Shokugeki: Start with an izakaya, making everyone cry

Japanese cuisine.

To foreigners, it is Japanese cuisine.

But in Japan, it is divided into two types: one is Honshok and the other is Japaneseshok.

Then.

What is Japanese food?

In other countries besides Japan, the food made by Japanese people with Japanese ingredients is called "honshoku", which is what we know as Japanese cuisine, such as:

Omelet rice.

Miso ramen.

So what is Japanese cuisine?

To put it bluntly, there are two types: Kaiseki cuisine and local cuisine, which represent Japan's traditional food culture.

The biggest features of Japanese cuisine are "delicious" and "broth".

The foundation of Japanese cuisine lies in "flavor".

Yoshihiro Murata said: This is a unique feature of Japan, and it is something that most countries in the world have not noticed.

However, in Japan, where people were believed to have only four tastes: sweet, spicy, sour and bitter, it was discovered in 4 that the tongue is a sensor of deliciousness.

before that.

People say that deliciousness is just a concept.

Whether it is glutamate or creatine, although the substance exists, it cannot be felt thanks to the tongue.

But this discovery completely shocked the entire culinary world.

People all over the world began to feel the deliciousness more clearly.

then.

Japanese cuisine, adhering to its second concept, has occupied a place in the world cuisine!

Although deliciousness itself is something common to all countries, a further feature of Japanese cuisine is that it is healthy, which is one of the reasons why it has attracted much attention around the world.

Of course, for Erina who possesses the ability of the Divine Tongue, she understands it more deeply than anyone else:

What is delicious?

……

The twelfth lunar month.

A group of late-night cooks launched an attack on the entire Japanese catering industry!

Although Totsuki, led by the new commander Erina, was prepared and directly dispatched the Ten Elites to fight back.

But after a fierce battle, the ten heroes were defeated one after another.

The news came.

Many restaurants simply chose to close down.

At the same time, Erina, who was working hard to develop a new Kaiseki cuisine, also received the news at the first time.

……

"Hey!"

"what happened?"

"You mean, Kobayashi Rindou, Kuga Teruki, Akane Kubo Momo, Eizun Eizun, Kinokuni Nene, Isshiki Kei..."

"They all lost to the late-night cook?"

When an important message came through her phone, Erina's reaction suddenly became nervous.

The noisy conversations in the kitchen seemed to be strangled, and only the whirring sound of the range hood remained.

Erina, with her brows furrowed, leaned her hands on the cooking table, her eyes deep and her face gloomy. She couldn't believe that it would be such a tragic defeat!

"Miss, are you okay?"

Feishazi asked worriedly.

"fine!"

"I underestimated the ability of the late-night cook."

Erina then waved her hand, signaling Hisako not to worry.

She silently calculated in her mind what her chances of winning would be if she took part in this late-night cooking event herself.

At the same time, she was also thinking about how to deal with the upcoming changes in the situation?

……

Night falls.

The once bustling food street now seems unusually deserted.

The signs under the street lamps were dim, as if they were also eclipsed by the decline of the entire catering industry. There was an indescribable silence in the air, and even the figures of diners and chefs who were busy shuttling around on weekdays disappeared!

Walking into a restaurant that was once famous, what caught my eye was an empty hall.

it's here.

The hustle and bustle of the past is now a thing of the past.

Only an empty scene was left, and the tableware on the dining table was neatly placed, but no one paid attention to it.

In the kitchen, the fire had long been extinguished, and the kitchen utensils on the stove were very cold.

chef.

Help in the kitchen.

waiter.

Cashier.

These people now seem to be unable to cope with the situation.

The dishes they once carefully prepared were destined to completely disappear from everyone's sight after being defeated by the late-night cooks.

Their eyes were filled with loss and helplessness, as if they saw that all the efforts and dedication they had put into this restaurant had come to nothing!

Obviously.

The collapse of the culinary industry is not just the closure of a restaurant, it also represents:

The decline and disappearance of the entire catering industry.

Once upon a time, everyone in Japan believed in the idea that "food is supreme" and was madly pursuing the wonderful culinary culture!

But now, with the late-night cooking incident, food is gradually losing people's attention and love.

