"Is that so, what a shame."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but sigh in her heart, but she quickly became relieved.
After all, as long as Hoshino Sora was there, those high-grade ingredients would be at her disposal.
"There's nothing to regret.
You'll all see the empire I've built for you sooner or later."
Hearing Erina Nakiri's lament, Hoshino Sora laughed heartily, and as he spoke, he wrapped his arm around her soft waist again, naturally drawing a grand vision for her.
Erina Nakiri did not speak in response, but instead acted like a demure little bird, her eyes filled with love.
However, she quickly noticed Alice and Tadokoro Megumi looking at her.
Immediately, she cleared her throat seriously, broke free from his embrace, and straightened her posture: "Then you'd better work hard!"
"Yes, Erina-sama, this humble one will work hard!"
Seeing this, Hoshino Sora found it amusing, so he spoke in a strange, exaggerated tone, then bowed, making Erina blush.
But she still bit the bullet and said, "If you do well, I'll give you a reward then."
"Alright, I've been waiting for Erina-sama to say that!"
Hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Hoshino Sora's eyes lit up. He then bent down and hugged her again, kissing her fiercely until she was a little breathless before getting up and saying, "This is the advance interest, Lady Erina."
"Hurry up and cook, we're still hungry!"
Seeing this, Erina Nakiri didn't say much, only gave Hoshino Sora a chiding look, and fled from the young man's embrace. However, what she didn't expect was that as soon as she 'escaped', Alice Nakiri slipped in right after her.
"I can offer rewards here too!"
Then, in front of her, Alice Nakiri sought some pampering.
Hoshino Sora, seeing this, did not show favoritism. He did to Alice Nakiri what he had done to Erina. Afterwards, he patted Alice Nakiri's little head and whispered in her ear, "Come to my room tonight."
Such an invitation naturally made Alice Nakiri beam with joy, nodding repeatedly. When Hoshino Sora released her, she even cast a provocative glance at Erina, but it was ignored by the latter.
"Is there anything I can help with?"
Alice Nakiri didn't mind. She hummed and hawed, circling Hoshino Sora, wanting to help, and Hoshino Sora, seeing this, made a space for her.
"I'll help too."
Erina Nakiri said, standing on Hoshino Sora's other side. She didn't want to be outdone by Alice Nakiri, that 'scheming woman'.
She wanted to prove to Hoshino Sora who was truly the most suitable woman for him!
"Ah... um, I'll come too!"
Looking at the competitive Nakiri sisters, Tadokoro Megumi's expression was a bit subtle. Then, as if she thought of something, she also joined in, and the atmosphere on the scene became busy at this moment.
"You all know how to make Lobster with Supreme Broth, right? I'll leave that to you, and I'll make Hundred Flowers Welcome Spring Chicken."
Looking at the few people who were fiddling with the large claws of the Boston lobster, Hoshino Sora said smoothly. This dish, because it used relatively high-end ingredients like Boston lobster and was widely known, it was only natural that Erina and the others would know how to make it.
In contrast, Hundred Flowers Welcome Spring Chicken is a dish that even few people in the Chinese Cuisine Association know how to make, and many have never even heard of it. Therefore, Hoshino Sora decided to personally handle it, controlling every detail.
Since you're going to process the chicken, you must first process the chicken.
Releasing the Small JZ from the Gourmet Manor, then slaughtering it, plucking its feathers, and draining its blood – this is fundamental. Using this ingredient for cooking, as long as it's not too bad, it can reach the gold level.
This is the charm of high-grade ingredients. Moreover, because Small JZ is a product of the Gourmet Manor, no one in the outside world has ever used it to make Hundred Flowers Welcome Spring Chicken. Using it to make this dish is equivalent to creating an improved dish out of thin air.
This is also the fundamental reason why it's easy to make gold-level dishes with Gourmet Manor ingredients; it doesn't mean that Hoshino Sora's skill has reached that level.
Of course, gold-level dishes are also graded. The dishes Hoshino Sora is making now are all the lowest level of gold (lower-grade), especially dishes that only change the ingredients.
Why is this? It's mainly because Hoshino Sora hasn't fully brought out the flavor of the high-grade ingredients. Simply put, it's a lack of technical skill.
