After dinner, Hoshino Sora came to the kitchen and took out all the ingredients needed for cooking from his storage backpack. A foul smell wafted over; it was untreated pig large intestine.
"What are you doing here? What's that awful smell? It's so disgusting. Is that pig large intestine?!"
Looking at the plump, viscous substance in the steel basin, Erina Nakiri, who had just walked into the kitchen, was speechless for a moment. As she spoke, she walked to Hoshino Sora's side. Since Japanese people rarely eat animal offal, she had a natural aversion to these organs.
Especially this large intestine, they say it's where... Thinking of this, Erina Nakiri's brows furrowed into a knot, and she seemed at a loss for words.
She couldn't figure out why large intestine would be among the raw ingredients for the dish Hoshino Sora was going to make...
"What's wrong, you don't like large intestine? Don't look at how it smells bad, it tastes really good! You know stinky tofu? It's the same principle!"
Looking at Erina Nakiri's disgusted expression, Hoshino Sora spoke while cleaning the large intestine, his expression self-satisfied. He also knew that Japanese people didn't like to eat animal offal.
However, cooking, such a thing, always wins by taste. As for which part of the ingredient is cooked, it's actually not that important.
"Do you know that this is where the pig's..."
At this point, Erina Nakiri's voice abruptly stopped, but her meaning was already very clear. Hoshino Sora naturally understood, and he rolled his eyes immediately.
"Alright, alright, if you don't eat it, others will. Don't say it out loud to disgust me, okay? When I've made the dish and put it in front of you, don't you dare eat it more happily than anyone else!"
As he spoke, Hoshino Sora raised his hand and gave Erina Nakiri's butt a smack, as a punishment. Then he hummed a little tune, and in no time at all, he had cleaned the smelly pig large intestine.
The specific treatment method involves soaking it in a juice made from white wine, Sichuan peppercorns, pepper, green onions, and ginger water, which effectively removes fishy odors, deodorizes, and enhances flavor. After marinating, it is refrigerated.
After that...
Hoshino Sora looked towards the kitchen counter.
Take Jinhua ham, pork belly, and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, slice them all, season, and set aside as filling. On the other side, cut the eel, remove the spine, remove large bones, trim the dorsal fin, and score the surface of the meat.
Lay the freshly prepared filling on the fish skin, facing inwards, align it, then stuff it into the pig large intestine, tie both ends with straw rope to secure it, and then braise it in a secret braising liquid.
After braising, hang it to air dry. Normal air drying takes one night, but Hoshino Sora brought out a powerful fan, which can dry it completely in an hour.
"What's the name of this dish?" Erina Nakiri asked curiously from the side. This was the first time she had seen such a cooking method.
"Dragon-Wrapped Tiger Belly, just wait to eat something delicious, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
At this moment, the rich braised aroma of the dish had already permeated the entire kitchen. The room was no longer as fishy and foul-smelling as before. Erina Nakiri stood still, silently watching him cook the dish.
She wanted to know why Hoshino Sora went to such great lengths to cook the large intestine, which even dogs wouldn't eat, by wrapping it with eel and using various high-quality ingredients.
You know, ingredients like eel and Jinhua ham are already delicious on their own. In that case, replacing the large intestine with something else would also work, so why did it have to be large intestine?
"Are you doing this because the theme is pork, so you chose to use pig large intestine? A dish with such a forced combination probably won't taste good, even though you've done a lot of processing to the large intestine...
But offal is offal, it's hard to make it presentable."
Erina Nakiri was puzzled. In her ingrained perception, large intestine was the lowest-grade ingredient in Japan, not even worthy of being called an ingredient, and was directly discarded in slaughterhouses.
But Hoshino Sora wanted to use this 'trash' that no one ate to make a dish. Although it wasn't impossible, there was absolutely no need to do so, was there? There were clearly plenty of ingredients much more suitable for this dish.
Now it seemed that the only reason Hoshino Sora would use this ingredient to cook this dish was probably the "Pork" theme given by the Elite Ten competition.
"Not entirely. Speaking of which, have you ever eaten pig large intestine?"
"How could I possibly eat that kind of thing...?"
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Erina Nakiri's face quickly flashed with a hint of disdain.
"As expected, you haven't eaten it before. No wonder you misunderstand large intestines. Let me give you a piece of advice: no matter what ingredient it is, you must taste it yourself before judging whether it's delicious or not."
