Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 557 - 556: The World Is Vast and I Want to See It (Part 1)

Chapter 557: Chapter 556: The World Is Vast and I Want to See It (Part 1)

Two girls stood to the left and right, yet they dared not get too close to the stove and the red pot.

One held a vacuum sterile bottle filled with egg liquid, which contained clear egg yolks; the egg whites had already been separated and stored by Xia Yu earlier, while the other held a plate with the still-steaming "Gem Meat Cubes".

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

With both hands he brandished the spatula, his expression focused. Though the pot was covered in flames, making it virtually impossible to see the rice inside, he acted as if he had everything under control; his strong aura of confidence made Dojima Yin and Saito Chiyokuro gasp.

What would he do next?

Would he just pour in the meat cubes and egg liquid?

Because he didn’t know the condition of the rice, even Zhu Qing, a chef, was completely baffled.

The flames not only obscured vision but also blocked a chef’s senses with their heat.

To put it simply, if Zhu Qing herself were in front of the stove, she would probably have no choice but to watch helplessly as the rice got scorched and burnt to a crisp by the flames.

"If you use ’qi’ ..."

Suddenly, a ripple of thought appeared in Zhu Qing’s eyes.

"Meat cubes, go!"

The young man said.

His childhood friend, poised and ready, immediately stepped forward; the plate tilted, and the meat cubes dropped down one by one with thuds, disappearing into the flames as if devoured. The girl then backed off, her face covered in sweat.

"Egg liquid, go!"

Another blonde girl came forward, her face also streaming with sweat, but she bit her lip and poured out every last drop of egg liquid.

Throughout this time, Xia Yu never stopped swinging the ladle and spatula.

The higher the temperature, the faster he needed to stir. Otherwise, if the ingredients made contact with the hot inner walls of the pot for even half a second, they would become irretrievably burnt.

But it wasn’t just the inner walls that could scorch the ingredients.

The flames above the pot also seared and charred the food, so at that moment, the rice, meat cubes, and egg liquid in the Chinese Iron Pot were truly enduring an onslaught of high temperatures from both sides. No wonder Lin Chef Zhu Qing found it so challenging; under these conditions, without a special technique, it would all have been a waste of precious Forbidden Ingredients.

"Eh?!"

Tiqie Eriina gripped the emptied vacuum bottle as she retreated, her bright eyes fixated on Xia Yu’s rotating right arm, eliciting a surprised gasp.

Yes.

The arm was rotating with the hold of the spatula.

This vaguely circular technique gave the group of family and friends a strong sense of familiarity.

"Ah, is that not that technique from pastry cooking?" Tanaka Hikari and Morioka Makoto also exclaimed in surprise.

"’White Luo Snake Refining’ can be used like this?"

Zhu Qing’s small mouth was agape to the fullest.

But Yuchuan Ayaka suddenly said, "A few months ago, at the special grade evaluation, he also used a similar technique while simmering the ’Four Gods Porridge.’ At that time, the earthen pot was just as scalding. Similar rotating and circular motions were used to keep the ingredients moving rapidly, preventing them from staying too long in one temperature zone and getting burnt."

"So it’s a little trick to control the heat!" Saito Chiyokuro nodded.

For some reason, when Tiqie Ji watched the young man holding the spatula, stirring the red pot of fried rice, it was like watching a master of cursive writing sketching dragons and snakes on the ground, imparting a harmonious rhythmic sense.

The demeanor of a grandmaster!

This assessment strangely popped into his head.

Tiqie Ji’s face twitched.

"It’s done!"

The young man suddenly said, to the surprise of everyone. They saw him thrust the spatulas forcefully with both hands, and then a bright, shiny object broke through the flames on the surface of the pot and thudded into a container that had been prepared earlier next to the stove.

With another whoosh of the spatula, a second batch of hot rice wrapped in flecks of flame traced a beautiful arc as it descended.

And so the cycle went on.

In just a few seconds, the spatula had been swung over a dozen times.

