Reborn in Japan as a Chef God

80: Chapter 80: Pastoral Cod Whopper Burger 80: Chapter 80: Pastoral Cod Whopper Burger First came the handling of the cod.

Xia Yu’s knife work was swift.

With one hand pressing down the tail of the cod, the slender, jade-like knife scraped from the tail to the head against the grain, hissing as it went, and the fine scales immediately shot out, scattering around the workbench.

It only took a few strokes to clean off the scales, and next came the backside.

The several-pound fish seemed very light in Xia Yu’s hand, and as he scraped off the scales, the live fish was still struggling.

But with one hand firmly holding the tail, Xia Yu gave a firm toss, and the cod immediately drew a beautiful parabola in the air, landing on the workbench with a sound that drew many curious glances.

“Didn’t expect him to be quite strong.”

Unbeknownst to Xia Yu, Tiqie Helinai stood by the railing above, eyes firmly fixed on his casual handling of the cod, a nameless anger smoldering in her heart.

It seemed the better Xia Yu performed, the more it pricked at Tiqie Helinai’s pride.

This guy had declined Far Moon’s admission invitation not once, not twice, but three times.

The Far Moon Commander, the Food Demon King, a heavy hitter in Neon’s culinary world, Tiqie Xianzuowen, had personally extended an invitation to him, but he declined without a second thought.

Then, Tiqie Helinai had also extended an invitation, which he rejected just the same, followed by the ludicrous bet.

With the bet almost irreversibly turned against her, Tiqie Helinai no longer fantasized about this guy willingly coming to Far Moon.

She was a little anxious, faintly feeling that if Far Moon let this guy go, it would be an irreparable loss.

A rising star poised to rapidly climb through Neon’s domestic culinary world, and yet not a product of Far Moon—that would be the greatest blow to Far Moon’s reputation, wouldn’t it?

“Thud!

Thud!

Thud!”

The loud sound of fish being cut attracted the attention of Tiqie Helinai and the audience members alike.

Don’t be fooled by the narrow, jade-like knife, its blade no wider than two fingers, but when Xia Yu wielded this chef’s knife and aimed it at the cleanly scraped fish body, he brought it down hard with a chop, the blade’s light bursting forth, hiss, and the fish head and tail were immediately separated.

The innards had already been removed beforehand, Xia Yu felt the fish body that had been beheaded and tailed, narrowing his eyes slightly, and the chef’s knife continued to slice down.

“What is he doing?”

Someone in the audience asked, puzzled.

“He’s searching for the most tender part of the cod’s flesh…”

“Cod has few bones, so with the head and tail removed, the entire body is edible, but just like beef, lamb, and pork, the quality of the meat varies with each part.

According to common knowledge, the most tender meat should be in the middle section…”

No sooner had the seafood specialist chef finished speaking than sure enough, Xia Yu’s chef knife sliced layer by layer, the cod flesh peeled off in circles, stacking up on the countertop.

Hm?

The jade-like knife finally stopped.

Xia Yu carefully examined the snowy white cross-section of the fish meat, a smile appearing on his face, “This is the spot!”

Having found the best quality part of the meat, Xia Yu began the intricate knife work.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the audience seats.

The first person to complete their dish had emerged and, lifting their creation, strode toward the judge’s table.

This was a crew cut man with a square-faced, thick-browed, big-eyed, and dark-skinned appearance.

Quite ordinary in looks.

Dressed in a pristine white chef’s uniform, he looked just like the honest hand at a construction site.

The entire hall watched him, including Xia Yu, who cast a glance his way.

“This is my dish—”

The square-faced uncle placed a large plate on the table in front of the judges, his voice booming.

On the plate were three burgers.

Yes, it was a hamburger!

The toast was crusty on the outside and tender on the inside, with three neatly cut slices of codfish stacked layer by layer within.

In addition to the codfish, each layer also included green leaf lettuce, tomato slices, fried eggs…

The air was filled with the rich scent of fried fish, and, equally as captivating as the aroma of fish, the tart and sweet smell of the fruit sauce stimulated the appetites of Dojima Yin, Shinohara Shigetaro, and Liangzi Lina, causing their saliva to rapidly secrete.

The three judges, as if by unspoken agreement, fixed their gaze on the giant hamburger on the plate.

“That’s a generous serving—”

Dojima Yin laughed as he looked at the giant hamburger and then glanced at the nationalist-faced chef, “Are you a chef or an operator from a fast-food chain?”

“Yes, Mr.

Dojima, I am a franchisee of Burger King in Neon, currently owning my own restaurant which has just passed the two-star restaurant accreditation,” replied the nationalistic-faced chef.

“No wonder.”

Dojima Yin nodded his head, took a pair of disposable gloves passed to him by a staff member, put them on, and then grabbed one of the giant hamburgers, which had a full three layers of codfish slices, and took a big bite.

Chewing, the sweetness of the toast mingled in the crispy fragrance of the fried codfish.

The key was that once the toast had deconstructed, the fruit sauce spread on top instantly attacked the taste buds, bringing an entirely different tangy and sweet flavor.

Dojima Yin’s eyes widened slightly, “Country style!”

“Country-Style Giant Codfish Hamburger!”

At this time, green leaf lettuce, tomato slices, and egg rolls also proclaimed their presence one after another in the mouth.

The multitude of flavors erupted on the taste buds, presenting Dojima Yin with a vibrant and lively pastoral scene.

At this point, the nationalistic-faced chef had succeeded.

Shinohara Shigetaro and Liangzi Lina took their turns to taste.

Liangzi Lina had only a small bite, then placed the giant hamburger back onto the plate and said indifferently, “Though I’m not very fond of this kind of fast food, I have to admit that you have come a long way in this field; at least in making hamburgers, I am not your equal.”

She was the first judge to give a positive evaluation.

The nationalistic-faced chef was overjoyed and responded humbly, “Thank you.

I would never be able to reach the culinary level of Judge Liangzi in this lifetime.”

“You’ve passed.” Shinohara Shigetaro also put down the hamburger, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, “Ingredients know no borders, nor should they restrict a chef’s recipes.

The key is how we use ingredients flexibly in our area of expertise, playing to our strengths while avoiding weaknesses.

Thus, you’ve succeeded; I’m sure your restaurant must be booming.”

Dojima Yin interjected at the right moment, pointing at the hamburger, “That tart and sweet sauce, is it a unique secret recipe of your restaurant?

I only tasted a few types of fruit flavors.”

The nationalistic-faced chef nodded.

“Chef Goma, please follow me.”

A staff member came over and led the chef to the resting spot at the side of the stage.

The audience was abuzz with discussions.

The first to complete was also the first to qualify.

It was unexpected by all.

The giant hamburgers that the main judges had not finished were taken by the staff to a nearby table, and the rich aroma wafted over, causing many in the audience to swallow their saliva secretly.

Shinohara Shigetaro watched the nationalistic-faced chef leave and set his eyes back on Xia Yu’s kitchen setup near the audience seating.

Xia Yu had already chopped the codfish into small dices; the white codfish pieces were completely mixed with the silverside dices in the plate, indistinguishable from one another.

The silverside fish are also known as California silversides.

This type of fish is about as thick as a finger, slim in body, and beautifully crystal-colored all over.

Shinohara Shigetaro only took a few brief looks before his gaze returned.

It was then that the second chef participating in the assessment served up their freshly completed codfish dish.