Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 346 - 345: Failed Rainbow Porridge

Chapter 346: Chapter 345: Failed Rainbow Porridge

"Time!"

"Heat!"

Xia Yu had no time to think about anything else, fully focused, constantly monitoring the five sandpots on the stove.

Moments later, smoke gently emerged from all five pots simultaneously!

"Pour in the mung beans into the pot on the far right!"

He silently chanted the steps in his heart, his hands moving rapidly, one hand lifting the scorching sandpot lid while the other grabbed the plate filled with crushed mung beans.

Snap!

The lid was closed, and the flames of the stove continued to roast the sandpot.

"Put the pumpkin into the middle pot!"

"Pine nuts into the pot on the far left!"

"Longan into the second pot on the left!"

Xia Yu was busy moving around the kitchen, lifting lids and pouring ingredients without even pausing to catch his breath. He opened four pots, putting mung beans, pumpkin, pine nuts, and longan into each one, respectively, taking in total...

Ten seconds!

And that was just a passing time!

An extra second would make the temperature and water levels in the sandpots significantly different, which would be a fatal mistake for a dish striving for perfect, flawless radiance. If there were issues at this stage, the next steps wouldn’t be necessary.

Fortunately!

He let out a small breath, wiped the fine sweat off his forehead, and glanced at the second pot on the right.

This was the only pot that hadn’t been processed or had ingredients added to it.

"Red cabbage is a vegetable and shouldn’t be overcooked, so it should be added when the porridge is almost done! The timing must be precise!" Xia Yu thought. He seized the perfect moment and, a few minutes later, swiftly lifted the lid and poured in the finely chopped cabbage leaves.

Blub. Blub.

Steam constantly rose, hitting the lids of the sandpots.

All five sandpots made noises, and Xia Yu remained calm and composed.

In front of the broadcast screen, a group of spectators snapped back to their senses, shocked by Xia Yu’s quick handling.

"Is he cooking five types of porridge?"

"Pumpkin and vegetables are understandable, but longan, mung beans, and pine nuts? Can those really make a porridge?"

"Unbelievable!"

Ujou Mamie frowned. She had hoped to gain insights into handling "Jile Rice" by watching other examinees’ live performances, but it was clear that mere observation wouldn’t easily reveal others’ techniques.

This was the reason why the IGO agency had set up broadcasting TVs in the rooms.

When it comes to a single ingredient, a hundred chefs have a hundred different interpretations and handling techniques.

After all, even without mentioning the special-level assessment, nine-star assessments and below required examinees to compete openly, making cheating or peeking impossible. And even if it happened, a chef’s intention would be evident to sharp-eyed inspectors when presenting the final dish.

Just as Ujou Mamie was about to turn off the TV, Xia Yu suddenly twisted the valve with a "snap," turning off the stove’s fire.

"Is it done?"

Slightly surprised, Ujou Mamie put down the remote, "Fine, let’s see what he’s up to!"

Xia Yu placed an extra-large flat ceramic bowl on the kitchen counter. It looked like a bowl for soup rather than porridge, but since the dish was special, the container needed to be extra large.

Wearing heat-resistant gloves, Xia Yu sequentially lifted the sandpots, removed the lids, and poured the thick, sticky porridge into the empty bowl.

Huh?

All the chefs in the audience looked stunned.

Xia Yu moved too quickly, finishing the task of transferring porridge from the five sandpots into the big bowl in just half a minute.

Moreover, the five types of porridge, each with a distinct color, remained separate. Each porridge occupied its own space, with the five types neatly placed in the large bowl, not mixing with each other, maintaining clear and distinct layers!

"Ohhh——"

A long exclamation came from the broadcast screen from Chiyoda Aichi, "What gorgeous porridge! Five different colors!"

At that moment, many viewers in front of their TVs must have echoed her exclamation.

At least, the Pole Star Dormitory Kitchen was already in chaos.

"Rainbow!"

Tanaka Hikari stared intently at the TV screen, her big eyes reflecting the colorful hues.

"A ’Rainbow’ appeared on the dining table!" Yoshino Yuuki said in surprise, "Is this the dish Instructor Xia plans to use for the assessment? It does look amazing just from its appearance!"

Ichise Hui and Xingping Chuangzhen stood together, their actions surprisingly similar, both resting their chins on their hands, deep in thought.

"I get it!"

Xingping Chuangzhen punched his hand, excitement in his eyes.

Ichise Hui nodded.

"The red porridge has red cabbage!"

"The green porridge has mung beans!"

"The yellow porridge has pumpkin!"

"The brown porridge has longan!"

Xingping Chuangzhen finished Ichise Hui’s sentence, "And the white porridge has pine nuts!"

"Pine nuts are seeds from pine trees, and are an important Chinese medicinal item with high dietary value! Using pine nuts for porridge, it’s sure to be fragrant and delicious, cleansing the internal organs!"

Xingping spoke without taking a breath, drawing astonished glances from the other Polar Star Dormitory members.

"Hey, Xingping, you know about Chinese medicinal diets?"

Marui Shanji pushed up his glasses.

"Well..." Xingping Chuangzhen scratched his face.

"Then just don’t say it!"

Everyone immediately ignored him, continuing to stare intently at the TV, each drooling over the close-up shots of the colorful porridge.

"Didn’t it glow?"

When the plating was complete, and the "Rainbow Porridge" didn’t emit any light, Xia Yu sighed in regret.

Of course!

The challenge still lay with the "Jile Rice"!

Prepared mentally, Xia Yu didn’t feel disappointed when he tasted the porridge.

It was plain.

Having tasted the rice cooked from Jile Rice before, this time, though he tried it again, it failed to transport him to the so-called blissful realm.

Without the culinary illusion, the taste of Jile Rice, though fragrant, felt flavorless to Xia Yu. Nevertheless, he endured that discomfort and systematically tasted each of the five differently colored porridge dishes.

Failures need to be analyzed.

However, looking back, the heat was correct, the procedures were accurate, and the ingredients were perfect.

Xia Yu followed the "Rainbow Porridge" recipe strictly and executed it well; he had achieved perfection in every detail possible. Yet, the "Jile Rice" indeed was a tough nut to crack!

"No flavor!"

He shook his head, not afraid that his muttering would be heard by the audience through the camera.

"Red cabbage, mung beans, longan, pine nuts, and pumpkin, all flavorless!"

His voice was slightly low, "The ’Jile Rice’ has such strong rejection and exclusivity, allowing only one flavor in the mouth and on the taste buds."

"To tame this ingredient, its pride must be... shattered!"

Upon hearing this.

Watching from her room, Ujou Mamie read his lips and exclaimed, "Exactly, shatter its damn pride!"

She deeply resonated with Xia Yu’s words.

"Jile Rice" was too prideful, looking down on everything, not allowing any other ingredients or flavors to coexist.

Unless its outer shell of arrogance was stripped away, there would be no way to use it to create one’s culinary world!

"Hmm... strip it bare?"

Ujou Mamie’s eyes suddenly sparkled, a brilliant idea crossing her mind.

"It’s worth trying!"

She swiftly turned off the TV and, like an arrow released from a bow, dashed out of her room.