"Bonito broth, black vinegar, ketchup, chili sauce, apple juice, appropriate amount of cornstarch, appropriate amount of water, appropriate amount of soy sauce—this is the recipe for the first sauce.
The second one uses lemon juice, thyme..."
"The third..."
"These three dipping sauces echo each other, creating a layered sense of impact on the taste buds. It truly is a novel design!"
An picked up her chopsticks and tasted the sauce alone, closing her eyes to savor it. Then, she accurately stated the recipe of Erina's sauce, and her words earned the girl's respect.
"That's right, the preparation methods for these sauces are exactly as you said. You truly live up to your reputation as a First-Class Executive Officer of the WGO."
"Of course! Although my sense of taste isn't as good as your God Tongue, I still have some skill."
Nodding her head, An's face showed a small expression of pride. To receive recognition from the legendary God Tongue was a very proud achievement for her.
"Grilled pork ribs, the dish presented by this God Tongue is unexpectedly ordinary."
"Indeed, isn't this something any street-side restaurant could make? It has absolutely no distinguishing features. I feel like I could do it too."
"Returning to simplicity, seemingly ordinary but actually extraordinary. You really might not be able to achieve this level. This is also a very excellent talent."
Words of praise came from Uncle Fu's mouth. Since the beginning of the competition, the admiration in his eyes had not stopped. The students of this generation were truly amazing, and their skill level was much higher than he had imagined!
19, 20, 19, 20, 19
"It's here! An astonishing 97 points, a new first place! The winner is Erina Nakiri, the esteemed Erina-sama!"
Her tone filled with excitement, Kawashima Rei held up the microphone to cheer for her, her face filled with emotion. Erina Nakiri's dish once again broke the scoring limit.
And it was in front of the third-year students!
"Oh my, Erina-chan has made great progress recently."
Looking at Erina Nakiri, who scored one point higher than herself, Kobayashi Rindo's face showed a hint of surprise. Previously, the opponent's strength was inferior to hers, with more losses than wins in competitions.
But now it seems Erina Nakiri's strength has increased astonishingly. Should she be called the God Tongue?!
"It's my turn now."
At this point, only Hoshino Sora and Eishi Tsukasa remained on the scene. With about ten minutes left until the end of the competition, Hoshino Sora saw Eishi Tsukasa still making his final touches, so he stepped onto the stage first.
A plate of Dragon-Wrapped Tiger Belly, seemingly ordinary on the outside, but actually full of hidden depths.
Aside from the Jinhua ham, which was a pre-made product bought from outside, all other ingredients for this dish came from Hoshino Sora's Gourmet Manor. Their quality was exceptionally high, and their taste was incredibly good.
This might sound like cheating, but cultivating and selecting excellent ingredients is itself a mandatory course for an outstanding chef. Hoshino Sora had simply taken this to the extreme.
Like Kobayashi Rindo, or rather, all chefs at Far Moon except Soma Yukihira, they more or less looked down on low-grade ingredients, only wanting to use high-grade ingredients to cook the gourmet dishes in their hearts.
Therefore, when Hoshino Sora presented the Dragon-Wrapped Tiger Belly on stage, An's face did not show much anticipation. Instead, her eyes revealed a faint hint of disdain.
Because from the aroma to the plating, the dish in front of her was not stunning; it could even be described as unexpectedly ordinary.
So, what about the most crucial taste?
Such a question arose in An's mind. She then picked up her chopsticks and tasted the dish in front of her. She hadn't paid much attention at first, but as the dish entered her mouth, the exquisite flavor instantly made her eyes widen.
This taste! This sensation! The rich, fatty eel burst in her mouth like scattered flower petals. The unique texture formed by the pork belly, Jinhua ham, and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms perfectly complemented the eel, creating a layered deliciousness!
"Hmm, mm~ So wonderful! This taste! A work of art! This is a work of art!"
The last sentence was practically squeezed from her throat. The reason was simple: the deliciousness of the dish made her unable to articulate her evaluation normally. Her body uncontrollably cheered and danced!
This was a very strange feeling, one she had never experienced before! The contempt in her heart vanished the moment she ate the dish. Her mind slightly emptied, leaving only a profound sense of happiness!
Happiness~
Satisfaction~
Such words appeared on An's face, and the smile on her face did not stop until she finished the dish.
Seeing such an expression, Hoshino Sora's mood instantly brightened. He knew, this was a sure win!
As expected, after tasting the dish, the other judges all showed exaggerated expressions, especially Kurotome, who had been sitting in the corner without speaking, and whose eyes were noticeably brighter.
"I like this dish!"
This was the first time Kurotome had actively spoken to comment, and the extremely happy expression on her face could not be faked. The taste of the eel was especially prominent in her mouth, and the slight saltiness of the Jinhua ham was truly the finishing touch!
"I never thought a dish wrapped in pork intestines could be so delicious! The person who came up with this dish is definitely a genius!"
