Totsuki Academy.
As far as the eye could see, there were tall buildings.
However, a small house nestled on the mountainside stood out, appearing inconspicuous and out of place.
The area was less than 100 square meters, but you could feel the homeowner's meticulous arrangement, with almost every corner filled with fragrant plants.
From vibrant roses to elegant orchids, from towering green plants to hanging vines.
Each herb.
Was thriving and full of life!
The interior decoration was simple yet tasteful, with a few art paintings hanging on the walls, adding a touch of artistic flair to the small space.
Additionally, the view outside the window was excellent, encompassing the beautiful architecture throughout the mountainside.
Yes, this was the little-known Spice Research Association:
**Shiomi Research Society!**
...
At this moment, Akira Hayama, possessing the God Tongue, was busy preparing for the upcoming Autumn Selection.
He was seen grinding ginger and garlic into powder, mixing turmeric powder, chili powder, and unsweetened yogurt into the chicken.
The reason for adding yogurt.
Unlike Southeast Asian curry.
In traditional Indian methods, curry doesn't use coconut milk but yogurt!
Then, he stir-fried chopped onions, followed by chopped tomatoes.
He cooked the onions until they were soft, then added the freshly ground turmeric powder, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt, continuing to stir-fry.
During this process, more oil was added to release the rich aroma of the spices and blend them.
He added curry powder and continued to stir on medium-low heat, covering it for 5 minutes.
He added the chicken pieces, which were chicken wings, seasoned with salt, and stir-fried evenly to coat the chicken wings with the spices, then covered and simmered for over 5 minutes.
When the chicken wings started releasing oil, he finally added water.
He let it simmer for another 3 minutes, and it was ready.
...
"Hayama, how much chance do you think this South Indian-style curry chicken has in the Autumn Selection?"
After finishing, Akira Hayama brought the curry chicken to the listless Professor Jun Shiomi and asked.
"How would I know?"
"It'll either win or lose."
Jun Shiomi barely glanced at it, not even tasting it, and replied.
"Uh, I shouldn't have asked you."
Seeing her lack of interest, Akira Hayama felt embarrassed.
He continued tasting the curry chicken while chatting with Jun Shiomi: "How are the irises you've been carefully cultivating lately?"
"They're almost dead!"
"That's why I've been so worried recently, I can barely eat."
Jun Shiomi said in despair.
"Almost dead?"
"Is it a soil problem?"
Akira Hayama asked, puzzled.
"Impossible, I used a mix of sandy soil, leaf mold, and garden soil in a 1:1:1 ratio, adding an appropriate amount of decomposed organic fertilizer to enhance soil fertility, so the soil is not the issue!"
Jun Shiomi muttered back.
...
**Irises**, a legendary flower.
Historically, this plant symbolized the French royal family.
From its purple flowers to its green stems, it has always been a beautiful sight on spring hills and a focal point in many stories throughout history.
The French version of "The Treasure" described it as:
A small plant with sword-shaped leaves, beloved for its decorative flowers and enticing fragrance.
The fragrance of the iris comes from its roots, smelling somewhat like violets with a powdery and earthy note. It is said that only the French and German irises can produce iris essential oil!
Yes, Jun Shiomi's ultimate goal in cultivating irises was to extract iris essential oil.
Typically.
Irises are planted in the fall and take three years to grow and bloom.
Then, from manual harvesting, peeling, slicing, and drying, it takes another three years for the primary fragrant component, irone, to form in the iris roots.
Finally, the dried slices are ground into powder and distilled to obtain iris butter, then further processed to extract iris essential oil.
Yes!
It's clear.
Extracting iris essential oil is not a simple task.
Due to its rarity, genuine iris essential oil is indeed very expensive and considered one of the most expensive natural plant essential oils.
According to Jun Shiomi's research, the current market price is about 50 million yen per kilogram.
...
During her student days.
Jun Shiomi was already capable of making many delicious curry dishes.
In her first year of elementary school, she passed the entrance exam for Polar Star Dorm in one go.
This astonished her dorm mates like Gin Dojima, Senzaemon, and Jōichirō Saiba, who believed she was a strong potential talent and the future hope of Polar Star Dorm.
Of course, she lived up to their expectations and graduated from Totsuki!
While many speculated where she would go next, Jun Shiomi chose to stay and work at Totsuki.
This move made her the youngest professor in Totsuki's history.
Being young didn't mean she was unaccomplished.
During her tenure at Totsuki, every paper she published on spice plant cultivation, preservation, extraction, and refinement became the most important research in the spice field.
It's not an exaggeration to say that in the field of spices, she represented the pinnacle of Japanese standards, holding supreme prestige and status!
"Sigh, such a headache."
"It's ironic that as an expert in spices, I'm being defeated by a flower."
She tapped her forehead and murmured.
Seeing her like this, Akira Hayama sighed inwardly.
He had a more sensitive sense of smell than ordinary people, but his research and achievements in spices were far from matching Jun Shiomi's.
Especially now, with the Autumn Selection approaching, he was busy developing new curry dishes for the competition.
Therefore, he felt helpless!
...
It's well known.
There are about 7,000 types of spices worldwide.
Among them, about 6,000 are synthetic, 500 are natural, and over 10,000 kinds of compound fragrances made from various spices.
As the global economy rapidly develops, the demand for spices and fragrances is also increasing.
Given this trend, Jun Shiomi's recent research focused on irises.
However, she seemed to be facing a challenge!
"If I can extract iris oil, I have a chance to isolate irone, an organic compound."
