Class was over. Asahi Saiba was the first to leave the cooking classroom.
But soon, a cute female student hurried up to him, taking a deep breath as she reached him. It was clear she was trying to calm her excitement. She bowed slightly and, with a trembling voice, said, "Instructor Suzuki, I have a few questions about cooking that I'm not sure about. Could you help me?"
Asahi looked up at her expectant face and smiled, nodding.
Receiving Asahi's approval, the student excitedly started asking him several questions.
Asahi patiently answered her questions one by one. The student listened intently, occasionally bowing her head in thought. She was very focused, but sometimes she would sneak a glance at Asahi with her eyes.
Eventually, as Asahi continued to explain, her eyebrows gradually relaxed, and a look of realization spread across her face. She kept nodding, as if she wanted to engrave every word Asahi said into her mind.
When she fully understood the answers, she bowed deeply to Asahi once more. "Thank you, Instructor Suzuki. Your answers have given me new ideas and solutions."
With a heart full of joy and newfound knowledge, she left the cooking classroom.
...
"Oh?"
"The new instructor seems to be quite popular with the students," Soma accidentally saw this scene and was surprised.
Indeed, whether it was his personal charm or his cooking skills, this instructor named Suzuki was nearly perfect.
Friendly!
Warm!
His demeanor was impeccable.
His eyes were deep and bright, like two sparkling stars, shining with wisdom. Every time he looked at the Totsuki students from the podium, those eyes always conveyed endless care and encouragement, making the students feel incredibly confident.
His classes were always full of energy!
He was adept at using various teaching methods to make dull cooking knowledge lively and interesting.
When evaluating the students' dishes, he could always use vivid language, imaginative metaphors, and interesting examples to guide the students to deeply understand, helping them realize their own issues.
Clearly, how could such an instructor not be adored by the students?
But no one expected that this kind, friendly new instructor had another side to him!
...
SHINO'S
This was a branch of Kojiro Shinomiya's restaurant in Japan.
Soft lighting, a tidy kitchen, no strong smells of oil, no tense, busy sweat—only the "Vegetable Magician" Shinomiya, leading other assistants, crafting intricate yet visually enticing French dishes!
Accompanied by the music and the diners' exclamations of delight, everything...
Looked like a beautiful oil painting!
"Mmm~"
"As expected from Senior Shinomiya."
"Your foie gras dish is getting more and more refined."
After the deep night chef incident yesterday, Hinako and others could only gather at this SHINO'S branch, which had not yet closed down.
They naturally sat together, drooling over the exquisite dishes on the table.
These were all made by Shinomiya.
And they were indeed very delicious.
Each dish had an exceptionally rich flavor profile, combining the richness of the meat, the freshness of the vegetables, and the unique taste of the seasonings.
They blended together, complementing each other, creating a colorful world of flavors.
...
"Hmph!"
"I never thought."
"Even you would lose to the deep night chefs."
Shinomiya, seeing the crowd, snorted first, but then couldn't help feeling a sense of helplessness and sighed.
"I heard they took down almost all the one-star restaurants in Japan in just one day. Shinomiya, you should be careful. I'm afraid their next target is you!" Fuyumi Mizuhara said with lingering fear.
Every time she thought of the clown Marquanta, she felt a bit scared and terrified.
"Yes."
"I know."
Shinomiya shrugged and said, "Actually, last night, they already sent me a Shokugeki challenge letter."
"What?"
Hinako, Fuyumi, and the others looked at each other in surprise.
But Gin Dojima, who had been silent, resting his chin on his hand, seemed to be deep in thought.
...
As expected, before long.
The man who always wore a baseball cap and a mask, Asahi Saiba, finally appeared!
"I didn't expect such a lively scene here today!"
Asahi, upon entering SHINO'S, quickly noticed Hinako and the others, finally stopping his gaze on Gin Dojima, a look of excitement flashing in his eyes.
"What is meant to come will come."
Shinomiya, seeing this, could only stand up, preparing to deal with Asahi personally.
Unexpectedly, Gin Dojima suddenly stood up and said to Asahi, "Could you let me replace Shinomiya in a Shokugeki with you?"
"Huh?"
"With pleasure!"
Asahi was momentarily stunned, then happily agreed.
"Gin, you..."
Shinomiya was shocked.
But as he was about to speak to stop him, Gin interrupted, "Didn't you fail last time?"
"If you face him in another cooking duel, I believe the result will be the same. Instead of watching you get humiliated, let me try!"
...
This time, facing Asahi.
Gin Dojima prepared quite a few ingredients.
The main ingredients: buckwheat noodles, starch, beef, seasonal vegetables, apples, scallions, and carrots; the main seasonings were chili powder, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic paste, salt, soda ash, vinegar, and soy sauce.
Step one.
Cut the beef into large pieces, soak it in cold water, then wash it clean.
Step two, braise the beef.
Some say, "Braised beef is tasty but difficult to make."
Actually, it's not hard.
The technique for braising beef can be summarized in a sentence: choose the right meat, have enough broth, use yellow sauce as a base, add less salt, put in all the seasonings together, and control the heat to make the meat tender and flavorful.
Choosing the meat: many parts of the beef are suitable for braising, such as the shank, sirloin, brisket, and ribs, making up about 70% of the beef.
These parts have tendons and skin, with a mix of fat and lean meat, which might look unappealing, but if cooked properly, the meat becomes fluffy, tender, and flavorful.
Bring to a boil on high heat, uncover and braise for twenty minutes to remove the odors, then cover and simmer on low heat to keep the broth oily and at a constant temperature, acting as a stewing agent.
