"And now, let the competition begin!"
Looking at Azami Nakiri in the VIP seats, and seeing him nod, Kawashima Rei immediately announced the start of the competition with great passion, and as her words fell, cheers erupted from the audience.
"It's started! It's finally started!"
"Mom, I finally get to see an Elite Ten showdown today! I'm so touched!"
"Go, handsome big brothers and beautiful big sisters!"
The cheers from the audience seemed like a catalyst. The moment they heard them, the ten contestants almost simultaneously sprang into action.
Some were cutting vegetables, some were boiling soup, and some were mixing spices. Everyone's movements were different, the only thing they had in common was that their faces were filled with seriousness.
Especially the first-year students led by Hoshino Sora, as it was their first stage to showcase their strength to the world, each of them was as if they had been injected with a stimulant!
Erina Nakiri uncharacteristically tied up her hair, and Tadokoro Megumi concentrated intently.
Yukihira Soma held his breath, Yumeko Jabami was full of excitement, and Hoshino Sora wore a battle-ready smirk.
To avoid affecting the air at the venue, he had cleaned the pig intestines the day before the competition and placed them in the refrigerator to marinate. Now, they were in their best state!
Minced pork belly, rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, shredded Jinhua ham, the prepared filling was spread flat on freshly processed eel, and then together they were stuffed into the large intestine.
Upon seeing this, the people around them showed confusion, and many even frowned, simply because the ingredients Hoshino Sora used were too bizarre.
Most of the audience here were Japanese, and they had a natural aversion to animal offal, so there were quite a few people who showed disgusted expressions.
"This guy..."
Looking at Hoshino Sora, who was using large intestines to prepare his dish, Ann, sitting in the judge's seat, couldn't help but bite her finger, her heart filled with dissatisfaction. Is this really for people to eat...?
Is this guy intentionally seeking revenge?
Thinking of their conversation just now, such a possibility appeared in Ann's mind: if she didn't eat the dish, she couldn't eliminate him, but if she ate it, she would fall into his trap! What a malicious mind!
"Do Japanese people also cook large intestines? And it's even Dragon-Wrapped Tiger Belly, a rare Chaoshan old dish even in China! It seems to have been improved to some extent."
"This little fellow is not simple. Neither his knife skills nor his cooking techniques are like those of a sixteen-year-old child; he's more like an experienced master chef who has been immersed in culinary arts for many years."
Looking at Hoshino Sora on the stage, tying up the large intestines with a string and putting them into the pot to boil, with a relaxed expression on his face, sounds of admiration came from a group of people at the end of the audience section, dressed in chef uniforms and standing out from their surroundings.
"He is indeed a very promising guy."
"Uncle Fu, do you think so too? And he's so handsome, he's totally my ideal type!"
One of the girls said infatuatedly.
"Alright, alright, we all know. Sister Li, stop being so infatuated."
Looking at Sister Li, who was a bit infatuated beside him, the tall boy couldn't help but complain, then turned his gaze upwards, mainly lingering on Eri Nai and the other girls.
The piggish smile on his face became increasingly obvious, and it was somewhat ill-intentioned. Seeing this, the girl called Sister Li gave him a disdainful jab in the waist.
"Cao Jun, put away that lewd expression!"
Time passed bit by bit. As the contestants displayed various dazzling operations, the audience gradually became engrossed. By the time they came back to their senses, the cooking competition was already nearing its end.
The first person to take the stage was Tadokoro Megumi. The thick soup in her hands was still bubbling with heat and emitting fragrance, and she herself looked very cautious.
Soon, Tadokoro Megumi walked to the judges' table, picked up small bowls, and distributed the thick soup from the pot one by one.
"Italian vegetable soup? Although some pork is added as an ingredient, only this much cannot fit the theme of this competition."
Looking at the red thick soup in front of her, Ann, sitting in the middle of the judges' table, immediately called out the name of the dish and frowned slightly.
Although this dish was of high quality in terms of color and aroma, and it did have pork added as a side dish, if that was all, it was undoubtedly not enough!
"I've made some improvements to this dish, so it should fit this theme. Please taste it."
Her voice was childish, but her eyes were incredibly firm. Faced with the questioning from a WGO Executive Officer, Tadokoro Megumi was completely unfazed, answering Ann's question neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Then I'd like to try what kind of improvement can make this vegetable soup suitable for a pork theme."
