Morning.
Zane, who woke up early, was a bit stunned when he stepped into the kitchen.
In front of him, Erina was wearing a simple green dress that made her look like a dazzling jade, showing off her balanced figure.
"Zane, you're finally awake, huh?"
Seeing Zane suddenly appear behind her, Erina continued to slice the sea bream on the cutting board and smiled softly.
"Morning!"
"Erina, what are you doing in the kitchen?"
Zane asked softly as he came back to his senses.
"Making breakfast," Erina replied with a slight smile at the corners of her mouth.
She continued handling the sea urchin and washing the vegetables beside her.
Seeing Erina so focused, Zane couldn't help but smile and quietly left the kitchen, not wanting to disturb her.
...
A Japanese-style soup, sashimi, boiled vegetables, and fried dishes made up the breakfast Erina had prepared, a classic kaiseki meal.
Holding the plate, Erina brought it to Zane, lowering her head expectantly, and said, "Look! I've made breakfast."
"During the school festival, Hisako and I ran a restaurant. I often hoped you would visit as a customer and taste the dishes I made."
"Oh!"
Zane nodded.
"Wow!"
"This kaiseki cuisine is so delicately prepared!"
He looked at the small dishes in front of him, his eyes lighting up.
Kaiseki cuisine demands extreme delicacy.
Even the arrangement of the utensils and food must meet high standards. Thus, this dish is not just a meal but an artwork to some.
Of course, the pursuit of delicacy results in smaller portions.
Hmm!
Why is it called "kaiseki cuisine"?
The origin of this name is still debated.
One popular story is that monks used to hold a stone to resist hunger during long meditations, allowing simple food to satisfy their hunger. Such plain food was called "kaiseki."
However, it likely originated from Laozi's "Dao De Jing," Chapter 70, which says, "Thus the sage wears coarse cloth but holds jade in his bosom."
This means:
The sage wears coarse clothes but carries a jade, emphasizing inner value over external appearance.
This philosophy aligns perfectly with the spirit of Japanese cuisine.
As kaiseki cuisine developed commercially, its recipes have evolved.
But regardless of the changes, kaiseki cuisine's principles of detailed, genuine, and heartfelt preparation have never changed.
Using seasonal ingredients, utilizing the ingredients' natural flavors, and cooking with passion and care have always been kaiseki cuisine's principles.
...
Zane began with the first appetizer in the kaiseki meal.
It was tofu made from mugwort, sesame, and kudzu root, paired with sea urchin, shepherd's purse, and wasabi, with dashi broth poured over it.
Don't underestimate this tofu.
Its ingredients include water from the "Jianquan" springs of Jianmen and soybeans from the gravel oil shale soil.
It undergoes processes like soaking, grinding, filtering, boiling, curdling, and dehydrating.
Compared to other tofu, this tofu stands out for four reasons: its snowy white color, fine texture, strong toughness, and delicious taste.
As for the sea urchin, it is the northern purple sea urchin from the Bohai Sea.
This sea urchin.
Its exterior is purple-black.
Its color distinguishes it from the ordinary yellow sea urchin!
More importantly, the northern purple sea urchin is sweeter than the yellow one, without any bitterness, and leaves a sweet aftertaste.
The sea urchin roe is also thicker and fuller, offering a satisfying taste.
"The taste is good."
"Scoop up a piece of tender tofu with a spoon, savor it in the mouth, and the rich soybean aroma and smooth texture complement each other."
"Slowly sliding along the tongue, the melting sensation is truly dreamy."
Zane closed his eyes, savoring the appetizer's impact.
He couldn't help but add, "The sea urchin with the tender tofu enhances the sea urchin's freshness. Although the main flavor is the rich soybean aroma, the taste becomes less monotonous!"
As an appetizer.
Mugwort tofu aims to stimulate the taste buds and increase appetite.
Its portion or taste generally differs from the main course, characterized by small amounts, fresh flavors, bright colors, and often sour and salty tastes!
Quickly finishing the appetizer, he moved on to the main course:
Thin-sliced Akashi sea bream!
...
In the fast-flowing Akashi Strait, the migrating sea bream caught there is called Akashi sea bream.
In Japan, this is one of the top sea bream varieties!
This fish is highly valued for both food and medicine.
It has a fine texture, rich collagen, and a unique taste. Its commercial value is high, containing many amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids.
Therefore, in Japanese cuisine, it is known as the "sashimi delicacy."
"With superb knife skills, the Akashi sea bream can be sliced into pieces about 0.15 cm thick, and each slice is uniform, making it visually appealing!"
Zane picked up a thin slice of Akashi sea bream with chopsticks. The paper-thin slice, just thick enough to hold without tearing, was beyond his imagination.
Thin-sliced Akashi sea bream?
Such knife skills do justice to the name of this appetizer.
"Alright, let me taste it."
After saying this, Zane continued enjoying the main course of the kaiseki meal.
...
As Zane chewed on the sashimi, his eyes stayed fixed on the plate of thin-sliced Akashi sea bream. As he chewed, the fish's aroma magically spread.
With the God's Tongue talent, Erina's control over flavor is indeed more precise than others! Compared to Alice, who doesn't even know what a seaweed bento is, Erina is well-versed in common dishes.