Slowly, the braised beef becomes fluffy and tender, with a rich broth and fragrant aroma.
The beef's aroma.
At this moment, was becoming more and more intense.
This primitive, natural, rugged, and meaty aroma, once released, swept through everything with an unstoppable force.
Just a whiff could make one intoxicated, unable to resist.
Fragrant!
So fragrant!
"You are quite something."
"To bring out the beef's aroma through braising so perfectly."
At this moment, Asahi sniffed and couldn't help but praise.
...
"Admitted."
"Your knife skills are also excellent."
"To cut tofu so evenly, your knife skills are both elegant and fierce, fast, and skillful."
"With your level, even the Totsuki Academy's Elite Ten might not match you!"
Gin Dojima looked at Asahi, frowning slightly.
But he didn't think much about it and quickly put the scallions and carrots into a special small cloth bag and placed it in the pot.
Finally, he waited for the beef to be fully braised, then took it out. He placed it on the cutting board, waited for it to cool, and then cut it into thin slices.
Tap tap tap~
His knife skills were incredibly fast.
As the highest-scoring graduate in Totsuki's history and the First Seat of the 69th Generation Elite Ten, Gin Dojima's culinary skills were undoubtedly astonishing.
Finally, he mixed buckwheat flour and starch in a certain ratio, scalded it with boiling water to make a slightly hard dough, added the right amount of soda ash, kneaded it well, rolled it into a round strip, put it in a special press, and quickly pressed it into noodles, which he immediately cooked in boiling water.
"Well, let's get to the main event."
Gin Dojima's eyes flashed with a glint of determination, and his aura surged.
Meanwhile.
Asahi Saiba started heating the pan, adding oil.
At this moment, he seemed to transform into a different person, his aura turning dark and eerie, sending chills down one's spine.
Suddenly, his personality and culinary skills became wild and aggressive.
"What?"
Gin Dojima was taken aback.
...
When it comes to vegetarian food, tofu is a must.
It's the top source of protein among plants, an important protein source for vegetarians.
For a chef, the most basic skills are knife and ladle work.
So, to stir-fry a fragrant Mapo Tofu, good stir-frying skills are essential.
At this moment, Asahi was using a Chinese iron wok, thin yet heavy.
But!
Under his skill.
It was very smooth, without any pressure.
More astonishingly, throughout the stir-frying process, he mostly used high heat, quickly stirring and flipping the tofu while pouring the sauce.
Every move was fluid and effortless.
"This stir-frying technique, he's..."
"Strange, when he competed with me last time, he specialized in delicate French cuisine. How come..."
Shinomiya was puzzled, muttering to himself.
Hinako, frowning, thought for a moment and said, "Is it just my impression, or does Asahi Saiba's cooking seem very mixed, like he has stolen techniques from many chefs?"
"Indeed, it seems so."
"
His knife skills are elegant and fierce."
"But analyzing his current stir-frying skills, it feels like a different chef."
Shinomiya couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
This deep night chef, who had competed with him, was indeed terrifying!
Though his cooking skills seemed mixed, if he could learn the essence and best techniques from many chefs and combine them, that would be extraordinary!
...
Take the essence, discard the dross.
You know, no matter how excellent a person is, they always have some shortcomings.
And if Hinako's guess is correct, then undoubtedly, Asahi Saiba in front of them would have no weaknesses.
Because, in the end.
He would master everything, be proficient in everything.
Astonishing.
As everyone exchanged words, the situation changed again.
The unique aroma of tofu suddenly burst forth, like a hidden lion in the grasslands, suddenly leaping out, pouncing on its prey, catching everyone off guard.
"Oh!"
"This is too outrageous!"
In the midst of his work, Gin Dojima felt the strong tofu aroma filling the air.
This aroma was incredibly strong and stimulating.
Unconsciously, he paused for a moment, looking deeply at Asahi Saiba.
Then, he calmly continued to fish out the cooked noodles, placing them on a plate, adding kimchi and several slices of braised beef, drizzling with garlic chili sauce, and then adding fruit slices and shredded egg.
Finally, he poured the beef broth over it.
After waiting for about ten seconds, the aroma of his dish surpassed Asahi's tofu!
...
Only then did everyone realize.
The air was once again filled with the strong, but clear beef aroma.
On the other side, Asahi's stir-fried Mapo Tofu seemed like a sleeping lion, having lost all its power.
"How about it?"
"My beef cold noodles, pretty good, right?"
Gin Dojima couldn't help but smile and ask Asahi.
"Not bad."
Asahi Saiba said lightly.
"But my Mapo Tofu isn't finished yet."
He added garlic paste and continued stir-frying, releasing more aroma.
Alive!
The sleeping lion awoke again.
A more intense aroma burst forth, overwhelming the clear beef aroma of Gin's dish.
In a moment, the kitchen was once again filled with the scent of Mapo Tofu.
...
Gin Dojima was stunned.
He let out a bitter laugh and said, "It's rare for someone to push me this far. You can count as one!"
He sprinkled sesame seeds and drizzled oil.
"Done!"
Looking at the finished beef cold noodles, Gin Dojima took a deep breath and smiled.
"I'm done too."
Asahi Saiba plated his Mapo Tofu.
He then looked around, his eyes sharp, focusing on Gin and the others.
Upon closer inspection, their dishes were vastly different. Asahi's Mapo Tofu was hot and spicy, with a rich flavor.
On the other hand, Gin's clear beef cold noodles were cold and mild.
The flavor!
It was mainly mild.
One hot, one cold.
One spicy, one mild.
One tofu, one cold noodles.
Though their styles were vastly different, both dishes were top-notch!
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