"Megumi, who do you think will win?"
In a corner of the audience seating, watching the two people engaged in the Food War, Shiina Mahiru couldn't help but nudge Tadokoro Megumi beside her with her elbow, while leaning her head over, her words full of curiosity.
"Hoshino-kun."
Without a second's hesitation, Tadokoro Megumi directly said Hoshino Sora's name, her voice incredibly firm, completely blocking Shiina Mahiru's next words in her throat.
"I also think Sora-kun will win. There's no special reason, it's just pure confidence in him."
Alice Nakiri also chimed in next to Tadokoro Megumi. They had all witnessed Hoshino Sora's strength. Although Yumeko Jabami worked very hard, she was still quite a bit behind Hoshino Sora.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see this.
"I feel like you're setting some ominous flag."
On the stage, Hoshino Sora was highly focused, looking at the duck hearts in front of him, his knife skills sharp.
Under the tutelage of Mao Jinyu, knife work must follow the ingredients. Each ingredient is an independent entity; their sizes and shapes vary, and the cutting points they produce also differ.
If it were an ordinary chef, they wouldn't care about the handling of these cuts, nor would they be capable of caring. For them, it's considered successful as long as the ingredients are processed according to specifications.
However, although the dishes produced this way don't taste bad, only by refining every detail can one possibly create top-tier golden cuisine.
Hoshino Sora was very clear about this. This dish was also one he had researched for a long time. He had started making it during his restaurant days before coming to Far Moon, but at that time, his skill could only produce silver (lower-grade) dishes.
Looking at the excellent duck hearts in front of him, the first step is to cut off the fatty parts and heart tubes, then slice them open in the middle, flatten them, and then use a straight knife and folded flower knife to reshape them. This way, the Fire Roasted Duck Heart produced will be both flavorful and tender.
After all the duck hearts are processed, prepare the small ingredients: slice green onions into shreds, and cut cilantro into segments.
One and a half spoons of soy sauce, a small half spoon of umami sauce, a little sesame oil, sugar mixed with pepper, stir well, and the marinade will be rich enough!
"Not enough..."
Tasting a bit of the sauce with his tongue, the experienced Chef Hoshino immediately noticed something was off. The sauce was rich, but not thorough enough.
Thinking of this, Hoshino Sora pondered for a moment, then fried some scallion oil and poured it in, stirring. Then he dipped his finger in the sauce and tasted it again.
"Still not enough. Right, there's also wine. I haven't made this in so long I forgot this step."
"Cooking wine isn't mellow enough..."
"Let's try white wine... Tsk, this aftertaste is finally right!"
He muttered to himself as he adjusted the sauce, but after several tastings, he was still not satisfied, his brow furrowing repeatedly, until he added a sauce-fragranced white wine, and his tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed.
"The taste is right, but something is still missing. The alcohol content of this white wine isn't enough."
"That person over there, please bring me a higher-proof sauce-fragranced white wine."
He meticulously tasted the sauce with his tongue, making adjustments on the fly. Because he had been busy being intimate with his wife during this period, Hoshino Sora had no time or energy to research cooking.
Of course, before cooking, he had still read the cookbook several times. He had looked at every detail in it countless times until he had it down pat before getting on stage.
He didn't do this entirely out of arrogance; another reason was that the competition time was too long. Two hours was enough time for him to continuously experiment and perfect this dish.
For example, now, after preparing the sauce and marinating the duck hearts, less than an hour had passed in total. Yumeko Jabami had only just started braising her duck a short while ago.
"Didn't you try making it beforehand?"
Watching Hoshino Sora, who took a long time to marinate the duck hearts, Yumeko Jabami, who had already finished all her work, couldn't help but step forward and ask, her voice carrying a hint of unusual emotion.
"I enjoy the thrill of researching dishes during a competition, and this is a dish others have made, with a specific recipe, so replicating it isn't particularly difficult."
