Five Types of Meat Dish

The Director's Residence.

This place represents the center of power at Totsuki Academy and is the residence of the highest authority.

With just a sip of champagne, the honored guest Gin Dojima couldn't help but reveal an excited sparkle in his eyes.

Sweet.

Slightly bitter.

Amid the mature quality of the wine, a refreshing aroma emerged. The delicate bubbles, fresh fruit aroma, and lingering aftertaste could instantly intoxicate a person.

Although the taste of champagne is usually special, combining sweet, sour, bitter, and salty flavors, it's rare to find a wine with such rich layers of flavor and texture.

So much so that it took a while for Gin Dojima to snap out of it.

...

"How is it?" the Director asked, shifting his gaze back.

"This quality is absolutely exceptional among many champagnes, perfect for pairing with gourmet dishes at luxurious banquets," Gin Dojima said, focusing intently on the champagne in his glass.

"Doesn't it feel familiar to you?" the Director asked, chuckling lightly.

"Familiar?"

"I've never tasted this wine before," Gin Dojima thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"Gin, I won't hide it from you. This champagne was actually brewed by Saiba himself," the Director explained.

"Saiba?"

Gin Dojima was instantly stunned, staring at the amber-colored wine in his glass, trying hard to recall. "I never imagined he could create something so fresh and mellow," he murmured, sighing as his eyes grew distant.

...

"We'll talk about him later."

"The reason I invited you to Totsuki Academy this time is mainly to discuss the Fall Selection."

"Although the Fall Selection is an internal matter of the academy and should be managed by the Elite Ten, they lack the time and energy, and they don't have your experience."

"From building the competition venues to coordinating and entertaining the judges, and working with various ingredient suppliers."

"Without your assistance, it might not be possible."

"So, Gin, we'll need to rely on you for a while," the Director said calmly, finishing his drink and exhaling the wine's aroma.

"Director, since you've said this, I naturally have no reason to decline."

"Don't worry, I will assist the current Elite Ten and strive to make this Fall Selection a grand success!"

Feeling honored by the Director's trust, Gin Dojima readily agreed.

"Good."

"Thank you for your hard work," the Director smiled, pouring him more wine.

...

The pure, delicate aroma of the wine quickly filled the air.

Though not overly rich, the champagne had an endless aftertaste.

Gin Dojima, exhaling a breath of wine, couldn't help but remark, "Time flies. The scene of Saiba dropping out is still vivid, like it was yesterday, but it's been almost 20 years."

"Yes, it's been nearly 20 years," the Director, Senzaemon Nakiri, agreed, his eyes deep with reminiscence.

"Director, how is he doing?" Gin Dojima asked eagerly about Joichiro Saiba's recent situation.

"He has changed a lot. When I saw him, I almost didn't recognize him."

"During the residential training, he came to Totsuki Academy alone but first visited the tavern."

"Oh? He went to the tavern?"

"He must have tasted Zane's cooking. What was his evaluation?" Gin Dojima asked curiously.

"He had high praise, just like you and me, believing Zane will lead a new era of cuisine," the Director replied.

"Indeed, Zane's skills can even impress Saiba," Gin Dojima imagined the strongest chef of Totsuki Academy, or even Japan, Joichiro Saiba, being amazed by Zane's cooking.

...

"Gin, aside from the Fall Selection, there's another matter we need to discuss," the Director's tone turned serious, as if they were suddenly plunged into an abyss.

"What is it?" Gin Dojima asked seriously.

Who would have thought a pleasant conversation would have such a heavy turn? Gin Dojima quickly realized the Director's invitation wasn't just a casual chat.

"The last time I met with Saiba, he mentioned the night chefs," the Director said, stroking his beard.

"Night chefs?"

"I remember Kojiro Shinomiya's SHINO'S French restaurant was attacked by them," Gin Dojima's eyes widened, his voice trembling with fear.

...

The word curry comes from Tamil, meaning "many spices cooked together."

Initially, curry was used to remove the gamey taste of lamb. A single spice couldn't eliminate the smell, so they combined multiple dry spices into a thick sauce for cooking, and the results were surprisingly good.

So, in some aspects, curry equals spices, which is correct!

This makes it easier for Yuuki, who is skilled with wild game, to create dishes with the theme of "curry."

Wild game meats like venison, rabbit, and lamb usually have a strong smell, so using spices to enhance or mask the original flavor is a constant challenge for her.

Of course, combining curry spices with wild game to create a standout dish for the preliminaries also gave her a headache.

But if she thought of it, others could too.

For her, using spices in cooking could avoid many issues.

But the same thought process could apply to others, like:

Megumi.

Alice.

Ryoko.

Hisako.

These people might not specialize in curry dishes, but their use of spices wouldn't be inferior.

"Right!"

