its aroma was fully released, he added the previously prepared sauce.
"What a rich curry aroma."
"That guy is actually making curry! We're really being underestimated."
"He probably doesn't know that we grew up eating curry dishes, and we have a love-hate relationship with curry. We don't resist its taste, but we rarely actively seek it out."
In the living room, smelling the aroma diffusing from the kitchen, Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie, who were seated watching TV, exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes.
Dylan preparing a curry dish for them, who were known as curry experts, was undoubtedly a provocation, a challenge to their authority!
"Just wait and see what kind of dish he'll serve. But there's one thing you need to remember: no matter what kind of dish he serves, we must remain calm!"
"I know. If we're conquered by his curry, then there's no need for this negotiation. We can just directly follow their ideas!"
The two sisters spoke back and forth, their voices carrying a hint of indignation. They felt slightly disrespected by Dylan and were a bit annoyed.
"However, what kind of curry scent is this strong? It feels so deep and rich, much more potent than ordinary curry. I wonder what it tastes like..."
"Indeed, after all, it's a dish made by such an amazing chef. Even if curry isn't his strongest area, it will definitely be a top-tier delicacy."
"Hmph! It seems this is a challenge."
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Dylan put all the pre-prepared seasonings into a pot and stir-fried them over medium heat until fragrant. He then added dried chilies, star anise, and bay leaves, continuing to sauté until aromatic before adding boiling water.
As the boiling water was added, an even richer aroma diffused, spicy yet with a hint of warmth. Just smelling it made one's body warm up.
"Add sugar, salt, and MSG to the pot for seasoning. Then, add the fish balls and cook for 15 minutes, allowing their surfaces to absorb the flavor."
Dylan murmured to himself, twitched his nose, and smelled the aroma in the pot, quickly judging any deficiencies and adding sugar, salt, and MSG accordingly.
"Gulp."
During the cooking process, the rich aroma wafted in all directions, making the girls involuntarily gulp, their faces filled with immense anticipation.
Dylan turned his head and saw pairs of hungry, eager eyes.
At this moment, everyone's gaze was fixed on the curry fish balls in the pot. Although they hadn't started tasting yet, their minds were already filled with its flavor.
"Professor Dylan, how much longer?"
He turned around and found his arm gripped by Yūki Yoshino. The girl's eyes occasionally darted towards the pot, her pink tongue darting around her lips, looking utterly suppressed and restrained.
"About ten-odd minutes. Bear with it a little longer."
He raised his hand and patted Yūki Yoshino's head. Dylan's voice was gentle, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted. He then turned back to prepare the fish sauce.
At the kitchen doorway, Natsume Sendawara and Chikai Orie, who had originally insisted on maintaining their composure, appeared outside. The two, somewhat shyly, leaned on the doorframe, their eyes fixed on the inside, their heartbeats accelerating "thump-thump-thump."
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