He's bold enough to do anything, yet he gets flustered at crucial moments. That contrast is truly admirable!
Soon, the group returned to the dormitory.
"How about I teach you all how to cook today?"
Standing in the kitchen, Hoshino Sora looked at Aka Rika and the others, who seemed a bit bored in the living room. He suddenly poked his head out and called to them.
"Is that alright? Will it bother you?" Asaka stepped into the kitchen. Although she had some cooking skills, compared to Hoshino Sora's, hers were like a small witch meeting a great one.
She might not only be unhelpful but also get in the way.
"There's no such thing as bothering or not bothering when cooking at home. Those who want to learn, come in. I'll teach you all personally, and I guarantee you'll all learn."
He glanced at the time on the wall. Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato had gone to visit the medicinal cuisine studio and would likely return with them. Everyone else was busy with their own affairs, having been called by their mentors, so they wouldn't be home so quickly.
This meant they had plenty of time for cooking practice. Considering that Yui Yuigahama and the others basically lived alone in Neon, Hoshino Sora decided to personally teach them so they could eat more delicious food.
"Okay! I want to learn~"
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Kitagawa Marin was the first to respond. Her face was beaming with excitement. Because she and Yui Yuigahama basically lived together, they were troubled every day about what to eat.
Although her fried rice was delicious, and she never got tired of it, Yui Yuigahama couldn't stand it. Because she ate fried rice every day, Yui Yuigahama even developed a strange shadow over fried rice.
"Alright, today I'll teach you a simple and delicious dish that you can quickly make at home. The ingredients are also very common, easily bought at the supermarket, and it's convenient to make. It's an old Chinese recipe: Braised Beef Cubes."
As he spoke, Kitagawa Marin and Yui Yuigahama had already gathered around, and Aka Rika also moved closer.
Although Akanegakubo Momo was a very good cook, she didn't want to fall behind at a time like this. She nimbly stood to Hoshino Sora's right, ready to act as the commentator for this dish.
"You keep talking, we'll listen from the side."
Asaka said as she tied up her hair, looking capable. Her eyes were fixed on Hoshino Sora's hands and the ingredients on the cutting board. This was a rare hands-on lesson!
How luxurious it was to have a world-class chef teach you how to cook? Fortunately, he was her man, so such a thing was completely free for her.
"For this beef, it's best to use snowflake beef. Beef tenderloin is also acceptable, but it's relatively inferior, a bit less tender, though the taste isn't bad. Here, we're using snowflake beef."
Hoshino Sora said, pointing at the ingredients on the cutting board. Then, a Disassembly Knife appeared in his hand, its tip pointing at the meat: "First, we'll remove some of the sinew to make the texture more harmonious."
"The quality of this meat is really good." Akanegakubo Momo spoke, looking at the beef in front of her, where white fat was interspersed with red meat. Her first sentence was to praise the quality of the meat.
"It's called snowflake beef precisely because it has more fat, and the fat is very evenly distributed, looking like snowflakes, which is how it got its name.
Fat plays a very important role in cooking. The reason it tastes good is that our taste buds have fat receptors and amino acid receptors, so this snowflake beef is delicate, smooth, and has a particularly good texture."
While cutting the snowflake beef in front of him into two-centimeter square pieces, he turned his head and spoke to the others behind him. These were all things he had read in books, researched by previous master chefs.
If it weren't for the rich collection of books at Oriental Academy, he wouldn't have known this detail, only simply knowing that fat emits fragrance and is delicious.
"If beef is expensive, pork or fish can also be used by analogy. The most important thing in learning to cook is to be able to apply what you learn to other dishes. Only then can you truly be considered a master."
Akanegakubo Momo also added from the side. Learning to cook rigidly will ultimately limit one's achievements. Only by applying what one learns to other dishes and innovating can one truly grow.
However, for someone who doesn't make a living from cooking, being able to learn everything their teacher teaches is already very impressive; there's no need to demand too much.
"Once the beef is processed, we'll also prepare the side ingredients. First, this chicken drumstick mushroom, cut it quite large, preferably similar in size to the beef.
Cut the red and green peppers into diamond shapes. Don't use too much; they're just for color to make the whole dish look good."
Hoshino Sora explained to the girls beside him as he cut the ingredients. His voice was gentle, and his pace was slow. It was clear that he genuinely wanted to teach them, to improve their lives.
And just as he said, the difficulty of this dish was not high; as long as the details were controlled, it could be made very delicious.
"Side dishes should not overshadow the main ingredient, otherwise, it would be like the guest taking over the host."
Akanegakubo Momo added from the side. As a very skilled chef, she was not only good at desserts but also dabbled in various techniques such as stir-frying, deep-frying, and braising.
"Cut some shallots, just slice them, mainly for the flavor. Then smash some garlic and chop it into minced garlic."
Hoshino Sora said, and the Disassembly Knife in his hand changed shape, becoming wider and thicker. With a light tap, he smashed the garlic, chopped it into minced garlic, and set it aside for later use. Then he picked up a bottle of braising sauce.
He took a bowl, poured in the braising sauce, added a spoon of salt, two spoons of sugar, a little pepper, and then some chicken broth, and two spoons of starch. With that, the preparation was complete.
"This sauce has a complex flavor; it needs to be rich to be delicious, but the main flavor must stand out. For example, the main flavor of this dish is savory. You can't add too much sugar; otherwise, the taste of the entire dish will become very strange."
Looking at Rika, whose eyes were flickering in the distance, Hoshino Sora smiled, raised his hand, and pinched her cheek. Then he turned back to the cooking. This was just a small interlude.
"I would never make such a basic mistake!"
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