"This season is precisely when crabs mature and produce roe, and also when their flavor is most intense. Fresh crab roe is perfect as the main ingredient for a sauce."
Looking at the golden-yellow crab roe before him, stained by the soy sauce, it stood out remarkably against the white shrimp, like a painting where ink had bled and spread.
Just from the aroma in the air, Dylan could discern its preparation steps and also perceive areas where Alice Nakiri's dish could be further refined.
However…
Dylan didn't say it outright. Instead, he brought over a stool, gestured for Alice Nakiri to sit, and simultaneously took the metal tray from her hands.
"Have you tasted this dish?"
"I haven't had the chance yet..."
Dylan's sudden question made Alice Nakiri's expression freeze. Her body, which had just sat down, stiffened, and she was about to stand up, thinking she had made a mistake somewhere.
"Don't be nervous. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your dish."
Reaching out to press Alice Nakiri back down, Dylan continued, "But you need to change this impatient habit of yours, or you'll run into problems sooner or later."
"Mmph..."
Suddenly being lectured, and in such a roundabout way, Alice Nakiri instantly shot Dylan a reproachful look.
"The marinating method allowed the shrimp meat to fully absorb the essence of the crab sauce and seasonings, while also making the texture tender and juicy."
"Every bite is a perfect interweaving of savory, sweet, sour, and salty notes. It retains the original flavor of the seafood while adding complex and enticing layers of flavor. It's really quite good."
Dylan picked up a piece of shrimp, put it in his mouth, and savored the rich taste. He couldn't help but nod, a hint of gratification in his eyes.
Even in such a barren place, Alice Nakiri can still consistently produce Special Grade cuisine. It seems that during the summer vacation before she advances to high school, I can let her take a trip to China.
With Alice Nakiri's current skill, there's at least a fifty percent chance she'll pass. As for the remaining fifty percent, she can make up for it during the intervening time.
"This is indeed a very good method, but for a shrimp dish that uses crab roe as a sauce, there's actually an even better cooking method. Do you know what it is?"
Looking at Alice Nakiri, whose face was full of enjoyment after tasting the dish, Dylan spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of scrutiny.
"Huh? There's another cooking method..."
Dylan's words stunned Alice Nakiri for a moment. Then, the girl lowered her head and began to think, frowning.
Dylan wasn't in a hurry. He savored the deliciousness of the Crab Sauce Marinated Raw Shrimp while silently waiting for her to come to a decision.
Under Alice Nakiri's exquisite knife skills, the fresh shrimp, with heads and veins removed, were split in half, then further divided with two more cuts, each halving its thickness, finally becoming thin slices the size of a cattail leaf fan.
Its texture was fresh, tender, and springy, complementing the savory crab roe beautifully. Such a dish had already reached the pinnacle in all aspects. To further enhance its flavor, one could only change its form.
Change its form? Change its state!
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration seemed to strike her mind. A thought, like a streak of light, landed in her consciousness and then became unstoppable: "Sear."
"Sear it with fire, right?!"
Her voice trembled with the excitement of finding the answer. Alice Nakiri stared intently at Dylan's face, waiting for his reply.
"Bingo. So you haven't learned in vain."
"Because your sauce contains soy sauce and sugar, if you sear it with fire, a Maillard reaction will occur, producing a unique charred aroma and smoky flavor."
As Dylan spoke, he ran to the bus, rummaged through the luggage compartment, and found a bottle of white liquor. He then jumped off the bus, took a swig from the bottle, and simultaneously lit a flame with a lighter.
The next moment, the liquor in his mouth transformed into a myriad of tiny droplets, igniting instantly as they passed through the flame, and then burst into flames on the surface of the Crab Sauce Marinated Raw Shrimp, startling Alice Nakiri.
"Don't worry, this level of heat won't burn you."
Seeing Alice Nakiri's startled look, Dylan smoothly took the plate from her hands, not letting go even though flames were dancing on it.
"But that was still quite scary, coming so suddenly. With this method, will the flames really not burn your mouth?"
