食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7) QUOTES

1 " I can taste hints of coarse-ground cinnamon, cumin, cardamom and cloves!"
"Not only that, he used apple wood for his smoke chips! Compared to cherry and other fruit trees, apple wood gives off a milder, sweeter smoke."
"Aha! I see! So that's how he was able to smoke the ingredients without overpowering the curry spices!"
"Correct! That was the perfect wood to use to highlight the coarse-ground spices he chose."
"I added the spice mix to my curing compound too. You should be able to taste the curry spices in all of the smoked ingredients."
"The toppings also show an excellent hand! The smoked egg was soft boiled to perfection, its umami flavors delectably concentrated. The yolk is practically jelly! "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)

2 " Hisako Arato...
... is an expert at medicinal cooking!"
MEDICINAL COOKING
Based on both Western and Eastern medicinal practices, it melds together food and pharmaceutical science.
It is a culinary specialty that incorporates natural remedies and Chinese medicine into recipes to promote overall dietary health.
"Besides the four traditional natural remedies, I also added Jiāng Huáng, Dà huí Xiāng, and Xiāo huí Xiāng...
... to create my own original 'Medicinal Spice Mix.'
Steeping them in water for an hour drew out their medicinal properties. Then I added the mutton and various vegetables and boiled them until they were tender. Some Shaoxing wine and a cilantro garnish at the end gave it a strong, refreshing fragrance. "
"That's right! Now that you mention it, there's a whole lot of overlap between medicinal cooking and curry. The medicinal herbs Jiāng Huáng, Dà huí Xiāng, and Xiāo huí Xiāng are commonly called turmeric, star anise and fennel! All three of those are spices any good curry's gotta have!"
"By basing her dish on those spices, she was able to tie her medicinal cooking techniques into the curry. That makes this a dish that only she could create!"
"Yes. This is my version of a Medicinal Curry...
It's called 'Si wu Tang Mutton Curry'!"
"I can feel it! I can feel the healing energies flowing through my body!"
"Delicious! The spices highlight the strong, robust flavor of the mutton perfectly! And the mild sweetness of the vegetables has seeped into the roux, mellowing the overall flavor!"
Thanks to Si wu Tang, just a few bites have the curry's heat spreading through my whole body!"
"Yes. Si wu Tang is said to soothe the kidneys, boost inner chi...
... and purge both body and mind of impurities! "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)

3 " I see bacon, green peppers, mushrooms... those are all found in Napolitan Spaghetti. I guess instead of the standard ketchup, he's used curry roux for the sauce?
The noodles look similar to fettuccini."
"Hm. I'm not seeing anything else that stands out about it. Given how fun and amusing the calzone a minute ago was...
... the impact of this one's a lot more bland and boring..."
W-what the heck? Where did this heavy richness come from? It hits like a shockwave straight to the brain!
"Chicken and beef stocks for the base... with fennel and green cardamom for fragrance! What an excellent, tongue-tingling curry sauce! It clings well to the broad fettuccini noodles too!"
"For extra flavor is that... soy sauce?"
"No, it's tamari soy sauce!
Tamari soy sauce is richer and less salty than standard soy sauce, with a more full-bodied sweetness to it. Most tamari is made on Japan's eastern seaboard. "
"That's not all either! I'm picking up the mellow hints of cheese! But I'm not seeing a single shred of any kind of cheese in here. Where's it hiding?"
"Allow me to tell you, sir. First, look at the short edge of a noodle, please."
?! What on earth?!
This noodle's got three layers!"
"For the outer layers, I kneaded turmeric into the pasta dough. But for the inner layer, I added Parmesan cheese!"
"I see! It's the combination of the tamari soy sauce and the parmesan cheese that gives this dish its incredible richness!"
"Yeah, but wait a minute! If you go kneading cheese right into the noodles, wouldn't it just melt back out when you boiled them?"
No... that's why they're in three layers! With the cheese in the middle, the outer layers prevented it from melting out!
The deep, rich curry sauce, underscored with the flavor of tamari soy sauce...
... and the chewy noodles, which hit you with the mellow, robust taste of parmesan cheese with every bite!
Many people are familiar with the idea of coating cream cheese in soy sauce...
... but who would have thought parmesan cheese would match this well with tamari soy sauce! "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)

4 " I, like, added curry spices to the tomatoes and then firmed it with sodium alginate.
Then there's the mousse I made with powdered, freeze-dried foie gras blended with turmeric. The white dollop in the middle is a puree of potatoes and six different types of cheese.
Once your mouth has thoroughly cooled from those items, you should totally try the piecrust arches.
Oh! I flash froze it first, so it should have a very light, fluffy texture.
I kneaded coriander and a few other select spices into the pie dough. It'll cleanse your palate and give your tongue a break.
This dish is all about "Thermal Sense," y'know.
Molecular gastronomy teaches about the various contrasting temperature sensations foods and spices have.
I took those theories and put them together into a single dish. "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)

5 " Laksa curry, did you say? That is a Southeast Asian dish known for its exceptionally slippery noodles. And I expect squid ink was used to give the roux this black color."
"But this utterly repulsive and vomit-inducing stench! Don't tell me you used-"
"Yes. It's Kusaya."
"I KNEW IT! What kind of garbage does this girl think goes in food?!"
KUSAYA
Salted dried fish, it originated in the Izu Islands. Blueback fish, like mackerel or flying fish, are soaked in a salty, sticky brine called Kusaya Jiru and then sun dried.
IT REEKS.
"Just grilling the stuff is enough to get you a pile of complaints from all your neighbors!"
"Ugh. Boiling it down makes the stench even more repugnant."
"This is my special handmade Kusaya! I used flying fish and mahi-mahi...
... and then soaked them in Kusaya Jiru I carefully, preciously refined over and over! "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)

