Chapter 76: Cooking Competition

Chapter 76: Cooking Competition

After we finished our environmental clean-up activity in the forest, I immediately started preparing for dinner.

Unlike at home, where there were gas ranges or induction cookers, at the campsite, we had to start a fire ourselves.

Therefore, each class was given a set of dry firewood and an axe.

Those who wanted to impress the girls stepped forward to chop the wood, but unfortunately, firewood wasnt something that could be easily split with just enthusiasm.

It required more technique than strength, and more than technique, it required a knack.

In that sense, I chose to split it with my hands instead of using an axe.

Crack!

By placing the firewood on my knee and gripping it with both hands, pulling it apart as if splitting an apple, the wood split along its grain.

Listening to the refreshing sound as I neatly split the firewood for other groups too, I placed the wood into a makeshift hearth made of bricks.

Though dry firewood would catch fire well on its own, adding straw made it even better.

I then lit the fire with a lighter I had brought from home, transferring the flame to a newspaper to light the hearths for the other groups as well.

After completing the minimum preparations for cooking, we decided to divide the roles among ourselves.

The leader of Group D, pushing up his glasses, asked,

Who will cook the rice?

The first to raise his hand was Yamaguchi.

Ive cooked rice in a pot at home a few times. Its my first time with firewood, but it should be fine.

Having someone with experience in this matter was invaluable.

The inability to finely control the heat was a bit of a concern, but still better than having someone inexperienced.

A beat later, Sakamoto also raised his hand.

Ah, Ill help Maiya with the rice. Im not good at cooking, so put me on odd jobs.

Thus, the childhood friend pair was tasked with cooking rice.

Then, who will do the cooking?

Upon hearing that, I, Sasha, and Rika raised our hands simultaneously.

As I mentioned earlier, Ill make beef stroganoff.

Ill make omurice!

I lifted the wok and ladle I had taken out from the tent earlier, saying,

The preparations are already done.

Typically, the food made at outside school activities was limited to curry or barbecue.

However, no one in our group wanted to make curry due to each persons distinct personality.

Honestly, I could have settled for making curry, too, but wanting to showcase my best dish, I decided to go for something more ambitious.

Alright. Then, the three of us will cook.

Hearing this, Satoru, who had been listening, tilted his head and asked,

Then, what will the Class President and I do?

The Class President, pushing up her glasses as if asking the obvious, said,

Sashas beef stroganoff had a rich brown color, probably because it was made with a brown roux base.

The main ingredients were beef, onions, and shiitake mushrooms, which were stir-fried in a pan before mixing butter and flour to create a brown roux, then adjusting the thickness of the sauce with broth and sour cream.

The seasoning was solely salt and pepper, which could taste somewhat bland to first-timers.

Thud!

Sasha, placing the dish in front of the Class President with a confident smile, said,

This is a recipe passed down directly from my mother. Theres a saying in Japan, To capture a mans heart, one must first capture his stomach, right?

Showing off her extensive knowledge in a manner uncharacteristic of a foreigner, she offered her dish to the Class President.

Then, the Class President nodded and took a big spoonful of the beef stroganoff sprinkled over the rice, putting it into her mouth.

Chew, chew.

With careful movements and slightly trembling eyebrows, not wanting to make a hasty judgment.

The Class Presidents demeanor was akin to that of a top-tier judge.

Swallow.

Eventually, after swallowing the food in her mouth, the Class President spoke up.

The soft sour cream and the rich flavor of the beef, and hidden within is the acidity of white wine, right?

Sasha crossed her arms and nodded in response.

Its a secret technique I learned from my mother. She said that if you grill the finely chopped beef with white wine at the beginning, the aroma and acidity are infused, neutralizing the meats gamey smell.

Listening to her explanation, the Class President tasted the beef stroganoff again.

Then, setting the spoon down, he commented,

Its delicious but slightly bland. It feels like the seasoning is a bit lacking for eating with rice. Perhaps, Miss Sasha, youve never made this dish to be eaten over rice before, right?

Sasha, as if hit right on the mark, quietly nodded her head in agreement.

I hadnt considered that aspect of the recipe I learned.

Indeed. But its still delicious on its own, so theres no need to be too disappointed. And theres no guarantee that the dishes from the other two will be more delicious than this.

Sasha, slightly dissatisfied but understanding, stepped aside.

Next to be judged was Rika.

Hehe, my omurice wont be so easily surpassed! After all, Ive been through hellish training with my mother!

Is that so? Im looking forward to it.

The Class President said this and after tasting Rikas omurice, she harshly criticized it, saying,

The inside of your omelet rice is so undercooked it feels like a chick might pop out at any moment. If its going to be like this, why did you bother killing it?

After Rika was devastatingly sunk, it was finally my turn.

With a nervous expression, I placed the bowl I was holding in front of the Class President.

Is this the Chinese-style rice bowl you mentioned, Mr. Kim?

I nodded and encouraged her to try it.

Then, the Class President hesitantly nodded and picked up the spoon.

Well then, Ill enjoy it.