Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 192 - 191: Show Off a Trick

Chapter 192: Chapter 191: Show Off a Trick

"You know nothing of heaven and earth!"

Tiqie Helinai raised her eyebrows and said coldly, "I admit that in this assignment, my ’Tempura Platter’ is not as good as your ’Rainbow Trout Sashimi’ ... but to think of challenging Instructor Xia with your ’killer dish’ is simply foolish!"

As if she was a door guardian deity, the Divine Nose stood by Xia Yu’s side, maintaining his dignity as a mentor.

Yashan Liang didn’t even glance at Eriina, his gaze defiantly fixed on Xia Yu.

Seriously, causing trouble?

Xia Yu slightly reined in his smile.

It seemed that all geniuses were similarly defiant and untamable, like Xingping Chuangzhen, for instance. Every time they met, whether Chuangzhen accepted or not, he would greet them with a Food War Challenge, making Food Duels seem like child’s play.

Without a doubt, Yashan Liang had a similar nature—stubborn to the end, not turning back even after hitting a south wall and definitely not easily conceding defeat after taking a hit.

Against such a persistent character, scolding or hitting was useless. Just as Xia Yu thought up some cheeky plans, preparing to use the Purple Recipe to properly educate his student, the system sprang into action.

"New mission acquired!"

"[Educate ’Divine Nose’]."

"Hint: Use a regular dish from Xia’s shop to truly defeat ’Divine Nose’ Yashan Liang."

"Reward: [Physique Enhancement Crystal] *1."

Xia Yu had originally thought it was just a minor task.

It wasn’t wrong to call it a minor task, but upon seeing the reward, his composure immediately crumbled.

Physique Enhancement Crystal!

This was Xia Yu’s second encounter with such a reward. The first time he used a ’Physique Enhancement Crystal,’ his physical attributes combined jumped immediately to level 20 and then stagnated at that level for a full month and a half.

It is very difficult to increase physique levels by exercise alone, after all, this was a comprehensive category that included too many aspects, from strength and physique to spirit and more. Exercising only focused on improving a single attribute, whereas using a ’Physique Enhancement Crystal’ enhanced attributes across the board!

A level 20 physique could support him in cooking any Blue Recipe.

However, the failure of "Heavenly Hero Grilled Bluefish" yesterday had also proven that his physique was just barely reaching the standard line for cooking Purple Recipes.

"Once I consume this crystal, I should reach a physique of level 30, shouldn’t I?" Xia Yu’s heart burned with eagerness.

The assignment was to cook a dish based on ’spring season’ themes using the fresh freshwater fish from Lake Ashi.

As an instructor, Xia Yu of course did not wish to break the rules.

There were many freshwater fish dishes in the daily offerings of Xia’s shop. After a brief moment of contemplation, Xia Yu already decided on the recipe he would use.

"Alright, Kojima, I accept your challenge."

After receiving Xia Yu’s response, Yashan Liang finally withdrew his pressing gaze, took a step back, and bowed.

Tiqie Helinai looked at him with a puzzled expression.

With nothing to explain, Xia Yu just passed her a reassuring look.

"I also plan to make a fish dish, but the ingredients ..." Xia Yu spread his hands.

"Instructor, I have some extra ingredients here!" Yashan Liang went to his own cooking station and brought over a small bucket, inside which was a plump and alive Crucian Carp.

"Crucian Carp?"

Xia Yu’s eyes lit up.

The spring season is precisely when Crucian Carp are the fattest and most spiritually endowed.

Since ancient times, Crucian Carp have been considered a delicacy. Since the Tang Dynasty, emperors and officials often used Crucian Carp for delicate dishes. According to historical records, Tang Xuanzong greatly enjoyed Crucian Carp dishes and even specifically dispatched people to catch large Crucian Carp from Dongting Lake to be raised in the Chang’an Dragon Pool.

Since it was an ingredient often used in traditional Chinese cuisine, Xia Yu silently nodded.

The second Body Crystal was almost in his grasp!

"Eriina, you take over my lesson for me, and when reviewing, don’t focus on the technique, but on the ’spirit’ in the dish, you should know what I’m talking about." Xia Yu turned his head to instruct the Divine Tongue, then picked up the bucket and moved to a nearby unoccupied cooking station.

Instantly, a crowd of students gathered around.