"Then, trying to produce irone through microbial fermentation could significantly enhance production efficiency. This would be crucial for the industrial application of irone biosynthesis."
That's what she said.
But clearly, the setbacks had made Jun Shiomi very disheartened.
She stopped talking to Akira Hayama and quickly picked up a watering can to water some of the spice plants.
When her gaze fell on the "lifeless" iris plant, she couldn't help but feel more helpless!
...
Waiting for a dish to be served.
That anticipation and excitement are some of the most wonderful feelings.
Maybe that's why the tavern's order-and-cook-on-the-spot style always satisfies customers greatly.
However, for the starving customers, it might be a different kind of torture!
"Zane, isn't it ready yet?"
"I... I can't take it anymore. Look, I'm drooling here."
Staring intently at the lobster in the oil, Mana said impatiently.
If she could, she'd rush over and dip her hand into the hot oil to grab the lobster and devour it.
Hurry!
Hurry up!
I can't hold on any longer!
When will this crispy, fragrant dish be ready?
At the cooking station, Zane reduced the heat after frying for a minute and said irritably, "Calm down, it's almost done."
Who would have thought that Mana, capable of causing a culinary earthquake with a sneeze, would be drooling over a half-finished dish!
This scene left Anne, watching from behind, in shock.
...
"Yes, this golden color."
When the lobster in the pot turned golden, Zane quickly removed it.
Under the light, the freshly fried lobster gleamed with a golden sheen.
And, upon a closer sniff.
A strong aroma wafted out.
This made Mana drool even more.
"Done."
"This is the new dish... Cloud Dragon Fried Shrimp!"
Zane presented the freshly cooked Cloud Dragon Fried Shrimp to her.
The golden exterior first attracted people's attention, gleaming under the light like a meticulously crafted piece of art.
The shrimp was curled into an elegant arc, every detail showing Zane's meticulous craftsmanship.
The plating of the fried shrimp was also thoughtful.
The shrimp tail was removed and replaced with a mixture of walnuts, nuts, and egg yolk.
This made the dish more colorful and visually appealing.
The contrast between the fresh nuts and the red shrimp created a striking visual effect, making Mana instantly sense its allure.
...
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Suddenly.
A dazzling golden light shot through the tavern.
This was a "normal" phenomenon in culinary light, and one of Zane's unique skills.
Soon, the blinding light faded, and the stunned Mana said nothing, quickly grabbing a large piece of shrimp and shoving it into her mouth!
The moment it entered her mouth, her teeth first bit through the crispy nut crust, directly touching the tofu skin.
Then, the soft tofu skin compressed, quickly releasing the sauce inside into her mouth, catching her off guard.
Next.
Her tongue began to taste the sauce.
It was sweet, with a hint of lemon.
When her teeth broke through the tofu skin, they touched the bouncy, firm lobster meat.
With a little force, the lobster meat broke, and as she chewed slowly, various textures and flavors magically blended.
Overall, the carefully fried Australian lobster meat always retained a unique elasticity, allowing Mana to savor the freshness and rich texture of the shrimp.
Surprisingly,
it didn't take long for her to feel like she experienced three different textures:
The softness of the tofu skin.
The crispy nut coating.
The bouncy shrimp meat.
Everything felt just right, perfectly balanced.
But the tofu skin wrapped around the shrimp made it impossible to tell, the taste was just amazing!
...
"This... this doesn't taste like sauce?"
"No, wait, there is sauce, but it's filled inside the fried shrimp."
"Thus, in the high-temperature frying process, the sauce and shrimp blend perfectly."
"Yes, the outer tofu skin locks in the internal sauce, preventing it from leaking during frying. Hence, with every bite, it offers a crispy exterior, sweet and succulent shrimp meat inside."
In the end, Mana was completely intoxicated by the unique flavor and texture of the Cloud Dragon Fried Shrimp!
In the next moment, she couldn't resist grabbing another large piece of shrimp, stuffing it into her mouth, making her little mouth bulge.
The eating style wasn't graceful.
But right now, she didn't care.
...
Indeed.
This Cloud Dragon Fried Shrimp.
Was quite different from ordinary fried shrimp dishes.
First, crushed walnuts and nuts formed a thick "crust," giving it a crispy, sweet texture.
Then, the tofu skin absorbed and locked in the sauce.
Even though the shrimp used was common Australian lobster, it still provided the fresh sweetness of live shrimp, the bouncy texture, and chewiness of fried shrimp, making it the best fried shrimp ingredient.
It also had a subtle bean aroma.
Finally.
The highlight was the special sauce.
It fully absorbed the sweetness of the shrimp, with a slight tanginess that became the best balancer of the shrimp's natural flavor!
All the complex flavors finally merged perfectly in the small mouth, and the rich texture and multi-layered flavor exploded like a fragrant bomb, completely captivating Mana's God Tongue.
...
With one bite, the sauce burst from the shrimp.
A rich egg yolk sauce exploded in her mouth, but with a greasy, sweet aroma, it directly touched Mana's heart.
Tofu skin, nuts, and shrimp then quickly took center stage on her tongue.
Furthermore, this dish emphasized the balance and combination of textures, the crispiness of the nuts, and the tenderness of the shrimp, allowing Mana to enjoy the harmony of textures while savoring the flavors!
Surprise.
Intensity.
Confusion.
Contemplation.
And then sudden realization.
With Mana's various expressions changing in a short time.
It was clear that the taste of this Cloud Dragon Fried Shrimp, like the previous Perfect Ice Snapper Mountain, had indeed conquered her.
Unconsciously, she got lost in this indescribable deliciousness, unable to extricate herself!