Mana's Ambition
A piece of clothing, initially, serves the purpose of covering the body and keeping warm.
However, people can transform these body coverings into various styles, creating beautiful and diverse forms through skillful tailoring.
A piece of dough, no matter how it's made, ultimately serves to fill the stomach.
But by repeatedly kneading and processing it, then steaming it into smooth, plump buns, it can stimulate one's appetite.
A lump of fish paste, if boiled directly in water without further processing, appears rough and unappealing.
However, if this paste is shaped into beautiful "goldfish" or made into round, translucent balls and cooked in soup, its appearance instantly improves.
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In short,
Human civilization always needs beauty.
Cooking also needs beauty, achieved through cooking techniques, high-tech methods, and advanced theories to pursue beauty, which is certainly a form of expression.
And the best way to embody the beauty of cooking is through the recipes created by chefs!
A well-designed menu can help avoid excessive reliance on takeout or fast food, thereby reducing the intake of unhealthy foods.
From the perspective of restaurant management, a menu is a promotional tool:
A carefully crafted menu can make diners feel pleasant and appreciated, encouraging them to order more dishes.
Additionally, the menu content can guide diners to try higher-priced dishes, increasing restaurant revenue.
Of course,
While menus are important, they are not the most crucial factor.
This is evident from the fact that anyone can cook by following a recipe, but the culinary industry still needs chefs.
Understanding the control of cooking times; the nuances of common seasonings like salt, MSG, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, and sugar; the knowledge of seasoning vegetables like scallions, ginger, and garlic; and the selection of various cookware materials, food ingredient choices, etc...
Simply put,
Cooking is not just about following recipes; it involves incorporating one's understanding of ingredients and seasonings.
When you truly understand the essence of food and cook with care, you can create delicious dishes, just like:
A hundred people making the same dish will produce a hundred different flavors.
Everyone is unique!
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However,
For Mana, he had a bold idea.
No, it wasn't just an idea anymore; it was something he was actively pursuing:
Using his extensive experience to continuously develop cooking recipes that anyone could follow and that could lead culinary trends.
Yes.
His dream was to create a culinary empire.
In this empire, everyone could follow his recipes to make the "finest" dishes.
And those representing ordinary, everyday cooking would be completely overshadowed by this new wave of culinary fashion and disappear in the face of his recipes!
At this moment, in the kitchen, Mana, still exhausted, planned to make another batch of three-shrimp noodles.
"President, something terrible has happened." Just as he was about to wield his chef's knife and start preparing the ingredients, a woman, who appeared to be his secretary, rushed into the kitchen in a panic.
"I should have told you, no matter how urgent things are, never disturb me while I'm cooking!"
Disturbed, Mana looked displeased.
He had to put down the knife and glare at the secretary.
"President, this matter is even bigger than anything else."
"The branch office in Japan just contacted headquarters."
"They said a group of Midnight Chefs suddenly attacked Chef Broson's restaurant. One chef, using a chainsaw as a cooking tool, defeated Chef Broson with just a fish cake focaccia!"
The secretary explained everything in detail.
"Midnight Chefs?" Mana was taken aback.
Then, his eyes flashed as he realized this was WGO's doing behind the scenes.
Originally, he had no intention of opposing WGO, as his current target was Totsuki Academy, the entire Nakiri family...
But he hadn't expected things to escalate this far.
With his sharp mind, he could easily see that the Midnight Chefs' actions and the situation's development were because someone didn't want him expanding his influence in Japan, pushing things from behind the scenes.
And as for what role the WGO played in this conflict, he didn't have the heart to speculate on that now!
"This is getting interesting. I didn't expect WGO to step in at this time." Mana smirked and then asked his secretary, "Give me a detailed report of all the information you've gathered!"
"Yes, President!"
The secretary quickly reported everything about the Midnight Chefs.
Upon learning that these Midnight Chefs used extreme measures to force restaurant chefs into cooking battles under the "Shokugeki" rules and that losing meant closing their restaurants unconditionally, Mana remained silent for a long time.
He knew this "Shokugeki" rule was unique to Totsuki Academy.
However, this system, initially designed to resolve disputes among students, had been exploited by the Midnight Chefs to challenge the culinary world!
"Could it be that the mastermind behind WGO also has ties to Totsuki Academy?"
Mana thought about it and muttered to himself.
---
Regardless, he now felt a slight sense of fear.
It wasn't that he couldn't compete with WGO.
But this incident made him realize that the person pushing things from behind was not simple, likely having already seen through his plans and ambitions.
This venture into Japan was both an opportunity and a challenge for Mana.
Yes!
Definitely an opportunity!
But he knew this was also a point of no return.
If he won, he would become the new director of Totsuki Academy, gaining control of the Nakiri family's resources to further his grand plan for a culinary empire!
If he lost, then...
Mana didn't want to think about it.
"It seems I need to go to Japan myself."
Finally, Mana made up his mind, "Book two tickets to Japan, and make sure we can reach Tokyo within two days."
"Understood, President."
The secretary nodded quickly.
At this point, Mana lost the mood to cook.
He first tidied up his clothes and then instructed the secretary, "Before we leave, clean up the kitchen."
"President, what about this just-finished bowl of three-shrimp noodles?"
The secretary asked.
"Throw it away."
"But you spent over seven hours making this three-shrimp noodles. It looks delicious; it's a pity to waste it…"
"Pity?"
"My life's dictionary only has the word 'perfect.'"
"No matter how much effort I put into a dish, if it has even a slight flaw, it's like pig slop, disgusting."
With that, Mana coldly turned and left, leaving the secretary in shock.
