The Lost Recipe
Making things look easy is one thing, but doing them is another. If you think this was just a bowl of rice, you'd be very wrong. The way Zane made the silkie chicken stuffed rice combined finesse with simplicity, fresh and rich flavors, providing Alice with a valuable lesson in molecular gastronomy!
As her mother, Leonora couldn't help but notice that Alice's eagerness to stay at the tavern wasn't just about learning culinary skills from Zane. However, considering Zane's ability and character, she was confident that Alice wouldn't go astray, which made her feel better.
...
Amid the sizzling of fried food and the chatter of diners, some satisfied patrons reluctantly left. As she still had to deliver beef products to customers, Mito didn't stay long. By around 2 AM, Mana, Leonora, and Alice also left.
"Ding-dong!"
"[Host, you have successfully checked in.]"
"Ding-dong!"
"[Congratulations to the host for acquiring a lost recipe: Stuffed Yellow Croaker.]"
In the realm of Chinese cuisine, the Manchu Han Imperial Feast is a royal banquet. It's divided into two types: the large feast with 108 dishes and the small feast with 64 dishes. Early on, the dishes were primarily from Shandong cuisine, with Tianjin dishes also featuring prominently.
As time went on, regional variations emerged due to different tastes, ingredients, and cooking methods. Regardless of these changes, the dishes were categorized into different levels based on the diner's status, with five classes in total: first, second, and third-class, as well as upper and middle seats, each serving different purposes.
For first-class dishes, there were 23 bowls including goose, chicken, duck, fish, and pork, along with eight fruit dishes, three steamed dishes, and four vegetable dishes. The second-class dishes included 20 bowls of fish, chicken, duck, and pork, with the fruit, steamed, and vegetable dishes remaining the same as the first class.
One of the top dishes in the Manchu Han Imperial Feast is the Stuffed Yellow Croaker. This dish involves using high-quality ingredients and a complex cooking process, including making a rich broth from abalone, sea cucumber, dried scallops, bird's nest, mushrooms, shrimp, lobster, and clams, which is then frozen into a jelly.
The final dish requires a three-pound yellow croaker. This intricate preparation tests the chef's knife skills and culinary expertise, making it so difficult that no chef today can perfectly recreate it according to the recipe.
"A lost recipe?" Zane was surprised by today's reward.
In the movie "The Chinese Feast," the Stuffed Yellow Croaker is a highlight. Chef Liao Jie masterfully prepared it: the large yellow croaker rolled in golden oil, releasing a creamy broth when pierced, with pearl-like balls and various ingredients flowing out... Under the lights, it was a stunning visual feast!
This dish is challenging and impressive for three reasons: deboning the entire fish, making the broth, and stuffing and cooking the fish. Just the first step of deboning the whole fish requires removing the innards and backbone through the gills without breaking the fish.
Many chefs practice for years yet still find it impossible to master.
...
After closing the tavern, Zane went to take a bath. He then grabbed a blanket and went to the next room, where he found Hisako sitting by the bed, looking worried and solemn.
"Hisako," he said. "I brought you a blanket. You can sleep here tonight. If you need anything, just call me."
"Got it," Hisako replied absentmindedly.
An awkward silence fell over the room. They stood like statues, not speaking.
"Not used to staying here yet?" Zane asked. "When Erina first moved in, she was just like you—awkward and cautious."
Hisako's face fell. "No, I'm happy to stay here. I'll try to get used to it and get along with Sonoka and the others. But it's my first time away from Erina, and I feel empty, like I've lost something important."
Her heart was shrouded in a dense fog, and she couldn't see through it.
...
Zane remained silent, unsure how to comfort her. Perhaps he sensed a bit of her feelings but wasn't certain. Even Hisako herself might not be sure.
They stood there, their hair intertwining in the growing night breeze, then separating, then intertwining again, as if time had frozen.
After a long while, Hisako looked up at Zane with clear, watery eyes reflecting his handsome face. Her gaze lingered on his features as if she were a painter capturing every detail.
