Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 85: Silver Cod Green Tea Meatballs (Part 2)

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Silver Cod Green Tea Meatballs (Part 2)

"Delicious!"

"What’s with this chewy texture? I can’t stop eating!"

Dojima Yin put the last piece of meatball from his chopsticks into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out, and he chewed vigorously, revealing a face of surprise. The broadcast screen gave him a long close-up shot.

The venue suddenly fell silent.

Shinohara Shigetaro and Liangzi Lina were in similar situations. Although their appetites had been satisfied by sashimi, their fingers couldn’t resist, and in just two or three bites, they devoured a fist-sized fish meatball.

In the end, they even licked their chopsticks, staring at the empty plate with hungry eyes.

"...Gone?"

"Gone!"

Dojima Yin sighed, and Shinohara Shigetaro followed suit with a sigh.

Liangzi Lina couldn’t help but ask, "The meatball, no, the lion’s head, what’s with the fresh crunchy texture inside?"

"Water chestnuts, oh, this thing is called ’kurojikugu’ in Neon!"

Xia Yu casually replied. He was already prepared, and he took out a clean, unpeeled water chestnut from his pocket, handing it to Liangzi Lina.

"So that’s the ingredient."

The dark flat round ingredient lay in her palm, and a flash of realization crossed Liangzi Lina’s eyes.

As a top chef, there was no way she didn’t know kurojikugu.

"Just a little of this ingredient can greatly enhance the texture, making it crunchy and fresh while also boosting the umami." Xia Yu smiled slightly.

"Though the main ingredient is cod, I tasted another delicious fish. Was it whitebait?"

Dojima Yin suddenly asked.

"Yes!"

"This whitebait refers to California whitebait, not the inland river whitebait. Although they are very similar, the umami taste is completely different. I used two kinds of fish with strong marine flavors to make this dish." Xia Yu answered calmly.

"With such a mix, aren’t you afraid the whitebait will take over and destroy the dish’s ’freshness’?" Dojima Yin watched him with keen interest.

"That depends on the chef’s control..." Xia Yu shrugged.

"What a pity!"

Shinohara Shigetaro took over the conversation, full of regret. "The cooking technique of this dish is still a bit raw. Although the umami of the two fish was successfully blended together, the chef’s heart contained within the dish is incomplete and lacks the stunning impact of the previous cod sashimi platter."

"It is indeed a pity, but the flaws don’t overshadow the virtues."

Dojima Yin held a different opinion, staring at Xia Yu. "Did you come up with the recipe on the spot? When you were staring at the seafood truck earlier, were you thinking about the recipe?"

"You could say that."

Xia Yu could only answer this way.

He couldn’t possibly tell Dojima Yin that he had actually gone to the Chef God Space and practiced secretly for a whole day before finalizing the recipe.

One day was really tight to finalize the recipe and achieve perfect familiarity.

Due to the inherent limitations of the recipe, it was impossible to shine, and Xia Yu only just managed to make the ’Silver Cod Green Tea Meatballs’ possess the quality of a killer dish, with many shortcuts included.

For example, the "tea" flavor in the seasoning was also a hidden trump card!

"Indeed! You created a new recipe on the spot!" Dojima Yin praised, "This dish surprised me just as much as the cod sashimi platter earlier."

The entire audience was silent.

A tie?

No one anticipated such a high evaluation from Dojima Yin.

In the audience, Tiqie Helinai bit her thumb, with a hint of anxiety and unease in her eyes.

"A tie?" Niho Fuyuka and Hozoi Midori both widened their eyes.

Yuchuan Meisha’s sashimi dish could be said to be a combination of culinary arts and artistry, especially the innate ability to communicate with ingredients and subdue them through interaction, shaking the hearts of chefs present, as if opening the door to a new world.

In contrast, Xia Yu’s ’Silver Cod Green Tea Meatballs,’ although it looked good, didn’t have the attention-grabbing appeal of when the sashimi rose roll bloomed.

In terms of visual enjoyment, the ’Silver Cod Green Tea Meatballs’ clearly couldn’t compete with the ’Cod Sashimi Platter.’

"I disagree with you, Mr. Dojima!"

Shinohara Shigetaro shook his head.

"The cod sashimi platter, with its live ingredients, eating the dish is like venturing into the deep sea of the Antarctic Waters and experiencing its scenery..." Shinohara Shigetaro glanced at the empty plate, "But this Chinese cuisine, the lion’s head, even though it has a good chew and flavor, only satisfies my stomach and tongue. It doesn’t fulfill my appetite on a spiritual level..."

The outside audience was left in the fog.

Without actually tasting the two dishes, they naturally couldn’t imagine the flavors.

Listening to the debates of the two main judges, the chefs couldn’t help but glance at each other.

There were no knife skills, no heat control, no seasoning.

All those fundamental aspects seemed forgotten by the examiners, who instead focused on seemingly intangible things like "living ingredients," "soul of the dish," and "heart of the chef."

Chefs who understood, such as the recently competed Yuchuan Meisha and Dubian Junya, wore solemn expressions.

Those who didn’t understand were left bewildered.

Seeing Shinohara Shigetaro standing by Yuchuan Meisha’s side, dissatisfied with his own dish in various ways, Xia Yu couldn’t help but secretly roll his eyes.

Mr. Shinohara, are you really setting up your acquaintances like this?

He glanced at Shinohara Shigetaro and happened to see a small piece of mint leaf fall on the table, stunning him. Then he understood what was happening and realized it wasn’t Shinohara Shigetaro’s fault. Xia Yu slapped his forehead and said, "Mr. Shinohara, the lion’s head you just ate lost its mint leaf, and the olive oil green tea sauce seemed insufficient. I need to give you a better portion!"

With that, he jogged back to the oven at the cooking station and took out another plate of lion’s head, again three pieces, this time increasing the amount of seasoning. The bottom of the plate was a lush green, with the fragrance of tea overflowing!

"Hmm?!"

Sniffing the aroma, Shinohara Shigetaro’s expression changed drastically.

"The secret lies in the mint leaf and olive green tea sauce!" said Xia Yu, though he was inwardly contemplating how he had gone all out this time!

Shinohara Shigetaro couldn’t help but reach out with chopsticks, picking up one lion’s head, deliberately dabbing more of the plate’s seasoning, then zeroing in on the mint leaf atop the meatball, devouring more than half of the meatball in one bite.

As his teeth bit down, the flavor spread.

"This taste... is completely different!" Shinohara Shigetaro was stunned.

Refreshing!

This time it wasn’t the umami, but a mixed symphony of mint, olive, and green tea!

The entire mouth was filled with this refreshing flavor.

Exhaling, the breath was full of taste!

Shinohara Shigetaro’s expression transformed from solemn to gentle in an instant, and his mouth stretched into a serene, baby-like smile.

He sat there as if he had fallen into a peaceful sleep.

A gust of wind blew through, and Shinohara Shigetaro leaned back into his seat, finding himself lying on a verdant tea terrace, and rose to stand. Looking out from the hillside, the vast tea fields teeming with fresh buds, lush and green, waited to be plucked.

The breeze rustled the leaves, casting a gigantic shadow from the sky. Shinohara Shigetaro looked up and was left speechless.