Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 519 - 518: Master’s Touch

Chapter 519: Chapter 518: Master’s Touch

"How should I put it?"

Melissa looked conflicted and after a moment spoke with conviction, "Only a master could have such dexterity!"

"The forbidden ingredients have been completely tamed!"

She said, as if in her pupils galloped fiery steeds with swirling flames, "Salmon roe and rose mushrooms are like bridles and saddles, bringing that wild horse to heel!"

"Three ingredients, each blending harmoniously with the others, without the slightest discord!"

The Persian female judge exclaimed with praise, "To say there’s a shadow of Tartar Beef is entirely incorrect. The meat patty is between raw and medium-rare, and due to the fiery nature of horse meat, any dish that uses this ingredient, if one were to apply more fire control, it would seem redundant, superfluous, wouldn’t it?"

The chief judge from France nodded solemnly.

"A master’s creation!"

He reiterated, staring at Mars and speaking deliberately, "This is pure cooking, nothing superfluous. You harnessed the forbidden ingredients with the heart of a chef."

Mars smiled faintly.

Below the stage, many people who knew that Mars had already awakened his "Food Cells" exchanged significant glances when they heard the chief judge’s implication.

"It seems that the Orlando Faction within the culinary world truly belongs to a more moderate camp," Saito Chiyokuro mused. "When I was wandering in the United States, I met multiple times with the giant of the Orlando Faction, Desani. His philosophy and research approach differ from those of Lei Zhe."

Zhu Qing and Dojima Yin exchanged looks.

"But by focusing the ’Food Cells’ on cooking alone, and treating them purely as a cooking tool... Wouldn’t that pose an even scarier threat to Instructor Xia?" Tiqie Helinai whispered.

"You’re right!"

Zhu Qing patted her slender shoulder and nodded in agreement, "The more pure the chef’s philosophy, the more terrifying they are!"

On stage, the judges continued with their detailed critique.

The French female judge, Melissa, said, "...I am certain that among the spices mixed in the meat patty, besides coriander, mustard, and shallots, there’s also Worcestershire sauce... This condiment also known as English black vinegar, or spicy soy sauce, originates from the United Kingdom. Mixed with raw meat, it has a subtle sour, sweet, and slightly spicy flavor that instantly adds complexity to the dish!"

The Persian female judge followed, "Yes, indeed, there’s Worcestershire sauce, but another spicy sauce also should not be overlooked, have you tasted it?"

"Tabasco Sauce!"

The other four judges said in unison.

"This spicy sauce is made from Tabasco peppers, originally from the Tabasco State in Mexico, hence the sauce’s name. If the sauce is made using ancient traditional techniques, the crushed peppers are mixed with mineral salts for 30 days to age the paste, then blended with French white vinegar for another 30 days to ferment, and finally, the sauce is extracted and bottled to age for two years..."

The French chief judge spoke fluently about the condiment knowledge, articulating clearly, "Tabasco Sauce has a strong flavor, and thus only a few drops are needed when seasoning to magically transform the taste of the dish!"

At this point, the fourth judge from the United States, cowboy Nois, interjected:

"Hey, ladies and gentlemen, have you forgotten the third critical seasoning?"

Seeing his words captured everyone’s attention, the cowboy judge tipped his hat down and chuckled, "Don’t forget about ’caperberries,’ a seasoning with a long culinary history. If my palate isn’t wrong, Mars has chopped up salted caperberries. Tsk tsk, this is a miraculous spice with a nuanced bitterness, astringency, and saltiness that can whip up a taste bud tornado. Caperberries are used far and wide in Western cuisine, and boy, they’re a perfect match for smoked salmon..."

"Stop!"

Melissa from the third seat cut off his endless chatter.

The chief judge concluded.

"Mars, your dish fully meets the theme ’main course’. No matter how excellent or complex the seasoning, it did not overshadow the flavors of the meat, salmon roe, and rose mushrooms. These three ingredients are tightly entwined in an elegant melody..."

With deep admiration in his eyes, the chief judge stated decisively, "If this were a scoring system, rather than a voting system, I would not hesitate to give you full marks!"

"Full marks!"

"Perfect scores from everyone!"

The four judges almost echoed simultaneously, a testament to their satisfaction.

"Well then, this concludes the critique session. We thank Chef Mars for presenting us with his exquisite cuisine and appreciate the enlightening comments from our judges..."

Hostess Chiyoda Aichi said, glancing at the timer, her heart skipped a beat as she exclaimed, "Oh, without realizing it, there are only 45 minutes left in the cooking segment. Let’s see how Chef Xia is doing!"

Upon her reminder, the audience, engrossed in Mars’s culinary performance – including the five judges – snapped back to reality.

Right.

This is a competition. One contestant has served his dish; what about the other?

Suddenly, one after another, the audience turned their attention to the forgotten cooking station.

Xia Yu had already finished processing the three types of meat. Now he stood in front of the grill, placing a plate filled with slices of meat in a convenient spot. He glanced at the black stove containing glowing red charcoal and then, with metal tongs in hand, began placing five slices of ’White-haired Cinderella Beef’ and ’Five-Headed Bird Meat’ onto the grill.

"Szzz, szzz..."

A total of ten pieces of meat, no sooner had they hit the grill than the fragrant scent of barbecue began to fill the stage.

With a pair of metal tongs in each hand, Xia Yu’s hands never stopped moving. His gaze was like a commanding officer inspecting his troops, constantly watching over the meat on the grill, periodically extending the tongs to flip the pieces.

The meat hadn’t been marinated; it was simply put on the grill in its natural state.

This, many in the audience found disappointing.

It seemed no different from their usual indoor or outdoor barbecuing.

Tap, tap, tap.

Footsteps approached from behind.

Xia Yu glanced over with the corner of his eye and saw Mars and Chiyoda Aichi coming over, and even the five judges had spontaneously left their seats, gathering around his cooking station as if attending a small barbecue party.

"Barbecue, huh?"

The French Chief Judge stroked his chin, expressing mild disappointment, "Honestly, after trying the raw beef just now, my interest in cooked food waned."

Judges leaving their seats to observe close-up was permitted within the competition rules.

After all, observing a chef prepare a dish up close is a pleasure in itself, especially when judges have the duty to critique.

Mars watched with interest from across the grill but didn’t speak out to disturb Xia Yu, observing basic etiquette.

"Hmm?!"

His attention suddenly sharpened.

"This meat from the Five-Headed Bird..."

His breath caught. Mars focused intently and saw that the bird meat resting on the grill had tiny cuts that were easily overlooked by the eye. With Mars’s experience, he was certain that though the cuts were small, they were deep.

"So that’s how it’s been prepared!"

Mars thought to himself. "The meat of the Five-Headed Bird is inherently tough. Its texture can be improved with stewing methods, but it’s uncertain how many cuts he made; they seem densely packed, filled with incisions!"

His gaze moved over ’White-haired Cinderella Beef’, and finally, Mars’s attention settled on the slices of jewel-like meat resting on the plate, "This beautiful yet fragile meat, does he also plan to cook it with barbecue methods?"

Raising his head and opening his mouth, Mars wanted to speak but then hesitated.

Forget it!

He remembered this was a competition and raising doubts about his opponent’s cooking method would be tantamount to a direct challenge and affront.