Her voice held a hint of complaint. Alice Nakiri looked at the flames, which went from roaring to gradually subsiding, then at Dylan's lips, her expression thoughtful.
"If you're fast enough, it's not really a problem. It looks scary, but it's actually just an extremely ordinary operation," Dylan explained.
"This... ordinary..."
Alice Nakiri was somewhat speechless. Having stayed by Dylan's side for a long time, she found herself becoming desensitized to the word "ordinary."
Because no matter what astonishing feat Dylan performed, he would use a nonchalant "ordinary" to cover it all up.
Perhaps to him, it was ordinary, but to them, it was already a god-tier, heaven-defying act. Before Dylan, no one could have done it!
As the flames slowly died down, the aroma of crab sauce wafted through the air.
The tender white shrimp meat had also curled slightly from the searing flames, its surface now bearing a golden-brown crispy layer, which not only intensified the sauce's aroma but also firmly locked in the juices and savory flavor.
"Alright, try it."
Although it had only been briefly seared with flames for about ten seconds, its aroma had explosively increased severalfold, making one's mouth water uncontrollably.
"Listening to you say that, it feels like you're the original creator of this dish."
Watching Dylan's actions, Alice Nakiri couldn't help but grumble. Wasn't this her dish, prepared for him to taste?
"I also participated in the cooking process and helped you complete a crucial step. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I'm one of the creators, right?"
Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Dylan shrugged. Although it was just a simple burst of flame, it was a crucial step in elevating the dish's flavor.
"Alright, let me taste the difference between flamed and unflamed."
Swallowing her saliva, Alice Nakiri looked at the Crab Sauce Marinated Raw Shrimp - Seared before her, her face showing an expression of longing.
Dylan was right. Although it was just a simple searing, it was key to elevating the dish's flavor. If nothing else, just looking at that golden color greatly whetted one's appetite!
Her cherry lips parted slightly as she sent the deliciousness mixed with crab sauce into her mouth.
After being enhanced by the flames, the juices inside the shrimp meat were locked in. One bite revealed even more succulence, making one feel incredibly satisfied.
In terms of texture, the surface of the seared shrimp meat formed a slightly crispy caramelized crust, which contrasted sharply with the tender shrimp meat inside, bringing an incredibly strong improvement in layered texture.
"Indeed, even though it was just briefly touched by flames, both the texture and flavor have significantly improved. The most prominent improvement is the texture!"
Also tasting the Crab Sauce Marinated Raw Shrimp - Seared, Alice Nakiri's face showed an expression of enjoyment, and she then added in agreement.
"This is the power of flame."
Dylan said this with a smile, picking up a piece of the seared shrimp and savoring it.
"I can give you 95 points for this dish. You took over an hour. Overall, I'll give you 98 points. I hope you continue to work hard."
He had just said he would use his own dish as the full-score standard, but Dylan certainly wouldn't actually do that. Otherwise, even Alice Nakiri here probably wouldn't get many points. If the gap between them was too small, it wouldn't serve the purpose of a test.
"98 points? Not 100 points...?" Hearing the less-than-ideal score for her dish, Alice Nakiri looked at Dylan with a hint of regret. I worked so hard, and it's only 98 points...
"This time, the scoring standard is based on the Special Grade evaluation level. To get a full score, the dish must be outstanding even among Special Grade dishes."
"If you had thought of searing it with flames and implemented it without my reminder, I could have given you 100 points. But you didn't." Dylan gestured with his hand. Alice Nakiri's Crab Sauce Marinated Raw Shrimp tasted good, but it hadn't reached the limit of the scoring potential. 98 points was the fairest evaluation.
"Teacher Dylan, Teacher Dylan, I have a question for you."
Just then, Ikumi Mito jogged over to Dylan and Alice Nakiri, her movements causing a vigorous swaying that made it hard to look away.
"What question? Go ahead."
Hearing the commotion, Dylan and Alice Nakiri both turned their gazes and then saw the stunning scene. The girl was drenched from head to toe from fishing in the river, her clothes clinging to her body, accentuating her superb figure. At this moment, she was walking towards him barefoot.
