Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"The heat is just right, we can start assembling now."

Looking at the bright orange fried fish fillet in front of him, Jancis muttered something to himself before setting it aside for later use.

At the same time, the oven dinged, indicating that the fresh hamburger buns had reached the perfect baking temperature. Jancis cut one in half with a knife, prepared the other ingredients, and began to assemble it.

First, place a layer of lettuce at the bottom of the burger, then add the fried fish fillet, tomato slices, pickle slices, and onion rings in that order.

And just like that, a delicious-looking and satisfying burger is complete! All that's left is to repeat the process to make three more.

"Please enjoy, judges."

Looking at the old man smiling at him, Jesse subconsciously shrank back, somewhat unable to meet his gaze.

After all, the chef at his restaurant had tried to beat up the old man, but thankfully he didn't succeed, otherwise it would have been a huge blunder.

The head of the Nordic Cuisine Research Society was beaten up by his own chefs? And by a group of them?! This seems a bit too far-fetched...

"This burger looks really good, especially the fried fish fillet in the middle, it looks so golden and appetizing!"

Reaching out, Chihiro Natsume picked up the fish fillet burger in front of her, parted her lips slightly, and took a bite. Immediately, an endless array of flavors exploded in her mouth, making her cheeks blush even more.

Under the table, her fair and straight legs began to rub together slightly, as if a strange sensation was rising and surging from the depths of her body.

"The hamburger buns are baked to perfection, with a slightly crispy exterior and an extremely soft interior. The golden-brown fried fish fillet is tender and juicy, complementing the slight chewiness of the persimmon seeds. Every bite is an ultimate temptation for the taste buds!"

The filling of halibut is a perfect blend of umami, delicate shrimp paste, and chewy squid cubes, complemented by the crisp lettuce leaves, the sweet and sour tomato slices, and the slightly tangy and crunchy pickles...

Words flowed from her mouth incessantly as Chihiro Natsume praised her with a face full of rapture, her breathing becoming heavier with each word.

At this moment, she had closed her eyes, as if she had completely sunk into the ocean of delicious hamburgers!

"The purple onion rings are the perfect finishing touch; their spiciness is tempered with a hint of sweetness, igniting endless fantasies about the burger! Mmm..."

Chihiro Orie's cheeks were also flushed. She raised her head to the sky, her feet slightly curled up, clearly suppressing her emotions to the extreme.

If there hadn't been a large audience present, they would have undoubtedly followed their most primal desires and emitted incredibly alluring sounds.

Even so, they still couldn't control themselves. Their fair legs under the table were moving back and forth, and they were all twisting and turning, looking very uncomfortable.

"A good dish, using halibut meat, shrimp paste and squid cubes to form the core patty of the burger."

Each layer is individually prepared, and with one bite, the juices of the shrimp paste and squid cubes burst forth, complementing the unique richness of the bread and the freshness of the vegetables—clearly a carefully selected combination.

The persimmon seeds used to wrap the fried fish fillet, in particular, not only add a base flavor but also bring a unique crispiness; it's a pretty good idea.

In a fair assessment, Lancy Jon believes that Jancis's professional level as a master chef is beyond question.

"The outer coating encases the halibut fillet, concentrating the flavor within. Thanks to the natural taste of the persimmon, you can experience its exquisite deliciousness even inside the coating!"

In addition, there's the sauce used in the burger, a combination of egg yolk gravy and sprout sauce! It perfectly harmonizes the flavors of the fish fillet and vegetables.

Adding salt and chopped sprouts (specifically, the sprouts of Sichuan peppercorns) to the egg yolk sauce adds a refreshing touch to the fried fish fillet, reducing its greasiness and creating an exceptionally elegant flavor!

Beneath its crispy exterior, you can clearly feel a creamy, moist texture that whets your appetite!

Dissecting the hamburger and analyzing it in detail, Chihiro Natsume exhaled a breath of hot air and began to offer her evaluation. The fried fish fillet stood out the most, so it was the subject of her particular evaluation.

"The persimmon seeds tightly wrap around the fresh halibut, it feels like being warmly embraced by a pure mermaid! I must say, it's a truly wonderful experience!"