After saying this, Hoshino Sora waited for another half an hour, then picked up the braised large intestine that had been air-drying in front of the fan. He placed it in a colander and drizzled it with oil, first at 120 degrees Celsius for 120 seconds, then raised the oil temperature to 180 degrees Celsius, pouring until it was crispy but not dry, and tender but not mushy, then it could be taken out of the pot.
The hot oil sizzling on the pork large intestine dyed its surface golden, and the tiny oil bubbles on the surface of the intestine casing made one's appetite greatly increase.
Looking at the golden and crispy 'sausage' in front of him, Hoshino Sora took a clean chef's knife and sliced it diagonally into thick pieces. Rich juices seeped out from within, and its presentation could be said to have reached full marks!
"Gulp."
"Gulp~ Gulp gulp~~"
As the dish was served, a faint golden light appeared above it. Hoshino Sora's face immediately showed surprise, and the sounds of swallowing saliva and rumbling stomachs came from beside him.
Turning his head, he saw a small face full of longing. Erina Nakiri, seeing him look over, immediately turned her head away proudly, but the glances she occasionally stole told him that she was very greedy.
"What, are you hungry? Unfortunately, I only have Dragon-Wrapped Tiger Belly here, which uses the pork large intestine you dislike the most, otherwise I could fill your stomach."
Noticing Erina Nakiri's small actions, Hoshino Sora mischievously brought the 'Dragon-Wrapped Tiger Belly' placed on the plate to her nose and dangled it.
The rich aroma wafted through her nostrils, immediately causing the girl to uncontrollably gulp down her saliva.
"It's okay, I'm not very hungry right now!"
Thinking of what she had said earlier, and that this dish was made from pork large intestine, a strange sense of persistence and pride made Erina Nakiri control her hand from reaching out, and she stubbornly turned her head to look in another direction.
"Oh, I forgot to add the sauce. It really doesn't look appetizing like this, all the moisture has drained out."
He took out a small jar from under the kitchen counter. Kumquat oil and salted lemon juice were mixed evenly, then poured over the Dragon-Wrapped Tiger Belly. The combination of the two was like the most harmonious symphony in the world.
As a 'drip' sound echoed in her ears, Erina Nakiri finally couldn't hold back and turned her head, her eyes looking at the dish on the plate with a touch of emotion.
Seeing this, Hoshino Sora no longer bothered to tease her. He directly picked up a piece of the dish with his chopsticks and brought it to her mouth.
"Try it, and then tell me your evaluation."
"Then I'll grudgingly help you try it."
Taking the easy way out, looking at the Dragon-Wrapped Tiger Belly brought to her mouth, and hearing Hoshino Sora's 'pleading' words, Erina Nakiri opened her mouth and took a bite, her eyes immediately widening.
"The eel paste is like flower petals, scattered into soft fluff, and the pork belly is like firecrackers, bursting with rich, springy tenderness. The slight savory aroma of the ham perfectly embellishes the entire dish.
The sweet and sour taste of the kumquat oil, both crispy and soft, sweet and fragrant, is like a rainbow in the sky, making one feel incredibly amazed."
"The brief deep-frying makes the large intestine casing crispy and easy to melt. After being tied with string, the eel remains clear and elegant. Is braised large intestine actually this delicious…?"
"Moreover, the quality of this eel is really high, more delicious than any eel I've ever eaten before! The impact on the tongue is so strong!"
Erina Nakiri's voice held a hint of disbelief. This large intestine wrapped eel, or the so-called Dragon-Wrapped Tiger Belly, was actually so delicious, completely exceeding her expectations!
She snatched the plate, picked up her chopsticks, and began tasting piece after piece. The sweet and sour taste was truly irresistible! Pork large intestine and eel could actually be this delicious!
Suddenly, Erina Nakiri seemed to notice something, her body stiffened, and her face visibly reddened. The clasp of her bra had burst open at some point, luckily held in place by her clothes.
Although she didn't want to admit it, Hoshino Sora's dish was indeed better than hers, which undoubtedly stirred Erina Nakiri's competitive spirit. She thought to herself that she must develop a dish even more amazing than his!
"How is it? It's better than you imagined, isn't it? You, girl, say no with your mouth, but your body is quite honest. How long has it been, and you've already eaten an entire plate of Dragon-Wrapped Tiger Belly."
"I… I just happened to be a little hungry, that's all."
With a playful expression, Hoshino Sora teased Erina Nakiri, who showed an expression of enjoyment. Erina, of course, wouldn't admit it, and with a red face, she retorted stubbornly.