"What are you doing!"

Tiqie Helinai stood where Xia Yu had just been, slamming her palm on the table and scolding the students with a full-on queenly demeanor, "There are only 30 minutes left until the assignment ends. If you can’t present a ’passable’ dish within the allotted time, you all will be expelled!"

The students scattered like birds startled from a dream.

Only Yashan Liang, Shen Liangzi, and Kojima, who hadn’t left, remained at the kitchen counter.

Of course, standing on the stage, with a commanding gaze, Tiqie Helinai was keeping a close watch on Xia Yu not far away.

...

"Not bad, indeed it’s a plump springtime crucian carp!"

Xia Yu reached into the bucket and, in the chilly water, he firmly grasped the crucian carp, silently gauging the wild fish’s weight. A smile crept across his lips; it was larger than the farm-raised ones sold in the market.

Snap.

He placed the live fish on the cutting board and glanced at the rack of knives, picking one casually. Then the sharp blade scraped across the body of the fish in one swift motion!

With just two effortless strokes, the cutting board was covered in fine fish scales.

This knife skill was enough to astound the students. It was the natural result of honing the "Fierce Bull Green Dragon Slash" to an advanced level—a single "slash" that transformed intricate knife work into a clean, crisp cut, saving both time and effort.

Naturally, if one mastered the "Seven Stars Breaking Army Rapid Cutting", this kind of technique was most suited for handling fresh seafood.

The third cut!

Yashan Liang’s pupils caught a flash of the blade, and then the crucian carp was gutted on the cutting board. Xia Yu reached in to remove the innards, then rubbed the fish with salt and sprinkled it with cooking wine to marinate—these were all standard procedures.

He set aside the fish and went to the classroom’s ingredient and foodstuff station to fetch some green onions, ginger, two white radishes, and a slice of ham. Oil, salt, and cooking wine were already on the counter.

What perked up Yashan Liang’s interest was Xia Yu returning with a clay pot, which he rinsed briefly, filled with clear water, and placed on the stove to start heating. Only then did he begin to prepare the side dishes.

Radish and ginger were julienned.

Green onion whites were julienned.

Green onion greens were cut into small sections.

Then, Xia Yu popped open the valve of another stove, set up a flat pan, poured oil to heat it, and, astonishingly, put the entire crucian carp into the pan to fry.

Yashan Liang, Eriina, and Shen Liangzi were taken aback.

Wasn’t he planning to make soup?

Looking at the clay pot already sitting on the stove, the three were puzzled.

But Xia Yu had no intention of explaining; he simply pan-fried both sides of the crucian carp until golden brown, then with a flick of the spatula, he put the entire fish into the bubbling clay pot.

Salt, sugar, rock sugar.

Balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce.

Each seasoning was casually tossed into the pot by Xia Yu, who didn’t even measure the quantities, relying instead on his chef’s innate sense to season. Of course, this was also a display of his ample experience.

After adding the seasonings and waiting a bit, Xia Yu put the radish and ham juliennes into the pot and covered it with a lid.

He clapped his hands.

Xia Yu turned and glanced at the classroom timer, "There’s still 20 minutes left of class, just in time!"

"Thank you for your ingredients," he then said to Yashan Liang.

Yashan Liang’s face was tense and after a long moment, he said, "...Your treatment of the crucian carp is very common, very... casual."

He used the word casual.

"What, do you think that casual and common cooking necessarily equates to the quality of a mass-market dish?" Xia Yu heard the implications in his words and raised an eyebrow.

Yashan Liang fell silent, clearly Xia Yu had hit the nail on the head with his thoughts.

Xia Yu simply shook his head.

He hadn’t even used firewood or charcoal to stew the clay pot fish soup; just showed a little skill, there was no need to crush the students with his special techniques.

In Xia Yu’s eyes now, Yashan Liang was just a mischievous student but one with talent. Since he had grasped the ’subtraction’ of seasoning, it would be better to guide him to continue on this path.

The responsibility of teaching at Yuan Yue Academy was still on him. Xia Yu hadn’t forgotten.

To mentor a student in developing the beginnings of a "Heart of Cooking".

Although Yashan Liang already had his own nascent culinary heart, he had been placed on Xia Yu’s list for the next phase of focused attention.

The next phase might very well be guiding the student to forge a true "Heart of Cooking"!