Chapter 136: Magical Mapo Tofu!
Clack, clack, clack—!
Inside the restaurant's kitchen, Ryohei Tanaka, in one smooth motion, set up three woks and ignited the flames.
He then poured three spoonfuls of rapeseed oil, one into each.
As a meticulous chef, Ryohei's kitchen was equipped with a vast array of seasonings—light and dark soy sauces, aged and fragrant vinegars, Sichuan peppercorns and numbing peppercorns... Even his oils were compartmentalized: rapeseed oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, and lard, each in its own container, ready for use.
For making Mapo Tofu, the optimal choice is rapeseed oil. This oil not only adds a unique fragrance but also elevates the dish's overall flavor profile.
Fwooosh—!
The blue flames licked the bottoms of the woks. A light smoke curled up, and the rich scent of the rapeseed oil billowed from the pans.
Ryohei, his expression calm and steady, lifted the three woks and swirled them gently, letting the hot oil coat the entire surface.
Then, he added the prepared soybean mince, followed by the garlic, fermented black beans (douchi), and red chilies that Jashin-chan had prepped.
A spoonful of sweet bean sauce.
And then, a spoonful of the very soul of Sichuan cuisine—Pixian broad bean paste (doubanjiang)!
An intense, numbing, spicy, and savory aroma instantly exploded throughout the kitchen. The hot oil and the sauces collided violently, hissing and popping. Bright red oil bubbled and rolled, the garlic and black beans danced in the wok, and the fragrance of the chilies mixed with the deep, rich flavor of the bean paste, assaulting the senses.
The customers at the counter were hit by a wave of this incredible aroma, as if a storm of flavor had just swept over them.
"It smells... amazing!"
Someone couldn't help but stand up, craning his neck to peer curiously into the kitchen.
Others were so overwhelmed by the intense, stimulating fragrance that they started coughing and sneezing.
Matsumoto Miyoko—a woman with long, flowing, chestnut-brown hair, exquisite makeup, and sparkling silver earrings, wearing a perfectly tailored, black, off-the-shoulder split dress—was one of the latter.
"A-achoo! Achoo—!"
The black dress clung to her body, outlining her full curves. Her shoulders were as white as snow, her collarbones deep. Her long, slender legs, peeking out from the slit of her dress, were perched on ten-centimeter high heels. This sophisticated, mature woman covered her mouth with her slender hand as she let out two delicate sneezes.
She looked up, her beautiful brown eyes glistening with tears as she gazed at Ryohei Tanaka in the kitchen.
"So spicy!"
'This is "relatively spicy"?!'
Matsumoto Miyoko, in truth, couldn't handle much spice. She had ordered the Magical Mapo Tofu mainly because it was in the same category as the Miracle Comet Fried Rice, and the "Six-in-One" prefix sounded so impressive. She had been overcome with curiosity. She had figured that if she paired it with the fried rice and the West Lake Beef Soup, she'd be fine. But now, she was starting to think she had been far too confident.
Breathing in the ferocious, spicy air, she couldn't help but swallow. Could she really eat something this spicy? Wouldn't her throat catch on fire?
...
Ryohei rapidly stir-fried the ingredients until their colors changed. He added a ladle of beef-bone broth to each wok, then slid in the tofu cubes (which had been cut into one-centimeter cubes and blanched for a minute to remove their raw taste). He poured a circle of cooking wine around the rim of the wok and sprinkled in some Sichuan peppercorn powder for extra flavor.
The intense, pungent aroma instantly softened.
He gently stirred the mixture with his ladle, allowing the numbing, spicy, and savory flavors to lock themselves into every pore of the tofu.
After a minute, Ryohei added the green garlic shoots, tossing them to combine. Then, he poured in the starch slurry to thicken the sauce, and finally, he cranked up the heat to reduce the sauce...
...
One after another, servings of Magical Mapo Tofu were plated and sent out to the customers.
Gasps of amazement rose from all around.
In the pristine white plates, a vibrant, oily red sauce, like molten lava, coated the soft, glistening tofu blocks, which had absorbed the sauce and taken on a "tiger-skin" pattern. Crispy, dark-brown "mince" was scattered throughout. A layer of golden-red chili oil floated on the surface of the thick sauce, emitting a faint golden-red glow under the lights, as if flames were dancing on the plate.