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The 1909 publication "Overview of Chengdu" recorded 1,328 Sichuan dishes, not including classic fish-flavored dishes like fish-flavored shredded pork.
A century later, today, the number of Sichuan dishes is still debated:
Some say 3,000 kinds.
Some say 6,000 kinds.
But no matter the number, it's astounding.
And pork, being one of the most common meat foods on Chinese tables, has given rise to many classic Sichuan dishes.
The infinite spicy fragrance from the last spoonful of hot oil in boiled beef, with its bright red soup, is a classic Sichuan dish from Zigong, later extended to pork, making it more affordable.
In Hanyuan County, jarred pork preserved using traditional methods has a long original fragrance and is easy to store.
Braised pork.
It comes in salty and sweet varieties.
Salty braised pork is rich, while sweet braised pork is dense.
Thus, pork has countless variations in the kitchens of Sichuan people.
If you ask which dish is the most beloved among these, asking around the Sichuan region, twice-cooked pork has absolute supporters.
What is "twice-cooked"?
It simply means cooking it twice, boiling the pork to remove the smell and firm up the texture.
In fact, twice-cooked pork has always been called the "first dish of Sichuan cuisine."
In many diners' eyes, twice-cooked pork is a must-eat Sichuan dish. In the 9th China International Food Tourism Festival, it was voted the "first dish" among the "Top Ten Classic Sichuan Dishes" by the public.
In professional chefs' eyes, twice-cooked pork ranks high.
Flipping through various Sichuan cookbooks, since the 1970s, Sichuan chefs and researchers often introduce twice-cooked pork first.
Therefore, calling twice-cooked pork the king of Sichuan cuisine is not an exaggeration.
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In the tavern, customers, either in groups of three or five chatting softly at the tables, or sitting alone at the bar enjoying their drinks, immersed in their own worlds.
The air always carried a relaxed and joyful atmosphere, making people unwittingly relax.
Occasionally, music would softly play, the gentle melody harmonizing with the surrounding ambiance.
Here, time seemed to slow down, allowing people to forget the outside world's noise and enjoy this rare moment of peace!
At this moment, while Miyoko was savoring the delicious explosive twice-cooked pork, Yuuki walked in, carrying two live chickens, her eyes sparkling.
Behind her was her dorm mate, Megumi.
"Good evening, Zane."
"I made some pastries for you."
Megumi was no longer shy; perhaps she had grown familiar with Zane?
She boldly placed a box of pastries in front of him.
"Thank you!"
Zane was slightly taken aback but quickly accepted the box of pastries with both hands.
Then, Ryoko, who had just entered, glanced around and then sat down.
"The usual, Zane, please make something delicious with these two chickens!"
Yuuki said as she handed the chickens to Zane.
"Alright, just wait a bit."
Zane took the pastries and chickens and headed back to the kitchen.
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"Spicy chicken, spicy chicken, looking for chicken in a pile of peppers"
describes spicy chicken perfectly.
There's no dish where the chef can be so bold with the peppers, and diners can enjoy sweating profusely.
Zane quickly grabbed a live chicken.
Then he tied its wings to prevent it from struggling.
He skillfully plucked the feathers around its neck and then, with a sharp knife, swiftly slit its throat.
Yes!
Killing a chicken.
The scene wasn't too gory.
But Zane's skilled slaughtering still left Yuuki, who was good at handling wild game, stunned.
After slaughtering the chicken, Zane prepared an onion, peppers, scallions, ginger, garlic, dried peppercorns, dried chilies, sugar, and soy sauce.
He cleaned and chopped the chicken, salted, and sugared it.
He cut the scallions into 3mm pieces, minced the ginger and garlic, and heated the oil in a pan until it was 60% hot.
He fried the chicken until crispy, then drained it. He left 50g of oil in the pan and stir-fried dried chili segments, peppercorns, ginger, garlic, and scallions until the chilies turned brownish-red, then added the fried chicken pieces, sugar, and peppers, stir-frying until fragrant, and finally garnished with sesame seeds.
Near winter, spicy foods are particularly popular.
Zane's spicy chicken looked and smelled wonderful, with a rich fragrance.
"Wow, is this really spicy chicken?"
Yuuki sniffed and exclaimed.
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Upon tasting it, it was indeed spicy and fragrant.
Each piece of chicken burst with a spicy kick, bringing endless joy.
As the chicken was thoroughly cleaned of peppers, the residual bits were too tasty to leave.
Perhaps, this is the charm of Chinese cuisine, always leaving you wanting more!
Moreover, savoring and slowly chewing the chicken, it had a rich, fresh flavor, with no unpleasant aftertaste.
The meat was tender, the spiciness thoroughly infused, and the chicken juice permeated the peppers, making the chicken, despite being fried, not dry.
A bite was juicy and tender, with the unique spiciness filling the mouth.
Each piece required a few breaths, leaving one feeling thrilled!
"The amount of peppers used is just right, neither too much nor too little."
"And while the spicy chicken is very hot, the heat builds gradually, not overwhelming at once."
Yuuki closed her eyes, savoring the taste.
There are many ways to cook chicken, but spicy chicken, with peanuts, cucumbers, and chilies, has the greatest characteristic of being red but not too spicy, spicy but not harsh, fragrant and flavorful, with crispy meat. The chicken's freshness and the other ingredients' flavors create an incredibly spicy experience.
After taking a bite, the tongue first feels a slight numbness, then a sweet flavor.
Chewing further, there's a crunchy sensation.
Yes.
This kind of dish.
Truly leaves people wanting more!
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