It was fortunate that this was a riverside, where the sand was relatively soft. Otherwise, walking barefoot elsewhere would have been quite an ordeal for Ikumi Mito!
"I want to ask, Teacher, which of these wild vegetables are edible, and are these mushrooms poisonous? They don't look very reassuring."
Ikumi Mito, carrying a small bamboo basket, jogged up to Dylan and emptied its various ingredients.
"Ingredient identification, hmm, this is indeed a difficult point that needs special attention."
Dylan said this as he began to rummage through and examine them.
He had crammed all this knowledge after coming to this world. By continuously reading plant encyclopedias, he had already memorized most of the edible wild vegetables in East Asia and a large part of Europe.
"This is dandelion. It has powerful effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling, and promoting urination. It's suitable for stewing with ribs or in pig's feet soup."
"This is spiny amaranth root. People in the Liangguang region love to use it for stewing ribs or in pig's feet soup. It also has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, dispelling dampness, and reducing swelling."
"Plantain, wild chrysanthemum greens, Chinese onion. Among these, the most suitable for cooking fish is wild chrysanthemum greens, also known in some regions as 'tang hao cai'. It's suitable for stewing crucian carp soup. The resulting soup is milky white and fragrant, very suitable for autumn nourishment."
"As for these mushrooms, apart from this small, golden-yellow clustered one, the others cannot be used."
"This one is called elm oyster mushroom. It often grows in dense clusters and is golden yellow. Its flavor when used in soup is absolutely exceptional. I'm starting to look forward to your dish."
Looking at the wild vegetables Ikumi Mito had collected, Dylan nodded in approval as he examined them. Although most of them couldn't be used, quite a few were suitable for cooking fish soup and were very high-quality ingredients.
"I see. Teacher Dylan, you know so much."
Hearing the explanation, Ikumi Mito nodded, then looked at Dylan with an admiring expression. She had initially just come to try her luck and hadn't held out much hope. She hadn't expected Dylan to actually know!
"Of course! Teacher Dylan isn't just knowledgeable, he's a walking encyclopedia!" Before Dylan could speak, Alice Nakiri, who was beside him, chimed in, hearing Ikumi Mito's praise. With her proud little expression, anyone who didn't know better would think she was the one being praised.
"Alright, you should hurry up and cook."
Dylan put all the ingredients from the ground back into the basket, handed it to Ikumi Mito, and patted her shoulder encouragingly. Although the final deadline was evening, the earlier a dish was submitted, the higher the score. Moreover, once the assessment was completed, contestants could move around freely in the vicinity. This was one of the few perks.
"Yes, Teacher Dylan."
Hearing Dylan's words, Ikumi Mito nodded firmly and then jogged back to the nearby riverbank where all her cooking utensils were placed.
"Next is the cooking..."
Looking at the few small crucian carp in the basin that she had painstakingly caught, their small size had caused her considerable trouble during preparation.
Before going to find Dylan, she had already cleaned the fish and marinated them evenly with salt, pepper, ginger slices, and minced garlic to let the flavors soak in!
What remained was...
She picked out the wild chrysanthemum greens and elm oyster mushrooms from the ingredient basket, cut them into suitable sizes for cooking with a knife, and then took out the Akebia fruit hidden in her pot.
She had found it in a nearby mountain forest. It was unknown how many years it had been growing; the vine was thick and strong, coiling around a tree. By the time she arrived, not many Akebia fruits were left, only a few harder-to-reach ones on the vines at the top of the tree.
However, this didn't deter her. With her agile skills, she put on a display of monkey-like tree climbing for everyone and managed to gather all the remaining fruits.
"Truly a hard-won treasure."
Looking at the fruit, its skin split open revealing jade-like white flesh inside, Ikumi Mito couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Then, she lifted her kitchen knife and decisively cut it into small pieces, setting them aside.
She placed the marinated fish into the pot, added stream water just enough to cover the fish, brought it to a boil over high heat, and then skimmed off the foam.
She added the prepared wild chrysanthemum greens and elm oyster mushrooms, salt, chili, soy sauce, and cooking wine for a simple base flavor, then switched to low heat to simmer slowly, keeping the soup at a gentle boil.
