What?
He's asleep?
How's he managing it on that chair?
Here it comes!
Now's the time!
What's this fragrance?
Hm?
Hey, look!
That pot!
It's rice!
He's cooking rice with the vegetables and spices!
Your pot...
You've added a paste of apples, bananas, and carrots.
That makes the rice creamy,
similar to a risotto.
Nice, Hayama.
I knew you'd get it. Right on!
You have a great nose.
No... there's some other secret.
What's behind this complex fragrance, even though he's not
using anything special for spices?
Oh, I was testing recipes until this morning.
I was so focused on sniffing out all the differences in the smells
that I ended up taking a li'l nap.
Oops.
You've got balls of steel, man.
Well, wait and see.
My cooking's just getting started.
Cooking in Progress
Hall B
The Unknown Known
Hall B
The dropout's just working away without any showmanship.
Man, she's so outta place, she gets on my nerves. What a country bumpkin!
What'd you just say, boys?
Say it one more time loud and clear, why don't ya?
Cut it out!
Just let them be.
But Fumio-san!
They said it so Tadokoro'd hear them!
Never mind all that. Cheer both of them on!
A'ight.
Fine.
Tadokoro, Yoshino, hang in there!
Yeah!
You can do it!
Now the prepwork's all done.
I have to get started on getting it ready...
Do you know who's the biggest troublemaker in a kitchen?
It's the careless klutz who isn't aware of their surroundings!
Hojo-san, I'm sorry.
I'll be more careful.
Hmph.
Hojo's finally adding spices!
She's letting the fragrance fully develop,
then stir-frying the eggs and rice!
Look!
There's something amazing going on there, too!
The pasta was cut in a second!
What skill!
He used the mezzaluna, which is for mincing ingredients,
to cut them into equal pieces!
What's that dough his brother's holding?
You can't keep your eyes off of either of them!
Tadokoro's not falling behind, either!
Yeah!
Watch her masterful work!
Wait, what?
Tadokoro...
Hang in there...
Tadokoro Megumi...
I thought she might be good enough to go up against men
when I heard about her Shokugeki with Shinomiya,
but she seems to be the wimp she looks like.
Look!
An monkfish?!
She's going to prepare that?!
What's that girl doing?
It's a way to butcher monkfish.
I can see that.
Hanging Butchering Method
Monkfish are covered by gelatinous slime,
so it's difficult to butcher them on the cutting board.
Hanging them is a traditional way to do it.
But...
She'll have to cut into the fish when it's hanging and unstable,
so it requires significant skill.
She chose a high-difficulty fish
for such a high-risk occasion.
Dig in!
Soma-kun has always been positive, no matter what the situation.
He's always helped me.
He's not with me right now,
but he's still fighting.
I don't know if I can do this on my own,
but Soma-kun, please let me have some of your courage today!
I learned this trick at home a long time ago. It helps you relax when you're nervous.
The drawback is that you can't do it by yourself.
All right!
I'm sorry.
9 Years Ago
I know butchering the monkfish is a huge draw,
and I want to keep doing it for the customers,
but my body's just not what it used to be.
Don't push yourself too hard.
You've been working really hard all this time.
We can just stop having that demonstration.
What?
You want me to teach you how to butcher monkfish the old way?
You've got to be kidding me!
Women and children couldn't possibly master it!
P-Please teach me!
I want to help at home!
Please!
I'm begging you!
Please!
Fine.
If you promise you won't cry, ever,
I'll teach you.
If you say even once that you're tired or want to rest,
I'll kick you out before you know it!
No, that's not it!
Fish Market
Don't make me repeat the same thing every time!
Don't you think you've tried enough?
Just give up.
Is this... enough...
...to keep on doing this?
Wow.
Megumi...
The monkfish butchering demonstration!
Sh-She did it!
All by herself...
She butchered the monkfish!
What's that girl planning to make?
See?
This is her true ability!
It's about time you two head over to cheer Ryoko and Yuki on.
Okay!
You can count on us!
Yup, that's the spirit.
You're one of the Polar Star members that I, Daimido Fumie, accepted.
All right! I'm gonna show everyone, too!
The time for cooking is approaching an end.
Time to End of Cooking
Please start finishing up, everyone!
5!
4!
3!
2!
1!
End Cooking
Time's up!
Soon...
Very soon.
Arato Hisako, the moment will soon come where I'll defeat you,
and Erina-sama will look at me!
End Cooking
Hehehehehehehehehe
Group B Judging
Droop
Become sinister...!
Group B Judging
Hall B
We'll now enter the judging phase!
I am your hostess, Kawashima Urara!
Kawashima Urara First-Year, High School
Smile!
Smile Smile
So uber cute, Urara-chan!
Annoyed!
There are five judges!
Each judge has twenty points,
so each dish will be assessed out of a hundred potential points.
Only the top four candidates can advance to the main tournament!
Only four...
May the first judge please begin?
Hm.
Mm, delicious.
Kita Osaji Sponsor, Kita Gastronomy Club
Kita Osaji.
He hosts the Kitami Gastronomy Club, which only top-notch literati
and financial heavyweights can join.