Her theoretical knowledge is flawless, mastering all aspects!
So, in Zane's eyes, Erina is a rare genius.
"After the hands-on training, your cooking skills have improved again."
"It seems you didn't slack off after finishing your internship at the tavern and returning to Totsuki."
Unconsciously, Zane praised her.
Hearing Zane's words, Erina's face lit up with a smile.
Clearly, making Zane truly enjoy her cooking and earning his praise made Erina genuinely happy!
...
The night is like a giant black velvet cloth, gently covering the world.
The scattered lights are like pearls on the cloth, shining with warm and mysterious light. A light breeze brings the whispers of distant leaves and the faint scent of nearby flowers.
"Mana."
"Please enjoy, this is a meal specially prepared according to your wishes!"
That night, the tavern hadn't opened yet.
But a hungry Mana arrived half an hour early.
According to her order, Zane made a plate of red flower and green leaf fried rice, accompanied by a bowl of fresh and elegant lotus root pork bone soup.
Looking closely, the fried rice was shaped in a large bowl.
Then turned upside down on a plate, forming a perfect semicircle, steaming hot.
The dish's body looked red and shiny.
A strange sweet aroma rushed out of the steam, with pickles, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, and beans placed around the plate...
These assorted vegetables were simply pickled and then shaved into thin, translucent slices.
On the plate, they presented a delicate glass-like color.
Crisp and refreshing pickles, paired with oily fried rice and fresh lotus root pork bone soup, were a perfect match, making anyone happy at first glance.
Just a few glances.
Mana's bright eyes blinked, showing a bit of excitement.
...
"As usual, before eating fried rice, have some soup to moisten your throat, so please try this tomato soup first."
Zane said softly.
"Oh, I understand."
Mana took a spoonful of soup and slowly tasted it.
The soup wasn't sweet but had an indescribable rich flavor and the fresh scent of lotus root.
"Hmm? This soup..."
Surprised, Mana took another spoonful of fried rice, carefully tasting it, and at that moment, a miracle happened.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
As she bit down, the fried rice had an unexpectedly crispy texture.
The red sauce coating the fried rice, despite looking oily, didn't feel greasy. Instead, it released a rich sweetness.
This sweet flavor perfectly matched her taste and filled her empty stomach!
So much so that she increased the portion size for the second bite.
"I see."
"This fried rice contains pieces of pork belly."
"And the jelly-like texture comes from the thick fat in the braised pork, stewed with the skin to achieve a sticky texture and rich meat aroma!"
"The method seems to be chopping the braised pork into fibers for the lean part."
"Thus, the pork skin becomes soft and chewy gel-like pieces."
"Well, that's a great idea!"
...
Pork belly is usually greasy.
But while stewing the pork belly, Zane constantly skimmed off excess fat, resulting in a product with minimal oil.
Even so, this pork fried rice was still oily! The secret to Zane's red flower and green leaf fried rice was:
He didn't use rice at all!
Fried rice typically uses rice.
But if made with rice, the grains absorb oil, becoming greasy and mushy, hard to swallow for many.
So, Zane used a different approach, frying "cauliflower rice" instead.
...
Cauliflower is crisp and tasty.
It's a nutritious vegetable, often used in dishes like stir-fried cauliflower and dry pot cauliflower!
Zane used his excellent knife skills to finely chop cauliflower into rice-sized pieces.
Then, he lightly roasted the cauliflower rice in an oven before quickly stir-frying it with braised pork, black
vinegar, and red vinegar. The finished dish looked just like real rice, hard to tell apart for most.
After frying, it was quickly placed on a fine mesh sieve to shake off excess oil.
Thus, he created a delicious fried rice that's not greasy!
And this tasty red flower and green leaf fried rice, paired with the lotus root pork bone soup, was a sweet and crispy delight in Mana's mouth.
Hmm!
How to describe it?
It was almost like a dessert.
...
"Mom!"
At this moment, a sweet, familiar voice called out beside Mana.
"Erina, are you alright?"
Hearing the sudden voice, Mana was delighted and quickly looked back.
But seeing Erina's pale face, she became worried.
"Mom, I'm fine."
Erina shook her head.
"What happened? Who hurt you?"
Mana's eyes flashed with anger. She had noticed her daughter's different demeanor and pale face.
If she found out who hurt her daughter, she would make them suffer.
"Mom, let's talk about it later."
Erina said weakly.
...
Meanwhile.
At Erina's villa in Totsuki Academy.
Although Hisako was fired as secretary, she still had the keys to come and go freely.
However, when she arrived at Erina's room as usual, she found Azami waiting.
"Mr. Azami."
Hisako broke into a cold sweat, nervously speaking.
"Hmm!"
"You don't have to try to please me."
Azami said calmly, "I let Erina go on purpose..."
"Mr. Azami, I don't oppose your desire to correct Totsuki Academy to its original state."
"But you cannot use the same methods as before to exploit Erina's God's Tongue talent. Because there is already a chef in this world who can completely conquer the God's Tongue!"
Hisako interrupted Azami, gathering her courage.
"Hmm?"
Azami's brows furrowed slightly at Hisako's words.
Then, as he realized what she meant, his face changed drastically!
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