"Without a proper stove, the flame is really hard to control. If only I had a barbecue grill."
She looked rather enviously at Erina Nakiri's grill, wanting to borrow it but feeling too embarrassed to ask. Ikumi Mito ultimately chose to cook using the hanging pot method with fine sand. During this time, she occasionally turned the fish to ensure it cooked evenly.
After the fish in the pot had boiled for a while, she added the cut Akebia fruit to the pot to increase the sweetness of the soup base and make the flavor richer.
Of course, Ikumi Mito wasn't making the fish soup Dylan had suggested. Although that was indeed the optimal solution, she wanted to create something of her own.
Therefore, after much deliberation, she decided to make a dish called Roasted and Stewed Fish, as she happened to have most of the seasonings needed for it. As for the missing scallions and garlic, she traded a few of her harvested Akebia fruits with others, since she only needed one for herself.
After finishing these tasks, all that remained was to wait. Ikumi Mito paced around her cooking station, casting wary glances at the other students.
At this moment, everyone on site was a competitor. There was no guarantee that someone who couldn't complete their own dish wouldn't try to sabotage someone else's.
Therefore, she couldn't relax for a moment until her dish was complete!
"Teacher Dylan, this is my Fruitwood Medicinal Fish Fillet Congee. Please try it."
Meanwhile, Hisako Arato's Fruitwood Medicinal Fish Fillet Congee was also ready. She hung a towel on the handle and carried the clay pot over to Dylan.
"Fruitwood Medicinal Fish Fillet Congee, quite interesting."
Watching Hisako Arato, who was using a suitcase as a table and bending over to ladle congee for him, Dylan showed an interested expression.
After his long-term training, Hisako Arato's understanding of medicinal cuisine had greatly improved, a feat for which the discipline ruler deserved no small credit.
So much so that now, just seeing Dylan made her feel incredibly ashamed, and a certain part of her body would tingle warmly. It was supposed to be a punishment, yet it excited her! This feeling was very strange, making her feel like a pervert. Therefore, Hisako told no one about this, bearing it silently herself.
"Please, Teacher Dylan."
"Sit down. There's no need to be so nervous. I'll just conduct a normal review."
Seeing Hisako Arato supporting the bowl with both hands, her face exceptionally flushed and her gaze darting about, afraid to look at him, Dylan patted the chair beside him, motioning for her to sit.
"Mm."
Straightening her clothes, Hisako Arato let out a long breath and then sat down beside Dylan.
However, her gaze remained fixed on the bowl of congee in his hand, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, making them wrinkled. She looked extremely tense.
Dylan, however, remained half-reclining, merely propping himself up a little more before scooping up a spoonful of the congee before him and tasting it.
The milky-white, jade-like congee exuded a faint aroma of rice and the fresh scent of medicinal herbs.
The long, slow simmering of fish bones with various medicinal herbs had allowed the soup to absorb the mildness of amomum fruit, the sweetness of Chinese yam, the warming properties of dried ginger, and the spleen-awakening quality of dried tangerine peel. These flavors permeated each other in distinct layers, forming the core base of the fish fillet congee.
"Not bad. It seems your efforts during this period haven't been in vain, and the discipline ruler wasn't endured for nothing."
"Putting other things aside, you have completely mastered the basic combinations of medicinal cuisine and can skillfully apply them in your cooking. This point is very praiseworthy."
Savoring the taste unfolding in his mouth, Dylan didn't hold back his praise. As he spoke, he scooped up some fish fillets from the congee—the essence of the dish.
The sesame oil marinade not only added an enticing aroma to the fish fillets but also cleverly locked in their moisture, making each slice exceptionally tender, juicy, and thoroughly infused with the flavor of the congee. Such texture and taste demonstrated her precise control over the heat. Only by adding the fish fillets at the most opportune moment could they achieve a state of being tender yet slightly resilient. Adding them too early would make them mushy, while adding them too late would leave them undercooked. Only perfect timing could bring the fish fillets to their optimal texture!
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