"Is it another legendary culinary utensil?!"
Looking at the golden light in front of her, Rindo Kobayashi couldn't help but mutter to herself.
Wasn't this a bit too exaggerated? Were there really so many legendary culinary utensils in the world? She had thought that such magical items, at most, numbered only one or two in the entire world! She never expected...
"However, for you to use this against Kuga feels a bit like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito. The difference in your skill levels was already huge."
Glancing at Terunori Kuga, who was cooking methodically beside her, Rindo Kobayashi couldn't help but facepalm, somewhat puzzled by Dylan's actions.
Clearly, with Dylan's strength, he could easily defeat Terunori Kuga by casually preparing any special-grade dish.
And if they hadn't started from making tofu, this farce could have ended in less than five minutes.
"Do you really not understand?"
After scooping the white chili bean paste from the Turning Dragon Pot and storing it properly in a small jar, Dylan looked up at Rindo Kobayashi, who had a subtle expression on her face not far away. "Understand what?"
Rindo Kobayashi was slightly puzzled.
"Going all out is respecting your opponent, and even more so, respecting the dish in your hands. If you can't even understand this, then there's no need to be a chef!" Although he wasn't truly going all out either, this didn't stop him from lecturing Rindo Kobayashi. There was a huge problem with this girl's philosophy.
But he was right about one thing.
That was, he respected his opponent, and even more so, respected the dish he was preparing! Once he started, he would think about how to make it the best it could be!
"Respect the opponent, respect the dish in your hands..."
Dylan's voice wasn't loud, yet it made Rindo Kobayashi, usually so lively, fall silent and begin to seriously ponder the true meaning of those words. Seeing her lost in thought, Dylan paid her no further mind and turned his attention back to the snow-white tofu in the strainer before him.
Traditional Mapo Tofu emphasizes the unity of six flavors:
"Numbing, spicy, fresh, fragrant, hot, and crispy."
And building upon this, skilled masters have continuously researched and improved it, creating an eight-flavor Mapo Tofu, which includes:
"Numbing, spicy, hot, fragrant, crispy, tender, fresh, and alive."
And what Dylan was making this time was precisely the magical eight-flavor white Mapo Tofu!
Chopping scallions, ginger, and garlic in preparation.
Then, he began to cook!
At this very moment, on the other side, Terunori Kuga added a cornstarch slurry to his Mapo Tofu, thickening the sauce to prevent it from becoming watery.
"I'm done!"
Bringing the completed Mapo Tofu to the table, Terunori Kuga looked towards Dylan. Seeing that he was still cooking, Kuga took two steps forward, wanting to see his progress. However, just as he reached Rindo Kobayashi's side and glanced into the pot, an expression of uncontrollable shock appeared on his face.
"What?!"
"Wh...white Mapo Tofu! How is this possible?! But the aroma permeating the air is undoubtedly that of genuine Mapo Tofu!"
Although he had heard Dylan say earlier that he was going to make white Mapo Tofu, Terunori Kuga couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when he actually saw it. The tofu in the pot was snow-white from top to bottom, yet the air was filled with a rich, numbing, and spicy fragrance!
It seemed unconventional, yet it was traditional at its core. But the dish before him was undoubtedly the most authentic Mapo Tofu!
"You finished just in time. My Mapo Tofu is almost ready too. I'm naming it 'Magical Eight-Flavor White Mapo Tofu'!" Dylan said, scooping out the white Mapo Tofu, its sauce slightly thickened, from the pot and presenting it on a plate before the two of them.
"Come on, try it!!"
When the dish was ready, it didn't burst with intense golden light as the two had imagined. Instead, the golden light was restrained, leaving only a faint, lingering golden sheen on the surface. This was a result of Dylan's travels.
To take a dish from an ordinary state to one that bursts with golden light, and then to a state where a continuous stream of light flows on its surface.
These were actually bursts of flavor. At the moment the dish was completed, because the burst of flavor couldn't be suppressed, such a phenomenon would occur.
