Home > Work > 食戟のソーマ 25 [Shokugeki no Souma 25] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #25)

食戟のソーマ 25 [Shokugeki no Souma 25] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #25) QUOTES

食戟のソーマ 25 [Shokugeki no Souma 25] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #25) QUOTES

1 " The key to this risotto is Japanese peppers of all things?!"
"It's sharp, refreshing aroma highlights the mellow body of the cheese... while making the eel's umami flavor flash like an explosion!"
"And that one key ingredient that quietly ties it all together...
... is garlic!"
"Garlic?! In traditional Japanese cuisine?! That's almost unheard of!"
"Those are special smoked garlic chips a junior of mine made. They were smoked using wood from a walnut tree, which is known to emphasize seafood flavors well. By lightly crushing those chips and sprinkling them on as a topping, I added a pleasantly crunchy texture to the dish.
But the most critical feature of my dish... is that I broiled the eel using the Kansai region Kabayaki style. Unlike the Kanto region style, there's no steaming step. Leaving all that oil in gives the eel a more fragrant aroma with a heavier texture and stronger flavor...
... meaning it pairs much more naturally with a flavor as powerful as garlic. *Steaming the eel makes much of its natural oil seep out, leaving the flesh light and fluffy.*
But what makes these chips so extraordinary... is that they're infused with Ibusaki's earnest passion and the pure sweat of his helpers, Aoki and Sato. There's no way they could not be delicious!"
"Ew! Don't say they're infused with sweat! That's gross!"
"This much alone is already an impressively polished gourmet course. What's in store for us in that teapot?"
"That is eel-liver broth, my lady. I dressed the eel's liver and then sautéed it in olive oil with some smoked garlic chips. Then I poured the sake Sakaki and Marui made over the top and let the alcohol cook off before adding bonito stock to make a broth. It matches beautifully with the cheese that Yoshino and Nikumi made, creating a soft flavor with a splendid aftertaste. "

― , 食戟のソーマ 25 [Shokugeki no Souma 25] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #25)

2 " These noodles are so supple and chewy it's difficult to believe they're 90 percent buckwheat!
The sweet taste of buckwheat blooms in the mouth like a fragile flower. What a wondrously delicate flavor!
That does it. I'm having soba noodles for dinner tonight!
"Now for the tempura shrimp!"
How light and crispy! The sakura shrimp are pleasantly crunchy, while their tempura shell is airy and crispy! I can easily distinguish the texture and deliciousness of each individual shrimp in every bite!
The crispy crunch of the tempura shrimp and the sleek smoothness of the noodles make for an excellent contrast in textures.
Even after I've swallowed a bite, the sweetly savory aftertaste of the sakura shrimp lingers in the mouth like a perfume. "

― , 食戟のソーマ 25 [Shokugeki no Souma 25] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #25)

3 " The restaurant Muromachi Sunaba, opened in 1869, is considered the pioneer of chilled soba with tempura. Their fame came from their version served with a side of tempura Shiba shrimp.
Miss Kinokuni's dish is similar. Though instead of the strong umami of Shiba shrimp, she chose to make her tempura from the smaller, sweeter and more refined sakura shrimp.
A wise choice, as its delicate flavor pairs exceptionally well with the mild and fragile sweetness of her soba noodles!
Once you take a bite, it is precisely that combination that makes it impossible to stop!
The sublimely smooth and refreshing texture of the noodles combined with the sweet crunch of the sakura shrimp envelops the taster in a cocoon of delicious bliss...
... making it seem as if they've eaten the entire dish in only a single bite! "

― , 食戟のソーマ 25 [Shokugeki no Souma 25] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #25)

4 " Each bite is a tidal wave of savory, fatty eel juices...
... made fresh and tangy by the complementary flavors of olive oil and tomato!
...!
It's perfect!
This dish has beautifully encapsulated the superbness of Capitone Eel!"
"Capitone specifically means 'Large Female Eel'!
It's exactly this kind of eel that is served during Natale season from Christmas to New Year's.
Compared to normal eels, the Capitone is large, thick and juicy! In fact, it's considered a delicacy!"
"Yes, I've heard of them! The Capitone is supposed to be significantly meatier than the standard Anguilla."
*Anguilla is the Italian word for regular eels.*
"Okay. So the Capitone is special.
But is it special enough to make a dish so delicious the judges swoon?"
"No. The secret to the Capitone's refined deliciousness in this dish lies with the tomatoes.
You used San Marzanos, correct?"
"Ha Ragione! (Exactly!)
I specifically chose San Marzano tomatoes as the core of my dish!"
Of the hundreds of varieties of tomato, the San Marzano Plum Tomato is one of the least juicy.
Less juice means it makes a less watery and runny sauce when stewed!
"Thanks to the San Marzano tomatoes, this dish's sauce remained thick and rich with a marvelously full-bodied taste.
The blend of spices he used to season the sauce has done a splendid job of highlighting the eel's natural flavors as well."
"You can't forget the wondrous polenta either. Crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle.
There's no greater garnish for this dish."
*Polenta is boiled cornmeal that is typically served as porridge or baked into cakes.*
"Ah. I see. Every ingredient of his dish is intimately connected to the eel.
Garlic to increase the fragrance, onion for condensed sweetness...
... and low-juice tomatoes. Those are the key ingredients. "

― , 食戟のソーマ 25 [Shokugeki no Souma 25] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #25)

5 " These soba noodles have gone beyond simply attractive into the realm of sexiness. They look as soft and smooth as the skin of a beautiful lady. "

― , 食戟のソーマ 25 [Shokugeki no Souma 25] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #25)

6 " Japanese people may find this surprising, but eel is a common ingredient in European cuisine.
Kurokiba's Eel Matelote from the Classic's Semifinal Round is one such European dish."
"Southern Italy in particular has a tradition of eating eel right around Natale, which is Christmas. It's often served during the feasts for La Vigilia on Christmas Eve night.
The eels are supposed to symbolize devils, and eating them is thought to be a charm warding off bad luck and evil spirits. "

― , 食戟のソーマ 25 [Shokugeki no Souma 25] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #25)

7 " Miss Kinokuni used once-milled flour for her noodles. They had a light and fluffy sweetness with a pleasing chewiness and a silky-smooth texture. It was a flavor so delicate and refined it made all three of us feel as if we had ascended to heaven after only a single bite.
Conversely, Mr. Yukihira chose thrice-milled flour. Compared to once-milled flour, it has a much coarser texture making for rougher noodles with a harsher scent...
but as it's made from the outermost parts of the groat, including their hulls, it packs the strongest buckwheat flavor of all three types of flour!"
Had Mr. Yukihira chosen to use once-milled flour for his noodles, frying them as he did would certainly have destroyed their delicate flavor. But because he chose thrice milled, which comes with the most powerful flavor...
... even frying the noodles in a hot wok wasn't enough to smother their buckwheaty goodness!
That is precisely what allowed him to masterfully construct such a delicious flavor! "

― , 食戟のソーマ 25 [Shokugeki no Souma 25] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #25)