"Oh! It's time! Now... let the two contestants serve their own dishes!" Rei Kawashima said.
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!" The audience in the venue cheered again.
Kuga Teruki looked at Shi Ke with a serious face. Shi Ke saw it, grinned, raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"Huh... Shi Ke. You are really powerful! But, the winner of this battle must be me!"
"Oh. I just thought you were complimenting me." Shi Ke replied.
"I am speaking harshly!!" Teruki Kuaga jumped up in anger.
"Oh. But, harsh words are worthless, ruthlessness is the real skill." Shi Ke touched his chin and said.
"..., okay. Let's... meet the real chapter."
"Yeah." Shi Ke nodded, full of confidence.
"..., can't you show a little bit of nervousness?! After all, I am also a top ten!" Teruki Kuga was a little helpless.
"Cooking is a kind of enjoyment for me. It's such a happy thing, why should I be nervous?"
"This is Shiji."
"Huh. So what? Can you cook better if you are nervous? No. Only by dedicating your cooking skills wholeheartedly to cooking can you cook better. Those ideas that can win or lose...
It's just useless distractions." After Shi Ke finished speaking, he looked at the judging table.
"..." Kuga Teruki glanced at Shi Ke, took a deep breath, and with cold sweat flowing from his forehead, he looked at the judges' table.
I haven't been this nervous for a long time... This guy... is a tough nut to crack!
"First of all, Yukuga-senpai presents his own dishes." Kawashima Rei announced that the dishes were served.
Teruki Kuga came to the judges' table carrying the tofu dish he made. In front of everyone was a dish covered with a metal cover.
"This is the Mapo Tofu I made. Please try it." Teruki Kuaga introduced.
The three judges did not start eating directly, but looked at Kuga Teruki meaningfully.
"Mapo tofu...Kuga-kun, don't you still think that Shike-kun is an opponent you can defeat by just making a dish?" Erina said.
"It's a taboo to look down on your opponent." Teacher Roland Chapel said.
"Before this competition, I did despise him. However, after I started fighting with him, I no longer despised him. He... is very strong. The strength he displayed is not comparable to that of ordinary students.
Those who are qualified are those who are qualified to fight with me." Teruki Kuga turned his head and looked at Shi Ke.
"Did you hear that? Shi Ke's strength was recognized by senior Kuaga! It seems that this year's transfer students also have real abilities!!!..." There was chaos in the stands.
"...Am I bad?" Xingping stared at those classmates with dead eyes.
"You try to perform a sword draw first, Yukihira-kun." Ryoko said.
"Forget it, that's simply not something a normal person can do!"
"So, my Mapo Tofu this time is not the ordinary Mapo Tofu, but something I have re-improved and created... the new Mapo Tofu. This is the best Mapo Tofu I have made since I learned to be a chef.
Judges, please taste it!! This is my...New Century Mapo Tofu." After Kuga Teruki said, he slowly opened the cover in front of the three of them, and a burst of red light slowly penetrated along the gap in the cover.
came out.
All the dishes appeared, with five pieces of tofu stacked in a pyramid shape in the center of the plate, and a small stalk of cooked broccoli and red-gold hot sauce placed on the edge of the plate.
Red! Every piece of tofu is red, but not the deep dark red, nor the oily red often found in Sichuan cuisine, but fiery red!
Red in the truest sense!
Just by seeing the color, you can feel the warmth and power of this dish!
This color is the flame in Kuga Teruki’s heart! This is his absolute passion for cooking!!
The three judges were slightly stunned. The corners of Kirisenzaemon's mouth turned up and he smiled.
"Hey! Look, please! The commander-in-chief is smiling! Just seeing the dishes can make the commander-in-chief smile. It seems that Mr. Shike is in danger!..." Kirisenzaemon's smile made everyone in the venue smile.
The atmosphere suddenly became heated.
"Try it." Kirisenzaemon picked up the chopsticks first.
The other two people also picked up their chopsticks.
Put the tofu in your mouth at the same time, chew it carefully and taste it slowly.
"Huh...excellent, very excellent work!! Hahaha...Kuga Teruki, your cooking skills are really outstanding!!" Teacher Roland Chapel was the first to speak. He changed his usual serious and fierce expression.
, said it with a laugh without hesitation.
"Thank you, teacher." Kuga Teruki didn't show any particular joy. After all, there were still two people who were silent.
"Hiss... the spicy feeling is perfect. This tofu dish of yours uses ingredients other than Chinese cuisine, right?" Kirisenzaemon said shirtless.
"The clothes are torn!! It's the Commander-in-Chief's clothes torn~! Kuuga-senpai is so strong! Shike-san is completely finished."
“I incorporated jalapeno peppers commonly used in Mexican cuisine, wasabi commonly used in Japanese cuisine, and spices used in Indian curry. This is a perfect fusion of many ingredients without changing the original cooking techniques.
A new Chinese cuisine made with ingredients from different countries!! That is, Mapo Tofu that goes beyond the traditional! International Mapo Tofu!!”
"It's a very interesting idea! Do you have any objection to the Chinese cuisine he made this way? Shi Ke." Kirisenzaemon looked at Shi Ke.
"No. Chinese cuisine refers to cooking techniques, not ingredients. He did not use cooking methods from other countries, he just changed the ingredients. Of course this is Chinese food! There is no foul, so I have no objection." Shi Ke said
arrive.
"In addition, I also changed a bad habit of Chinese cuisine, which is the rude way of presentation. Starting from the current way of presentation of Chinese food, it is too rudimentary. The dishes are all put on one plate in a rough and messy way.
Here, it is impossible to get on the banquet table of the top palace. Of course, it is enough to sell it, and it tastes great." Teruki Kuga said.
"So, you just used the French cuisine plating method?" Shi Ke touched his chin.
"That's right. As a banquet cuisine, French cuisine is the most exquisite cuisine in the world. It ranks among the best in terms of appearance and taste. Of course, the taste of Chinese cuisine is stronger." Teruki Kuga spread his hands and said with a smile.
.
"Hmm. It seems that you ate too much in a small restaurant. Let me ask you a question, have you been to mainland China??"
"..., um... no. I haven't had the chance to go, but I will definitely go in the future." Teruki Kuga scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
Shi Ke sighed.(_)
"What does your expression mean?"
"You think Chinese food is not exquisite, don't you?"
"Um."
"I hope you can still say it after I serve the food."
"At worst, I'll apologize. Anyway, I've never seen particularly exquisite Chinese cuisine. If you can show it, even if you lose this battle, I'll apologize to you!!"
"Remember your words."
"Ms. Erina, what's your evaluation?" Rei Kawashima asked.
"I am only responsible for the outcome. In terms of evaluation,..., Kuaga Teruki-senpai has reached the pinnacle of spiciness. The taste is very shocking. The quality of the tofu is very high and has a very perfect texture. However, among the taste of the fusion of many ingredients
There is a bit of disharmony, after all, the time is a bit rushed. If I have to describe it, it is like being passionately surfing on a huge wave in the sea, and suddenly there is a pet dog riding a surfboard and passing quickly from the side. In short, it is not bad.
"Erina spoke.
"Ms. Erina, you praised me!! It's over, that transfer student has dropped out of school! How brave! It's crazy to risk your own cooking career!!" The stand was completely in chaos.
"What kind of messy way of describing this is? It's so weird." Shi Ke muttered.
"Just get used to it. It's good to be able to praise her so much. She's famous for her sharp tongue." Teruki Kuga said softly beside her.
"oh."
"I've finished tasting mine. It's your turn... to serve!! Let me see your dish!" The fighting spirit deep in Kuga Teruki's eyes was revealed.