Looking at the two who suddenly started vying for attention, Hoshino Sora smiled helplessly, then lowered his hands. He had to admit, it was truly smooth! Even through clothes, the sensation was clear.
He truly understood the joy of ancient emperors now, with their many concubines, how delightful!
As he spoke, Hoshino Sora turned and returned to the kitchen, while Mito Ikumi and Yukino Yano sat down and started chatting.
"Mito Ikumi."
Looking at the capable and beautiful Yukino Yano in her business attire, Mito Ikumi returned to her usual demeanor, extending her hand with a hint of pride in her voice.
"A young lady from the Mito family? We met at a banquet once. Your cooking was truly unforgettable; I still remember it vividly."
Facing the somewhat arrogant Mito Ikumi, Yukino Yano didn't mind. Instead, she actively tried to befriend her. This was her usual tactic; to manage relationships well, one must first bridge the distance.
Hoshino Sora had many in his harem. Although she was the first, she had missed a lot of time interacting with the others because she had left midway. Now, she was in an isolated and helpless state.
In a situation where she knew no one, she had to humble herself and build good relationships with others. This way, if conflicts arose, someone would mediate, and Hoshino Sora wouldn't be particularly troubled.
"You are?"
"From the Yukishita Family. My name is Yukino Yano."
Thinking that the other party might not have paid attention to her name earlier, Yukino Yano repeated her name. Mito Ikumi also began to recall and quickly understood the identity of the girl in front of her.
For no other reason, their two families had a partnership.
"I remember now! I saw you at a banquet last year. You were wearing a light purple dress and were the center of attention, attracting a lot of male gazes!"
"It wasn't that exaggerated. Ikumi, you're also very beautiful, looking vibrant and very spirited among the girls there. My father even praised you."
Seeing Yukino Yano's proactive goodwill, Mito Ikumi also slightly reined in her arrogance and began to communicate with her in a normal tone. Then, the two chatted about Hoshino Sora.
"Hahahaha, speaking of which, I heard Miss Yano is Sora's first love. Can you tell me your story?"
A smile appeared on her face, and her eyes showed curiosity. Although Mito Ikumi hadn't clearly heard Yukino Yano's name earlier, she had clearly heard that she was Hoshino Sora's first love.
"You want to hear our story? Of course. The story happened on a snowy day…"
Outside, Yukino Yano and Mito Ikumi occasionally burst into silvery laughter, appearing to be having a very pleasant conversation.
Inside, Hoshino Sora wielded his chef's knife and began today's cooking.
The main dish was Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head, an innovative dish based on meatballs. The main ingredients were fresh shrimp and bamboo shoots, which, when combined, were extremely fresh.
All the ingredients for this dish came from his Gourmet Manor. With the quality of the ingredients elevated, the taste of the dish naturally improved.
First, he took out two coconuts, poured the coconut water into a bowl, and kept the coconut shells for steaming. He steamed them for half an hour. The purpose of this step was to activate the fragrance of the coconut pulp within them.
Moreover, considering this was for himself and that there were girls outside, Hoshino Sora's Disassembly Knife moved lightly. The blade flowed smoothly through its movements, and soon, the outside of the coconut shells featured exquisitely lifelike small pandas, some standing, some lying down, some eating bamboo.
So cute!
Hoshino Sora looked at the pattern on the coconut shell with satisfaction, then placed it into the steamer, using the intervening time to prepare other ingredients.
Nine parts shrimp, one part pork fat, plus two parts bamboo shoots and two parts water chestnuts. The water chestnuts were cut into large pieces to ensure that their texture and taste could be clearly distinguished with each bite.
The reason for this, of course, is that water chestnuts cut through greasiness, perfectly neutralizing the rich taste of the Meatball.
Heat a wok, blanch the diced bamboo shoots to reduce their astringency.
The shrimp preparation is also simple: six parts shrimp meat, three parts shrimp pieces. This allows for a clear shrimp texture when eaten, making it the optimal preparation method.
After completing these steps, mince thirty grams of ginger, then place it in an iron basin. Add the blanched bamboo shoot dices, the diced water chestnuts, and the perfectly chopped shrimp, mixing them all together.
After that, stir evenly by hand, add rice wine, salt, MSG, and white pepper for seasoning. When brought to the nose, the aroma was incredibly fragrant!
His nose twitched, but he still felt something was missing. Hoshino Sora's gaze searched the kitchen, finally settling on a bowl of peeled pine nuts. Without a second thought, he poured them in.
Under rapid stirring, the Meatball quickly became firm but still lacked some stickiness. Hoshino Sora casually grabbed some cornstarch and continued stirring.
When it was almost ready, he found a basin of ice water and placed the iron basin into the ice water, chilling it indirectly.
After doing all this, Hoshino Sora took out clear chicken broth from his storage space, heated it in a pot, added a little salt for seasoning, and then strained it through a sieve.
At this moment, the coconut shell in the pot was ready. As he lifted the lid of the steamer, a rich coconut aroma filled the room.
