Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 299 - 298: Galaxy!

Chapter 299: Chapter 298: Galaxy!

Silence can be more eloquent than sound.

In the midst of their astonishment, everyone realized that the luminance of the bowl of noodles this time wasn’t a mere fleeting glimpse; rather, it persisted in twinkling, quite unlike the culinary glow that could easily be missed with just a momentary lapse of attention.

Yet, the dish was undergoing changes.

The black broth in the noodle bowl no longer had the depth of a universe teeming with dark matter as it had at the start.

Simply put, the universe had transitioned from awakening to its current dormant state, leaving behind an unchanging Milky Way sprinkled across the black canvas. Its fluorescent light flickered, emitting its own unique charm in the darkness and firmly capturing everyone’s gaze.

Even for industry titans like Qiushan Hong and Tiqie Xianzuowen, their eyes were brightened by the starlight, clearly reflecting a sense of awe and appreciation.

"Culinary delights aren’t just about taste!" Qiushan Hong said.

"Of course!"

Tiqie Xianzuowen spoke, "The beauty of fine food is also a scholarly pursuit. Decoration, carving, and so on, the significance of Far Moon setting up these courses lies in fostering students’ aesthetic consciousness regarding food."

"Color, fragrance, taste, appearance, and nutrition."

Mars said slowly, "Leaving aside ’nutrition’, Chinese chefs place ’appearance’ on an equal footing with ’color’, ’fragrance’, and ’taste’, which is telling in itself. The beauty of fine food is readily distinguished by its appearance, and that’s the most candid difference between exquisite cuisine and more common fares."

"The so-called appreciation of fine food also includes the appraisal through appearance!" Mars said.

After a brief pause,

Tiqie Eriina finally released her interlocked hands from covering her mouth. Her beautiful eyes intensely gazed at Xia Yu, flickering in the darkness like stars, even more brilliant than the Milky Way contained in the bowl.

"...What kind of noodles are these?" she asked in a haunting voice.

"Galaxy Noodles!"

A smiling voice answered, and at the same time, with a snap, the electrical switch was flipped on, instantly restoring brightness to the kitchen.

Whoosh.

The magnificent sight of the galaxy in the bowl also vanished.

The crowd was filled with regret and reluctance, but even more so with intense curiosity.

"Hey, there’s still light in the bowl!"

Kobayakawa Ryodan exclaimed in surprise.

Indeed, beneath the light, specks of dust continued to float on the surface of the black broth within the bowl.

"I know!"

The usually reticent Liangzi Lina suddenly realized, "It’s edible pearl powder!"

"Can pearl powder glow?"

Governor of Tokyo Yuchuan Yuriko said in amazement.

As a mature woman often in contact with jewelry and cosmetics, she was naturally aware of the true nature of pearl powder. A complete pearl shines because it is coated with a smooth layer of nacre, which is the most valuable layer of the pearl.

So, in fact, pearl powder does not glow.

Thus, more precisely, it was fragments of the nacre layer that shone in the black broth!

Yuchuan Yuriko explained this to everyone with a smile.

Xia Yu just smiled and offered no contradiction.

"Please, have a taste, Lord Qiushan—" Handing over a clean pair of chopsticks, Xia Yu stepped aside, gesturing for Qiushan Hong to hold the bowl and taste for himself.

At this, the gazes of the four women present—Eriina, Kobayakawa Ryodan, Liangzi Lina, and Yuchuan Yuriko—became complex, laced with envy and jealousy as they watched Qiushan Hong.

Such a beautiful bowl of noodles, it must be incredibly satisfying to devour it in one go, right?

Cooks, or rather gourmets, naturally think about eating.

In a certain sense, their appetites had completely eclipsed their admiration for beautiful objects. But it could also be said another way, consuming it was the highest form of respect for this beauty!

He picked up his chopsticks!

Qiushan Hong clearly had similar emotions; he didn’t dally and immediately dived in, lifting a whole loop of noodles from the pitch-black broth.

"Swoosh"

With a fierce inhale, the supple noodles immediately filled his mouth, as the black broth clung to his lips. Qiushan Hong didn’t have time to wipe it away before his cheeks bulged and twitched, and a slight tremor appeared in his chopstick-holding hand.

"Squid ink!"

Qiushan Hong’s eyes widened as he exclaimed, "The main ingredient in the broth must be squid ink! Such a fresh and refreshing flavor! The original abrupt taste of the mild medicinal ingredients has all been eliminated!"

"Ah..."

As soon as he had finished speaking, his entire body shuddered, his left hand bracing against the kitchen counter as he muttered, "Truly an unimaginable taste tsunami!"

The squid ink was only the first explosive charge upon entering the mouth.

Following that, the flavors of onion, garlic, and the first layer of broth made from chicken bones, pork bones, and other ingredients, initiated the second wave of charge on the tip of his tongue, electrifying his taste buds to the point of numbness.

But the assault was still ongoing.

"Boom"

The umami hidden within the black broth fully erupted.

Shrimp heads, clams, skipjack tuna.

Scallops, kelp, and dried anchovies.

There were too many ingredients from the ocean, each simmered down until their essence condensed into a rich soup, forming the third layer of broth, which together with the preceding two layers, created a wild trio of flavors!

What was it that twisted the three layers of broth into a single torrent, fiercely overtaking Lin Chef’s sense of taste?

Spices!

In the amalgamated broth, the spices acted as lubricants, so when the triple onslaught of flavors surged across his tongue, causing his body to jolt and convulse, Qiushan Hong felt no sense of abruptness, but instead, felt utterly enraptured, his expression going blank.

For a long while, Qiushan Hong opened his eyes, turned his head to fiercely gaze at the smiling young man standing before him, and exhaled, "The unique taste of the squid ink, sweet and rich, you’ve brought it to its ultimate height. That’s the first layer of flavor!"

"If I’m not mistaken, you used a Western sauce mixing technique to improve the flavor of the squid ink?" he said.

"Right!"

This was entirely a conversation between two individuals; the others were merely spectactors who, having not tasted it, didn’t understand the intricacies involved.

Xia Yu smoothly responded, "I minced the garlic and onions, heated up the melting butter in a pan, cooked the garlic and onion until soft, then poured in some white wine, cooked off the alcohol, and only then did I add the squid ink, mixing it with the three types of broths to cook!"

"No wonder!"

Qiushan Hong exclaimed in admiration, "The fishy taste of the squid ink, the medicinal taste, completely gone!"

At the side, upon hearing Xia Yu’s reply, Tiqie Eriina suddenly thought of the food competition in the underground kitchen during their lodging research period.

At that time, Shigong Xiaoci Lang, while preparing the dish "White Wine Pan-fried Sea Bass," had utilized a similar Western sauce mixing technique, using butter, onions, and white wine as the main ingredients to create the dish’s sauce.

White meat paired with white wine.

That’s a culinary principle and common knowledge in Western cooking.

And without a doubt, in Xia Yu’s seafood-themed noodle dish, this principle was vividly embodied.

The white wine had perfectly removed the unpleasant odor from the squid ink, leaving only the savory taste, no wonder the noodles had immediately sounded the attack upon entering Qiushan Hong’s mouth!

It could be said that the sauce composed of onions, minced garlic, butter, and white wine, with a proper addition of squid ink, was the cosmic foundation of this "Galaxy Noodles."

Had he assimilated the Western cooking technique into a dish rich in Chinese culinary flair?

The fusion of culinary arts!

For some reason, at this moment, the phrase suddenly popped into Tiqie Eriina’s mind.

"How abnormal..."

She muttered softly under her breath.