"Over 80 points?"
Everyone was stunned. With scores of 36, 27, and 25 so far, the fourth contestant scoring 87 points was a shock. This highlighted the significant skill gap among the 60 contestants selected by the Elite Ten.
"Great. It's finally my turn."
Yuuki confidently presented her braised chicken to the three judges for tasting.
Beginners in braised cuisine often confuse braised chicken, roast chicken, and stewed chicken, thinking any chicken cooked in marinade is braised chicken. In reality, while roast chicken and stewed chicken also require marinating, they need to be deep-fried and have different cooking times. Braised chicken can skip the oil, being directly marinated after blanching, with a focus on infusing the marinade's fragrance.
Seeing the fifth contestant presenting braised chicken, Natsume was surprised.
"This braised chicken uses ingredients like amomum, tsaoko, dried tangerine peel, amomum cardamom, clove, cinnamon, angelica dahurica, and galangal. Understanding the characteristics of these ingredients and their traditional proportions is enough to make it delicious. However, conquering you with braised chicken requires more than good marinating; the entire process is crucial. For instance, initially using high heat to boil the marinade removes the fishy smell and sets the color, followed by slow-cooking on low heat for an hour to enhance the flavor."
Yuuki explained with a smile.
"So, you used the traditional Chinese method of eight spices and old soup?"
Natsume, knowledgeable as ever, recognized the significance of the spices.
She gazed at the glossy, marinated chicken. The list of ingredients seemed flawless.
"Alright, let's taste it."
Natsume picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and slowly brought it to her mouth.
Song dynasty scholar Fan Zhongyan once said, "If not a good prime minister, then a good doctor." The myriad spices follow the principle of jun, chen, zuo, shi.
In simple terms:
Jun (king) spices define the overall aroma and flavor. Chen (minister) spices complement and enhance jun spices. Zuo (assistant) spices mainly have medicinal effects, harmonizing the properties and flavors of jun and chen spices.
In Yuuki's braised chicken, cinnamon and angelica are the main spices (jun), making up 30% of the total spice amount. Galangal and tsaoko serve as the "minister" spices, each comprising 8% of the total. The third category, "assistants," includes dried tangerine peel and amomum cardamom, each accounting for 4-5% of the spices. The remaining spices serve as "assistants."
Regardless of the classification, the key is controlling the steeping time of the spices, ideally between 30 and 60 minutes.
The chicken melted in the mouth, an unexpectedly familiar yet new sensation, stunning the judges.
"With precise control of the heat, the marinade flavors have fully permeated the chicken, making it tender, juicy, and flavorful—a rare treat indeed."
Natsume's face showed satisfaction.
Ultimately, the dish scored an unexpected 88 points. Though 2 points shy of 90, it was much better than those scoring under 40 and even surpassed Miyoko's 87 points, placing Yuuki temporarily at the top of Block B.
"Good, good. Scoring over 80 should secure a spot in the top four,"
Yuuki said, wiping the cold sweat from her brow.
When the theme of "curry" was announced, she immediately thought of braised meat.
After countless attempts, she perfected her unique braised chicken. Initially fearing it wouldn't fit the theme or please the judges, she now felt reassured.
"Next is my turn. I hope my bagel scores above 80 too,"
said Ryoko, another Polar Star Dorm resident, presenting her dish.
"A bagel?" Natsume asked, surprised at the donut-like bread.
"Yes, a curry-flavored bagel,"
Ryoko explained.
"Curry-flavored?"
Natsume was taken aback by the cleverness of the contestants. The theme allowed any dish containing curry elements, so braised chicken and bagels were valid entries.
Bagels, known as the "treasures of the dieting world," are low-calorie and healthy, suitable for those watching their weight. Their chewy texture makes bagels more versatile and satisfying than burgers or sandwiches. High-gluten flour, special curry sauce, sugar, salt, fresh yeast, water, coconut milk, cheese, and sesame seeds—these ingredients formed the dough, which was steamed and baked.
Steaming makes the dough puff up more than fermenting and boiling, creating a thin crust and soft texture. Ryoko also added vanilla seeds from vanilla pods, a prized spice that enhances flavor and eliminates eggy smells.
Her bagel scored the same as Yuuki's braised chicken: 88 points, making them joint first in Block B.
Time passed quickly, and the scores for 28 out of 30 contestants in Block B were announced. Takumi led with 90 points for his Italian curry duck, followed by Subaru, who replicated Takumi's dish for 89 points. Yuuki and Ryoko were next with 88 points each. Miyoko, with 87 points, missed the top four by just one point.
"Hmph. No one has broken 90 points yet. I'll be the one to do it!"
declared Alice confidently, presenting her molecular cuisine: low-temperature molecular curry chicken.
Molecular cuisine often lacks a human touch, a flaw Alice struggled to overcome. At the tavern, she realized that food is meant to bring people joy. Though people often fear molecular cuisine, Alice believed it could create happiness too.
"What is this?"
The judges were stunned by the smoky dish before them.
Despite their vast experience, they were awed by Alice's molecular curry chicken.
The dish was shrouded in smoke under a special cover, concealing its full appearance.
"This is fascinating. I've never seen anything like it,"
Natsume exclaimed, excited.
As a judge, she had observed every contestant. Apart from Megumi, who handled the monkfish expertly despite initial nervousness, Alice impressed her with unique techniques and surprising dishes.
"It's cold! Is this smoke liquid nitrogen?"
Chihiro guessed, feeling the chill around the cover.
"This dish isn't about the cold from liquid nitrogen but the molecular aspect,"
Alice explained confidently, urging the judges to taste it.
The judges removed the cover, revealing the dish. Everyone stood in shock at the incomprehensible sight.
"Is this curry chicken? It looks like capsules,"
Natsume said, puzzled by the unusual presentation.
The audience, seeing the dish on the large screen, was equally astonished.
A white, unknown object lay on a yellow block, like a scene from a fairy tale.
"Are these curved slices?"
Natsume wondered, trying to understand the ingredients.
"No, they're not just decoration. Everything on this plate is edible,"
Alice clarified.
The judges, puzzled, began tasting.
As they took their first bite, they froze, silent.
"Is something wrong?"
The audience grew anxious.
Natsume finally reacted, her eyes shining with joy.
"Incredible. This is an unbelievable dish!"
----------
For 10 advance chapters: patreon.com/angelictranslating