Shokugeki: Start with an izakaya, making everyone cry

The moonlight is like a wash.

It is not as dazzling as daytime, but becomes soft and clear.

Through the sparse clouds, it sprinkles on every corner of Totsuki Academy, adding a touch of fantasy and poetry to this academy full of gourmet atmosphere.

Windows of the teaching building.

Most of the lights have been turned off.

Only a few lonely night lights remained, flickering in the darkness.

These faint lights, echoing with the sparse stars in the distant sky, form a warm yet slightly lonely night scene.

A narrow path with trees on both sides swaying gently in the night breeze.

The moonlight shines through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows, paving a path of light and shadow for pedestrians, and every step creates a different rhythm and melody!
The lake in the mountains appears even clearer and more tranquil under the moonlight.

The surface of the lake was shimmering with silver waves, like a huge mirror, reflecting the stars and the bright moon in the sky.

Occasionally.

The cries of one or two night birds broke the silence.

On the path by the lake, there may be students or teachers returning home late, slowing down and enjoying this rare tranquility and beauty.

……

As we all know, Udon is a Japanese noodle dish.

This is made from wheat and has special regulations on thickness and length.

Among them, there are many.

For example, Inaniwa Udon in Akita, Mizusawa Udon in Gunma, and Kasu Udon in Saitama.

It is known as one of the three major Japanese noodles along with soba noodles and green tea noodles.

Ah!
It is an indispensable protagonist in Japanese restaurants.

At this moment, somewhere in Totsuki Academy, tall buildings stood majestically, staggered and scattered, far and near. Against the background of blue sky and white clouds, silhouettes of various geometric patterns were drawn.

The style of the entire building appears elegant and magnificent.

It is magnificent, solemn and elegant. It is no exaggeration to say that it is exquisitely decorated and has a unique charm.

Erina Nakiri first looked around at the chefs who were kneeling below, then she retracted her gaze and slowly picked up a bowl of udon noodles, preparing to taste it.

Although her current identity is the high-ranking commander-in-chief of Totsuki, she still takes out some free time every day to use the ability of the Divine Tongue to taste the dishes made by famous chefs!

With the first bite, the udon slides into your mouth with a "whoosh"!

The next time I eat with chopsticks, I’ve learned my lesson.

Chew the udon slowly and you will feel the soft texture like gummy candy between your tongue and teeth.

Unconsciously, my tense muscles after exercise also relaxed in the faint smell of wheat...

This is an old-fashioned Japanese noodle dish.

In the 9th century, Sanzaki was born in Neon Country.

At that time, there was a monk studying Buddhism in China. He brought back the method of making noodles to Kagawa. When combined with the wheat flour produced in abundance locally, udon noodles were created.

What is Udon?

Few people can clearly explain the answer to this question.

Udon is made of salt, flour and water. According to the standard, noodles with a width of more than 1.7 mm and a thickness between 1 and 3.8 mm are qualified to be called udon.

Apart from the types, udon noodles also have different styles.

Udon is divided into two schools in Japan, Sanuki Udon and Inaniwa Udon. In the past, the former was a popular food, while the latter was supplied to the nobility and the emperor.

Traditional Sanuki Udon requires stepping on the dough with your feet to make it elastic and chewy. At that time, this practice was difficult to be accepted by the upper class, so Inaniwa Udon, which is hand-pulled noodles, was born.

Of course, considering hygiene issues, many udon noodles are now made by machines instead of treading the dough with feet.

Unlike ramen noodles with a thick soup base, udon noodles pursue simplicity and plainness, emphasizing the aroma of wheat. Often a bowl of elegant bonito soup with some chopped green onions is enough.

Ok.

if we assume:
If you want to make it richer, you can add an egg.

Especially the udon noodles wrapped in oily egg juice, which makes them even more smooth, sweet and fragrant!

……

Actually.

There are many ways to eat udon noodles, and they go great with tempura.

The taste is smooth and crispy, light and fragrant. It can be eaten separately or stored in soup.

The snow-white udon is served with bonito soy sauce. In Erina Nakiri's eyes, this way of eating can maximize the floury aroma and toughness of the udon.

However, it is far from enough.

Erina was still chewing the udon noodles in her mouth.

With his eyes tightly closed, his face looked serious and thoughtful, which made all the chefs below tremble with fear.

……

Although Udon noodles are made with the same ingredients as regular hand-rolled noodles, their taste is special.

