"Shumai aroma fills the street and lane, thin skin, rich filling, tempts the tongue again. Translucent jade hides flavours manifold, a gentle bite brings warmth that lasts, untold."
As the shumai neared his mouth, Dylan opened wide and took a bite. The wrapper's softness and elasticity instantly bloomed within his mouth.
Immediately following was the exquisite blend of fresh fish and rich pork fat, intertwining to form a wonderfully layered texture.
The freshness of scallion, ginger, and lemon effectively eliminated any fishiness, while the addition of minced onion and garlic made the filling even more savoury and delicious.
Such a delightful taste prompted Dylan to recite a short poem unconsciously. Nakiri Alice's shumai-making skills had improved yet again, which was gratifying.
This shumai before him, aside from lacking slightly in the pounding technique, was otherwise flawless. It could easily pass as a dish made by a Special Grade Chef!
"Well done, Alice."
"Hehe, this is the result of my practice during this time! I originally wanted to give you a surprise, since you mentioned back then that you liked eating shumai."
Hearing Dylan's praise, Nakiri Alice spoke excitedly, her voice full of eagerness for credit.
"It seems there was something like that..."
Hearing Nakiri Alice's words, Dylan was slightly surprised, then began to recall. An image surfaced in his mind of a casual remark he'd made two months prior.
"Shumai tastes really good. I used to quite like eating shumai." Just such an utterly ordinary comment had led Nakiri Alice, while learning dough work, to focus specifically on practicing shumai cooking, all to give him a good taste experience.
"Let me try too!"
Seeing the look of enjoyment on Dylan's face and hearing his high praise, Kurokiba Ryou, who had just finished plating his new-and-improved Cod Broth Ramen, stepped forward. He picked up chopsticks and reached for the fish shumai on the plate.
"There are still shumai in the steamer, go get them yourself! This is what I specially prepared for Master!"
"Everyone in the kitchen can try some too! I made quite a lot; there should be enough for everyone to have a few with some left over."
Nakiri Alice quickly picked up the plate from the table, dodging Kurokiba Ryou's outstretched chopsticks as she spoke. She had specifically chosen the best-looking shumai for Dylan; she couldn't let him eat them!
Noticing many chefs in the kitchen looking over, gazing desirously at the fish shumai she had made, Alice added the second sentence.
"Alright!"
"Thanks, little lady! Let me see what this endlessly fragrant shumai tastes like."
"Never eaten anything like this before, what a novel experience."
The people in the kitchen chattered amongst themselves, quickly gathering in front of the steamer, eyes fixed intently on the sparklingly translucent shumai inside, one after another. The source of the aroma was right here!
"What a pain! Wait, leave one for me!"
His chopsticks having grabbed empty air, Kurokiba Ryou was about to get angry when he realized all the kitchen staff had converged on the steamer, greedily eyeing the fish shumai within. This made him hastily run towards the steamer, chopsticks in hand.
Normally, given his build, he definitely wouldn't have been able to grab any. But everyone, mindful that he was the head chef, suppressed their desires and took out two from the steamer, handing them to him.
Picking up a fish shumai with his chopsticks and putting it in his mouth, Kurokiba Ryou closed his eyes, wanting to savour the flavour within.
The next moment, his world seemed enveloped by a warm and wondrous power.
The fish meat melted on his tongue like the gentle caress of the ocean, both fresh and deep, carrying a faint salty fragrance and sweetness – the taste of the sea, the launch of freedom and dreams!
As he chewed deeper, visions began to appear before Kurokiba Ryou's eyes. At this moment, he seemed to be standing on the deck of a giant pirate ship.
Waves crashed against the hull, the sea breeze carried a slightly salty scent across his cheeks, and seagulls circled overhead, crying out sharply.
"Alright lads, charge with me!"
And in this vast expanse of sea, he had transformed into the pirate captain, holding a long saber, piloting his own pirate vessel.
"Aye aye, Captain!"
"Hold fast to that big fish!"
The assistant chefs around him had become sailors on the pirate ship. They stood in two rows, pulling hard on the ship's anchor. As the sea surface before them roiled, a massive flounder, over ten meters long, leaped spectacularly from the water.
A super bountiful harvest!
An unprecedented sense of satisfaction surged from the depths of his heart. Kurokiba Ryou opened his eyes and met the gazes of the surrounding chefs. Everyone saw the same shock reflected in each other's eyes.
Were they eating mere food? Why would they see such a scene?!
When the giant flounder was hauled aboard, its heavy weight felt so real; in every aspect, it didn't seem fake!
"This is fish shumai... the dish you made?"
Looking at the now completely empty steamer – not a single shumai left inside – then glancing at Nakiri Alice nearby, Kurokiba Ryou's mouth hung open. It took him quite a while to accept this fact.
"That's right. This is fish shumai, the dish I made. I wonder if it satisfied you all? And how does it compare to your Cod Broth Ramen!?"
Standing beside Dylan, Nakiri Alice spoke smugly. He looked down on her earlier, now he got slapped hard in the face~
She had heard Dylan's words clearly just now; with such obvious flaws in his dish, the outcome was already a death sentence!
"No need to compare! This dish is stronger than mine, I admit that. Let's have another match tomorrow! This time, I will definitely beat you!"
Looking at the smug girl before him, Kurokiba Ryou clenched his fists and spoke unwillingly, his face full of frustration. This was truly a case of being defeated before even achieving success!
"You can challenge me as many times as you want! But not tomorrow. How about next week."
Thinking about her upcoming cooking lessons with Dylan, Nakiri Alice refused Kurokiba Ryou's immediate challenge. An occasional match was enough; too many would be boring. She'd rather spend that time with Dylan.
Glancing at Dylan beside her, slowly eating shumai, Nakiri Alice's lips curved slightly upwards. She had finally made a dish that satisfied him.
"Next week? Which specific day? Give me an exact date!"
Flames burned in Kurokiba Ryou's eyes; he clearly cared deeply about this defeat. He absolutely would not allow himself to be beaten just like that by such a little girl.
"Which day..."
"How about this: from now on, every Saturday morning, I'll bring Alice here to compete with you. You provide the ingredients, and you set the theme. How does that sound?"
"Deal! Let's decide on that!"
"Eh..."
Seeing Nakiri Alice pout slightly, seemingly a bit impatient, Dylan patted her little head reassuringly, then turned to Kurokiba Ryou and spoke.
He had noticed that Alice had become a bit too relaxed lately, which wasn't conducive to improving her culinary skills. Therefore, he planned to find some opponents for her.
Kurokiba Ryou was just the first. There were others he had in mind, but they were temporarily put on hold because Alice's current skill level wasn't high enough yet.
"Alright, it's getting late now, so we'll take our leave."
Glancing at his phone, Dylan stood up and addressed the chefs watching them in the kitchen and Kurokiba Ryou. Then, he led Nakiri Alice away without looking back.
____________
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