Kitami Gastronomy Club
He uses money to bring all kinds of gourmet food to his table.
The man over there is Ando Shingo.
Ando Shingo #1 Foodie of the Writing World
He is a writer and essayist specializing in food culture.
He has caused many a food business to close down with his pen.
This dish is based on achari murgh, a traditional North Indian curry dish.
The special chaat masara has a strong acidity—it adds a wonderful fragrance.
Not to mention, you didn't pick tandoori chicken;
Sendawara Orie Prelims Group B Chief Judge COO, Howbee Foods
you picked chicken tikka.
Group B Judging
They're boneless, so they're easy to eat using a spoon.
You've done your research,
and you've shown due consideration for the diner!
Not bad for a Totsuki student.
Ishiwatari Takumi First-Year, High School
Thank you.
The scores, then, if you please!
What?
Each judge has twenty points and not ten, right?
Murmur
But they were praising him so much.
M-My dish got 33 points?
What's going—
Who do you think we are?
We're facing dishes made by countless professionals every day.
We may have said you did a good job,
but we meant a good job for a student.
I'd say you can be proud if you manage to score 50 points.
I see.
It's not just the Sendawara sisters who're to be feared.
All five of them have been jaded by everything the gourmet world has to offer.
They have vast experience in food tasting.
28 points!
31 points!
6 points!
Unbelievable...
All the dishes were very refined, too!
No one's even gotten in the 40's!
The harsh scores continue to rock the arena!
Up next...
Wh-What's this stench?!
Where's this horrible smell coming from?!
Enjoy.
It's Sadatsuka Nao's special jet-black curry laksa!
Crap!
So nasty...
It's like concentrated sewage!
It's hell!
We have hell on Earth erupting here in the arena!
It's difficult to imagine that a gourmet food festival is being held at this moment!
It is a horrific scene!
Ew!
Who could've predicted that something like this could happen?
Aghhh
Ugngh...
I'm glad I'd taken the precaution of having a cutting-edge gas mask on hand.
Bleh
Puke
Laksa...
That is a Southeast Asian dish known for its exceptionally slippery noodles.
The black color of the roux may be from squid ink, but...
This overpowering odor... could it be?!
It's kusaya.
I knew it!
How dare you use such a thing in curry, you idiot?!
Kusaya
Kusaya...
It's a famous dried fish from the Izu islands.
Saltwater in which dried fish has been submerged for decades,
a brining solution known as kusaya
is used to flavor blueback fish such as sardines.
The fish are then dried in the sun.
They are very pungent.
Very Pungent
It's something I especially made myself
using flying fish and mahimahi
and my precious kusaya brining solution
that I've been cultivating carefully for a very long time.
Zero points! Zero!
I've eaten all kinds of delicacies,
but this—
L-Lady Orie?
Are you serious?
I am merely fulfilling my duties
as the sponsor of the preliminaries.
Ugh...
Puke
The bitter acidity and fishiness mingle
to create an odor that's like an unscrubbed toilet!
I-It's delicious?
But it stinks!
It stinks to high heaven!
Still, it's somehow delicious!
But it stinks...!
Wh-What's going on?
She's starting to dig in, even though she's still saying it stinks!
This is not so different from using fermented shrimp paste, kapi.
By using kusaya, which is far more pungent than kapi,
she deepened the flavor.
It also pairs very well with laksa, which uses fish stock.
The umami of all the seafood fills my entire mouth—how delicious!
The more I eat, the more this odor actually seems pleasant!
The use of coconut milk and spices like lemongrass
has broadened its flavor!
By highlighting kusaya as the main ingredient,
she has strengthened the umami of the curry many times over!
Sadatsuka Nao's specialty is stewed dishes.
She's also well-versed in the use of ingredients
such as dried fish that have strong flavor profiles.
Her kitchen emanates a
malicious aura that may well make children cry and run for their lives,
and she has, on several occasions, caused odor incidents.
It has earned her the nickname
Cauldron Witch
"Boiling Witch"
True aesthetics won't be found in prim, pretentious cooking.
The essence of gourmet cooking can only be found in the pursuit of horror!
Slurp
How innovative!
It's the beginning of a new era for curry!
I hate it!
It reeks!
But I can't stop!
I'm becoming prisoner to this smell...
W-We have 84 points!
She's the first to get over 50 points!
Sadatsuka did it!
She's in first place for now!
I hope I can serve this curry to Erina-sama some day.
All right, we'll proceed with the ventilation systems at full blast.
Will the next student please present their dish?
I've long awaited the day
that I could crush you in public,
Arato Hisako.
2 Years Ago
This match has been affirmed to be an official Shokugeki by the administration!
Does either side have any objections to the conditions put forth?
Sadatsuka Nao Second-Year, Junior High
Listen, Arato-san,
if I win, you will give your position as Erina-sama's secretary to me.
Of course, Sadatsuka-san.
And if I win,
Arato Hisako Second-Year, Junior High Secretary to Erina
you must not come within 50 meters of Erina-sama ever again!
Staying at Erina-sama's side
and being verbally abused by her is my ultimate dream!
To think of all these insults rolling off her God Tongue is enough to...
I believe that matter's been settled.