Hoshino Sora explained with a smile. He was naturally very talented in this area. Once he decided on a dish, he could replicate it from a recipe in an hour or two.
"I feel quite underestimated. I hope your cooking can satisfy me."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Yumeko Jabami's face darkened, her voice filled with dissatisfaction. She secretly vowed to thoroughly defeat him, and then make him sing for her at night!
"Don't worry, you'll definitely be satisfied."
To this, Hoshino Sora said with great confidence, then drained the marinade from the bowl, took out the duck hearts, heated oil in a pan to eighty percent oil temperature, and then quickly stir-fried them to release their aroma!
After a few seconds in the pan, he quickly scooped them out with a slotted spoon, because leaving them in too long would make them tough, and too little heat would also make them tough. So, controlling the timing and heat was quite important.
"Whew..."
Once again, he waited for the oil in the pan to heat up to eighty percent, then placed the duck hearts in. This time, the stir-fry had to be faster than the previous one, and the technique even more decisive!
After this, there was a third stir-fry. The eighty percent oil temperature continuously rose to ninety percent. At this point, the iron pan was very dangerous; a slight misstep could cause the pan to catch fire.
And this was the final step of the Fire Roasted Duck Heart.
Hoshino Sora moved swiftly, quickly putting the duck hearts into the pan and then lifting them out. The timing of the entire process was perfectly controlled, ensuring the duck hearts were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Moreover, the three quick stir-fries locked all the flavor of the duck hearts into their core, while maintaining a crispy exterior. This was the famous Fire Roasted Duck Heart! An innovative dish developed by a Chinese chef!
"Please enjoy."
He lit the igniter paper under the plate, letting the flames burn around the dish, bringing the sense of ritual to its peak. Everyone's gaze in the venue converged on the small dish in front of them.
"It looks so simple, I could do it too."
"Oh, come on. This is clearly an innovative dish. You couldn't research and create a dish like this."
"Damn it, who are you looking down on? I can definitely do it too!"
"Laughable. Who can't talk big? If you've got the guts, go challenge this Ten Elite First Seat. I heard there's no cost to having a Food War with him."
"Really? Is that true? There's such a thing? Isn't that just asking for trouble?"
"Who knows? Maybe that's the confidence that comes with strength."
As the dish was completed, the audience below began to discuss animatedly.
The judges on stage saw the dish completed so simply, their expressions subtle, but because they all believed in Hoshino Sora's cooking, they didn't comment before tasting it.
"Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. The cooking temperature for this dish is really well controlled."
"The knife cuts are also very beautiful, looking like an exquisitely crafted scallop. It exudes a smoky, fiery aroma, but I wonder about the most crucial part, the taste..."
As they spoke, the three judges simultaneously brought the dish to their mouths. The next moment, their bodies, which had been under control, began to twist uncontrollably, as if something was crawling on them.
Their cheeks also turned from their original paleness to an extreme flush.
"The ultimate tenderness and crispiness, can these two really be combined so perfectly?!"
Chihaya Natsume's eyes widened as she murmured to herself, her voice filled with disbelief. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside—could anyone really make duck hearts to such a degree?!
"And there's a rich savory sauce flavor. You must have added a soy-sauce-based liquor when marinating this duck heart! The taste is so authentic, one bite gives you a thorough feeling."
Chihaya Orie also gave her evaluation with a slightly trembling voice, her fair thighs rubbing uncontrollably under the table. It was clear that this dish had a huge impact on her.
"Mine is also ready, please have a taste."
Standing beside Hoshino Sora, Yumeko Jabami also brought her dish to the three judges, placing it next to the Fire Roasted Duck Heart to facilitate comparison.
"Is this braised duck? That's quite rare."
Seeing the newly served dish, Chihaya Natsume sniffed its aroma, her expression very pleased. From its appearance, this was also a rare top-tier dish!
"That's right, I used water duck. The meat of this duck is firm and sweet, with less fat, thin skin, and crispy bones. It's the most superior ingredient for braised duck!"
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