Don't look at Hoshino Sora being the Ten Elite First Seat now, but whether his strength truly surpasses Eishi Tsukasa is still a question. In that two-person cooking competition, he won 80% by ingredients, 10% by luck, and only 10% by skill.
The luck was that Eishi Tsukasa and Kobayashi Rindo failed in their research of new dishes, or more precisely, they didn't think highly of their newly developed dishes, so they brought out their old dishes to compete, which allowed him and Erina to seize the opportunity and win by chance.
Compared to his own strength surpassing Eishi Tsukasa, Hoshino Sora was more willing to believe that this was a plot kill, or that the other party deliberately showed weakness, actually brewing a bigger conspiracy.
This is not impossible. Hoshino Sora does not believe that Azami Nakiri would withdraw so easily, giving up control over Erina Nakiri so easily, allowing her to comfortably become the academy's general director.
It was merely a strategic retreat, seeing that the general trend was gone.
Hoshino Sora has reason to believe that as long as the other party finds an opportunity, Azami Nakiri will make a comeback at any time, and then they will surely face a more fierce attack!
The spices include bay leaf, clove, cumin, white cardamom, nutmeg, Sichuan peppercorn, sand ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and licorice, a total of ten ingredients. Today, Hoshino Sora will make the most traditional version of Hundred Flowers Welcome Spring Chicken!
First, give the Small JZ a massage with salt and Sichuan peppercorn. Sichuan peppercorn has a special aroma that can remove the peculiar smell from the chicken, while salt can marinate the chicken with a base flavor and also has the effect of sterilizing and removing offal odors.
Afterward, pour in rice wine and give the Small JZ a full-body massage, especially those pink and tender chicken feet. Hoshino Sora massaged with extra effort, stealing glances at Tadokoro Megumi and the others as he massaged. That look was truly super easy to understand!
Tonight, just satisfy his fetish a little.
Noticing Hoshino Sora's burning gaze, Alice Nakiri thought to herself, her cheeks instantly turning crimson, her thoughts drifting far away. What should she wear tonight? Black stockings, white stockings, pantyhose, or just nothing? Bare legs seemed pretty good too!
Hoshino Sora didn't know Alice Nakiri's thoughts. At this moment, he had focused his attention back on the basin in front of him. The Small JZ had already been served, exuding an alluring luster.
Turning to the cutting board on one side, the Disassembly Knife appeared in his hand, along with cooking ingredients like green onions, ginger, and garlic. Hoshino Sora executed a beautiful knife-pat, smashing the green onion, then followed with two swift cuts, and the onion juice immediately flowed out. His rough, warm large hand smeared the liquid over the entire chicken.
Finally, slice some ginger and place it on the chicken as well, then marinate for 20 minutes.
"You've already reached the point of preparing to fry, it seems I can eat your dish first."
Looking at the fast-moving Erina Nakiri team, Hoshino Sora couldn't help but exclaim, then eagerly leaned over, his face almost touching Alice Nakiri's softness.
"Eat, I'll make as much as you want."
Alice Nakiri, seeing this, did not shy away, but instead generously pushed back.
"You promise."
After saying this, Hoshino Sora returned to his stove. He put rock sugar into the pot and began to caramelize it. As for why it was rock sugar and not white sugar, it was mainly because the caramel color produced by rock sugar was bright enough, while white sugar was not bright enough and lacked sufficient viscosity.
Once the caramel was viscous, he added green onions and ginger to lower the temperature, and due to the high temperature, the aroma of the green onions and ginger would fully penetrate into the caramel, diluting the bitterness of the caramel. This is what is called ingredient complementarity. Finally, he added a little rice wine and finished.
"It's so beautiful, this caramelization."
"Of course, look at who made it. How can he be Far Moon's number one without some skill!"
Looking at the reddish-orange caramel in the bowl, Erina Nakiri on the side praised it sincerely. To be able to caramelize to this extent, his control over the heat was absolutely impeccable!
"So arrogant. I hope you can produce a dish worthy of Far Moon's number one."
Looking at the arrogant man who turned to deal with the Small JZ, Erina Nakiri said jokingly, unconsciously swallowing a mouthful of saliva as she spoke. Her God Tongue was already impatient!