Because udon dough contains a high salt content and a low water content, it needs to be folded and kneaded repeatedly during the production process. In addition, the dough needs to be left to rest for a long time so that the gluten of the flour can be fully stretched. This creates the chewy and elastic texture of udon, with the right degree of softness and hardness, and a smooth and refreshing taste.

The salt content in udon noodles is about 5% of the weight of the flour, while the water content is only 43%-45% of the flour, so the dough is dry and hard when it is just kneaded, and it is difficult to handle.

But chefs with slightly better cooking skills always have some simple wisdom.

Under the premise of low moisture content, the stretchability and elasticity of the dough can only be achieved by letting it rest for a long time.

Although time consuming.

But it is not tiring to do, nor is it complicated.

Udon has a wide range of uses. It can be made into cold noodles, soup noodles or fried noodles. You can never go wrong with it.

There is a very famous dish called Fox Udon, which is actually made by adding seasoned fried tofu to soup. It is called Fox Udon because according to legend, foxes like to eat this kind of tofu.

Japanese ramen usually comes with a rich variety of side dishes and a thick soup.

But udon noodle soup is mostly served with simple clear soup. I think it may be to highlight the taste of udon. The chewy noodles that take a lot of time and effort to make are the protagonist of the soup.

……

Japanese cuisine.

I pay special attention to a healthy diet structure, which emphasizes the combination of meat and vegetables, and uses very little oil.

I also like to eat seafood, especially raw ones. I don’t add too many seasonings or anything like that. I like the original taste of the food.

“The taste is pretty decent.”

Finally, Erina opened her eyes and said to the chef below.

"Ok?"

Everyone was a little confused.

Fair enough?

Can this word also describe the taste?

Everyone couldn't help but feel that Erina Nakiri is becoming more and more difficult to understand.

After the Nakiri Azuchi coup, she had completely changed into a completely different person. Of course, anyone with a discerning eye could see that this dignified young lady of the Nakiri family had been changed by an izakaya owner named Zhang Fan.

……

"The basis of udon noodles is a+b(z)=u." "To put it simply, a is noodles, b is dashi or soy sauce, and z is tempura, yaki, and other toppings, which are not standard."

"In Japanese cuisine, among the commonly eaten noodles, udon and soba, noodles are more important than ramen. When we eat ramen, we often use the soup as a standard, this one is pork bone soup, that one is chicken white soup, and that one is clear soup with soy sauce."

Erina looked at the group of chefs below and said coldly.

Then, she retracted her gaze and continued, "After making the noodles, they are coated with flour to preserve them. The taste is relatively excellent, but they are not easy to preserve for a long time because they are easily oxidized."

"Udon noodles are usually made and eaten right before they are cooked. Only in this way can the taste of udon noodles really come out."

As soon as the words are finished.

Erina's eyes became as sharp as a sword.

"This kind of udon is just average. It is totally incapable of conquering my divine tongue."

quiet!
The atmosphere was eerily quiet.

Finally, all the chefs lowered their heads in fear and said in unison, "You are teaching Miss Erina a lesson!"

……

According to Japanese standards.

Only noodles with a width of more than 1.7 mm and a thickness between 1 and 3.8 mm are qualified to be called udon.

If it doesn't meet this standard... Strictly speaking, it's not real udon!
Simultaneously.

The preparation of udon noodles is very unique.

In the traditional method in Japan, the noodle maker uses the weight of his body to tread the hard dough in the sealed bag until it is smooth and soft, and then folds it repeatedly to help the gluten form a neat structure.

In other words: compared to kneading with your hands, stepping on it with your feet is much more labor-saving!
Moreover, the gluten of the flour can be fully stretched, making the noodles more chewy and smoother.

After reviewing this bowl of udon noodles.

Erina stood up and left, coming to a particularly clean cooking table.

Her eyes flickered as she looked at the white flour on the chopping board. She pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath.

Then, she finally took action.

……

First, boil water in a pot, pour in the washed snow peas, cook for about 1 minute, remove from the pot, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Add the prepared udon noodles, stir, cook for about 1 minute, remove from the heat, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Cook the chicken breast and shred it into chicken breast strips.

Place the cooked udon noodles, snow peas, shredded chicken breast and cooked yellow peas in a bowl and set aside.

