You were Senzaemon Nakiri's third Grandchild, You are (Name) Nakiri, although not much people know Senzaemon had a third child or a third grandchild, only people in the Nakiri Family knew. But what happens when you decide to reveal yourself, to the...
Knives scraped against cutting boards, water boiled in the back, and the aroma of fresh vegetables lingered in the air. The second day of the training camp had approached, and you were under the instructions of Fuyumi Mizuhara, a well renowned head chef of an italian restaurant.
Her instructions were rather simple in words but not so much in execution, "reinvent a classical italien pasta dish using local japanese ingredients, you will have to work on your own."
You hummed to yourself as you scanned the ingredients table, turning over traditional Italian recipes in your mind, thinking about how to deconstruct and rebuild them with a Japanese twist.
Despite being separated from the Soma, Nikumi and even Erina, you saw a familiar face in the rush of students darting towards the ingredients. "Yoshino-san?" You called out, the girl turned towards you, blinking in surprise. "It is you! It's a relief to see a familiar face!" You said brightly, catching up to her and continuing your search for your own ingredients. "Wait, you remember me?!"
You laughed, nodding. You had only seen Yoshino twice, once at Soma's dormitory, and the second time at a morning assembly. "I do! Although we never got to talk before." You say, watching her grab a few ingredients with a bright smile. "I didn't think I made much of an impression!"
"You did!" You respond, as she glanced over at you with a bit more warmth now. "Have you decided what you're gonna make, Nakiri-san?" She formally asked, walking alongside you as the two of you approached an empty double sided station. "You don't have to be so formal, (Name) is fine." You say, as she sets down her ingredients on one side. "Then you call me Yuki, too!"
"Then good luck, Yuki-chan!" You add as you placed your ingredients down, washing your hands, and putting your hair up. For today's task you were going to add a fusion twist on the classical italien dish, Carbonara. You began by boiling udon, instead of spaghetti noodles, adding a pinch of salt to the already boiling water.
While that was boiling, you grabbed a large bowl and whisked together egg yolks, miso paste and yuzu zest instead of pecorino and parmesan, a bit of pepper and a touch of soy sauce. You set that aside, before turning your attention to the stove, you placed a pan on there, and sautéed garlic and pork until it was lightly crisp and fragrant. You let out a sigh of content at the delicious aroma that lingered in the air. "Mmmm~! That smells so good, (Name)-chan!"
You offered her a smile and lowered the heat. Then, you strained the udon noodles and adding it into the pan, tossing it quickly. After a couple minutes, you removed the pan from the heat and added your mixture of egg-miso-yuzu, tossing it vigorously to create a creamy coating. You paused for a moment, feeling an ache in your arms at the work you were doing.
The heat of the noodles aided in helping the eggs to cook gently, emulsifying with the miso and pork fat to create a silky, glossy sauce that coats every strand of udon, the noodles glistened under the kitchens light. You glance over to see Yuki tossing her pasta in a matcha pesto, it's aroma drifting towards you, as you swore you could hear your own stomach grumble in complain. "You're not so bad yourself, Yuki-chan!"
You waited for a minute, before twirling the udon into a neat nest on the center of the plate for a clean, elegant presentation. After, you sprinkled it with shredded nori and finely sliced shiso leaves for a pop of color and freshness. Added a few crispy garlic chips for crunch, and a final zest of fresh yuzu over the top will brighten the dish with aroma. As well as a cracking a bit of fresh black pepper for contrast. "And done~!"
Yuki had gone before you, clearing the task with ease as she returned to clean her dishes. Meanwhile, you balanced the plate lightly on your hand, offering your plate to Mizuhara. She glanced between you and the plate before leaning over to inhale the aroma of your dish. "Yuzu Miso Carbonara with Udon Noodles, huh?" She said out loud, feeling rather content with just the aroma yourself. "Please enjoy~!"
She took her first bite carefully, slowly chewing through her food with her eyes closed. "Mm~!This dish has a deep umami from the miso and pork fat, creating a rich, comforting base. The egg yolk emulsion makes the sauce creamy and silky, perfectly coating the udon." She says, blinking in surprise as she rushed to take another bite of the noodles.
"The Yuzu adds a fresh, citrusy brightness that balances the richness. The smoky pork brings warmth and complexity, while the chewy noodles contrast nicely with the crisp garlic chips and fresh shiso. It's rich but well-balanced, every bite is flavorful and leaves you wanting more." She quietly rambles on, as you awkwardly laugh despite being pleased with her reaction.
You let her finish the dish watching as she offered you a rare smile of content as you returned to your station to begin cleaning up. "Way to go, Yuki-chan~! We passed!" You say, holding your palm up in the air for her to high five, she offered you a large grin, pleased with the outcome of this trial, "Hooray~!!"
Meanwhile... over at another classroom, a quietness linger in the air, students watched i astonishment as your dear friend Soma was preparing to duel a former totsuki elite ten council memeber..
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