"I will make it."
Hoshino Sora said calmly, then began to cook. He shook off the green onions and ginger from the marinated chicken, threaded the chicken wings through the chicken neck and out of the chicken head, then gave the Small JZ a bath with honey soy sauce to make the skin shiny and easy to color. After this step, he put it into a dehydrator to air dry.
"Erina, do you remember the Peking duck we made during the Hell Camp?" As Hoshino Sora put the Small JZ into the dehydrator, he suddenly thought of what happened during the camp.
"I remember, what about it?" Erina Nakiri asked, confused, upon hearing Hoshino Sora's question.
"At that time, my technique was still immature, and the Peking duck I made wasn't up to standard. I'll definitely let you eat the most authentic Peking duck when I have the chance!" Hoshino Sora suddenly said, as if making a promise, as if confessing.
"I believe you."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Erina Nakiri felt a little inexplicable, but she still nodded seriously, after all, it was a promise he made to her.
"It's almost time."
Looking at the stopped dehydrator, Hoshino Sora stepped forward and opened it. Then he heated oil in a pot. At 90% oil temperature, he put in the air-dried Small JZ, pouring hot oil from top to bottom, frying until the skin was crispy. Then he flipped it over and fried both sides until golden brown before taking it out of the pot!
"It smells so good!"
As the Small JZ fried in the pot, a rich aroma instantly spread around, filling the entire room!
Although no spices were added, the Small JZ itself is a silver-grade ingredient, and the flavor contained within it is thirty times that of ordinary chicken, and its deliciousness is also the same.
In other words, even if no further cooking was done, this simply fried 'fried chicken' would still be an ultimate delicacy!
However, Hoshino Sora clearly didn't want to stop there.
He heated the wok, poured in oil, added scallion segments to stir-fry until fragrant, then added scallion and ginger water, yellow wine, a bit of sugar coloring and red yeast rice water for color, soy sauce for aroma and color, and finally, a touch of oyster sauce for umami, a little sugar for flavor, and a generous amount of salt to ensure the basic taste of the entire braising liquid.
With that, a semi-finished pot of braising liquid was ready. Finally, he added the ten spices prepared at the beginning, tied them in gauze, washed them, and stuffed them into the belly of the freshly fried Small JZ.
In addition, he also stuffed a sprig of coriander, so that the aroma released during the braising process would be absorbed by the chicken.
He cleared all the small ingredients from the braising liquid in the pot, poured all the essence into a pressure cooker, and at the same time, placed two bamboo mats inside. He then dropped the prepared Small JZ into it, and it would be ready in about fifteen minutes.
After fifteen minutes, he placed the Small JZ on a plate, scooped some of the original broth from the pot, and thickened it. The thickening agent was added in several batches to create more layers and prevent an imbalanced ratio.
Looking at the bubbling thickened sauce in front of him, Hoshino Sora filtered it again with a sieve to remove any lumps, making the sauce look better and brighter. This was a small but effective technique.
At the same time, he drizzled a spoonful of sesame oil and slowly stirred it evenly with a ladle, completing the exclusive thickened sauce for this dish.
He carried the pot to his dish. The ladle held the bright thickened sauce, and as it was evenly poured over the Hundred Flowers Welcoming Spring Chicken, the entire dish entered its final plating stage.
Shrimp meat and fatty pork belly were mixed with water chestnuts and rolled into balls, then a bit of egg white was spread on the bottom and placed on a plate to be steamed. Around the outside, blanched bok choy was arranged. This presentation immediately elevated the dish's visual appeal.
Finally, he placed the prepared Small JZ in the center and once again poured the thickened sauce over it. A Hundred Flowers Welcoming Spring Chicken, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, was complete. At this moment, the Lobster in Superior Broth had been waiting beside it for a long time, and Tadokoro Megumi and the other two had gathered around him at some point.
"This must be an ingredient from Gourmet Manor, right? Ordinary chickens aren't this small, and the aroma they emit wouldn't be as rich as this dish."
Looking at the Hundred Flowers Welcoming Spring Chicken made from Small JZ in front of her, Erina Nakiri immediately recognized its unusual nature. The taste of ordinary chicken was far less rich than the dish before her, and this chicken was simply too small, wasn't it? It felt like it was underage...