Chihiro Orie followed closely behind. At this moment, she had already been drawn into the illusion. The mermaid's hot embrace made her feel as if she was going to drown here!

Gasping for breath, gasping for air, accompanied by a strong sense of relief, Chihiro Natsume and Chihiro Orie's legs were tightly pressed together, as if they had reached some kind of critical point, but because the audience was there and the cameras were rolling, they could only grit their teeth and keep quiet.

"Two of the three judges gave it extremely high praise. He truly deserves to be a master chef! This dish looks delicious!"

"That fried fish fillet seems to be the signature dish of [Nuoyu] restaurant. I've had it once before, but it's different from the small piece of the signature dish. This one looks really impressive, and it even has persimmon added for innovation. I wonder what it tastes like!"

In the audience, watching the enlarged fish burger on the big screen, everyone swallowed hard. If there's anything wrong with a food channel, it's that you can see it but can't eat it!

"It seems I've won this food battle."

Seeing the reactions of Chihiro Natsume and Chihiro Orie, Jesse's lips curled up slightly.

The judges are now captivated by his delicious cooking, and as long as Alice's dishes aren't excessively delicious, he will always come out on top.

This is what is known as the first-mover advantage!

"It seems too early to be complacent. I came here carrying Bai Yuan's belief, so I cannot lose this match!"

As she passed by Jesse, Alice Nakiri overheard his mutterings and replied in a voice only the two of them could hear.

As she spoke, she glanced up in Bai Yuan's direction, gave him a confident smile, and then strode towards the judges' table.

"What kind of hamburger did you bring this time?"

Watching Alice Nakiri mysteriously conceal the dish with a silver lid, the three judges all wore expressions of varying anticipation.

Especially Lancy Jon, because of Bai Yuan, he naturally has more confidence in Alice, which is what is called loving the house because of the crow.

That day, Bai Yuan's shock to him was so great, it was like a power that transcended dimensions! Although he had seen glowing dishes before, he had never seen such a combination of ingredients that could be made into a glowing dish by relying on his powerful culinary skills.

He's so amazing, he's practically from another world!

"Please enjoy the Molecular Umami Burger."

Opening the lid of the dish, Alice Nakiri raised her hand and gestured for the three judges in front of her to proceed.

Her face was full of confidence; she had used everything she had learned during this time to make this hamburger!

"Molecular Umami Burger?"

Looking at the golden hamburger in front of me, it doesn't look special at all; it's just an ordinary hamburger, and it doesn't even have a strong aroma.

but...

She parted her lips slightly and took a bite. The rich flavor instantly spread across her tongue, making Chihiro Natsume and Chihiro Orie's eyes widen.

Even Lancy Jon, who was usually completely calm in the face of Jancis's cooking, was now extremely excited.

"This is...!"

The fresh taste left the two sisters no time to comment; they simply devoured it with rapt attention, one bite after another, unwilling to stop.

"The hamburger bun has a crispy outer layer and a soft, airy interior. This type of bun not only absorbs and enhances the flavor of the patty and sauce, making it irresistible, but how does it achieve this?"

After a while, having eaten most of the hamburger in her hand, Chihiro Orie forcibly stopped herself from eating any more. She looked up and asked Nakiri Alice curiously, as she really didn't know how it was made.

While maintaining the burger's crispiness, it also features a dense, airy interior! And...

She pressed her fingers down hard on the bread, and the bread bounced back like a sponge, maintaining its original shape no matter how much she kneaded it.

"I added emulsifiers and enzymes to change the texture and mouthfeel of the dough, creating bread with a subtle bubble structure and a special elasticity."

In addition, I used vacuum baking when baking these breads. This method reduces the evaporation of moisture from the dough, making the crust crisper while the inside remains soft and moist.

Alice Nakiri held up a finger, pointed in the direction of the hamburger bun, and explained to the judges with a smile.

Her voice rang out through the loudspeaker, leaving the audience looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Vacuum baking? I didn't even know there was such a baking method! No wonder I think this bread tastes, smells, and is exceptionally crispy!"