"It's nearing early autumn."

"Many wild animals have the best, most perfect fat now. If…"

Thinking of this, Yuuki's eyes twinkled, and she decided, "Ryoko, Megumi, I need to go to the wild game market to see if I can find some good quality wild game!"

With everyone watching, she got up and hurried off.

"Spices?"

"I wonder if the monkfish curry hotpot I tasted at the tavern…" Megumi fell into deep thought.

...

In a cooking lab.

Alice, dressed in a white coat, looked even more charming than usual.

When she learned the Fall Selection theme was curry, she was troubled because curry was far from her specialty, molecular gastronomy.

After much thought, she decided on a traditional method for low-temperature molecular curry chicken.

Curry chicken, made with chicken, potatoes, curry powder, carrots, and onions, has a salty, sweet, and slightly spicy taste with a strong curry flavor.

However, Alice's method was different.

She vacuum-sealed the curry sauce with the chicken and cooked it using the sous vide method.

When ready, she plated it.

Her curry chicken looked entirely different from the usual curry chicken, showcasing molecular gastronomy's features.

Especially with creative garnishes.

First, she made part of the curry sauce into capsules.

To taste the dish, the capsules had to be broken.

The curry sauce would flow onto the chicken, enhancing the flavor and highlighting molecular gastronomy, also improving presentation.

Interestingly, she made lemongrass foam for garnish.

"Whew!"

"Hopefully, this molecular curry dish won't disappoint me."

Alice, now calm, took a silver needle and pierced the capsule.

Instantly, the thick curry sauce flowed onto the chicken.

A rich aroma quickly filled the lab, spreading rapidly.

Clearly, the low-temperature cooking perfectly blended the curry flavor into the chicken.

But the taste...

Came quickly.

And disappeared quickly!

"Weird, the taste vanished?"

"Did making the curry sauce into capsules also erase the flavor?"

Alice pondered.

...

At 7 PM, the tavern opened.

Here, diners and food create warm connections.

Poor students, picky rich girls, charming housewives, hardworking middle-aged men...

Every diner at the tavern came from different backgrounds, identities, personalities, and preferences.

However, their lives, like the dishes, were rich and varied.

Sipping coffee from an automatic machine, listening to soft music, it felt like the taste buds awakened, and one felt clear-headed!

Yes!

In the tavern.

Even in the small lounge and café.

Compared to the bustling city outside, it felt safer and gave courage to face everything calmly!

Sometimes, life involves facing complex situations and bleak outcomes.

But by slowing down, finding a place like the tavern, enjoying a dish or coffee, and relaxing, new ideas and breakthroughs might come.

After last night's event, Takumi avoided eye contact with Zane.

Of course, this was a "good" start.

At least it showed she had no prejudice against Zane anymore!

...

"So, this is the tavern?"

At that moment, an unexpected visitor, Etsuya Eizan, walked in.

His presence naturally caught Zane's attention.

As the current ninth seat of the Elite Ten at Totsuki, he was somewhat famous, especially for his unmatched business operations.

Rumor had it many renowned chefs willingly worked for him.

However, his focus on profit had limited his culinary achievements.

Everyone knew the Elite Ten were highly respected initially.

But Eizan was the first to make people think the Elite Ten weren't that impressive.

In the original story's Mozuya incident, he indirectly lost to Soma.

Later, during Mana's coup, he had a "proper" cooking battle with rebel Soma and lost 3:0.

Yes!

He was defeated!

That was before Soma's late-stage development.

"Hello, the tavern allows customers to order anything they like. What would you like to eat?" Zane asked, stepping forward.

"Anything!" Etsuya Eizan said, glancing deeply at Zane.

Understanding, Zane asked no more.

He returned to the kitchen, preparing ingredients and cooking as he wished.

...

He prepared five types of meat:

Pig ears, rabbit, mountain deer, beef kidney, lamb rump.

These common market meats, when combined, puzzled people, as no dish typically used all five types!

First, he marinated the beef kidney and lamb, turning them into mince with salt, a bit of starch, minced ginger, cooking wine, and cumin powder.

For the pig ears!

They were treated lightly.

He just added a bit of salt and starch.

As for the lamb rump, rabbit, and mountain deer, their strong gamey flavors needed more seasoning.

He marinated them briefly with star anise and fennel, then added a bit of salt, starch, minced ginger, and cumin powder for flavor.

Handling five different meats at once was complex and tedious.

Without strong determination and focus, any chef would struggle.

"What is he making?"

Etsuya Eizan stared in disbelief!

Zane simmered a small bowl of peppercorn water, let it cool, and added it to the minced meat.

He poured slowly while stirring in one direction until the meat mixture was elastic and soft.

This meticulous process further amazed Etsuya Eizan.

Wow!

Is this guy a monster?

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