"It's still early. Let me try your dish too. I happen to be a little hungry."
"No, mine isn't finished yet. Half-finished products aren't suitable for guests. I'll let you taste it once it's perfected."
After tasting such a delicious dish, and then thinking back to her own, Erina Nakiri suddenly felt a bit embarrassed to show it. She didn't want to make a dish inferior to his and be mocked.
"Alright, that's really a shame." Hearing this, Hoshino Sora didn't insist, only shook his head, expressing regret.
"Sora-kun, it's your turn to take a bath. By the way, tonight you're spending it with me~"
With excitement in her voice, Alice Nakiri's figure appeared at the kitchen door at some point. As she spoke, she strode into the kitchen and very naturally hugged Hoshino Sora's arm.
"What are you two doing? Ah! Erina, you actually secretly ate delicious food and didn't leave any for me!"
Her gaze fell on the empty plate on the counter, which still emitted a strong eel aroma. Alice thought for a moment and understood what had happened, then looked at Erina Nakiri with puffed-out cheeks.
"You didn't ask me to save any for you, and I didn't even know you were coming. Of course, I ate it all! Wasting food is wrong."
Hearing Alice's words, Erina spoke righteously. She didn't know the other party was coming, so how could she have the leisure to specially save a portion for her?
"Last time, I specifically saved a portion of Hoshino-kun's dish for you."
With a slight pout, Alice Nakiri counted on her fingers as she spoke of the past, her voice carrying a hint of grievance. She had saved the best for Erina, but when Erina ate something delicious, she didn't think of her…
"I'll make you another identical portion, alright!"
Seeing Alice on the verge of tears, Erina was at a loss for words for a moment. The best solution at the moment was to make another portion for the other party.
"That's more like it."
Hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Alice immediately stopped her expression and broke into a smile, clearly everything just now was an act to gain her sympathy.
"Then I'll go take a bath first."
Looking at Erina Nakiri's somewhat speechless expression, Hoshino Sora shrugged, then went upstairs to his room to get clothes and prepare for a bath.
"The sky is vast, the wild is boundless, the wind blows the grass, revealing cattle and sheep~"
Humming an unknown tune, clothes in hand, Hoshino Sora arrived at the bathroom door. He pushed the door open without hesitation and then saw the person soaking in the tub.
"Mashiro-nee, why are you here?" His expression was a bit surprised, but not shy. Hoshino Sora closed the door and walked in.
"Coming to take a bath."
Looking at Hoshino Sora who appeared at the door, Shiina Mashiro, who had been staring blankly in the bathtub, naturally replied.
"I can see that. I just wanted to ask… Never mind, let's bathe together then."
Hearing the answer, Hoshino Sora didn't bother to ask more. Anyway, she was his wife, and bathing together was nothing. As he pondered, he put down his clothes and then turned on the shower to wash himself.
"Mashiro-nee, can you come help me scrub my back?"
"Mm."
Nodding, Shiina Mashiro got up from the bathtub, then covered herself in shower gel…
"Nice, this feels great!"
After that, a series of indescribable events occurred in the bathroom.
Afterward, Hoshino Sora returned to his room feeling refreshed. Alice hadn't returned yet, presumably waiting for Erina's dish in the kitchen.
Thinking of this, he wasn't in a hurry. He sat at his desk and began flipping through a cookbook.
At this time, there was still over a week until the Elite Ten ranking competition. He had already completed his research on the dishes; he just needed to pay attention to the details during the competition.
However, what he needed to pay attention to was not the so-called Elite Ten ranking competition. Now that Azami Nakiri's matter was almost handled, Hoshino Sora should start thinking about where his path lay.
Should he follow his father's instructions, become the Ten Elite First Seat at Far Moon and go to Oriental Academy, or stay at Far Moon and be a local emperor?
After all, becoming the Ten Elite First Seat was no different from being a local emperor at Far Moon.
If it were before, he would definitely prefer the second option, a stable life like that.
However, after such a long period of culinary study and dueling with various different opponents, Hoshino Sora now only wanted to pursue the pinnacle of cuisine.
And the pinnacle of cuisine, without a doubt, was in the City of Gastronomy.
China!
Therefore, he would eventually go to China, whether to learn other cuisines among the Eight Great Cuisines or to seek that so-called pinnacle.
However, before going to China, he had to first settle matters here in Japan!
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