And now, in a slightly serious state, Dylan could already converge the golden light, making only a faint, continuous stream of light linger on the surface of the dish. This way, the flavor of the dish would be locked within, only to explode completely the moment it entered the mouth.
Dylan had also used this technique during the Guangzhou Special Grade Chef Examination when making the wine-flavored vegetarian steak, but he hadn't given it much thought at the time.
After a year of travel, he could now make any type of dish to the radiant-grade level, and for dishes like this, where the golden light was restrained and the aroma locked inside, the success rate was also high.
And there were many benefits to cooking this way. First, it could keep the flavor at its best for a longer time.
Second, it allowed the flavor to explode in the mouth, bringing an exquisite impact and giving the diner an even stronger, instantaneous sense of happiness!
"Is this... a weakened version of glowing cuisine? It's just a layer of flowing light wrapped around the surface. I've never heard of such a dish before... However, the aroma of peppercorns and chili in the air is so rich. Even though the entire Mapo Tofu is pure white, it feels incredibly intense!" Because she had never seen radiant-grade cuisine before, and her knowledge was limited, Rindo Kobayashi couldn't help but murmur when she saw the dish in front of her. This dish, emitting a flowing light, was already beyond her common sense.
In fact, she hadn't even seen glowing-grade cuisine before; she had only heard that when a glowing-grade dish was completed, it would burst with astonishing golden light.
And now...
Rindo Kobayashi fell into deep thought. Just as she picked up her chopsticks, ready to taste it...
"This is radiant-grade cuisine, above glowing-grade. But normally, even radiant-grade cuisine should experience the glowing stage first..."
Erina Nakiri's voice came from the doorway, the end of her sentence revealing deep confusion.
She had walked over from the hallway and hadn't seen any golden light. She never expected to find radiant-grade cuisine in the classroom. Who were these two people? Students Teacher Dylan had called over?
No! She didn't quite recognize the boy, but Erina Nakiri recognized the girl: Rindo Kobayashi, a second-year student in the high school division, her senior who excelled at cooking various rare ingredients. Why was she here?!
"It's Erina! And the two following behind, hello~"
Seeing that the newcomer was Erina Nakiri, Rindo Kobayashi greeted her warmly, acting very familiar.
"What exactly is this 'cuisine above glowing-grade' you're talking about?"
"Cuisine above glowing-grade, simply put, is cuisine that tastes even better than glowing cuisine. It usually has the power to turn the rotten into the magical!"
"Cuisine above glowing-grade..."
Hearing Erina Nakiri's description, Rindo Kobayashi gulped.
Her eyes were fixed on the white Mapo Tofu in front of her, her heart beating a little faster. What would this dish taste like?
At the same time, the few people in the classroom turned their heads and saw that not only had Erina Nakiri arrived, but Megumi Tadokoro and Yuki Yoshino were also following behind her. It seemed they had met in the classroom and then came over together.
"Teacher Dylan, we're here."
"Sorry, it seems we're interrupting you..."
When her eyes met Dylan's, Megumi Tadokoro couldn't help but show an embarrassed smile, clearly feeling that she had disturbed them.
"Not at all, you've come at the right time. Come in and try this dish together."
Hearing Megumi Tadokoro's apology, Dylan waved his hand nonchalantly, then pulled them in as well, adding them to the food judging. Actually, at this point, no one mentioned the competition anymore, because the gap between the two was too large, equivalent to a primary school student competing with a postgraduate in arithmetic. Even if the postgraduate was studying liberal arts, they could still completely dominate the primary school student.
This was a qualitative difference.
"Can we eat it too?"
Dylan's words made Yuki Yoshino's eyes light up. She then took two steps forward, approaching the white Mapo Tofu with a puzzled expression.
"What is this? It smells numbing and spicy, but it looks so white and clean. The contrast between such a heavy flavor and its appearance creates such a strong impact..." Yuki Yoshino looked at the dish in front of her and couldn't help but sigh.
