Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 95: The Flame of Rice

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: The Flame of Rice

"Ah!"

Xingping Chuangzhen witnessed Xia Yu sourcing ingredients and tossing them into the pot, finally realizing a certain issue.

"Is he making my Transformed Raw Egg Rice Bowl?"

Xingping Chuangzhen froze.

"No..."

Immediately after, Xingping Chuangzhen shook his head.

Beside him, Tiqie Xianzuowen slowly said, "Pay attention, what he added to the soup base included ginger slices, green onion segments, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns... Hmm? And other ingredients."

"These are the ingredients for a Chinese-style broth," Niho Fuyuka said softly. She was skilled in Chinese medicinal cuisine and could be very sensitive about ingredient combinations.

"Chinese-style broth!"

Xingping Chuangzhen immediately realized, "No wonder I didn’t see any bonito flakes. If it were Japanese-style broth, without bonito flakes, this dish would be considered a failure."

"The Japanese-style broth is made by boiling bonito flakes, ginger, sugar, cooking wine, and light soy sauce on high heat, and it can be removed from the heat in about an hour," Xingping Chuangzhen said, stroking his chin and searching for the differences in cooking method, "Moreover, I heat the water before adding the ingredients, whereas he starts stewing them in cold water."

There were two key points to the Transformed Raw Egg Rice Bowl, in Xia Yu’s perspective.

The first was naturally the chicken wing jelly.

The original version used a Japanese-style broth jelly, while Xia Yu was now making a Chinese-style broth jelly.

The second was the rice.

The original version used a clay pot to cook the rice, and so did Xia Yu.

However, his clay pot rice mixed some techniques from Cantonese Clay Pot Rice, which was a culinary skill Xingping Chuangzhen did not possess.

After rinsing the rice, he first brushed a thin layer of oil on the bottom and the edges of the pot, then added a few drops of oil inside the clay pot before adding the rice and water.

"Eh..."

Upon seeing Xia Yu turn to bring over a charcoal stove and skillfully start a charcoal fire, everyone was astonished.

"Is he going to cook the rice with charcoal?" Xingping Chuangzhen was astonished, "Isn’t it better to control the heat with a gas stove as the temperature of the charcoal is uneven, making it easy to overcook the rice?"

Tiqie Xianzuowen remained silent, watching as Xia Yu brought over a hand-cranked blower and crouched down on the ground, puffing the charcoal in the stove red.

"It’s too early!"

Xingping Chuangzhen was puzzled, "Even if the broth is boiled vigorously, it takes at least half an hour to develop enough flavor for the jelly. Starting to cook the rice now seems too premature!"

No one answered him.

"Lord Eriina..." Niho Fuyuka looked worriedly at the thoughtful Tiqie Helinai, opening her mouth but not daring to speak out loud and disturb her.

’Divine Tongue’ furrowed her eyebrows, clearly racking her brains, pondering over her own recipe.

Her gaze flitted to the figure who was calmly busy at the kitchen station, her mood growing more agitated.

"Why such a topic!"

"Just plain eggs, I have many classic Western recipes, but to mix in an ingredient like rice... Perhaps I should make an omelet rice? But, I’m not sufficiently versed in Japanese omelet rice!" Tiqie Helinai started biting her thumb again.

Morita Makki might have been the quietest among them all.

From the moment Xia Yu started busying himself, her gaze followed Xia Yu’s movements, wherever Xia Yu went, her gaze went, and in her serene pupils was only Xia Yu’s reflection.

Unconsciously, forty minutes passed.

The clay pot rice, slow-cooked to perfection, was placed on the kitchen counter by Xia Yu, sizzling softly.

Pulling out the cooked ingredients from the pot, especially the cooked-through chicken wings, he meticulously deboned them with a boning knife, separated the meat, discarded the bones, piled the chicken wing meat on the board, chopped it into a mince, and mixed it into the freshly cooked broth.

After boiling vigorously without a lid, the remaining broth in the pan wasn’t much; he filled a half-transparent lunchbox with it, sprinkled in the minced chicken wing, sealed the lid tightly, tossed the lunchbox into a sink filled with ice to cool it down. Once the soup’s temperature reached room temperature, he then placed it into a professional freezer.

