Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 191 - 190: The Students’ Rivalry (Part 3)

Chapter 191: Chapter 190: The Students’ Rivalry (Part 3)

Yashan Liang.

He was the foster son and assistant of the "Spice Authority," Professor Xijian Run,

an alchemist, Rui Shan, who was soon to replace the current Ninth Seat among the Ten Masters of Far Moon, officially becoming a genius of the Ten Masters.

Even without mentioning the future, the current Yashan Liang could also be regarded as the strongest candidate for the Ten Masters.

In terms of appearance, Yashan Liang was also outstanding. Although he was Indian, he was tall and slender with a head of silver-grey long hair pulled back into a single ponytail; if one ignored his stern face, he was truly a cute boy.

But at this moment, Xia Yu, Tiqie Helinai, and even the students lined up behind waiting for their evaluations, were all captivated by the dish in Yashan Liang’s hands.

The rich aroma lingered throughout the classroom!

"This dish..."

Xia Yu’s pupils constricted.

The white fish sashimi lay on green aromatic leaves, forming an isolation zone that separated the white ceramic plate from the raw fish slices on it.

But it wasn’t just the aromatic leaves in the plate; there were also granular spices. After sniffing lightly, Xia Yu’s expression changed slightly, "...is it allspice?"

"This spice scent is so rich, did you use a variety of spices?" Tiqie Helinai murmured to herself.

"No! Only one spice, just allspice!"

Even though Xia Yu didn’t possess the Divine Sense of Smell, he had an affinity for spices. A mere taste brought to his mind the information about allspice.

It is a spice originating from South America. After drying, it emits a blend of aromas similar to cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, hence its name as allspice.

It also goes by another name, Jamaican pepper.

It has a mild spicy flavor, commonly used to enhance the aroma and flavor of dishes with fish and meat.

"How is that possible!" Eriina retorted, "If it’s just ’allspice,’ there couldn’t possibly be such a rich and mellow fragrance!"

"Please enjoy—"

Yashan Liang coldly placed the plate on the table.

Upon closer inspection, Xia Yu finally discovered the source of the strange fragrance—it was a small dish of sauce in the plate, continually emitting a fragrance like a gas grenade!

Xia Yu didn’t rush to pick up a piece of fish. Instead, he dipped a clean chopstick into the sauce and tasted a drop on his tongue, his eyebrows twitching.

"Soy sauce, mirin, sake... These are the ingredients used in the sauce base!"

Hearing this, Tiqie Helinai was astonished.

"This is an all-purpose spice that can be used in all Japanese dishes, nothing special, right?" She frowned.

"No, not right!"

Xia Yu stroked his chin pondering. Just looking was not enough to understand the secrets contained in the dish, so he picked up a thin slice of freshwater sashimi with his chopsticks, dipped it in the sauce, and placed it in his mouth.

Soft, melting in the mouth!

First off, the allspice perfectly enhanced the freshness of the sashimi.

The sashimi was chilled, which made the texture wonderful, and the sauce was surprisingly warm. As the sashimi melted in his mouth, the alternating cold and warm sensations on his tongue made Xia Yu shiver, tightening his grip on the chopsticks.

It felt so much like spring—he seemed to see the ice and snow beginning to melt, and the river fish leaping up through the broken ice layer!

Suddenly, a spicy taste rushed up his nose.

The strong flavor perfectly matched the visual of the fish leaping out of the water.

A sense of power!

In Xia Yu’s mind, that fish suddenly came alive, possessing a soul!

"The finishing touch!"

After swallowing the sashimi, Xia Yu paused for a moment before speaking.

"I want to try it too!"

Beside him, Tiqie Helinai could no longer remain composed; she picked up a pair of chopsticks, tasted the sashimi, and her delicate face showed a look of astonishment.

"Did you smear wasabi paste on the sashimi?" Xia Yu carefully observed the sashimi on the plate again and finally noticed some faint green powder that could easily be overlooked.

Wasabi and mustard are often confused seasonings because both have a pungent, spicy flavor.

However, wasabi is much more delicate than mustard, giving not only a spicy kick but also a refreshing aroma, which, when added slightly to sashimi, greatly enhances the taste of the fish.

The key was the wasabi paste, which perfectly matched the intention incorporated by the chef into the dish!

"Spices ’subtraction’!"

Xia Yu couldn’t help but marvel at Yashan Liang’s accomplishments in the realm of spices.

Beginners probably think that spices should be piled up carelessly, the more, the better, without any consideration for prohibitions on usage or spice structures.

Even when one really masters the art, becoming a chef skilled in using spices, achieving the ’subtraction’ level of spices is not easy.

’Subtraction’ is a concept in spice science and is also mentioned in the "Spice Inequality" culinary technique—do not underestimate subtraction. For instance, in Yashan Liang’s freshwater fish sashimi, the true spice used is just ’cubebs’!

Then, it’s about ’emphasizing’!

This is also a way of using spices—to ’emphasize’ the presence of the main ingredient!

The white sashimi of the freshwater fish was like a finishing touch painted with wasabi paste, which engraved a vibrant soul!

Vaguely, Xia Yu felt that this technique was reminiscent of Yuchuan Meisha, who possesses ’Super Hearing,’ creating a rose sashimi platter during the two-star chef assessment.

Yuchuan Meisha’s sashimi returned the fish to its original flavor, the "soul."

But Yashan Liang’s sashimi used his ’Heart of Spices’ to adorn a virtually existing "soul."

Yes, the Heart of Spices!

Yashan Liang had clearly defined his culinary path and had begun shaping the embryo of his culinary heart.

"No wonder he is the top candidate for the Ten Masters of Far Moon!"

Xia Yu ate a piece, but put down his chopsticks and decided not to eat a second piece.

This act made Yashan Liang frown.

"You are very talented, Yashan," Xia Yu said with a smile, "Your dish has the quality of a ’killer dish.’ I didn’t expect you could easily make it in class, not simple!"

"Even without mentioning the use of spices, your handling of the freshwater fish sashimi is also very skilled. The bleeding, skinning, and slicing steps, all done in one go, and the subsequent chilling of the fish slices and heating of the sauce, also show your fine and delicate thoughts."

"All in all, your group has passed my subject!"

Hearing this.

The girl behind Yashan Liang cheered, "Yashan, we passed!"

But Yashan Liang ignored her, instead looking determinedly at Xia Yu’s young face.

"I want to challenge you, Instructor!"

Yashan Liang’s words were shocking, and as soon as he spoke, the classroom turned deadly silent. The students whispering in the back, as if their throats were choked, stopped in mid-sentence.

"This ’Rainbow Trout Sashimi’ is my challenge to you!" Yashan Liang pointed to the dish on the table and lowered his voice.

"Yashan, you’re crazy, he is Instructor Xia!"

His team partner, Kojima, was vigorously tugging at his arm from behind, "Let’s go, we’ve already passed. If we provoke the instructor, we might face expulsion!"

"This is not provocation, but a challenge!" Yashan Liang pushed the girl away, still staring at Xia Yu, "I want to see our skill gap!"

Xia Yu was amused and about to respond when Tiqie Helinai next to him spoke.

"So full of yourself!"