After all, even restaurants, eating places, hotels, snack stands, etc. have been closed one after another, so that there is almost no place to eat.

Such a dilemma, such a situation.

How can it make people pursue the chef’s cooking skills and the taste of delicious food?

Especially when the top ten chefs were defeated one after another, all the chefs felt even more afraid.

They did not reflect on their own shortcomings and mistakes, nor did they re-examine their cooking skills and creative concepts, nor did they seek cooperation with other industries.

Yes!

Everything is filled with despair.

No other chef could hope to use the power of his or her Weibo to inject new vitality and creativity into the culinary world at a time like this!

In this era full of challenges and opportunities, it will take time to prove whether the culinary world can rise again.

but!

anyway.

Chefs will always be the soul and cornerstone of the culinary world!

Cai Bo Chaoyang, who was convening a high-level meeting of late-night chefs, was naturally the most clear about this.

……

Sweet water noodles.

This dish is a local specialty snack in Chengdu, Shu!

It combines the sweetness and saltiness of brown sugar and soy sauce, the spicy taste unique to Sichuan cuisine, the fragrance of sesame and garlic, and is served with hard, tough and slightly salty noodles.

The moment it enters your mouth, the taste and texture are truly indescribably satisfying.

Mm, this dish.

The reason why so many people are chasing after it.

The key is that the condiment is a kind of sweet soy sauce. This light-colored soy sauce is simmered over low heat with brown sugar and a variety of spices, and it can definitely be cooked in many different ways.

Of course, for Leonora, who has experienced many delicious dishes, such a bowl of sweet water noodles should not be considered good enough.

……

Fresh out of the pan.

I saw that the noodles in the bowl were as thick as the tip of chopsticks.

This is completely different from the thin and long dragon beard noodles.

However, when the noodles were mixed, a magical scene happened. The thick and turbid sauce at the bottom began to wrap the chili powder and peanuts, tightly covering the noodles! Suddenly, the whole bowl of sweet water noodles became lively.

“The sauce used seems to be sufficient!”

"As a result, the white noodles will immediately emit an attractive aroma after being stirred."

"Hmm, this smells..."

"Not bad!"

“It smells really good!”

In an instant, I looked at the bowl of sweet noodles in front of me.

Leonora's empty stomach reacted instantly and began to make "gurgling" sounds!

Finally, she came to her senses and couldn't wait to pick up the chopsticks beside her. Then she opened her mouth wide and started to taste the food carefully with a slurp sound.

The first taste was sweet, but soon after, it was followed by a numbing sensation in the mouth. This interweaving of the tastes of sweetness first and then numbness undoubtedly formed a special and wonderful feeling, which made Leonora feel very high after just one sip!

"The sauce used was a mixture of Sichuan pepper powder, chili oil, sugar, soy sauce and a recipe that I couldn't figure out."

"So we can always achieve a wonderful balance in terms of numbness, spiciness, sweetness, and freshness."

“At the same time, the coarse noodles are not tough when you bite them, but rather have a certain tenacity.”

"The only thing I can do now is to quickly press the noodles into the sauce, and once it's covered, put them into my mouth... ah... slurp slurp... mmm... this feeling... is so wonderful!"

Finally, Leonora, still unsatisfied, had to put down her plate after finishing a bowl of sweet noodles.

Then she raised her head and glanced at Zhang Fan beside her, seeming a little excited.

"Zhang Fan, another bowl of sweet noodles please!"

As the sweet water noodles were completely eaten up, Leonora was obviously very satisfied.

In just a few minutes, Zhang Fan can immediately make a bowl of extremely delicious sweet water noodles, although the ingredients used in this home-cooked sweet water noodles are the most common.

But in Zhang Fan's hands, it was like magic, turning into a soft, delicious and tasty dish!

This made Leonora a little surprised. After all, it seemed that Zhang Fan's cooking skills were improving and growing.

Didn't say.

He focused all his attention on running the izakaya and neglected his cooking skills.

……

A bowl full of bright red sweet noodles.

Whenever it is eaten, it is the eater's cheeks that will turn red.