Twenty minutes later, the transparent lunchbox was taken out, the thick soup had turned into a semi-solid paste.

The rice bowl was turned upside down.

Gurgle, a whole block of meat jelly fell onto the cutting board; Xia Yu picked up a sharp, slender kitchen knife. Clang clang clang, amidst flickers of silver light, it seemed like the meat jelly was cut by a machine into neatly scattered cubes.

Next up was the scrambled eggs, and to make them fluffy, a little bit of water-starch was mixed in during the beating.

Heat the wok, heat the oil, hold a wooden spatula in one hand, and pour the egg mixture into the pan in swirling motions with the other, your right hand’s wooden spatula never stopping, quickly scattering the eggs.

"Done!"

Finally, lifting the lid off the clay pot, she sprinkled the mixed scrambled eggs and meat jelly cubes over the top surface of the rice, then grabbed some chopped green onions for garnishing—a dish full of color, aroma, and flavor was thus completed.

Xia Yu brought over her creation and glanced over at Tiqie Eriina.

Her dish seemed to be almost ready as well.

Previously, the "Divine Tongue" had pondered for at least half an hour before starting; Xia Yu was quite curious about what kind of dish she would present.

But no matter what, he would not lose!

"Please, try this—"

Bang.

The clay pot, cushioned by a layer beneath, was placed on the table, its rich aroma assaulting the senses; even the "Food Demon King" Tiqie Xianzuowen was captivated by the smell, staring intently at the pot.

"Have a taste first."

Seeing Xingping Chuangzhen about to speak, Xia Yu handed him a pair of chopsticks, winked, and said, "This is my ’Transformed Raw Egg Rice Bowl,’ see what’s different."

"I want some too—" Morioka Makoto leaned over.

"Here, the chopsticks."

"I, I..." Niho Fuyuka suddenly stammered, and Xia Yu continued to hand her a pair of chopsticks.

As for Tiqie Xianzuowen, he had already picked up a pair of chopsticks from the wooden tray, grabbed a mouthful of rice mixed with scrambled eggs and meat jelly, and chewed it.

Hard!

The grains of rice were individual, but not uncooked-hard.

Upon entering the mouth, the softness of the scrambled eggs and meat jelly cubes nicely alleviated this texture.

As he chewed, Tiqie Xianzuowen’s expression became wonderfully animated.

"Such fragrant rice..."

The temperature in the mouth melted the meat jelly, and the thick chicken broth blended with the rice, becoming more appetizing with each chew; his lips and teeth were awash with flavor.

Xingping Chuangzhen also tasted a morsel of the dish, and it hit him like lightning, his shoulders trembling, "This control of heat... it’s unbelievable!"

His eyes displayed a shocked expression.

This pot of charcoaled rice was evenly heated, each grain perfectly cooked, with neither sticking to the pot nor creating burnt rice crusts.

What made Xingping Chuangzhen’s emotions hard to settle was that in this pot of rice, each grain seemed to transform into a separate dish, all harboring an unextinguished... flame!

It was indeed a flame!

He couldn’t help but take another bite of rice.

His teeth bit down and ground it, beyond the rich flavor of the meat jelly and eggs themselves, the rice buzzed releasing a burst of heat, like a flaming ball exploding, assaulting his mouth. Xingping Chuangzhen shuddered!

At that moment, Xingping Chuangzhen suddenly realized that flame could also be a taste!

He faintly understood why Xia Yu insisted on cooking the rice with charcoal.

The flame on the kitchen stove was stable, but unfortunately, it did not provide space for culinary manipulation, but charcoal fire was different. Xingping Chuangzhen gulped down the food, the flame seemingly igniting his body, he closed his eyes in enjoyment.

Near him.

The Far Moon Commander, Tiqie Xianzuowen, was already in a state of bursting clothes, his strong upper body with bronzed skin, seeming like he was steaming in a sauna, emitting steam.

While Morioka Makoto and Niho Fuyuka’s cheeks were flushed, both in a state of blissful closure.