Though it looked incredibly white and tender, it gave off a feeling of being full of flavor. This extreme contrast couldn't help but pique one's interest.
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a Sichuan Chinese dish, Mapo Tofu! But, isn't Mapo Tofu usually red?" Erina Nakiri's voice sounded from the side. She walked up, a hint of doubt in her eyes, and soon stood before the Mapo Tofu.
If this dish before her wasn't shimmering with a radiant light, she would have thought it was someone's prank. Who makes white Mapo Tofu!
"I just noticed, it's white from top to bottom! From the tofu to the sauce thickened underneath, to the pure white minced meat, there's not a hint of any other color. It's so pure, such a subtle feeling..." After a careful examination, Yuki Yoshino discovered this: the dish before her was unadulteratedly white, a natural, perfect white!
"What a beautiful dish."
Megumi Tadokoro murmured softly, as if sighing. It was hard to imagine that something so beautiful was a dish.
"It is indeed very beautiful, almost like a work of art!"
Erina Nakiri agreed from the side, her eyes reflecting the radiant light of the dish, revealing a look of deep fascination.
The aroma of the dish wasn't particularly strong; one had to get close to smell it. So, it didn't cause the few people present to lose their composure as it had in the classroom.
However, as time passed, the lingering fragrance still stirred their hearts, giving them the urge to devour the dish in front of them.
"I can't take it anymore!"
In less than a minute, Rindo Kobayashi's patience reached its limit. She picked up a spoon and chopsticks and reached into the plate.
She wasn't greedy. Swallowing her saliva, she just scooped a spoonful of tofu and picked up a few pieces of minced meat, sending the food into her mouth all at once.
"Hiss..."
The rich flavor exploded in her mouth!
The spicy fragrance of the chili bean paste, the numbing taste of the Sichuan peppercorns, and the pungent aroma of garlic and ginger intertwined, forming a complex yet harmonious taste experience.
Numbing, spicy, fresh, fragrant, tender, hot.
These were the first sensations.
Dylan.
Following closely was the deep-fried soybean mince! It brought a 'crispy' texture. With a slight press of the chopsticks, it could fly off like a marble!
"The blanched garlic sprouts are standing up in the dish!"
And with Rindo Kobayashi's action, the originally harmonious and unified white Mapo Tofu 'suddenly' changed.
The blanched garlic sprouts scattered in the dish instantly stood upright on the plate, as if freshly picked from the field and chopped, looking vivid and alive!
And this was the final flavor of the white Mapo Tofu.
Alive!
"It feels like the tofu is dancing in my mouth!"
Megumi Tadokoro's cheeks flushed, and she let out heavy breaths of hot air. As a spoonful of tofu entered her mouth, she felt something rampaging within.
With a slight press against her upper palate, various flavors – numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant – suddenly burst forth from this small piece of tofu.
It was hard to imagine that a small piece of tofu could contain so many flavors!
"It really is! This minced meat tastes amazing! Is it made from chicken? Why is it so crispy? And it has such amazing elasticity!"
Compared to the lively tofu darting around, Yuki Yoshino was incredibly interested in the flavorful, crispy, and surprisingly elastic soybean mince in her mouth! So, she looked up and asked.
"No, it's just soybeans soaked in chicken soup to absorb its essence, then simply seasoned with salt, crushed, and finally deep-fried in hot oil to lock in the flavor and set its shape."
Dylan had no intention of hiding it and directly explained how the minced meat in the dish was made, referencing the Magical Six-Flavor Mapo Tofu created by Fairy Pai.
"Crispy meat made from soybeans, no wonder the color is white. So that's how it is. Such amazing elasticity, what astounding technique!"
As she spoke, Erina Nakiri also scooped a spoonful of Mapo Tofu into her mouth.
Immediately, a nervous expression appeared on her face, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her chef's uniform, as if she was worried about something.
One second, two seconds.
"Looks like this time it shouldn't..."
