Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 284 - 283: Great Magic Panda Tofu!

Chapter 284: Chapter 283: Great Magic Panda Tofu!

Dojima Yin and Shinohara Shigetaro were still there.

"Ichise, go clean up Room 1."

Xia Yu took the bag containing the documents for the shop street property and casually instructed, then entered Room 2.

Ichise Hui noticed the tofu wooden mold box he was carrying and curiosity filled his eyes.

Earlier, Xia Yu had served the "Magical Mapo Tofu" at the adjacent main store for a few Far Moon interns to taste, and he had retrieved just this wooden mold box and its contents back to the kitchen. Now, bringing it out again, there was no doubt it was intended for a VIP guest.

"It seems to be called ’Great Magic Panda Tofu’," Ichise Hui thought.

In the VIP gourmet menu, there were a total of three tofu dishes.

Actually, "Magical Mapo Tofu" and "Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu" could be grouped together, so what would the third dish, "Great Magic Panda Tofu," be like?

This was also the question Dojima Yin, Shinohara Shigetaro, and Reiko Liangzi had when Xia Yu placed the mold on the tea table in Room 2.

"Great Magic Panda Tofu!"

"I just devised this tofu dish. Mars dismissed it, but would you all like to try it?"

Xia Yu asked the three of them.

"A tasting? Of course, no problem!" Dojima Yin jovially replied.

"Since we’re here, we can’t leave without trying it."

Shinohara Shigetaro also smiled.

Without delays, he laid the prepared white ceramic plate on the table.

Huh, now the three big shots were puzzled.

"Why are there bamboo leaves?"

"Is it for plating decoration? It doesn’t seem quite right though."

Reiko Liangzi didn’t speak. She scanned the lush green bamboo leaves covering the plate and then looked at the wooden mold box next to it.

"Is it hot?" she pointed.

The three masters, all super chefs, could naturally sense the heat emanating continuously from inside the mold.

"Yes, it’s hot."

Xia Yu smiled, and with a click, he unlocked a clasp. The bottom layer of the mold was like a movable drawer that he removed. Inside the drawer, was a small basin with charcoal that had been burning for some time—only two or three pieces were still on fire, the rest had turned into white ash.

Then, he fitted the mold onto the plate, took hold of the top by its handles, and lifted sharply!

Whoosh!

The wooden mold box was in midair, and there appeared on the white ceramic plate below an entire piece of black and white layered tofu!

Though it was called tofu, it looked more like a layered pastry, alternating layers of black and white.

A scent, impossible to hide, wafted through the air.

Dojima Yin sniffed and felt his nose burn.

"Is it still Mapo sauce?" He felt slightly disappointed. Although its appearance had been revolutionized, Dojima Yin thought that "Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu" had already reached the pinnacle of tofu dishes; other tofu dishes would hardly surpass it.

Xia Yu observed the changing expressions of the three, secretly chuckling to himself.

"Do you know why it’s called ’Great Magic Panda Tofu’?" he asked.

"Panda, if I’m not mistaken, stands for ’distinct black and white’," said Shinohara Shigetaro.

"So the magic..."

Dojima Yin and Reiko Liangzi almost simultaneously stared at the bamboo leaves pressed beneath the tofu, their eyebrows slightly raised.

Seeing this, Xia Yu thought to himself that it’s no wonder they were top-tier super chefs, each with keen observations.

His hands suddenly moved.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Leaving only afterimages, one hand circled the ceramic plate, plucking out all the bamboo leaves that had been initially placed under it in just two to three seconds.

"Click!"

Before the three big shots could react, the entire block of black and white tofu suddenly burst into brilliance!

Threads of dazzling light seeped out from within the tofu!

Upon closer inspection, it was not hard to see that the light formed a strict grid pattern on the surface of the tofu block!

Then, the entire block of tofu, like a collapsing building of blocks, crumbled into small pieces instantly, spreading across the white ceramic plate.

And then, the rich red Mapo sauce flowed out, covering the plate.

This was the true essence of "Great Magic Panda Tofu"!

"Not bad!"

Dojima Yin felt a flash of enlightenment and couldn’t help but praise, "This dish extends a ’delight in gourmet food,’ akin to a magic trick that allows diners to experience the process of unraveling mysteries. Finally removing the bamboo leaves and witnessing the transformation of the dish can also bring a sense of spiritual fulfillment!"

"It is good."

Shinohara Shigetaro shifted his tone and said, "But the soul of food still lies in the ’taste’! If one blindly chases magic, appearance, or visual effects, then it’s putting the cart before the horse!"

"Which one should I start with? The black and white must taste different, right?" Liangzi Lina said.

"Either one would be fine to start with."

"Then I’ll try a piece of the black one first!"

As Dojima Yin spoke, he scooped up a piece of the black tofu. As soon as the food entered his mouth, he exclaimed in astonishment, "This, this is sweet tofu!"

Without using his teeth, just curling his tongue, the exquisitely smooth tofu melted on his tongue with surprising heat, then he swallowed, and the warmth flowed down his throat to his stomach. Dojima Yin shivered, feeling thoroughly refreshed from within.