Every bite is full of rich fragrance. Even after swallowing it, the fragrance will linger on your lips and teeth. It is worth it to calm down and savor it carefully!

Objectively speaking.

Leonora is actually a food lover.

Perhaps from the first time she came to the izakaya, Leonora, whose taste was different from others, fell in love with the food made by Zhang Fan.

And every time, she would be like Nakiri Masagi, sinking into it and becoming unable to extricate herself!

"Huh~ Really good."

Finally, Leonora had no choice but to put down the spoon reluctantly.

Her already bloated stomach was reminding her that two bowls of sweet noodles were just enough and she couldn't eat any more.

What's more, no matter how delicious the sweet water noodles are, even if you keep savoring them, they will eventually come to an end!

"Come."

"Give you a cup of osmanthus wine to help you get rid of the greasy feeling!"

Right now.

Zhang Fan actually brought a cup of osmanthus wine and placed it in front of Leonora.

"what!"

"Thank you."

Leonora was stunned.

Then she picked up the wine glass and looked at it.

I found a sweet osmanthus flower that was brewed into the wine. Just by sniffing it lightly, I can feel that the taste of the wine is not very strong, but it has a very rich sweet osmanthus fragrance!

Leonora couldn't help but take a sip.

When you take a sip, it tastes slightly sweet, without much of a wine taste.

But the interweaving of glutinous rice and malt allows the various tastes to blend with each other, with both the sweetness of osmanthus and the mellow aroma of wine!

……

Good looking restaurants usually don't have very good food.

Moreover, the dishes they can offer are too simple, crude, and even stereotyped! They have no characteristics and distinctions, and are expensive and unpalatable!

But Zhang Fan’s restaurant is very different.

Although it seems that there are only two kitchen helpers, Kikuchi and Kadozaki, Zhang Fan, the "backbone", plays a leading role in everything.

However, the restaurant's overall architectural style and decorative art, as well as its specific cultural atmosphere, always bring Leonora spiritual comfort!

Simultaneously.

A simple bowl of sweet noodles made her see Zhang Fan's potential.

……

"Let me tell you."

"The most interesting soul of the whole bowl of sweet water noodles is this sweet red soy sauce!" Finally, after drinking a glass of osmanthus wine, Leonora felt very happy and couldn't help muttering to herself.

At first, she thought the "sweetness" of this sweet water noodles came from the sugar water.

However, this sweetness actually comes from a special sauce!

Then, add special chili, mashed garlic and other condiments, and after thorough stirring, the special coarse noodles become chewy in taste.

So much so.

When you eat it, you will feel that it is just the right softness and hardness, and the spicy and sweet taste fully moves in your mouth.

"If the sweetness is not enough, it will not be able to cover the saltiness of the soy sauce! But on the other hand, if there is no sweetness, the whole dish will only be more bland!"

"This kind of sweetness, which is almost invisible and looming, stirs up the desires of countless taste buds every time it passes over the surface of the noodles!"

"Then."

"The spirits are lifted."

"That wonderful salty-sweet taste just lingers in my mouth!"

"Hey, Zhang Fan, this sweet red soy sauce you use is simply amazing! How is this mysterious formula made?"

Then, Leonora looked up at Zhang Fan with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"Simple!"

"It's made by simmering soy sauce with star anise, cinnamon, licorice, fennel, cumin, pepper, ginger, brown sugar, etc. for ten hours!"

Hearing this, Zhang Fan could only respond indifferently.

"is it?"

"The special sauce actually uses these spices, and it has to be simmered over low heat for ten hours!"

After hearing what Zhang Fan said, Leonora held her chin with both hands and fell into deep thought.

……

chef.

It is the soul of a restaurant!

The reason is simple: diners go to a restaurant to "eat".

Therefore, even if a restaurant has a good location, good decoration, good management, and good service, it will be difficult for diners to like the restaurant if there is no good chef to cook dishes that diners like.

After all, the restaurant exists.

It is to enable guests to forget all hurts, all worries, and allow everyone to satisfy their appetite and gain spiritual comfort!

Obviously.

From this perspective.

Undoubtedly, Zhang Fan’s izakaya is really very qualified!