Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 315 - 314: The Qualified - Takai

Chapter 315: Chapter 314: The Qualified - Takai

A fusion of Chinese and Western cuisines!

To think that Qiushan Hong’s evaluation of Takai was so high.

Takai Masashi nodded calmly and said, "This dish, or rather the recipe I created on the spot during the special grade assessment, indeed took its inspiration from Chinese cuisine..."

Upon hearing this, the guests on site and everyone in the Far Moon great classroom were astonished, including Xia Yu, who was quite surprised.

Shinohara Shigetaro also set down his chopsticks.

"Cantonese cuisine!"

He said confidently, "This ’Beer Red Pepper Golden Shrimp’ has the shadow of Cantonese cuisine!"

"Minister Shinohara is truly knowledgeable," Takai Masashi said with a light smile, "This is actually an evolution from the Cantonese dish sautéed chicken. Then, I added my own blend of light cream and brandy."

Everyone was speechless.

Who would have thought the source of the culinary creativity was sautéed chicken!

Chicken and seafood are worlds apart!

Takai Masashi spoke unhurriedly, "In Chinese cuisine, Cantonese cuisine requires a high degree of freshness for the ingredients, primarily seafood, along with some local stir-fries. I once lived in Hong Kong for a period, journeying from the water basin to the chopping board to the wok. Overall, I’ve managed to grasp the rudimentary essence of Cantonese culinary techniques."

"As for myself, I still prefer traditional flavors, traditional techniques; however, as a chef, one cannot be overly conservative, otherwise, it’s nothing but stagnation. I started helping in my family’s sushi restaurant at the age of twelve and have been working for twenty-five years since then. Over the years, I’ve also been constantly innovating, ceaselessly absorbing the culinary cultures of various countries and regions..."

His narration was calm, and Takai Masashi even reined in his presence.

The Far Moon great classroom fell silent, with no more whispers.

"Indeed, the resume of every special grade chef is so rich," Instructor Auson said with great respect.

But then, she sighed softly, casting an envious glance at the man in the live broadcast.

She was not long out of graduation when she began as a teaching assistant at Far Moon. Starting as an assistant and climbing step by step to become the main course instructor.

Thus, compared to Takai Masashi, her world was confined within Far Moon.

"It seems I’ll never reach that realm in my lifetime!" Instructor Auson felt regret, yet not remorseful. Everyone has their own life, and in fact, this female instructor also realized her own value at Far Moon. Teaching and nurturing were also her joys; she felt content.

"However..."

Suddenly glancing at the young lecturer sitting beside her, even the female teacher who had become quite close to Xia Yu after covering his class couldn’t help but grind her teeth in frustration, "This kid is a monster! How could he have reached that realm at just sixteen with his age and experience!"

It was maddening to compare oneself to others.

If Auson felt such envy, jealousy, and resentment, not to mention those young prodigies and the nine-star chefs who had been stuck at the door of the special grade for a long time without advance.

The students and teachers of Far Moon did not question him because they understood, but those outside might not.

The live broadcast continued.

Takai Masashi was detailing his cooking process, with Xia Yu listening intently.

In fact, the special grade assessments are divided into public and non-public types. The IGO organization classifies the candidates and notifies them when a sufficient number has been reached. Generally, the minimum number of participants for each special grade assessment is six.

For public special grade assessments, there’s bound to be overwhelming publicity beforehand as a rare learning opportunity. Not just Far Moon, but culinary institutions across Neon, chefs, and members of the public, etc., can see the most exciting serving and reviewing segments through devices like televisions and smartphones, or directly on the big screens in the food street plazas.

This special grade assessment live broadcast came very suddenly, without prior notice; otherwise, Xia Yu would probably have skipped work today and be sitting at home.

"First, blanch the ’Beer Lobster’."

"In this step, I experimented over a dozen times, and found that boiling on medium heat for about eight minutes achieved the perfect doneness I had in mind. Of course, this is my personal experience, only suited for this dish," Takai Masashi said slowly in the broadcast.

"The second step is to prepare the ’crispy batter’!"

"Crispy batter is a special paste used in Cantonese cuisine that makes shrimp look better when fried—the golden hue’s secret lies here. I use crispy batter, cornstarch, water, oil, and mix them with eggs."

"After that, put the cooked lobster into ice water and cool for 10 minutes!"

"..."

Xia Yu silently remembered.

Finally, the stern female examiner spoke, "You used red pepper?"

"Yes! The fruit and seeds of pepper, through different processing methods, can produce the everyday black pepper, white pepper, and red pepper," Takai Masashi said.

Hearing this, Xia Yu was astonished.

So those fine red seasonings on the shrimp meat were red pepper, not some kind of chili!

"And it’s not just any red pepper..."

The female examiner spoke coldly, "It’s red pepper berries from South America! This kind of red pepper is actually called pink pepper by the locals!"

The woman, who appeared Indian, clearly had a deep understanding of the spice.

"Pink pepper!"

Xia Yu was surprised, with a surge of spice knowledge in his mind, he blurted out, "It has a sweet taste, without any of the spiciness of pepper! After crushing, it has a distinct fruity and pine scent!"

"And there’s dry vegetable powder..."

The female examiner continued, "In my opinion, the use of vegetable powder and pink pepper is the biggest highlight of this dish!"

"That’s not necessarily the case."

Shinohara Shigetaro, however, disagreed and shook his head, "The so-called fusion of Chinese and Western cuisines means using Chinese culinary techniques to cook pan-fried lobster meat, while the sauce is Western-style. They merge on one plate, sparkling with the cook’s inspiration!"

"That’s because you don’t understand spices!" the female examiner said coldly, "The vegetable powder isn’t just simple vegetable powder. Do you know how many kinds of dried vegetables and spices have been blended into it?"

"The addition of pink pepper is also a stroke of genius! It neutralizes the difficult beer taste of ’Beer Lobster’ and enhances the deliciousness of the lobster meat! Spices are the emperor of this dish!"

Shinohara Shigetaro still shook his head.

"They all come together on one plate. The pan-frying skills of Cantonese cuisine, the dressing methods of Western cuisine, along with the use of spices, are all combined in one plate, without hierarchy, without monarch and ministers, and without any so-called emperor!"

He emphasized with increased force.

Seeing this, Qiushan Hong, who had been silent all this time, pressed a button on the judges’ table.

Thud!

The screen above the venue instantly displayed the latest review results:

Qiushan Hong: Passed!

Indira: Pending.

Shinohara Shigetaro: Pending.

Thud! Thud!

Following Qiushan Hong, the other two examiners also gave a ’Passed’ rating!

"Congratulations, Mr. Takai Masashi!"

Chiyoda Aichi, holding a microphone, came over from the side, followed by a beautiful woman in a kimono, who held a tray. On the tray was a red book, and on the book, there was a small shining gold badge.

A special grade badge!

A trace of fervor flashed in Xia Yu’s eyes.

These badges were all unique, made by the IGO organization. Apart from having the specific date of issuance and the awardee’s name engraved on the back, the badge also had a tiny chip embedded inside. The IGO organization had special detection equipment to verify the authenticity of the badge.

Beep

At this moment, a system prompt popped up.