I won the Shokugeki.
Indeed.
It's true that ever since,
I have been limited to worshiping Erina-sama's face through binoculars
and sending about 30 letters every day.
I should have included those activities in the prohibition, too.
But if I can best you in the Autumn Elections,
it's such a large venue that Erina-sama may change her mind.
Hehehehehehe
I'm sure she'll let me stay by her side.
Stalker Psychology
Next up is Erina-sama's secretary.
I'm sure she'll serve something spectacular.
Please enjoy.
Hmm, the roux isn't very thick, and there's lots of it.
Is it something like a soup curry?
This meat is mutton.
"Lamb" is meat taken from a sheep less than 12 months of age. Anything older is called "mutton."
It has a stronger flavor than lamb.
I guess the spices have removed the gamey odor.
Odor!
My cooking's left its mark.
This is just like a curse!
A curse on you, Arato-san!
Well, let's try this.
Wh-What is this?!
Ando-sensei, what's the matter?
Hwaaooooooo
Wh-What?!
Ando-sensei's normally a dried-out stick—
Mumble Mumble
you can barely understand anything he's mumbling!
I don't understand what just happened,
but he's all energized—he could star in a kung fu movie now!
This distinct fragrance...
Dongdanggui
Szechuan Lovage
Dihuang
Peony root
It's a dish based on four medicinal plants:
dongdanggui, Szechuan lovage, dihuang, and peony root.
The Four Substance Decoction!
Four Substance Decoction
The Four Substance Decoction?
The dish even has a legend that a traveler on the verge of death
instantly recovered upon tasting it!
I see now!
Earlier, she was steeping the spices!
Yes, that is her specialty...
Arato Hisako is an expert in medicinal cuisine.
Expert in Medicinal Cuisine
Medicinal cuisine is a marriage between food, medicine, and pharmacology.
Based on Eastern medicine,
it seeks to systematically provide nourishment to the body
using steeped herbs and other herbal medicinal ingredients.
In addition to the four herbs,
Kyo'o
I added kyo'o, daiuikyo, and shouikyo,
Daiuikyo
Shouikyo
to create an original medicinal spice mix.
I steeped these spices for approximately an hour to extract their active ingredients.
I then added vegetables and mutton,
and simmered them until tender.
Finally, I added Shaoxing wine and coriander to heighten the fragrance.
Now that you mention it, the main components of medicinal cuisine
aren't that different from curry.
Kyo'o
Kyo'o is turmeric,
Kyo'o = Turmeric
Daiukyo
daiuikyo is star anise,
Daiukyo = Star Anise
Shouikyo
and shouikyo is fennel.
Shouikyo = Fennel
All are essential in curry!
She decided to capitalize on it
by connecting medicinal cuisine with curry.
This is my medicinal dish:
Four Substance Decoction Mutton Curry
the Four Substance Decoction Mutton Curry!
This is the real deal!
It's coursing through me!
The power of the medicinal herbs are coursing through my veins!
So delicious!
The strong flavor of the mutton has been enhanced by the spices,
and mellowed by the sweetness of the vegetables cooked into the roux!
Thanks to the Four Substance Decoction,
I became all warmed up inside the moment I had a spoonful!
Yes...
Medicinal cuisine is said to warm one's organs,
hearten one's spirit,
and eradicate all evil from one's body and soul!
The way you maximized the fragrance and balanced the umami
is so perfect. This dish far surpasses anything a student could hope to make!
After eating this dish,
the previous dish feels like a mere crude shock to the senses.
I-It can't be...
All the judges should've been bewitched by my curry.
This is for you.
Once you eat it, you'll understand
the difference between you and me!
The murk...
The chaos...
That is the font of my cooking...
But it's all being washed away and purified!
No!
Stop!
Sadatsuka Nao (White)
Born
End
The Arato family has practiced Eastern medicine for generations.
I have converted all of that knowledge into cooking for Erina-sama,
who has endured a significant burden since childhood!
That is what my medicinal cuisine is based on.
In imperial China, emperors commanded a physician, a dietetic doctor,
Dietetic Doctor
who served them medicinal cuisine.
Erina-sama is my empress.
Sadatsuka Nao, your cooking is only about yourself.
You do not deserve to serve Erina-sama.
You are a blight. Begone.
So, what is Arato Hisako's score?
92 points!
Finally, a score in the 90's!
No small wonder, since she's been acknowledged by Erina-sama as a chef!
Sadatsuka Nao Ishiwatari Takumi
She surpassed Sadatsuka's score with ease!
Arato Hisako Sadatsuka Nao Ishiwatari Takumi
Shiver Shiver
Hisako-oneesama!
Shiver...
Arato Hisako Sadatsuka Nao Ishiwatari Takumi
It's time for the long-awaited clash between brothers!
Bro...
Today, I really want to beat you.
I'll let you get some practice, little brother.
It's the Aldini brothers!
End
Preview
Next time on Food Wars, the twenty-second dish.
I'm gonna be number one!
Menu The One Who Surpasses the Ordinary
"The One Who Surpasses the Ordinary."
Doesn't it smell good?
Princess Erina, I will protect you!
Prince Hisako!