"Are you alright, Leonora?"
Placing the ramen bowls on the nearby dining table, Dylan asked with concern. Mindful of their relationship dynamic, his hands remained respectfully restrained, only supporting Nakiri Leonora's waist and doing nothing more.
However, because Nakiri Leonora had stumbled forward, she had naturally put her hands on his neck for support, bringing their faces very close.
"I'm fine. I just didn't expect your cooking had already reached this level... Glowing cuisine! That's a domain only chefs at the Special Grade 5-Star level are qualified to touch."
Gazing at the tonkotsu ramen, which was gradually returning to normal before her, Nakiri Leonora steadied herself using Dylan's shoulder and stood up. A faint blush coloured her cheeks, but being a mature woman, she skillfully changed the subject.
"Special Grade 5-Star?"
Looking at Nakiri Leonora, who was practically drooling, Dylan asked with some confusion. He genuinely wasn't familiar with how chefs were ranked in this world.
"You don't know? According to the World Gourmet Organization's classification, chefs are systematically divided into six levels. From bottom to top, they are Culinary Apprentice, Third Class Chef, Second Class Chef, First Class Head Chef, Special Grade Chef ranked 1 to 9 Stars, and Dragon Chef."
"We can skip the promotion methods for the lower ranks for now, but producing glowing cuisine is a necessary condition to advance to a 5-Star Special Grade Chef."
As she spoke, Nakiri Leonora had already arrived at the dining table. Staring at the tonkotsu ramen emitting an incredibly rich aroma, she couldn't help but swallow hard.
"Go ahead and try it. See if I've met your requirements."
Dylan handed chopsticks to Nakiri Leonora, a peculiar fighting spirit burning in his eyes. He hadn't forgotten that this was the test she had given him.
Speaking of which, ever since he became a Dragon Chefand defeated numerous seniors in the Dark Culinary World, no one had dared to test him anymore.
During his first year learning to cook, however, he faced tests almost every other day. Those who failed the assessment would receive incredibly severe punishments!
He remembered the first time he tried tossing a wok; because he used too much force, a little sand flew out, and he earned a whipping for it.
Afterward, to avoid the whip, he could only practice harder than everyone else until he had honed all the basic skills to perfection. When he finally started cooking proper dishes, he immediately displayed astonishing talent.
From then on, he grasped any dish instantly, his culinary skills improving daily. He quickly left the peers who started with him far behind, becoming the youngest Dragon Chefin the history of the Dark Culinary World.
This took him less than two years!
"Gulp... No! I can't... wait... another second..."
Ignoring Dylan's words, Nakiri Leonora stared intently at the tonkotsu ramen before her. She picked up the nearby chopsticks, grabbed a mouthful of noodles, and began eating ravenously, like someone starved for days.
The firm, smooth noodles exploded with flavour in her mouth, a rich wheat fragrance intertwining with just the right amount of chewiness.
Following closely, the tonkotsu broth flowed into her mouth like a gentle stream – an indescribable richness and depth.
The soup concentrated the essence of pork bones slow-simmered for hours; every drop held the taste of time and the artisan's dedication. It wasn't just salty and savoury; it possessed an irresistible mellow sweetness, like the purest waves from the deep sea, or the warm sunshine of an autumn afternoon, gently enveloping every taste bud.
"Ah, mmm, aaahhh!!!"
Finally, the intensely concentrated flavour elicited an utterly embarrassing moan from Nakiri Leonora. In her mind's eye, the clothes on her imaginary self had already burst apart completely. Eating this mouthful of ramen felt like someone was whipping her with incredibly firm noodles, each strike landing with perfect force, creating a strange sense of excitement within her!
"The aroma oil used rapeseed oil and lard. When the oil reached medium heat, chopped onions and smashed garlic were added and fried until their flavour infused completely before being removed. Then, dried small fish, chili powder, and white pepper powder were added and slow-fried at low temperature. The savoury essence of the ingredients gradually melted into the aroma oil at low heat, spreading across the tongue and further emphasizing the rich flavour of the tonkotsu broth. Truly an amazing masterpiece!"
After rattling off this long analysis in one breath, Nakiri Leonora slumped back in her chair, panting heavily. The heat from the noodles brought a light sheen of sweat to her face, making her look even more radiant and captivating.
"This char siu pork tastes amazing too! The marinade must be a Japanese-style dashi made from kombu, dried shiitake mushrooms, small dried fish, scallions, garlic, ginger, and bonito flakes. Then soy sauce, sake, and mirin were added to mix – the flavour is exceptionally rich."
Her face beaming with utter bliss, Nakiri Alice's cheeks were flushed red as she chewed continuously, looking exactly like a little hamster.
"You got most of it right, but the bonito flakes weren't boiled in the dashi. After boiling the other ingredients, cleaned bonito flakes were placed in a strainer, and the hot liquid was poured over them to extract their flavour."
"Additionally, the soy sauce part used a blend of three types: dark soy sauce (koikuchi), sashimi soy sauce, and light soy sauce (usukuchi). Layering them like this creates a richer salty profile. Besides sake and mirin, I also added a little sushi vinegar to increase the marinade's acidity."
Dylan explained fluently. Nakiri Alice listened intently, nodded seriously, and then turned her gaze back to the soup bowl before her.
Gulp, gulp.
Lifting the bowl, Nakiri Alice drank the tonkotsu broth in large mouthfuls. Suddenly, she clamped her legs together, an astonishing pulse erupting from her small body.
"Aaaahhh!"
The next moment, the girl's clothes suddenly burst apart, and the same happened to Nakiri Leonora beside her! Clothing fragments scattered across the floor. Dylan's cooking had actually pushed the Nakiri family's clothes-bursting phenomenon into its second stage: 「Transmission」!
"My, honestly! Don't keep staring at me like that!"
Covering her chest shyly, Nakiri Leonora looked at Dylan with a slight blush. Even though he wasn't old, he was still a boy, and having him stare made her feel somewhat embarrassed.
However, despite wanting to immediately go upstairs and change, the dish before her kept her rooted to the spot. Her body vehemently resisted leaving. While devouring the ramen, she gradually felt warmer.
Nakiri Alice was in the same situation, but compared to Leonora's shyness, she seemed much more carefree. Eating the ramen without any attempt to cover herself, her face was filled with pure happiness.
"I'm going to step out for a bit. Call me back in when you're finished."
Witnessing the scene unfold, Dylan gave a slightly awkward smile, then stood up and quickly walked out to the living room. Two bodyguards were standing guard at the door.
Although quite a commotion had occurred inside, they hadn't rashly entered. Unless their employers were in danger or gave specific instructions, their duty was simply to guard the entrance.
____________
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