Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 253 - 252: Improved Seafood Rice (Part 2)

Chapter 253: Chapter 252: Improved Seafood Rice (Part 2)

"Can it be done?"

Xia Yu’s confidence was severely lacking.

If Dojima Yin saw him so boldly altering the cooking process, abandoning the oven altogether, he would definitely be shocked.

There is a big difference between an oven and charcoal grilling.

The advent of the oven made barbecuing easy, but to a skilled flame manipulator, an oven will never match the true charcoal grilling, that primitive, natural, and indescribable flame flavor that ovens lack.

More importantly, if the oven is used, the "Bursting Flame" technique would have a hard time contributing to the cooking of seafood rice!

"The use of spices is not a problem."

"It all depends on the heat control," Xia Yu thought uncertainly.

The heat inside the foil was odd to his evolved flame sensing; during the grilling process, it was almost constant, with the internal temperature even being lower than the outside room temperature.

Without much thought, it’s certain to be the work of the ’Pitch-Black Rice’.

This chilly rice, discovered in the cold regions close to the polar areas in northeastern Canada, naturally carries intense coldness, which is also the key to creating the ’Ice’ flavor of the premium seafood rice!

Only when actually using the "Bursting Flame" to grill the ’Pitch-Black Rice’ did Xia Yu realize the challenge.

It had been a long time since he felt helpless in controlling the heat.

"Let’s open it—"

His mood now, like opening a treasure box in an online game, Xia Yu looked forward with anticipation, heedless of the heat, nimbly unwinding the tape wrapped around the mouth of the bag.

A pull and a tug.

He took away the long strip of tape, and with a zipping sound, the foil bag immediately unfolded.

Cold!

The billowing white mist that emerged was not the steam of heat, but a cold mist, a freeze fog!

Xia Yu shivered and took two steps back, leaning against the kitchen counter, staring wide-eyed as plumes of cold mist rose; after a few seconds, the heat finally enveloped him and the kitchen temperature soared instantaneously.

Only at this moment did Xia Yu reveal a smile.

"Though it’s not glowing, the completion must be high, right?" Xia Yu laid the foil along the plate, spreading it out, and a dish of charcoal-grilled seafood rice was revealed before his eyes.

The already congealed red sauce, combined with the pure black rice!

Red and black, the bright colors were striking, making Xia Yu’s pupils contract slightly.

"System, what is the completion rate?" he asked, taking a breath.

"87%..."

"So that means, a score of 87, right?"

"Yes, you were lacking in the ’heat control’ aspect," the system said mechanically.

Xia Yu laughed; it had been a while since the system suggested there was a problem with his heat control.

He wasn’t disheartened, but rather pleased.

This time he was only 3 points away from shining, next time, Xia Yu was confident he would achieve the glow.

"It seems that basic skills like knife work, heat control, and seasoning can’t be simply applied to Fantasy Ingredients," Xia Yu reflected on the failure this time.

’Shuangjiang Tofu’ had an issue with seasoning, with too strong of an aftertaste; if not for his "Spice Inequality," it would have been difficult to resolve this issue.

And now, the difficulty of incorporating ’Pitch-Black Rice’ into the dish was unquestionably the heat control!

These were all experiences, accumulating enough experience using Fantasy Ingredients was necessary for Xia Yu to have the confidence to apply for the real special assessment at the IGO organization. The road was still long.

"Let’s have a taste first."

Curious about the flavor, Xia Yu found a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of the red and black intertwined seafood rice, and savored it while it was hot.

"Delicious."

He nodded, not knowing why, but he didn’t feel much excitement eating his own cooking.

What Xia Yu enjoyed was the process of cooking and thinking, and seeing diners eat his cooking with a heartfelt expression of happiness; at that moment, as a chef, he naturally felt a sense of accomplishment.

He glanced at the antique clock hanging in the shop.

It was about to strike four in the morning.

The restaurant should have been closed by now. There were no customers in the midnight shift tonight, which was within Xia Yu’s expectations.

He put the spoon down, leaving the seafood rice on the kitchen counter, went to close the door, and then, stretching and yawning contentedly, thudded upstairs to take a quick shower before going to bed.

...

Thud! Thud! Thud!

In the pitch-dark living room on the second floor, there was a faint noise similar to knocking.

"Thud!"

Along with a slightly stronger burst of sound, a cupboard in the living room flung open.

The ancient gift box granted by Chiyoda Shrine to the worthy silently opened, and a jade Ruyi more than a foot long tumbled onto the floor.

Suddenly, a ghostly green light illuminated the darkness. A blue paper lantern floated in the air, drifting around the room for a circle before stopping outside the sliding doors of a bedroom, as if listening to the steady breathing of the young boy sleeping inside.

After lingering for five or six minutes and verifying the boy had fallen into a deep sleep, under the lantern’s light, a graceful and tall silhouette faintly appeared.

Then came a series of light, barely audible footsteps.

"Meow—"

A short, panicked cat’s yowl broke the silence in the kitchen but abruptly ended.

Hua Mao huddled in a corner of the kitchen, shivering, with amber-colored pupils reflecting the green glowing light of the jade Ruyi.

"Shh!"

There was a soft exhalation.

Hua Mao was frightened and saw the kitchen door slowly closing, very decisively burying its head in its tummy, curling up into a ball, just like a cute girl ducking for cover.

Next, there was a rustling noise in the kitchen.

The spoon naturally levitated, the red and black seafood rice gradually disappeared.

Meanwhile, with the lantern light flickering on and off, it was like the shimmering glow of Neon lights, with even the entire first floor floating with an ethereal and mysterious halo.

Moments later, the blue paper lantern drifted over to the kitchen corner.

Meow. Hua Mao yelped, its fur on end, ready to bolt, but it was tightly grasped by an unseen palm by its tail.

Hua Mao struggled, hanging upside-down in mid-air.

Eventually, it was upheld by something else and slowly placed back on the ground.

"Is the second tail about to grow out?"

"Stand up!"

Hua Mao obediently stood erect on its hind legs upon hearing the command, easily doing so.

...

The following day, early morning.

Beep beep beep.

Switching off the alarm, Xia Yu rubbed his eyes and got up. While yawning, he changed into his school uniform, washed up quickly, grabbed his bookbag, and headed downstairs.

Since he had his own professional kitchen at White Seagull High School, there was no need to bring a lunchbox. He deliberately set the alarm for quarter past eight, preparing to make it just in time for class.

"Huh—"

Without entering the kitchen and simply glancing at the counter while passing by on his way out, he saw that last night’s unfinished seafood rice was completely gone, leaving only an empty plate on the counter.

Xia Yu was momentarily stunned, then looked down at Hua Mao, who was following by his side.

"Did you steal and eat it?" he asked, teasingly pointing at Hua Mao.

"Meow!"

The usually lively and agile cat immediately acted sulky upon hearing this and flopped down on the floor, appearing listless and unenergetic.

Thinking it was begging for forgiveness, Xia Yu squatted down and patted its head, laughing, "It’s okay, if you ate it, you ate it; it’s a waste to leave it anyway."

"You better guard the house well!"

He left, closing the door behind him. Xia Yu mounted his bicycle, chuckling to himself.

Some people keep a big dog to guard their home; as for him, he had a foodie cat with a voracious appetite. But then again, wasting food is still wasteful, and he didn’t like eating late at night before sleep.