51: Chapter 51: Grading Yourself 51: Chapter 51: Grading Yourself Editor: Dragon Boat Translation “””
Return to origin?
Xia Yu nodded in response to Hozoi Midori’s words.
The Cot Fried Rice looked simple, but it actually embodied much of his hard work.
Precisely because he hadn’t studied the blue recipe, he had to ponder and research bit by bit.
The minced shrimp and mushroom were the result of countless failures, spices that wouldn’t destroy the texture of the fried rice, but on the contrary, enhanced its flavor.
The culinary world had endless ingredients.
Perhaps there were other seasonings with similar effects.
Xia Yu couldn’t claim that there was no room for further improvent in this Cot Fried Rice.
Of course, the reason this fried rice left Hozoi Midori amazed probably lay in the “Heart of Cooking,” its highlighting of flavors, and its impact on the spirit.
“Shall we continue?”
Xia Yu glanced at the Pineapple Curry Fried Rice in Hozoi Midori’s wok.
Taking a deep breath, Hozoi Midori regained her strong deanor and answered firmly, “A true chef never admits defeat or fears failure!”
Click.
With a twist of the gas stove switch, a dim blue fla appeared at the bottom of the wok once more.
Hozoi Midori held the wok spatula, stir-frying for a while, sprinkled in spices, and then filled the scalding fried rice into the previously hollowed-out pineapple shell.
A rich aroma, mixed with the sweet and sour sll of the pineapple fried rice, surged out furiously.
“Please, enjoy—”
The dish was placed on the cooking counter, with the pineapple shell replacing a plate, preserving the original flavor.
Hozoi Midori seed to be facing a formidable challenge, her eyes firmly fixed on Xia Yu.
Unlike her initial confidence, the always so-called “iron-willed and resilient” Midori now showed a trace of nervousness on her heroic face.
Under her watchful gaze, Xia Yu just slightly scooped a half-spoonful with a spoon, put it into his mouth, chewed, and then shook his head.
So it’s still lacking too much…
Knowing the original plot wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
At least, knowing that the Pineapple Curry Fried Rice in front of him was only a half-finished product, still lacking so fire precision, made Xia Yu feel quite uncomfortable tasting it.
The obsessive-compulsive tendencies really acted up again.
Hozoi Midori’s shoulders trembled, her face turning pale.
She pursed her lips and stayed silent.
“Try your own dish first.” Xia Yu handed over a clean spoon.
This ti Midori didn’t hesitate, scooping up a spoonful of fried rice mixed with the pink ham cubes and orange-yellow pineapple cubes.
At least in terms of appearance, the Pineapple Curry Fried Rice was not inferior to the Cot Fried Rice and could ignite one’s appetite.
However, when the fried rice entered her mouth, and Midori chewed it carefully, her face beca even more unsightly.
Delicious!
The fragrant egg-fried rice, the ham cubes had a unique flavor, especially when her teeth bit into a pineapple cube, filling her mouth with sweet and sour juice, it felt as if her entire palate had been cleansed.
Gulp.
Swallowing a mouthful of fried rice left a lingering taste, yet Midori felt a hollowness in her heart, as if sothing was missing.
It only remained at the level of delicious.
Compared to the Cot Fried Rice, Midori realized her dish lacked the intensity that gripped the heart, causing one’s very soul to tremble.
What exactly was missing?
“Hozoi, if graded on a hundred-point scale, I’d give my Cot Fried Rice a score of 80.
How would you score your dish?” Xia Yu asked casually.
“50…
no, 60 points, barely passing.” Hozoi Midori bit her lower lip tightly.
Xia Yu nodded, “Your Pineapple Curry Fried Rice is considered quite good among the students at Far Moon High School, an average standard.”
“The most important thing for a chef is to recognize themselves, neither belittle themselves nor blindly boast.
Your dish lacks a soul, a defect that’s quite normal below special-grade chefs.”
“Soul?”
Hozoi Midori had a puzzled expression on her face.
“The level is too high for you to comprehend temporarily.
Generally, only special-grade chefs can imbue their dishes with their personal soul, leaving a mark on them.” Xia Yu waved his hand.