"That's right, this is a mutated chicken breed cultivated in Gourmet Manor. Its taste is 30 times that of ordinary chicken. Once you've eaten this, you probably won't be able to accept ordinary chicken meat again. Small JZ will bring about a revolution in the culinary world!"
Hoshino Sora said with a smile. Although he hadn't fully brought out all the flavors of the ingredients, due to the high quality of the ingredients, this dish was still an unparalleled delicacy!
Looking at the phantom appearing above the Hundred Flowers Welcoming Spring Chicken, it was a majestic and proud rooster, standing tall between heaven and earth, truly mighty and imposing. Around the rooster, a hundred flowers bloomed, a scene of spring and bright beauty.
Undoubtedly, this dish, cooked with entirely new ingredients, had reached the golden level!
"Let me try the taste first."
Compared to Erina Nakiri, who focused on the ingredients themselves, Alice Nakiri was clearly more interested in the taste of the dish. The rich aroma had long made her unable to control herself. As soon as there was a gap, she stepped forward and pulled off a chicken leg.
However, to her surprise, as a chicken leg was torn from the complete chicken, the internal juices flowed out through the tear, bringing a fresh aroma mixed with the braised scent. That rich yet gentle taste almost made the people present faint from the aroma!
Especially Alice Nakiri, because she was right in front, she was most strongly affected by the aroma. The rich aroma actually made her unconsciously roll her eyes. It was her Gourmet Cell acting up at the crucial moment, otherwise she might have directly missed out on this delicacy.
"So scary, Hundred Flowers Welcoming Spring Chicken is so scary!"
Feeling the tremor in her body, Alice Nakiri's eyes showed a hint of disbelief. She was almost knocked out by the aroma of a dish? How was this possible!
"Is this the power of top-grade ingredients!?"
Because of the distance and having eaten many top-grade delicacies in the past, Erina Nakiri was not significantly affected by the dish, but she was also momentarily stunned by the sudden burst of rich aroma. After recovering, she couldn't help but exclaim.
"Try the taste."
Hoshino Sora said as he strolled to the door, naturally locking the kitchen door. Then he looked at Erina Nakiri, who had already picked up another chicken leg and was directly exposed to the aroma emanating from the dish.
However, because she was prepared, although she was still greatly impacted, she appeared relatively normal.
She parted her red lips and took a bite. Juices immediately overflowed from beneath the chicken skin, spreading in her mouth. It was an incredibly elegant freshness, and at the same time, a very domineering freshness!
This feeling, this feeling was like transforming into a chicken standing on a mountaintop, looking down upon all the other mountains. As dawn broke, the rooster's crow awakened heaven and earth, and all things revived. Such a magnificent scene was truly shocking!
"Ah, mm, good...!"
Because the sensation was too intense, Erina Nakiri couldn't stop twisting her body, and she involuntarily murmured. Then, her Gourmet Cell advanced from Lv4 to Lv5, and her clothes burst apart...
"How can it be so intense!? I'm going to faint!"
On the other side, Alice also bit into the chicken leg. The intense impact made her exclaim, and at the same time, a dazzling light emanated from her body, her clothes burst, her Gourmet Cell advanced from Lv4 to Lv5, and her aura instantly became much stronger!
Tadokoro Megumi was no exception!
For a moment, the ground was covered in clothing fragments, looking like a mess. Hoshino Sora also walked over from the door at this time.
Just one dish allowed three girls who had been stuck at Lv4 for a long time to advance, which showed how terrifying this dish was!
After that, Hoshino Sora also joined the group tasting the dish.
One Hundred Flowers Welcoming Spring Chicken was quickly finished. Next was the Lobster in Superior Broth, but because they had already eaten the Hundred Flowers Welcoming Spring Chicken, the Lobster in Superior Broth tasted significantly blander, only barely filling their stomachs.
After eating and drinking their fill, they began their after-dinner exercise, as the atmosphere was just right and the temperature was suitable.
At first, Erina Nakiri was a bit shy and refused, but seeing Alice and Tadokoro Megumi exercising, after some internal struggle, she couldn't help but join in.
For a moment, there was harmony like a zither and a se, and a waterfall plunging three thousand feet.
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