Chihiro Natsume exclaimed in surprise, clearly not expecting that such a small bread would involve so many new technologies. She had been so focused on watching her kneading performance that she had overlooked so many details!

"What surprised me the most was this steak. If my tongue is not mistaken, you must have used both fish and lamb!"

Mix the minced fish and diced lamb evenly, then add a suitable amount of olive oil and chicken broth. The proportions are perfect, not only blending the delicate texture of the fish with the rich flavor of the lamb, but also bringing out the full umami taste!

Lancy Jon let out a long breath, looking at Alice Nakiri with obvious shock in his eyes. This burger was truly flawless!

If the cooking time, seasoning, and other factors were refined a bit more, it could definitely reach the level of a luminous dish! But even so, it's already very delicious!

"I use the golden ratio, with the fish meat having a milder flavor and a higher proportion, while the lamb chunks play a supporting role in this meat patty, mainly used to enhance the texture of the fish meat patty."

As for the processing, I used rapid spinning and beating to develop the elasticity, while adding chicken bone broth to enhance the flavor and make the meat patties sticky.

Alice Nakiri explained with a smile that the combination of fish and lamb is actually the earliest manifestation of umami in cooking, and also the most impactful combination!

Adding chicken broth at this point elevates the umami flavor to an even higher level, reaching an unparalleled level; the sensation is simply...

A tender embrace between the ocean and the land!

It unfolds an unprecedented symphony of flavors on the taste buds, immersing you in the purest and most breathtaking culinary feast of nature.

Chapter 56 With no woman in his heart, his sword is naturally divine!

"I see. It combines the elements of fish and lamb, no wonder you call it the Molecular Umami Burger. The umami flavor released in your mouth the moment you bite into it is simply unbelievably strong!"

Feeling the umami flavor spreading from the inside out on his tongue, continuous and distinct, Lancy Jon showed an approving expression.

He had just seen Alice Nakiri go and get the mutton, which is why he said she had a good idea.

Combining fish and mutton in a golden ratio is a simple concept if you can think of it, but difficult if you can't.

That's the thing about cooking. If you can think of it, you can go further; if you can't think of it, you'll never progress. It's all about having an extreme talent for eating!

"Um..."

Chihiro Orie bit her lower lip slightly with her pearly teeth, and the muscles in her legs bulged slightly, as if her whole body was exerting force.

If she could tolerate Jancis's fish burger, she really couldn't stand Alice Nakiri's molecular umami burger!

Upon closer inspection, in addition to the outstanding patty, the sauce in the burger is also unique, using mushrooms and matsutake mushrooms, which elevates the burger's umami flavor to another level!

"boom!"

On the other side, with her fingers gripping the table tightly, Chihiro Natsume's face was flushed red, and her breathing became extremely heavy.

Her legs went weak at that moment; the powerful impact of the dish caught her off guard! Luckily, a table blocked her view, preventing her embarrassing moment from being seen by the audience!

As for Lancy Jon, although he was still enjoying the delicious food, he didn't react much. He simply closed his eyes and savored the flavor.

This is also the real reason why different levels of food battles require different levels of gourmets to serve as judges.

Only discerning and experienced gourmets can appreciate the subtle differences in the details of each dish and use these differences to determine the winner between the two chefs.

In addition, great food critics are usually also master chefs, because only they, as fellow chefs, have enough theoretical knowledge to make the most accurate judgments.

"It seems you already know the outcome of this match."

After exchanging a glance, Chihiro Natsume and Chihiro Orie had recovered from the afterglow of the meal and were now taking small bites of the molecular gastronomy burger, their faces showing enjoyment. They could still tolerate this level of enjoyment.

The main reason was that I took too big a bite, and the taste was so good that I couldn't stop once I started eating. The impact went straight to the depths of my body!

In that instant, they knew they might embarrass themselves in front of the audience, and they all instinctively raised their hands to cover their faces, afraid of appearing too shy.

Little did they know, this behavior was even more alluring; covering her face with her hand and revealing half of her face in a seductive manner, she possessed a captivating charm that seemed to both resist and welcome.

"Okay, let's begin the judgment..."