"Apart from the sweetness, there’s also a deep, fragrant deliciousness... This tofu is so weird, but so tasty!" Dojima Yin gawked as if his eyes were portraying two cute pandas offering him sugarcane, and the moment he bit into it, the sweetness filled his mouth.

"Delicious!"

Nearby, Shinohara Shigetaro and Liangzi Lina mumbled similarly.

"This is sweet black tofu I’ve carefully made with black beans and dark brown sugar," Xia Yu said, smiling.

"The authentic Sichuan Mapo sauce, no, this is a modified version, having a strong personal style, continuing your signature ’fire’ and ’spice’ flavors, no wonder the taste is so explosive..."

Sweating, Shinohara Shigetaro wiped his brow with a handkerchief, full of praise.

"My entire tongue felt like it was on fire!"

Dojima Yin suddenly stood up, stripped off his suit jacket on the spot, and even peeled off his shirt, revealing his muscular, bronze upper body.

Hey, hey!

Xia Yu couldn’t help but comment, considering there was a lady present. He glanced at Liangzi Lina, only to see the woman engrossed in her food, pausing now and then to catch her breath, while beads of sweat gathered on her fair nose, she murmured, "The intense spiciness, along with the Sichuan pepper that completely numbs the taste buds on the tongue..."

"Red, black, white!"

"The sauce and the tofu are perfectly blended!"

Liangzi Lina felt a wave-like surge of spicy tingling in her mouth, so explosive it made her body moist, making her clothes stick uncomfortably, and her cheeks, whether from the heat or the spice, flushed attractively.

After a pause,

The three sat at the tea table, eyeing the emptied wooden mold, listening to Xia Yu’s explanations.

"I see..."

"It’s the layer of bamboo netting at the bottom of the wood frame that slices the tofu into pieces when it’s removed from the box."

"A layer of lard paper was laid at the bottom, then black tofu was poured in, another layer of lard paper followed, then white tofu, and so on and so forth, until the ’Thousand-Layer Tofu’ preparation was complete," Xia Yu explained.

Dojima Yin, still bare-chested, propped his chin with his hand and added, "A charcoal fire under the wooden box bakes it, turning the integrated box into a steamer. The lard paper used to separate the tofu then gradually melts and permeates into the tofu..."

"Brilliant idea!"

"The key here is this wooden mold!" Dojima Yin said, eyes gleaming, "It’s a mold for the tofu and also serves as the ’steamer’ for cooking the tofu dish. Both the making and cooking processes occur using the same tool!"

The room fell silent afterwards.

"What a pity!"

Shinohara Shigetaro lamented.

"It still falls short of the perfect ’Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu.’"

"But..."

The three high-profile figures in the room, with hopeful looks, stared at Xia Yu and queried, "If—we’re just saying if—we could incorporate ’Shuangjiang Tofu’ into this dish, then find black ’Fantasy Soybeans’ to make black ’Fantasy Tofu’..."

"Yes!"

Xia Yu recognized the gap that existed.

Though all from the Purple Recipe, his modified ’Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu’ had reached perfection.

Only dishes of equal perfection could be rightfully compared.

Further modifications were inevitably back on the agenda.

However, this time’s modification task was more challenging. Ordinary black soybeans used to make black tofu couldn’t meld with the white ’Shuangjiang Tofu,’ hence he must find another type of black ’Fantasy Tofu’ or even consider sourcing the raw materials himself.

"I remember, ’Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu’ is priced at 500,000 yen, right?"

Dojima Yin reminded, "You might want to add another zero to fit!"

"The Great Magic Panda Tofu is just half the price, 2.5 million yen."

Xia Yu also felt somewhere off with his menu pricing.

Past competitors like Cao Chun and Smith, and today’s Mars and Dojima Yin—all super chefs—had mentioned his pricing issues.

No wonder Xia Yu was out of touch with market prices.

Truthfully, he had risen through the ranks too quickly, having been a two-star chef merely a month ago, and now was an ’almost’ Super Chef. Being relatively new to the gourmet world and lacking experience was normal, and thus, Xia Yu, openly receptive to feedback, promptly got his menu and consulted the three titans before him, leveraging this chance for free expert advice.

"A Flame Roasted Suckling Pig for only 200,000 yen? Are you planning a loss?"

Quickly, Dojima Yin, both amused and perplexed, pointed out a significant flaw in the menu.

"I recall your ’Flame Roasted Suckling Pig’ requires a whole cow, doesn’t it? After being scorched in a great fire, that beef can’t be used for premium dishes anymore, essentially going to waste."

"If it’s top-quality Wagyu, just one could be worth several millions to tens of millions of yen, even ordinary beef isn’t cheap!"

"Change it!" Xia Yu gritted his teeth.

"Shenglong Dumplings, Heavenly Hero Grilled Bluefish should be raised to one million yen..."

"Nine Feathered Phoenix, Flame Dragon Roll Fish Fin Sausage, your original recipes, exclusive to your restaurant and available only in limited daily quantities, should be priced just like ’Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu,’ 5 million!"