Specks of bright green scallions were scattered on top, creating a sharp visual contrast with the red sauce and adding a touch of life.
"Ah—! It's beautiful! This is a work of art!"
"Chef Tanaka's cooking is still packed with special effects! This is not the food of mortals!"
"The steam is carrying that numbing, spicy smell right into my nose! I can't take it anymore!"
"Hiss—! So numbing, so spicy..."
In an instant, a chorus of sharp int-akes of breath could be heard.
Matsumoto Miyoko hesitated for a moment, looking at the dish in front of her, before picking up her spoon. 'I've already ordered it. I have to at least try it.'
She scooped up a spoonful of the Magical Mapo Tofu.
"Hsss—!"
The scalding-hot tofu slid into her mouth, and the "mala" (numbing-spicy) flavor instantly detonated. The numbing sensation of the Sichuan peppercorns shot across her tongue like an electric current, followed immediately by the savory umami of the broad bean paste. The spiciness, like a wildfire, spread uncontrollably.
Matsumoto Miyoko instinctively parted her ruby-red lips, tilting her pale chin back as her graceful, swan-like neck arched. "Ha... ha..." she panted softly. Her brown eyes misted over, her eyelashes trembled, and her fingertips unconsciously gripped the spoon tighter.
"So numbing... so spicy..."
But—
It was unbelievably delicious!
The tofu was so tender it practically melted, requiring almost no chewing, yet the slightly seared outer layer provided a hint of resilience, creating a wonderful contrast. Her teeth then encountered the crispy "mince" hidden within the tofu, and with a light bite, she heard a crunch.
The crispy, fragrant particles burst in her mouth. The aroma of the oil and the deep flavor of the black beans instantly added a new layer of richness.
'Delicious! It's so delicious!'
'This is completely different from any Mapo Tofu I've ever eaten...'
It was an explosive impact of numbing, spicy, and savory. A perfect collision of crispy and soft, right in her mouth. She swallowed, and the aftertaste was long and complex. Her tongue was still slightly numb, and her mouth was filled with the lingering heat of meat, beans, and chili.
"Ugh—!"
Her mouth felt like it was on fire. Matsumoto Miyoko quickly bent down and shoveled a large mouthful of Miracle Comet Fried Rice in to "extinguish the flames," but she couldn't stop. The moment her mouth cooled down, she couldn't resist another bite of the Magical Mapo Tofu.
...
"Hah... Did I win?"
The sky was pressed down by lead-gray clouds, threatening to fall into the boiling inferno below. The air was filled with the pungent, spicy scent of peppercorn and chili, stinging her eyes and making her nose itch.
Matsumoto Miyoko's tattered silver armor reflected the dark red of the "Lake of Red Oil." The holy sword in her hand trembled, her knuckles white from gripping it too tightly. Viscous red oil dripped slowly from the blade, sizzling as it hit the tofu-ground below. Sweat evaporated the instant it hit her skin, vaporized by the scorching heat.
Beneath her feet, the "tiger-skin" tofu-ground had already softened, its edges crumbling and falling into the boiling lake of oil with a tssss sound.
The orange-red glow of the fire illuminated her ash-covered face, highlighting her beautiful features.
"What do you think?" a mocking voice echoed through the heat.
Matsumoto Miyoko's body went stiff, her pupils shrinking.
Before her, the Lake of Red Oil began to churn, and a Flame Demon, wreathed in fire and even larger than before, slowly rose from its depths.
"It's time for this to end."
The Flame Demon raised its hand, bringing with it a waterfall of thick, red-hot oil, and sent it crashing down upon her.
Matsumoto Miyoko instinctively tried to dodge, but found there was nowhere left to run. She could only, helplessly, take the full force of the oily waterfall...
"Tssss—!"
The moment it made contact, her silver armor dissolved, melting away like butter on a hot pan.
Her pale skin was exposed to the scalding oil, and in an instant, it was covered in scorching, red marks...
~~~
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