His elentary “Heart of Cooking” was still far behind the old man’s.
His heart was quite calm when he said this.
Pointing at the Pineapple Curry Fried Rice on the cooking counter, Xia Yu continued to ask, “Where do you think there’s room for improvent in your dish?”
“Curry spices!” Hozoi Midori thought for a mont.
“Be more specific…”
“Perhaps we can replace the curry cubes with blended curry powder.
Curry cubes are more suited for making curry rice, but not for making Chinese cuisine fried rice.
However, curry powder itself may face the problem of insufficient rich flavor.
To be honest, I’m clueless about the blending of curry spices, so I plan to consult several professors on this topic after advancing to the high school departnt.” Hozoi Midori said this with a look of helplessness.
“Watch closely, this is one area of improvent.”
Since the topic had been raised, Xia Yu didn’t hold back.
He took a narrow and sharp chef’s knife, and slightly scooped so flesh from the other half of the pineapple shell that Hozoi Midori had previously sliced and set aside.
He then took the salt shaker and spread a layer of salt over the remaining pineapple flesh.
Snap!
The just-treated pineapple shell, like a lid, was placed over the half-filled pineapple shell with fried rice on the cooking counter.
Xia Yu even used tools to completely seal the rged pineapple, and then put it into the oven to heat.
Before long, Xia Yu took out the whole baked hot pineapple, lifted the top layer of pineapple shell, and a completely different rich aroma of fried rice imdiately burst into the kitchen like a gas bomb.
Hozoi Midori’s nostrils flared as she sniffed this scent, a hint of astonishnt in her eyes.
“Try it and see if the flavor has changed.” Xia Yu scooped a spoonful of fried rice, then handed the spoon to Hozoi Midori.
Since she had used this before, Hozoi Midori had no psychological burden and accepted the spoon, eating a mouthful right away.
In an instant, Hozoi Midori’s eyes turned dreamy, enveloped in a layer of moisture.
The sweetness of the fruit and the savory taste of the fried rice spread across her tongue.
What surprised Hozoi Midori the most was the addition of a completely new flavor in the fried rice, the fresh aroma of fruit!
Undoubtedly, it was the previous baking step that gave this dish a completely new taste.
Hozoi Midori thought for a mont, inspiration flashing in her mind, and she exclaid, “The salt layer you spread inside the pineapple shell was to prevent excess sweetness from the fruit from seeping into the rice…”
“And placing the fried rice within the pineapple shell and baking it in the oven retained the moisture, adding a new taste while ensuring the texture…
It’s like magic!”
Hozoi Midori truly admitted defeat.
Her dish had been given new life in soone else’s hands.
Besides admitting defeat, what else could she do?
Even if it was a male chef, Hozoi Midori had to concede.
She had to acknowledge that this peer was far beyond her!
“Now, how many points would you give this Pineapple Curry Fried Rice?” Xia Yu asked as he watched her closely.
“70 points!”
Hozoi Midori’s eyes flickered.
“If the curry spices were addressed, this dish would be truly flawless…
But even if it were flawless, it could only tie with your Cot Fried Rice.”
“I admit defeat!” Hozoi Midori’s voice revealed a sense of relief, a sense of lightness.
“Then, you rember our cooking duel agreent, right?” Xia Yu asked.
Hozoi Midori replied softly.
“For the next year, you will be my assistant.
I hope you will honor our cooking duel agreent!” Xia Yu extended a friendly hand.
She resigned herself, shaking hands with Xia Yu.
Losing was losing, and being technically inferior, left her only able to humbly accept defeat.
Hozoi Midori had no intention of breaking her promise.
Becoming the assistant of soone like this wouldn’t be shaful, right?
A feeling of unwillingness and determination replaced her joy from passing the IGO One-star Chef certification just yesterday.
“I didn’t expect soone so strong outside of Far Moon, maybe he’s at the level of the Elite Ten?” Hozoi Midori thought.
On the other side,
“System: The host has won the cooking duel.”
“System: The host’s culinary skill level has increased (lv11→lv12).”
Culinary upgrade?
Xia Yu finally smiled.
It seed that cooking duels were quite a decent way to level up.
“””
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