Prepare a bowl of water starch. Take the mixed filling and repeatedly throw it between your hands, finally forming a small ball. This is the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head!
Dip it in water starch and place it into the coconut shell. Steam on high heat for eight minutes. After that, lift the lid, add fresh chicken broth, and steam for another three minutes. Thus, the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head is complete.
As he lifted the pot lid, a rich aroma instantly filled the entire kitchen. Unbeknownst to him, Hoshino Sora was already surrounded by people, but he paid no mind, still fully focused on the dish before him. At this point, only the final step remained.
Looking at the Meatball, which was as white as jade and crystal clear, Hoshino Sora placed the coconut shell on the table. Adding a touch of caviar and some small green leaves, its value instantly soared!
"You've all arrived! Come and have a taste. It's on the sweeter side, so girls should really enjoy it. The taste definitely won't disappoint you."
Looking at the 'harem beauties' behind him, Hoshino Sora served the perfectly portioned Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head. He placed each Meatball onto a bone plate, and then Aka-ri and Rika carried them out to be served.
Soon, the dishes were brought outside, and everyone received a portion. In addition, Hoshino Sora had prepared many other dishes, which, along with rice, were enough for everyone to enjoy a hearty meal.
However, more than the other dishes, Hoshino Sora was eager to see what expressions they would make when tasting the Meatball.
Developing this dish took him a lot of effort, which is why every portion of the Meatball shimmered with a golden glow. Although it hadn't reached the level of a Golden Fried Rice, it was not far off.
Truly not far off, just a final push away!
It could be said that this dish was the closest Hoshino Sora had ever come to a Golden Fried Rice, far surpassing the level of his previous River Shrimp Fried Rice. This shows his progress during this period!
"Phew…"
With a rather ceremonial puff, Hoshino Sora blew away the steam above the coconut shell, casting a sidelong glance at the people in front of him. At this moment, Yukino Yano wore a serious expression, her gaze fixed intently on the dish before her.
This was her first time tasting Hoshino Sora's cooking. The Meatball before her looked fragrant and fresh, bursting with umami, and of a much higher caliber than any dish she had ever tasted.
It appeared to be a simple Meatball, yet the allure emanating from it was unimaginable.
No wonder Hoshino Sora had been so dismissive of the signature dish of that restaurant; the disparity in skill was evident. It was like someone who scores a perfect hundred wouldn't find someone who scores ninety impressive.
Instead, they would think, 'He actually lost ten points, how bad!'
This dish gave her that exact feeling, a silent dominance. The subtle ripples created by the Meatball's gentle sway made her heart tremble slightly.
"Fresh! The umami is bursting through my head! To be able to eat bamboo shoots this season, and for the texture of the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts to complement each other so perfectly, it's truly amazing!"
Alice Nakiri was the first to exclaim, her ample chest bouncing with her shock—a reaction caused by the impact of the umami!
"The incredibly tender shrimp bursts in my brain, the refreshing water chestnuts have a unique texture, combined with the chewiness brought by the bamboo shoot dices and the fragrance of the pine nuts, the overall flavor is incredibly harmonious, like a well-ordered symphony!"
Mito Ikumi also exclaimed. It has to be said that after this period of refinement, Hoshino Sora's skill has improved significantly, reaching an extremely high level.
The gap between them is truly growing wider and wider...
"Delicious! Is there more?"
Having finished the Xianxia Chunshun Lion Head in one bite, without savoring its taste in detail, Thor blinked her innocent big eyes and asked. Although she hadn't savored it, she had tasted the extraordinary nature of this dish and wanted another one.
"Wait until the evening is over, then there will be enough with the remaining ingredients!"
Hoshino Sora said grandly, then noticed Yukino Yano, who was trembling slightly beside him. She hadn't spoken at all from earlier until now.
"How is it, my dear wife, how does my cooking taste? Did it meet your expectations? How does it compare to the restaurants you frequent?"
A series of questions left Yukino Yano unsure where to begin answering, but the deliciousness of the dish was truly unforgettable, so good that she was speechless.
"Yours is delicious, a hundred times more delicious! No matter which restaurant it's compared to!"
Without any hesitation, the words blurted out. Although the ultimate deliciousness can be described in countless ways, Yukino Yano's mind was buzzing with joy at this moment, and she simply couldn't find the right words.
It turned out that extreme deliciousness truly makes people lose the ability to think, and even their language system becomes sluggish, especially for someone like her who was tasting Hoshino Sora's cooking for the first time.
And as the Meatball went down, Yukino Yano's clothes suddenly burst open, forcing her to shyly cover her chest. This was the Gourmet Cell evolving!
Seeing this, Hoshino Sora smiled with satisfaction.
At this moment, in the sky, there was a Fresh Shrimp formed from aroma. The shrimp's head was a water chestnut, its body was bamboo shoots, its tail was pine nuts, and its legs were pork fat, its form clearly visible.
Aside from being slightly small in size and having dull eyes, there were no other flaws.
This was the nascent form of the Soul of Cooking!
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