Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 216 - 215: Reward Banquet (Middle)

Chapter 216: Chapter 215: Reward Banquet (Middle)

A busy scene unfolded in the hotel kitchen.

Xia Yu’s cooking station, unlike those of other graduates bustling with kitchen assistants, was roaring with action.

Here, counting himself and Liangzi Lina, there were only two people, quiet yet astonishingly efficient.

Liangzi Lina was in charge of handling the ingredients and fillings.

For example, she had to remove the heads and tails from live prawns and make sure both were intact, scoop out the prawn brains, remove the shells, chop up the prawn meat, and mix the prawn brains with various seasonings to marinate—a complicated process when you heard it.

Xia Yu was responsible for carving the prawn heads into dragon heads, wrapping dumplings, and the final shaping, placing the prawn heads and tails to make the "Rising Dragon Dumplings" vaguely resemble a divine dragon.

"Instructor Xia!"

At that moment, Far Moon Group’s Deputy Chef, Sena Hikari, stood in front of the cooking station and looked at the several sets of steamers set up on a few kitchen stations nearby. He coughed to prompt, "It’s time for the main course at the dinner. Chef Shigong has already started serving. Your side..."

Hearing this, Xia Yu pointed to the row of steamers behind him, "These are already steamed and can be served. Each steamer contains only one large dumpling. Have the waiters distribute them based on the actual number of diners at each table."

"Understood."

Sena Hikari waved to a few burly kitchen assistants behind him, and then a group of them, having placed some insulating material underneath, started carrying the towering piles of steamers, lining up to exit the main kitchen.

"Miss Liangzi, are we running out of ingredients?"

Xia Yu put a stack of new steamers on the now-empty stove and filled the pot with water. He turned around and asked the woman who was intently preparing the filling.

"This is the last of it."

"There are 629 participants who passed at Far Moon’s residential course, and I’m working on an extra 50 portions of filling," Liangzi Lina paused, she too dressed in a chef’s uniform, wiping her fragrant sweat with the scarf around her neck.

"Well, let’s push a bit more, finish the last 50 dumplings, and then we can wrap up too!" Xia Yu said with a smile.

...

Lamb leg!

Yoshino Yuuki gazed at the big lamb leg on her plate, and, unable to contain her impatience, cut into it with a dinner knife. The lamb was not as tender as she had imagined; it sliced open easily and a strong scent of spices wafted over!

"Seven-hour Lamb Leg!"

Tiqie Ailisha exclaimed, "This is a pinnacle dish of French cuisine! A main course essential in every upscale French restaurant!"

"Lamb leg, vegetables, broth, slowly stewed on low heat for seven hours!"

She too cut a piece of lamb leg, popped it into her mouth and immediately clamped her limbs together and swayed her hips like a blade of grass in the wind, a face filled with coy embarrassment, "It’s truly, indescribably delicious!"

The lamb meat melted in her mouth.

Moreover, with a gentle bite, as the juices seeped out, the rich flavors of the spices and vegetables powerfully conquered the taste buds!

Tiqie Helinai was also entranced as she ate.

"Vegetables include onions, tomatoes, carrots, white mushrooms..."

"Spices feature cilantro, basil, rosemary, cumin powder, chili powder... ah, and there’s garlic and ginger, and white wine too, no wonder there’s a hint of wine aroma!"

In her mind, the shadows of countless ingredients popped up.

This ’Seven-hour Lamb Leg’ perfectly fused these ingredients together on one plate!

Vegetables, spices, and the lamb meat itself seemed to form a powerful siphoning vortex in the mouth, and Tiqie Helinai got completely lost as she chewed.

"Senior Shigong really seemed to put his all into this dish!"

Tanaka Hikari suddenly said, "I can feel the fighting spirit contained in the dish! A positive, upward, never-give-up fighting spirit!"

The crowd fell silent.

This ’Seven-hour Lamb Leg’ entrée suddenly set itself apart from other dishes, it was simply not on the same level.

"So, why is Senior Shigong so invested in it?" Xingping Chuangzhen rested his chin in his hand.

"Not just invested, he’s put his life into it!" Yoshino Yuuki, her mouth oily from the food, wiped it with a napkin as she confidently said, "I’ve had many ’Seven-hour Lamb Legs,’ even at a top-tier restaurant in Paris, France. I can assure you, Chef Shigong’s ’Seven-hour Lamb Leg,’ in terms of taste alone, is second to none compared to those made by top-tier chefs!"

Hmm.

As Xingping Chuangzhen cut into the lamb, he sliced out a small clove of cooked garlic and exclaimed, "Is this a clove of garlic that was stuffed into tiny holes made in the lamb leg before stewing to enhance the flavor?"

"That’s just the most basic approach. In my opinion, the secret of this ’Seven-hour Lamb Leg’ lies in the broth!"

Yoshino Yuuki clearly knew her gourmet food, especially when it came to meat cooking.

"Besides the taste of meat, did you taste anything else?" she asked leisurely.

People from the Polar Star Dormitory thought hard, carefully chasing the flavors in their mouths.

"It’s a fishy aroma!"

Tiqie Helinai next to them said without thinking, "Senior Shigong must have simmered the lamb leg in fish stock!"

"Correct!" Yoshino Yuuki snapped her fingers, her eyes shining, "That’s the best broth for stewing ’Seven-hour Lamb Leg.’ Using beef stock or clear lamb soup might enhance the meat’s flavor, but it has its pros and cons, the downside being less diversity in flavors... yet Senior Shigong’s dish has maximized the characteristic of ’richness’ and is entirely different from any top-tier ’Seven-hour Lamb Leg’ I’ve ever tasted!"

After saying this, Yoshino Yuuki bowed her head and focused on enjoying the lamb leg, silent.

After savoring a large lamb leg, even Yoshino Yuuki, a food lover, felt more than half full.

Moreover, the rich flavor of the lamb lingered in her mouth, and at this point, even if another meat dish of the same quality was served, like pan-fried fish or beef, its taste would seem weakened and would not be appreciated as it should.

"Look—"

Aoki Daigo suddenly pointed to the side door of the banquet hall that was wide open.

A line of kitchen helpers, each holding a steaming bamboo steamer, filed out. Under the guidance of the venue’s waitstaff, they distributed the steamers to each table.

Even without tasting the dishes in the steamers, the students from Far Moon Academy guessed whose dishes they were!

"Didn’t expect Instructor Xia to be the lead in this round too!"

"Wait, Instructor Xia is lined up after Senior Shigong. This order is intriguing indeed!"

Hearing the students’ discussions, the members of the Polar Star Dormitory exchanged glances.

"No wonder Senior Shigong was so invested—" Xingping Chuangzhen had a sudden realization.

"Shh!" Yoshino Yuuki held up her finger.

Apart from the parties involved that evening, it was only the Polar Star Dormitory group who knew the exact news of Shigong Xiaoci Lang’s defeat in the Food Duel.

Dojima Yin had strictly ordered to suppress the news of the Food Duel. Annoying ’the living legend’ would undoubtedly have dire consequences.

"A private match, perhaps?"

Tiqie Helinai sported a hint of anticipatory smile at the corner of her lips.

Tiqie Ailisha, completely unaware of the situation, tilted her head and studied her cousins laughing oddly across, and then glanced at the secretive group from Polar Star Dormitory, her forehead filled with question marks.

Could there be an interesting story between Instructor Xia and Chef Shigong?