19, 20, 20, 19, 20
Without a doubt, Hoshino Sora achieved the highest score in the entire competition.
Although Erina Nakiri was a bit unwilling, there was nothing she could do. After all, her dish was only decided a few days ago, so it naturally couldn't compare to Hoshino Sora's Dragon-Wrapped Tiger Belly, which he had been researching for over half a month.
With each practice, Hoshino Sora gained a deeper understanding of that dish. By the time he came to his senses, the young man's skill in making this dish had already reached a master level.
With perfectly executed culinary techniques and incredibly high-quality ingredients, Erina Nakiri was not at all surprised that Hoshino Sora could achieve such a high score.
But she still felt so annoyed that a mere Hoshino Sora had surpassed her.
Thinking of this, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but pout, thinking to herself that she would definitely make him see her true prowess later!
After all, her current score had already secured her spot in the ranking finals, even if Eishi Tsukasa's score also surpassed hers.
"How astonishing! The next contestant, Hoshino Sora, has once again broken the record for this competition! This competition is full of surprises! And now, the last contestant to appear..."
At this point, Kawashima Rei on stage swallowed, then looked towards the contestant cooking area, at the last man to appear.
The man had white hair, an handsome face, and a steady gait. In his hands, he carried a silver platter that shimmered with a unique glow under the lights. A rich aroma of meat permeated the air, spreading throughout the entire venue even through the covered platter.
Looking at the dish in front of him, Hoshino Sora's expression was solemn. The 'qi' of this dish had already reached its peak. The scattered aroma in the air even formed a robust little pig!
"Gulp."
Just by smelling the aroma, saliva couldn't stop flowing in his mouth. Since he was the last contestant, almost everyone's gaze turned to him as he stepped onto the stage.
The judges on stage felt it most deeply. Eishi Tsukasa's footsteps seemed to carry a fatal rhythm, constantly shaking their hearts and simultaneously raising their expectations for the dish on the plate!
Eishi Tsukasa, the former Ten Elite First Seat, known as the White Knight of the Dining Table, possesses the ability to converse with ingredients, maximizing their inherent deliciousness. He is a truly talented chef!
How delicious could a dish meticulously prepared by such a chef be?
The audience had no concept of it, but just the meaty aroma permeating the air was already making them drool, and their stomachs were rumbling.
"Holy cow, I want to eat so badly! Why did my stomach suddenly get so hungry? It's only been three hours since breakfast."
"Me too, I felt quite full just now, why am I suddenly hungry? Could it be influenced by that dish? Just smelling it has such an effect? That's amazing!"
Some audience members exclaimed. If there was anything that happened between being hungry and not hungry, it was only Eishi Tsukasa bringing out his dish!
"Welcome to taste, Charcoal-Grilled Wild."
The name was as whimsical as ever, but no one on the scene complained. The reason was simple: everyone's gaze was fixed on the dish displayed on the big screen—it was a pork chop.
To be precise, it was a pork chop grilled to perfection over charcoal!
A bit more, it would be overcooked; a bit less, it would be undercooked.
Two colors of sauce hung on either side of the plate. As the dish was brought to the table and uncovered, all the judges almost simultaneously picked up their knives and forks.
With a slight cut, the juices of the pork chop immediately oozed out, and the rich meaty aroma reached its peak at this moment, causing the stomachs of the audience in the front rows to rumble.
"Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!"
"The abundant juices will all burst forth with just a slight chew, rapidly spreading and diffusing in the mouth. The meaty aroma is rich, the texture delicate, the meat tender, and paired with this sauce, it's as if elves are dancing in your mouth!"
"The ingredient used is a black mountain piglet, right? It's tender and smooth with a slight chewiness and wildness. This ingredient is the same as the one used by that Kobayashi contestant, except one used an adult pig and the other used a piglet."
Finishing the dish in two or three bites, Akame looked at Eishi Tsukasa's face and said slowly.
"That's right, to ensure the texture and flavor, I used a black mountain piglet. The piglet's growth age affects the tenderness of the meat. The younger the animal, the finer the muscle fibers, the less mature and cross-linked the connective tissue, and the more tender the meat.
The flavor of pork accumulates during the growth process. The longer the time, the more accumulation, the stronger the flavor and the easier it is to develop a gamey smell. Since I don't want a gamey smell but still want the original taste of pork, I ultimately chose this piglet."
Hearing Eishi Tsukasa's explanation, the judges on stage nodded. This was consistent with what they had thought. The reason why the pork could emit such a rich aroma was because Eishi Tsukasa's method of handling the piglets was different from handling ordinary pork.
Because piglets have tender meat and fine muscle fibers, they don't need to be marinated for a long time, nor do they need special deodorizing. And with fewer seasonings used for marination, the original taste of the pork stands out.
It must be said, this is truly a very clever handling technique!
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 40 chapters of this story on Patreon.
If you're enjoying it and want to read ahead, feel free to check them out here:
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thanks a lot for your support, it really helps me keep going.