Looking at the red vegetable soup floating on the surface of the thick soup, Ann's face showed an interested expression. Then she picked up the large bowl, took a spoon, and prepared to taste it.
"It shouldn't be something as boring as just adding more pork to vegetable soup, right?"
Looking at the dish in front of him, Charmel adjusted his suit, flamboyantly shook his blonde hair, and showed an expression he believed to be "seeing through everything."
"Gulp."
"Gulp."
Despite saying that, he still had to taste it. However, he didn't pay much attention to this ordinary-looking dish. For him, it was just a very common dish.
If it weren't for the competition, he wouldn't even look at it normally.
He scooped up a spoonful of thick soup, which contained soft lentils, short pasta, a series of bacon, and several common Western vegetables as accompaniments. From the combination, it seemed quite ordinary.
But.
"Ah~ what a rich flavor!"
With one mouthful, a rich flavor spread in the mouth. It was a very rich tomato flavor, along with the aroma of various vegetables. This was the initial feeling.
Up to this point, it was still an ordinary vegetable thick soup. However, as the bacon entered the mouth, the strong flavor brought by the bacon instantly affected the entire bowl of thick soup, making it even richer.
"This bacon..."
"This bacon must have been prepared a week in advance, using 'mesquite wood' as the smoking material. Relying on the accumulation of time, it finally formed this ultimate deliciousness!"
With just one bite, Akame tasted the origin of the miraculous flavor in the bowl. It undoubtedly came from the smoked bacon cut into small pieces, and the preparation time from the start of smoking to the end was at least a week.
This was the accumulation of time!
"The smoking material for the special bacon is 'mesquite wood,' which is a leguminous shrub native to South America.
It is very popular in Texas, the birthplace of BBQ, has a strong aroma, and can also give the surface of the meat a layer of shimmering golden color.
During the bacon curing process, sage, nutmeg, bay leaf, and other spices were added, and also the secret weapon, brown sugar?!"
"Not only that, the vegetables, hidden by the strong meat flavor, perfectly became a foil, further highlighting the flavor of this bacon. It's a great combination."
Closing her eyes and carefully savoring the deliciousness of the dish in front of her, Ann's face showed a satisfied smile. To be able to develop bacon to this extent, this little girl in front of her is very capable!
Moreover, although it was just a small change of replacing ordinary bacon with smoked bacon, it changed the nature of the entire bowl of thick soup, shifting the flavor from vegetable-oriented to meat-oriented.
"This bacon was aged and cured by Xiao Hui for five days, then placed in a ventilated area for a whole day to air dry, and then continuously smoked for five hours. It is precisely because of such labor that this earthly delicacy can be created."
Looking at the thick-cut bacon on the stage, which was piled up over time, Ibusaki Shun's face in the audience seats showed excitement. Some time ago, Tadokoro Megumi suddenly asked him how to make smoked bacon, and at that time he was still curious about what she was going to do.
It was indeed used here, on the stage of the Elite Ten!
"Now, please, judges, give your scores."
As the judges on stage gave their evaluations, the audience below was extremely excited. Is this the level of the Elite Ten? It's truly amazing! To be able to make the WGO Executive Officers full of praise!
Seeing the momentum building, Kawashima Rei immediately took the microphone and asked for scores. Hearing her words, Ann placed her hand on the scoring device and then gave a high score of seventeen points.
16, 18, 17, 18, 17
86 points, not an exceptionally high score, but considering it was given by a WGO Executive Officer, its value was immense. This title of Elite Ten, Tadokoro Megumi truly deserved it!
"Tadokoro Megumi!"
"Tadokoro Megumi!"
And so, a tidal wave of cheers erupted from the audience, wave after wave, full of momentum.
Seeing the score, Tadokoro Megumi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She wasn't very good at meat dishes to begin with, and she had clearly done her best.
"86! Congratulations to Tadokoro Megumi, the first contestant of the Elite Ten, for achieving excellent results."
Looking at Tadokoro Megumi's final score, Kawashima Rei spoke excitedly into the microphone. The first contestant achieved a high score of eighty-six, which undoubtedly proved the high quality of this competition.
At the same time, as Tadokoro Megumi and Hoshino Sora nodded to each other and left the stage, the next contestant appeared.