Just as this thought surfaced in Erina Nakiri's mind, a surging force suddenly welled up within her body. This made her look at Dylan with pleading eyes; only he could help her now.
[...]....
Seeing this, Dylan immediately sprang into action, quickly moving towards Erina Nakiri. However, because Rindo Kobayashi and the others were blocking the way, he was ultimately a step too slow.
"Stop it!"
Dylan's voice 'suddenly' exploded in Erina Nakiri's ear, carrying infinite power.
And because of this voice, the speed of the power overflowing from Erina Nakiri's body slowed down, even showing a brief moment of stagnation.
The next moment, a warm, large hand landed on her shoulder, pouring in infinite internal energy, counterbalancing the force that was about to erupt from within her.
However, this time the situation was slightly different from the last. Due to the previous delay, the clothes-bursting power was about to erupt this time. Even though Dylan had arrived, he could only suppress it.
At this moment, Erina Nakiri's chest heaved violently, her eyes revealing a hint of daze, as if she was suppressing something, a beast deep within her heart.
"Swoosh~"
A pure white button popped off Erina Nakiri's chest and was precisely caught between Dylan's fingers.
His gaze couldn't help but drift downwards. Beneath the white of the chef's uniform was an even deeper white! And besides that, there was a pale purple...
"Quite cute. Hurry up and fix your clothes."
"What do you mean, cute..."
Forcing down the dangerous thought of pressing his hand down, Dylan stated calmly, then stood in front of her.
There was no helping it; Terunori Kuga and the others were behind them. If he left, Erina Nakiri would probably lose all face.
Furthermore, he didn't want Terunori Kuga to see this scene; he would feel a subtle discomfort, simply put, possessiveness.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Dylan......"
Looking at the man's pure and simple eyes in front of her, Erina Nakiri suppressed her inner shyness, her face flushed red as she pulled the sides of her burst open clothes together.
However, this action caused the desire Dylan had painstakingly suppressed to rise again. This girl really had no idea of her own charm!
"Ah, if only Hisako were here! But she seems to be in a bad mood. Forget it, giving her a break occasionally is fine..."
Pressing her clothes, this thought appeared in Erina Nakiri's mind. Then, she saw Dylan suddenly take off his jacket, holding it by the collar on both sides, and drape it directly over her shoulders.
"Wash it and return it to me tomorrow."
Looking at the blushing Erina Nakiri, Dylan inwardly praised her cuteness, then turned his head to look at the others.
At this moment, the others present were all looking puzzled, not understanding Dylan's sudden action, nor Erina Nakiri's abrupt shyness.
Only Rindo Kobayashi had a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Alright, continue tasting."
Seeing Erina Nakiri put on his jacket, Dylan placed his hand on her shoulder to prevent the dish's power from being too strong and causing her to have the urge to "clothes-burst" again.
Thinking of clothes-bursting, Dylan once again thought of that deep whiteness, like a black hole in the universe, capable of sucking in everything in the world!
"Mm."
Feeling the residual body heat on the jacket, the blush on Erina Nakiri's face did not diminish. She inexplicably felt as if she was being held tightly in his embrace.
Although she knew such thoughts were shameless and brazen, Dylan was right beside her now, and she was even wearing his clothes...
Once such a thought appeared, it was impossible to banish it. Her peripheral vision sized up Dylan, and Erina Nakiri couldn't help but feel her heart race.
Shaking her head vigorously to dispel all slightly colored thoughts, she then looked at the white Mapo Tofu in front of her and swallowed.
Without hesitation, Erina Nakiri scooped up a spoonful and swallowed it. Myriad flavors spread in her mouth, bringing a faint look of enjoyment to her face.
Her whole body also became warm under the effect of the chili.
The clothes-bursting power became useless under the balance of Dylan's internal energy, allowing her to enjoy the delicious food in front of her without any worries.
As if!
With another mouthful of white Mapo Tofu, the previous mouthful seemed to trigger some chemical reaction, directly starting to affect the deepest part...
_____
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