Finally, her eyes revealed a touch of melancholy, a longing for the past. Unable to hold back any longer, she suddenly rushed into his arms, catching him off guard and pushing him against the wall.
"Zane, can you hold me?" she whispered.
Zane was taken aback but then hugged her tightly.
...
Time passed, and after a few minutes, Hisako pushed him away, blushing. "Thank you for the hug."
It was her first time being hugged by a boy, and it felt... warm and calming.
Strangely, while hugging Zane, her thoughts drifted back to her childhood with Erina, wandering around Totsuki Academy, sometimes cooking together, with Erina often giving her the less tasty dishes to try. She also remembered staying up late to read manga and light novels with Erina, helping her choose them online.
Even after letting go of Zane, Hisako remained lost in these happy memories, smiling more and more until she finally giggled.
"What? Did you enjoy my hug that much?" Zane teased.
"No, I just remembered something funny," Hisako replied, blushing. "Your hug wasn't as good as Erina said. It didn't make me like you."
"Oh really? Then why did you hold on for so long?" Zane asked.
"I just needed to vent a bit. Is that a problem?" Hisako retorted, blushing even more.
...
"Hisako, your smile is beautiful. You used to be so serious around Erina, like a wooden board. You never smiled like this," Zane said.
Blushing, Hisako glanced at him and turned away. But she eventually shared some childhood stories with Erina, which Zane found fascinating.
...
In recent years, the popularity of bentos has grown. Many office workers bring their own, and bentos are popular not just in Japan but also in Taiwan and Australia, thanks to the convenience store bento boom.
In Japan, convenience stores are widespread. In 2009, there were about 42,000 stores nationwide, each offering around 10 types of bento, satisfying many people. With the rise of fast food and busy lifestyles, more young people and office workers prefer convenience store bentos over cooking, sometimes even for all three meals a day.
Bentos, known as "bento" in Japan, come in various containers, from lacquerware to plain wood boxes.
Because of their importance, bentos were chosen as the theme for the third round of the quarterfinals.
...
Soma washed fresh eel and dried its surface. He then sliced it into even pieces and mixed Japanese barbecue sauce and dipping sauce in a bowl. He placed the eel slices on a plate, brushing them with the sauce to cover every corner.
Heating a pan over medium-high heat, he added a little oil to prevent sticking. He placed the eel, sauce side down, into the pan, cooking until golden brown. Then he flipped them to cook the other side for about 2 minutes until crispy.
He placed the cooked eel on paper towels to absorb excess oil, then put it on top of rice in a bento box, garnishing with chopped green onions.
"Hey, look! Their bentos are identical!" someone exclaimed.
"How could they both use eel as the main ingredient and cook it the same way?"
"Amazing! No wonder Mimasaka Subaru's mimicry skills are so strong!"
After repeatedly brushing the eel with secret sauce, each bite was filled with the grilled aroma and savory flavor. The sauce, made from eel bones, made it clear that every element of the bento was crafted with care.
...
But Soma's hard-earned eel bento was effortlessly replicated by Subaru. Both eels sizzled similarly on the grill, with the same sound frequency, impressing everyone.
Even though both dishes were eel bentos, they complied with the rules, so the judges began their evaluation.
"Incredible! This eel bento is so refined," Leonora praised, her eyes on Soma.
She was amazed by the skill level of this year's new Totsuki students. The previous day's battles between Hisako and Ryo, and between Alice and Megumi, had left a lasting impression on her with their outstanding dishes.
Today's bento showdown was no less impressive.
How did Soma make such a perfect eel bento?
Besides using fresh eel, rich sauce, and fluffy rice, the key was his pure dedication and passion for cooking!
Following traditional Kansai methods, Soma sliced the eel from its fattest part, grilling off excess fat for a crispy texture. He brushed it with secret sauce, ensuring each grain of rice soaked up the eel's flavor, making it the ultimate eel bento.
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