Reborn in Japan as a Chef God

Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef.

In the plot of Food War Spirit, the protagonist Xingping Chuangzhen made a Xingping style red wine-braised beef during the first class at Far Moon, earning high praise from the typically stoic teacher Roland Chapele.

In reality, this was a household dish in France.

On the fixed recipes, Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef had a multitude of variations, depending on the chef's creativity.

Could Xia Yu make Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef?

If it were any other Western dish, it would certainly be a big question mark.

However, as Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef, during the craze of the Food War Spirit anime, Xia Yu, being a hands-on foodie, naturally found the recipe in the manga appendix and diligently studied it for an extended period.

More frustratingly, the Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef made following the manga's recipe did not taste good, and could even be rated as poor. At that time, Xia Yu thought day and night and finally noticed a crucial oversight in the manga recipe:

No honey!

Coincidentally later, among fellow fans of culinary anime, he heard about a 2009 French film, Julie & Julia, and with reference to the portrayal of numerous French dishes in the film, managed to replicate the real Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef successfully, receiving favorable reviews on its taste.

"Do you have all the ingredients ready…"

After cleaning his hands, donning an apron and chef's hat, completing the most basic etiquette of a chef, Xia Yu looked at the kitchen counter in the Western restaurant.

Two large pieces of thawed beef, that was the main ingredient.

"[Beef shoulder], excellent quality, frozen for 8 hours and 56 minutes, fresh."

Touching the beef, the Chef God System provided the ingredient identification information with a green quality.

"Beef shoulder? Not bad, the fiber is finer at this location, the texture is tender, suitable for stewing, roasting, braising, and making curry." Xia Yu muttered to himself as he glanced over the other ingredients, "We can start now!"

Snap!

A hefty piece of beef was thrown onto the chopping board, and Xia Yu selected the sharpest kitchen knife from the knife rack on the kitchen counter. Using his index finger, middle finger, and thumb, he grasped the section of the handle and blade, slowly breathed twice, then moved the knife up and down!

The two assistant chefs and the Chef of Xiazhiqiu only saw a silver gleam flash by; the beef on the chopping board seemed unchanged.

But Xia Yu's actions did not halt; his right hand moved rhythmically up and down, much like conducting an orchestra. The knife clashing with the chopping board sounded indeed melodious.

The expression of the Chef of Xiazhiqiu changed.

He clearly recalled something and fixed his eyes on Xia Yu, who was carefully handling the beef, "...This knife skill... could he be a student from Far Moon?"

What piqued his attention was Xia Yu's somewhat peculiar grip on the knife.

Watching intently as Xia Yu completed the handling of the two large beef pieces, the Chef of Xiazhiqiu grew more perplexed.

Among Far Moon's middle and upper division students, there might be a genius possessing such knife skills. However, this young man had the aura of a seasoned chef, poised and graceful, which was unique, unfound among students still in the greenhouse!

At this moment, the Chef of Xiazhiqiu felt ashamed and reminiscent.

Since Xia Yu started handling the ingredients, the kitchen seemed to have changed hands. He could only watch on as an assistant chef.

Once upon a time, he was also the proud son of that Culinary Academy, but Far Moon's competition was too fierce. With few graduates every year, he was eliminated in his second year of the upper division, judged as lacking cooking talent.

"Alright!"

After handling the two large chunks of beef in one go, Xia Yu turned to get the bacon strips, also cutting them into very neat pieces.

Next, he tossed the uniformly-sized bacon strips into a pot, adding water to steam them. Xia Yu glanced at the gas stove then commanded without turning his head, "Get me some kitchen paper…"

The Chef of Xiazhiqiu swiftly handed over a roll of kitchen paper.

Moisture was a taboo in beef dishes; hence, the cut beef pieces needed to be squeezed dry, where kitchen paper came handy. With a serious expression, Xia Yu continuously unwrapped kitchen paper, enveloping each beef piece and pressing repeatedly.

However, given it was ingredients for six people, handling them alone was a bit overwhelming, so Xia Yu glanced at the Chef of Xiazhiqiu beside him, along with the other two young assistant chefs, "Lend a hand, please!"

Once the beef was moisture-free, there were still many vegetables on the counter that needed handling, such as carrots, mushrooms, and parsley. Xia Yu assigned the vegetables' washing and cutting tasks to the Chef of Xiazhiqiu and himself took a skillet. Once heated, he added olive oil and began frying the bacon pieces fetched from the boiling pot.

As the bacon turned golden brown, Xia Yu silently counted the frying time with precision to every second.

Taking away the bacon, the skillet had leftover lard from the bacon. With the gas burner still on, Xia Yu adeptly gathered the drained beef pieces with kitchen tools and placed them into the skillet for frying.

With the sizzling sound of frying oil, Xia Yu rolled over the beef pieces, ensuring each side turned a beautiful dark brown.

Once at the dark brown stage, it meant they could be removed from the skillet.

Temporarily setting the fried beef pieces aside, Xia Yu reached out to the kitchen counter beside him, "The chopped carrots and onions!"

A young assistant chef quickly handed over the vegetable basket.

Since there was still some oil left in the pan, there was no need for additional oil. Tipping the vegetable basket, both carrots and onions were tossed into the pot for a quick sauté, not to overcook them, just until a golden glossy coat formed on the vegetables' surface before removing them.

Xia Yu poured the carrots and onions into a prepared cast iron pot, next was the dark brown beef, adding salt and black pepper, with specific quantities depending on the chef's judgment.

The two assistant chefs widened their eyes beside him.

"Hey, is it really alright for him to add salt and pepper like that?" One assistant chef felt uneasy seeing Xia Yu's ease and confidence.

"I think it's fine!" His companion looked at Xia Yu's busy back, filled with admiration and envy, "Isn't he a student from Far Moon? Indeed gifted…"

Thinking that despite years of culinary study, still being an assistant chef and unable to independently cook, the young man lowered his head, clenching his fists with a face of unwillingness.

After salt and pepper, there came a relatively crucial step.

Flour!

Xia Yu grabbed a handful of flour, cautiously sprinkling it over the beef and ingredients in the pot, creating a thin layer of flour coating to lock in the beef's moisture and increase the thickness of the soup.

The flour did not require much, just a light sprinkle, then stirring ensued.

"Beep"

The oven had preheated to around 230 degrees. Without covering the lid, the cast iron pot was placed inside the oven for a 4-minute heat. Then it was taken out, another layer of flour was sprinkled, and baked again for 4 minutes.

Upon the second retrieval from the oven, a rich aroma permeated the kitchen.

But the dish was not yet completed.

Various ingredients, parsley, crushed bay leaves, thyme...

Finally, red wine was poured in, submerging most of the beef, adding a bit of plain water, then placing the cast iron pot back on the gas stove to boil.