When the last batch of fried rice left the red pot with the flames, Xia Yu’s arm suddenly dropped, his muscles and nerves, tense for about half an hour, finally relaxed at that moment.

"Finished!"

He tossed aside the spatula and peered into the stainless steel container at the fried rice; a smile instantly spread across Xia Yu’s face.

"Look!"

Zhu Qing was the first to dart over.

"There’s no burnt taste!"

Sniffing the scent that filled the air, Dojima Yin and Saito Chiyokuro looked at each other in surprise and quickly stepped forward to gather around the cooking station.

"Did it really succeed?"

Tiqie Ji was dubious as he moved closer, but by the time he arrived, the cooking station was already surrounded by a crowd. Left with no choice, Ghost Father had to stand on tiptoe to look around, and in an instant, as if he had seen a horrifying scene, his body shuddered.

Amidst the bustling crowd, Xia Yu listened to the noisy discussions and just smiled.

Picking up the first porcelain bowl, Sen Tian Makki passed him a spoon, and Xia Yu scooped up a large spoonful of fried rice from the container. Instantly, the kitchen fell silent, as everyone’s gazes converged on the sparkling, translucent fried rice on the spoon.

The meat cubes and rice were distinct.

And, there was a clear difference from the "Gold and Jade" dish’s colors.

This time, the fried rice and meat cubes seemed to be faintly enveloped in a layer of flame.

But upon closer inspection, the layer did not exist; it seemed to be an illusion.

"An illusion?"

As Xia Yu plated the bowls, people swallowed their saliva.

"Who wants it?"

Xia Yu offered a bowl of fried rice.

"I’ll go first!" Zhu Qing yelled and snatched the porcelain bowl. She even brought her own little spoon and, while taking the bowl, scooped up a mouthful of fried rice to observe closely.

"Oh—"

She couldn’t help but sigh.

Only upon a close inspection did Zhu Qing understand what the ’flame cloak’ she saw earlier was—a mere thin layer of grease, yet it was undeniable. The translucency of the fat seemed to have flames flickering within it, adding a dynamic flair to the dish.

But was it merely decoration?

With that question in mind, she took a bite!

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Her fair face turned instantly red as Zhu Qing clenched the rice in her mouth, caught off guard as if she had ingested an erupting volcano, immediately bending over with a severe cough, sweat pouring down like rain, a look more agonizing than if she’d guzzled chili water.

Huff, huff.

But quickly, Zhu Qing raised a hand to pat her ample chest, declining Tanaka Hikari and Yuchuan Meisha’s offers to help.

"No, no need."

She mumbled unclearly, diligently chewing the rice grains.

Crack, crack, crack.

The crisp sound of breaking.

The meat cubes burst, their hot juices seeming to soak into her pores; Zhu Qing shivered slightly and continued chewing.

The rice grains wrapped in egg coating broke down.

The crispy aroma of egg and rice burst through her mouth and nose; she exhaled a hot breath, immediately put the porcelain bowl down, left the spoon inside, covered her face, and ran off, with a slightly panicked voice echoing down the corridor:

"I’m going to the restroom, don’t touch my bowl..."

A few droplets of fragrant sweat fell into the air.

Everyone looked at each other.

Xia Yu chuckled quietly to himself; Golden Frame Burst Flame was unbeatably strong. This was indeed an overdose.

Even Lin Chef couldn’t stand against such a dose.

He took another porcelain bowl, served the second bowl of hot rice, and with what he deemed an innocent look, swept his gaze over his friends and family, "...Who wants it?"

A crowd of people involuntarily stepped back in fear.

Seeing Zhu Qing’s reaction to the tasting, everyone hesitated.

"I’ll do it!"

"I want it!"

Two crisp voices almost simultaneously.

People glanced at the blonde Eriina, then at the black-haired Sen Tian Makki.

As if competing, they exchanged a glance, with odd sparks in their eyes.

"Alright, both of you try it then." Xia Yu handed out the bowl he was holding without looking to see who took it, then turned to serve a third