食戟のソーマ 8 [Shokugeki no Souma 8] Quotes

“Well then, first would be the abalone and sea urchin- the bounty of the sea!
Ah, I see! This foam on top is kombu seaweed broth that's been whipped into a mousse!"
"Mm! I can taste the delicate umami flavors seeping into my tongue!"
"The fish meat was aged for a day wrapped in kombu. The seaweed pulls just enough of the moisture out of the meat, allowing it to keep longer, a perfect technique for a bento that needs to last. Hm! Next looks to be bonito. ...!" What rich, powerful umami!"
Aha! This is the result of several umami components melding together. The glutamic acid in the kombu from the previous piece is mixing together in my mouth with the inosinic acid in the bonito!
"And, like, I cold aged this bonito across two days. Aging fish and meats boosts their umami components, y'know. In other words, the true effect of this bento comes together in your mouth... as you eat it in order from one end to the other."
"Next is a row... that looks to be made entirely from vegetables. But none of them use a single scrap of seaweed. The wrappers around each one are different vegetables sliced paper-thin!"
"Right! This bento totally doesn't go for any heavy foods."
"Next comes the sushi row that practically cries out that it's a main dish... raw cold-aged beef sushi!" Th-there it is again! The powerful punch of umami flavor as two components mix together in my mouth!
"Hm? Wait a minute. I understand the inosinic acid comes from the beef... but where is the glutamic acid?"
"From the tomatoes."
"Tomatoes? But I don't see any..."
"They're in there. See, I first put them in a centrifuge. That broke them down into their component parts- the coloring, the fiber, and the jus. I then filtered the jus to purify it even further. Then I put just a few drops on each piece of veggie sushi."
"WHAT THE HECK?!"
"She took an ingredient and broke it down so far it wasn't even recognizable anymore? Can she even do that?"
Appliances like the centrifuge and cryogenic grinder are tools that were first developed to be used in medicine, not cooking. Even among pro chefs, only a handful are skilled enough to make regular use of such complex machines! Who would have thought a high school student was capable of mastering them to this degree!
"And last but not least we have this one. It's sea bream with some sort of pink jelly...
... resting on top of a Chinese spoon."
That pink jelly was a pearl of condensed soup stock! Once it popped inside my mouth...
... it mixed together with the sea bream sushi until it tasted like-
"Sea bream chazuke!”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 8 [Shokugeki no Souma 8]

“A rich, thick mix of chicken and beef bouillon! Ground beef and onions sautéed in butter until savory and tender, their umami-filled juices soaking into the rice!
The creamy risotto melding into one with the soft, mildly sweet egg! "Mmm! It's practically a knockout punch!"
"The clincher appears to be this sauce.
Oyster sauce accented with a touch of honey, its mildly tart flavor is thick and heavy. Together with the curry risotto, it creates two different layers of flavor!"
"I see! While Hayama's dish was a bomb going from no aroma to powerful aroma...
... this dish is instead an induced explosion! The differing fragrances from the inner risotto and the outer sauce come at you in waves, tempting you into that next bite!"
But that's not all. How did he make the flavor this deep? The strong aroma and hint of bitterness means he used cumin and cardamom. The sting on the tongue comes from cloves. I can smell fragments of several spices, but those are all just surface things. Where is this full-bodied depth that ties it all together coming from?!
Wait, it's...
... mango.
"Mango chutney."
"Chutney?! Is that all it took to give this dish such a deep flavor?!"
CHUTNEY
Also spelled "Chatney" or "Chatni," chutney is a South Asian condiment. Spices and herbs are mixed with mashed fruit or vegetables and then simmered into a paste. A wide variety of combinations are possible, resulting in chutneys that can be sweet, spicy or even minty.
"I used my family's homemade mango chutney recipe! I mixed a dollop of this in with the rice when I steamed it.
The mango acts as an axle, running through and connecting the disparate flavors of all the spices and giving a deeper, full-bodied flavor to the overall dish. In a way, it's practical, applied spice tech!"In India where it originated, chutneys are always served on the side as condiments. It's only in Japan that chutney is added directly into a curry."
"Huh!"
"Oh, wow."
"It's unconventional to say the least, from the standpoint of original Indian curry. However, by using the chutney..."
"... he massively improved the flavor and richness of the overall dish...
... without resorting to using an excess of oils or animal products!”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 8 [Shokugeki no Souma 8]