It was Yukihira Soma, who was currently holding a tray, his face filled with seriousness as he looked at the beautiful Executive Officer Ann.
"Please taste Soma Yukihira's Special Dish 80, Braised Pork Tail Bone Three Ways!"
Although he didn't know why the other party wanted to mock him, just as Hoshino Sora said, the other party didn't understand the 'Soma Yukihira' restaurant, and to quickly make someone understand a restaurant, inviting them to eat the food from that restaurant was undoubtedly the best choice!
Time flew by quickly, and the rankings displayed in the center of the competition venue were constantly changing. Currently, the top spot was held by Kobayashi Rindo's Pork Seafood Risotto, and the second spot was Lixin's Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs.
And currently on stage was Nukishima Tsubusu's Tonkotsu Ramen, which, after being tasted by the judges, directly received a high score of ninety-five points, tying for second place with Lixin.
"Look! It's Erina Nakiri!"
"Lady Erina! Look here! Look here!"
"Long live Lady Erina ≧▽≦"
Looking at Erina Nakiri on the stage, dressed in a chef's uniform and exuding a queenly aura, the audience immediately erupted in cheers, with the girls' voices being even louder than the boys'.
Erina Nakiri, a super popular character in the academy, has been widely loved by all circles since birth. She is a true prodigy, so her appearance naturally came with many people's cheers.
Go, Erina!
Looking at Erina Nakiri's back as she ascended the stage, Hoshino Sora silently cheered in his heart.
During their time at Yōbi Dormitory, the two often sparred in cooking, and their victories were always evenly matched.
Under the dual influence of high-intensity practice and a good environment, Erina Nakiri's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds during this period, reaching an extremely astonishing level.
"Hoo..."
Even the WGO Executive Officers dared not show the slightest neglect towards this girl with the God Tongue. They slightly straightened their bodies, looking at the covered tray in front of them with anticipation.
"Is this the God Tongue? She looks quite ordinary."
"After all, it's just sensitive taste. And where is she ordinary? She has a good figure and is beautiful. In a novel, she'd definitely be the female lead!"
"Tsk, that's all you're good for."
"Exactly, exactly. But what kind of dish will she present? It's truly exciting!"
Their eyes were fixed on the large screen. Because of their distant seating, the Chinese chef team could not directly see the live performance and could only watch through drone retransmission.
But that was enough.
"Please taste. Triple Flavor, Flaming Pork Ribs."
The plating was extremely exquisite. There were only two sections of pork ribs on the plate, looking incredibly ordinary, but it was a manifestation of returning to simplicity in cuisine. This was a dish Erina Nakiri decided on at the last minute.
Next to the pork ribs were three kinds of sauces. From the outside, besides the exquisite plating, the pork ribs were roasted to be very appetizing, making it an extremely ordinary dish.
But! Would Erina Nakiri's dish be so uninteresting?!
The answer is no.
Undoubtedly.
With just one bite, the juices instantly burst in her mouth, and the deliciousness of the pork was fully demonstrated at this moment. Ann's mouth emitted an inarticulate sound, and her cheeks visibly flushed, clearly having received a considerable impact.
"Please taste from left to right in order. These sauces will bring you a whole new experience."
With a gentle smile on her face, the main focus of this dish was to highlight the original flavor of the ingredients. Because the pork provided by Hoshino Sora was excellent, she decided to make this dish.
Using high-quality ingredients to create top-notch cuisine is a mandatory lesson for a professional chef.
Tadokoro Megumi had prepared bacon in advance, so she didn't use the pork provided by Hoshino Sora before the competition, which was undoubtedly a great pity.
If Tadokoro Megumi had used the pork provided by Hoshino Sora to smoke the bacon, her score would have increased by at least ten points.
This is the infinite possibility brought by ingredients!
Erina Nakiri naturally wouldn't refuse it out of tsundere behavior; after all, Hoshino Sora was her man, and his resources were naturally her resources!
"20 points, it's been a long time since I've had such a satisfying dish! On the outside, it looks like simple flame-grilled pork ribs, but in reality, it's a hidden gem.
Such delicious meat, paired with layered sauces, you must have put a lot of effort into cooking this dish, right?"
That's right, the soul of this dish lies in the sauce!
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