In another bowl, pour in appropriate amounts of light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, sesame paste, and sugar, and stir well. Continue to add salt, chicken powder, and appropriate amount of chili oil, and stir well.

Next, pour the sauce into the udon noodles in step 4 and mix well.

At last.

This cold udon noodle dish is ready.

Take a sip, and the udon noodles slide into your mouth with a "whoosh". The sauce has a slightly sour and spicy taste, and the noodles are smooth and flexible, breaking easily when bitten.

The snow peas were crisp and refreshing, and the shredded chicken breast was not dry at all. Occasionally, I bit into a pea, which was crunchy and sticky, and the taste was elevated to several levels.

He ate it in one big mouthful with the noodles, and immediately picked up another piece with chopsticks.

Those who tasted this cold udon noodles couldn't help but fall into a wonderful state. They felt it was so delicious that they were extremely excited.

"As expected of Miss Erina."

“This kind of food is just like a shining gem, so noble and delicious!”

"For a simple bowl of cold udon noodles to be able to reach this level, it is truly a role model for my generation to admire."

……

For a while.

The chefs who had just been scolded by Erina Nakiri started cheering because of a bowl of cold udon noodles that couldn't be more ordinary.

There is no doubt that the current Erina Nakiri is no longer the same Erina Nakiri as before.

Now, her cooking skills are even more awe-inspiring and she has made a lot of progress.

And because of Zhang Fan's influence, her cooking has gradually become more popular. Sometimes, a dish that is particularly inconspicuous and ordinary can also shine in her hands.

At the same time, many people also understand that under her leadership, Totsuki Academy has gradually entered a new era.

Ah!
An era where strong men are everywhere.

"Wow!"

"Ms. Erina, your cold udon noodles taste really warm!"

At this time, Feishazi was savoring the bowl of cold udon noodles.

warmth.

This word shouldn't actually appear here.

Because this is a bowl of cold udon noodles, the only word to describe its taste is "cold".

However, it was this night full of cold food that made Hisako Niito fall into a particularly warm state.

……

The spread of food culture has benefited people all over the world!

It is precisely because of this increasingly diverse exchange that the food on our tables has become richer and more varied, and the ways of eating have become more unique and interesting.

This is also the reason why the cuisine is more diverse.

"Cough cough!"

“Udon noodles are smooth and chewy, easy to absorb flavor, lower in calories than ordinary refined noodles, and very versatile and very simple to make.”

"It is actually very suitable for lazy people to use as a staple food instead of rice."

At this time, Erina Nakiri looked around and found that everyone was still enjoying the delicious cold udon noodles.

So, she pretended to cough a few times and continued, "Compared to noodle soup, I prefer fried udon. You can just stir-fry your favorite ingredients with udon noodles. It's filling and satisfying."

“The eggs are smooth, the vegetarian chicken is tasty, the spinach is refreshing, and the noodles are soft and chewy.”

"I inhaled it with a whoosh, and the flavors in several layers plundered my lips and teeth one after another, blending with each other, constantly stimulating my taste buds. I picked up another piece of it with chopsticks right after it went down my stomach. Every bite was extremely satisfying."

“The essence of salad dressing lies in the preparation of the sauce.”

"Usually, soy sauce is used as the base seasoning, and an appropriate amount of rice vinegar is added to enhance the flavor and reduce greasiness."

"Then, the addition of minced garlic and ginger adds a touch of spiciness and fragrance to the dish. They blend with soy sauce and rice vinegar to form a layered and harmonious taste experience."

Suddenly, the whole atmosphere became extremely quiet, and everyone pricked up their ears and listened carefully.

"Water is part of the soup, so it shouldn't be mentioned separately. But for connoisseurs, the quality of water is also an important criterion for judging the origin of good udon."

"Take Kagawa Prefecture as an example. Most of the delicious udon restaurants in Takamatsu are near Ayakawa, because the water in Ayakawa is good, and the soup and noodles cooked there are even more delicious."

“As you head west from Zentsuji, the quality of udon starts to decline, and continues to deteriorate as you reach Marugame.”

"The water quality in Marugame is not as good as Takamatsu, and there are few good udon restaurants. The specialty here is bone-in chicken. Marugame City once wanted to change its name to Bone-in Chicken City..."

The new person Hisako next to him.

Looking at Erina Nakiri who was talking incessantly, he was stunned at first, and then he smiled faintly.

how to say?

She seems to have really changed a lot now! (End of this chapter)