“I can smell fennel, lemongrass and cinnamon. But there's something more... something that ties those three spices together. What is this powerful aroma underneath it all?
"'Holy basil'! And he used fresh leaves!"
Holy...
... basil?
"It's a spice native to Southeast Asia and sacred to the Hindu religion. Just one whiff of it...
... sends a refreshing sensation throughout the entire body. In Ayurvedic medicine, it's even considered an elixir of life!" *Ayurveda is the name of Hindu traditional medicine in which proper diet plays a large role.*
"Really? What an amazing spice!"
"However...
... holy basil rarely makes it to Japan while still fresh! It should be nearly impossible to procure!
How on earth did you get it?!"
"Oh, that? We raise it year-round for our seminar. And how do we cultivate it? Well... that's a trade secret."
"What?! He raises his own uber-rare spices?!"
"That's the Shiomi seminar for you."
""Shiomi"? They must mean Professor Jun Shiomi, the academic expert on spices!"
"Man, this scent is not just powerful, it's addictive! But that's not the only thing going on in this dish. There's something else, something that spurs you on to the next bite...
tartness? Yogurt!"
"Good guess, Yukihira. Holy basil is so strong it can easily overpower all other spices if you aren't careful. But adding in yogurt mellows it out."
Not only that, the spices he used have the curcumin compound, which is known to aid the liver in detoxifying the blood. That together with the lactic acids in yogurt increases how well the body absorbs it!”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 8 [Shokugeki no Souma 8]

“Oooh! Bacon and onion miso soup!
Aaah! This too!"
Unexpectedly, the bacon matches ridiculously well with the miso!
The unique aroma of dried tuna stock tickles the nose.
That coupled with the thick sweetness of the onions...
... wraps the whole body in fresh spring bliss!”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 8 [Shokugeki no Souma 8]

“I will never forget that day. It was in Europe, what... seven years ago now?
It was molecular gastronomy's most prestigious international competition. As famous name after famous name received their awards...
... imagine my shock when I saw a young girl less than ten years of age step forward to receive one of her own!"
"Cooking is art. The more it is honed, the more beautiful and elegant the result.
I look forward to showing you all... the beautiful worlds the art of cooking can create."
She went on to receive almost all the awards there were to win. By the time she was ten years old, she had successfully obtained forty-five patents and was contracted with over twenty different restaurants for research into new menu items.
She is heaven's gift to molecular gastronomy, a certified genius!
Of all the first-year students in the institute, no one can refute that she is the one closest to being named to the Council of Ten!”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 8 [Shokugeki no Souma 8]

“Anyways, you said some really good stuff earlier, Tadokoro. That whole "think of the people you love when you cook" thing was great!"
"Aha ha ha... though it's kinda embarrassing, looking back on it. It's something I learned helping at my family's inn. If you're really going to put your heart into your cooking...
... then you should think about one person you care about a lot when you do it.
Wait a minute.
Back during the prelims...
I was thinking of-"
"Tadokoro? Something wrong? C'mon. You'll get left behind." "Oh, s-sorry! It's nothing.
...?”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 8 [Shokugeki no Souma 8]

“Anyways! I hear you used some of your hometown ingredients in your curry! Not bad! Not bad at all!"
"Y-yeah, but somehow it still doesn't feel real. I can't believe I'm in the finals! Just six months ago, I was this close to getting expelled on grades."
"Oh yeah! Back during the first day of class, right? That was the first time we were paired up together."
"This is all thanks to you, y'know. I only managed to come this far...
... because you were there for me."
"Nah. You've had the talent for it all along. You make good food. It kinda warms the heart, y'know?
I like it."
"Eheh heh heh heh...
th-thanks, Soma. I'm flattered!”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 8 [Shokugeki no Souma 8]