6 " The typical smell from skin-on pork belly is completely erased by the spices used. All that reaches the tongue... are the mild sweetness of the fats and the zesty richness of the curry!"
"It's amazingly delicious!"
"After I parboiled, seasoned and pan seared the pork belly... I braised it in a mixture of oyster sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and other seasonings.
I gave it its fragrance with star anise, ginger and Sichuan pepper."
Strange. The meat is incredibly heavy and filling...
yet this dish is so easy to eat! Why?
"IT'S THE RICE!
Now I see! She mixed a dash of rock salt and Sichuan-peppercorn oil into the rice!
The refreshing scent and tongue-tingling flavor of the peppercorn oil ameliorates the oiliness of the fats...
... but its spiciness makes you want another bite of the sweet meat... it's a chain reaction! "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)

7 " Oooh! What a vibrant, flaming red the spiny lobsters are. It makes a lovely, eye-catching contrast to the brilliant yellow of the saffron rice. The lobster itself is also perfectly dressed, with no nicks or cuts on its legs and whiskers."
"Given how lively and energetic the chef was during the cooking phase...
... I admit I hardly expected such elegant, delicate plating. "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)

8 " Um, i-it's Monkfish-Dobujiru Curry."
DOBUJIRO
A hot stew with monkfish as the main ingredient...
it's a recipe that has its roots in the fishing towns of Japan's northern prefectures of Ibaraki and Fukushima.
Curry and monkfish? What a strange pairing.
What on earth is she thinking?
AAAH...
"Now I see! This is why she used monkfish!
The most unique part of Dobujiru is how it is made by first simmering a monkfish liver- the foie gras of the sea- until it dissolves. Miso paste and sake are then added to stretch the liver and form the base of the broth.
But she added curry spices to that...
... to make a "Monkfish-Liver-Curry Miso" base!"
"Who would've dreamed that the deep, sticky richness of the liver would meld so well with curry spices! Mmm! I can feel the warmth seeping through my whole body! "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)

9 " Y'know...
after that other dish a minute ago, this one tastes especially... I dunno... homey. It's a dish with a real human feel to it."
"I see monkfish meat, skin, fins and-
HM?!
Kogiku squash... Tachikawa burdock... and Akasuji daikon!"
"Y-yes, sir! All of those are veggies you can find in my hometown.
I wanted to show in my dish how good the veggies in my hometown are, so I tried a lot of different combinations... but curry spices are really powerful, and they didn't go well with a lot of the veggies' natural sweetness or bitterness.
I was stumped for a good long time, until I had the sudden thought that I could do a dobujiru for my dish. The monkfish liver in dobujiru could be a kind of bridge, allowing me to make the best of the curry spices while at the same time retaining all the natural tastiness of the veggies
And besides, I, um... I've handled monkfish since I was little anyway."
"Really?"
"I wanted to make a curry that reflected all the best of my hometown...
right down to the taste and smells! "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)

10 " This is based on Sauce Américaine. A classic French sauce, its recipe calls for crushed lobster shells and meat crushed together.
And then there's its rich, woody fragrance. I know what it's from now! COGNAC!" *Cognac is a variety of brandy made in Cognac, France. There are many strict requirements the brandy must meet in order to be considered an official cognac.*
"I see! When brandy is aged, it absorbs the scents of the wooden casks in which it's stored! That's why this curry has such a strong bouquet of woody aromas... like sandalwood and cedar!"
"Yup! That's right, sir. By the way, for this dish I experimented a little...
... and used Napoleon-Grade Cognac, which has even richer scents.
There are several grades of cognac, depending on how long it is aged. Napoleon Grade is considered the highest. "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)

11 " Tender poached egg. Creamy mashed potatoes. And the thick layer of hot, melted cheese!
Those are all incredibly delicious, but what takes the cake is the roux! It's been made in a VICHYSSOISE style!"
VICHYSSOISE
Boiled potatoes, onions, leeks and other ingredients are pureed with cream and soup stock to make this potage. It's often served chilled.
Its creation is generally credited to Louis Diat, a French chef at the Ritz Carlton in New York, who first put it on the hotel's menu in 1917.
"Amazing! It looks like a thick, heavy dish that would sit in the stomach like lead, but it's so easy to eat!"
"The noodles! It's the udon noodles, along with the coriander powder, that makes it feel so much lighter!
Coriander is known for its fresh, almost citrusy scent and its mildly spicy bite. It goes exceptionally well with the cumin kneaded into the noodles, each spice working to heighten the other's fragrance.
AAAH!
It's immensely satisfying!"
"I have also included dill, vichyssoise's traditional topping. Dry roasting the dill seeds together with the cumin seeds made a spice mix that gave a strong aroma to the roux."
"Hm! Fat noodles in a thick, creamy roux. Eating them is much the same experience as having dipping noodles.
What an amazing concept to arrive at from a century-old French soup recipe! "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)

12 " She's using it just like Kapi, a fermented shrimp paste!
By substituting Kusaya- which has a smell several times stronger- for the Kapi, the flavor of the curry becomes that much richer. And since Kusaya is made from fish, it makes sense that it would perfectly complement the fish stock traditionally used in Laksa!
"What a robust flavor! My mouth is overflowing with the savory taste of seafood! Strangely, the more I chew, the better the smell becomes!"
"She used seasonings like lemongrass along with coconut milk to give it a more expansive flavor." "

― , 食戟のソーマ 7 [Shokugeki no Souma 7] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #7)