"Yes, every step of this dish,"
"can exceed expectations. This is the first time I've ever seen it in my life; it's simply incredible."
Staring blankly at the flame-like dumplings, Leonora's inner surprise was beyond words.
Although she was a foreigner from Northern Europe and rarely encountered Chinese dumpling dishes due to her own dietary habits, as the head of Nakiri International Research Department, she certainly wouldn't be as ignorant as Alice.
This dish made her realize one thing:
There are no useless ingredients or dishes, only useless chefs!
Especially the unique aroma mixed with the charring from the flames, it made her feel an urge to immediately indulge in a grand feast.
Finally, she couldn't resist. Under the gaze of Sosuke and others, she picked up a pair of chopsticks, eagerly picked up a small dumpling, and slowly brought it to her mouth.
...
Crunch!
With just a light bite,
the crispy and slightly sweet skin immediately broke apart in her small mouth.
What followed was the internal meat filling paired with a slightly hot and savory sauce.
In an instant, every taste bud cell on her tongue seemed like an early bird, cheering and leaping with joy.
"Hmm?"
"This... this..."
Leonora quickly noticed something and couldn't help but chew again with her teeth.
Sweet, savory, crispy, wine aroma, wheat aroma, meat aroma, vegetable aroma, and other complex flavors and textures continuously rippled in her gentle mouth.
In an instant, that slight tingling sensation rising from the base of her tongue gave Leonora, who had tasted countless delicious dishes, a never-before-experienced taste sensation!
"From the selection of ingredients to the techniques of kneading dough and wrapping filling,"
"actually, after some careful consideration, one can tell that it's basically the same as ordinary boiled dumplings."
"And if cooked in the manner of boiled dumplings, it naturally wouldn't be something to look forward to, but this dish has a secret that even I almost fell for."
Swallowing, Leonora seemed to understand something.
She looked up and gazed deeply at Sosuke, her thoughts inevitably chaotic, wondering what she was thinking.
After all, Sosuke's dishes always brought her shock, even effortlessly overturning her own culinary concepts.
"Mom, is there a secret to this?"
"When I eat it, I feel like this dumpling dish isn't really different, isn't it still a dumpling?"
"It's just that taste... Ah... Mmm mmm mmm... it's really great!"
Beside her, Alice Nakiri, with oil stains on the corners of her mouth from eating, spoke in a daze, then feeling unsatisfied, she picked up another dumpling and ate it with a wide open mouth.
"Alice, do you know why that traditional Chinese clay pot utensil is used?"
"Clay pot? That strange, strange utensil, is it called a clay pot?"
Alice innocently shook her head, indicating that she had never seen such a utensil.
"The reason this clay pot utensil is used,"
"should be because this utensil has better airtightness, allowing it to preserve the fresh taste of the food to the greatest extent."
"Furthermore, the material of the clay pot is particularly suitable for slow and gentle cooking, and it also requires precise heat control."
"At the same time, the clay pot is also vertically curved, which allows for a circulating airflow inside, maximizing heat retention."
"In short, Alice, you may not understand, but you must not underestimate any inconspicuous object; it can often play a significant role without you even realizing it!"
...
"I see."
"So everything has its value when used!"
After listening to her mother's meaningful words, Alice couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
In the original plot, she lost to Yukihira Soma in the Autumn Elections precisely because she didn't understand nori bento or some commoner knowledge.
Since the Practical Training ended, she had been diligently researching new dishes and constantly summarizing the shortcomings of her own abilities, but she had not yet achieved any results or made much progress.
The reason was certainly related to her lack of knowledge in many commoner aspects.
"I see."
"Using boiling water to knead the dough will create two different types of dough."
"Most boiled dumplings use cold water dough, while Flame Dumplings use hot water dough, so their cooking methods also differ."
"The former must be boiled, while the latter can be deep-fried and roasted, thereby producing different flavors!"
Continuing to eat the Flame Dumplings, Leonora couldn't help but activate her 'mouth-blabbering' technique, wanting to discuss endlessly.
"Yes, but using boiling water to knead dough isn't a groundbreaking technique."
Upon hearing this, Sosuke simply smiled and replied.
"Of course, I know that kneading dough with boiling water itself isn't a rare innovation."
"But one thing is clear: this Flame Dumpling dish definitely still holds many secrets I don't know about. No, I need to eat a few more."
After saying that, Leonora quickly picked up another dumpling and savored it carefully once more!
Honestly, if it weren't for her noble "mature woman" image,
she would have truly wished she could just swallow all these Flame Dumplings in one bite.
After just a few bites, the taste of the meat filling felt even more marvelous; it contained a flavor she had never tasted before.
Compared to beef or shrimp, this ordinary pork-filled bun was surprisingly much more tender, even giving her the illusion that her tongue was melting.
...
Slowly, she involuntarily entered a certain state.
She saw Leonora Nakiri, wearing a crown, riding a white horse, holding a sword, and clad in armor, like a cold and beautiful queen, exuding a noble aura all over, on a lush green grassland.
Opposite her was a knight riding a "pig," and the knight's appearance, of course, was Sosuke.
But unlike his gentle personality in reality, he was almost mad, holding a long spear, and even more interestingly, the two nostrils of the pig he was riding could spray flames, and his expression was quite fierce.
"Charge!"
Suddenly, Leonora charged forward, holding her sword.
Unexpectedly, Sosuke, riding the pig, also rushed quickly from afar, directly wielding the long spear in his hand, delivering the fiercest blow to her!
"Ah!"
"What... what happened to me?"
"Why do I feel like I've been... no no no, like I've been 'pushed' by Sosuke?"
Suddenly, Leonora woke up, unable to help but let out a low murmur, her expression growing more and more shocked.
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"