The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

What Shail intended.

It wasn’t his own victory, but Kurt’s defeat.

If Kurt failed in cooking, even if he didn’t maintain a perfect score, victory would be assured.

After all, comparative evaluation means that winning requires a higher score than the opponent, but conversely, it also means that if the opponent scores lower than you, you can win.

Even if you score just one point higher than the opponent, you can become the winner without changing anything yourself.

“That, that kind of thing doesn’t exist!”

At that moment, Mari’s shout erupted from the audience seats.

Hearing Shail’s words, Mari, forgetting that the opponent was a master, turned red with genuine anger and shouted.

“…Why do you think such a dish doesn’t exist?”

“Of course! A dish that uses eggs but isn’t an egg dish, uses pork but has no pork, and must be a non-sticky frying dish? I’ve never even heard of such a dish!”

“Just because you haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in this world. You seem to be an elf, living your whole life within the realm of the World Tree, so aren’t you ignorant of many cultures?”

“Do you think such sophistry will work?”

“True. I’ve also never heard of such a dish.”

“Right! I’ve never heard of it either! What kind of demand is that anyway? From the start, you had no intention of letting Kurt complete the dish, did you?”

In response to Mari’s protest, Shail shamelessly laughed and retorted, and even Karina and Serena, who were trying to calm Mari down, couldn’t hide their anger.

It was another one of Shail’s schemes.

Even if Kurt didn’t accept his proposal, it was fine.

If they protested and emotions ran high, he could use that as an excuse to overturn the existing match and set up a new one.

Sometimes, overturning an unwinnable match is a wise strategy.

Just as the situation was about to turn into chaos with the three of them protesting.

“Hahahaha.”

“….”

“….”

It was a hearty laugh that made even those protesting Shail’s absurd demands and Shail himself stop and turn their gaze.

They looked towards the source of the laughter.

There, Kurt was laughing heartily as if he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Hearing that laughter, Shail, who had almost reflexively sensed danger, squinted and asked Kurt.

“…What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. It’s just that I thought of a dish that perfectly matches your demand.”

“Wha, what!? That can’t be……. Hmph!”

“See! You were planning to demand an impossible dish from the start!”

At Kurt’s words, Shail unconsciously tried to retort but covered his mouth, and Mari immediately pointed out Shail’s attitude.

Just as the argument was about to continue after being interrupted by Kurt’s laughter.

“Mari. It’s okay. The dish he ordered is not impossible.”

“…Kurt?”

“It won’t take long. Just wait a moment.”

“Wh, what do you mean…….”

“Yo, you can’t be serious…….”

With that, Kurt entered the kitchen with his wok before his companions could stop him.

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As I returned to the kitchen, I glanced at Shail without others noticing.

Hmm. I didn’t expect him to demand this dish.

I had already observed his cooking skills during the match and knew he wasn’t ordinary, but I didn’t think he would know about ‘this dish.’

Oh. So he’s a guy who knows how to cook?

I know I should be serious about the match, but meeting someone in this world who can understand cooking like me makes me feel oddly cheerful.

At that moment, a one-sided sense of intimacy towards Shail formed in my heart.

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Even though my fondness for Shail increased, a match is still a match.

I must take it seriously.

After all, the outcome of this match could determine the life and death of many people.

With a serious expression, I entered the kitchen and looked at the cooking tools and ingredients.

Although I looked seriously, there wasn’t much to ponder.

From the start, according to Shail’s order, there was only one dish to make.

I quickly and without hesitation picked out the necessary ingredients from the many laid out.

The ingredients are simple.

Egg, starch, pork oil, sugar.

First, crack the egg and separate the yolk.

The egg white, composed of protein, hardens when heated, which is unnecessary for this dish that requires a soft and chewy texture.

After separating the yolk, strain it through a sieve to remove all the egg strands.

Then mix in starch, sugar, a little water, and liquefied pork oil, i.e., lard.

Like Western desserts, although this is a Chinese dish, the key is the ratio.

Unlike regular dishes where you can adjust seasoning by adding more condiments or ingredients, baking can lead to irreversible mistakes with even small differences.

This dish is the same.

Messing up this ratio can render all subsequent cooking steps useless.

After carefully combining the egg mixture, the preparation is finally complete.

Coat the heated wok with lard, then boldly pour in all the egg mixture.

This dish is done by continuously heating and adding lard to maintain the right consistency.

If described in words, it’s a dish so simple you’d say, ‘Is it really this easy?’

But dishes emphasizing basics are truly difficult.

The hardest and most crucial part of this dish is continuously adding lard while cooking.

This dish can easily be ruined if left in the wok too long, changing its texture, clumping, or cooking unevenly.

Thus, the first essential condition is to keep stirring the egg mixture without stopping while maintaining the wok’s temperature.

The first real challenge of this dish is enduring the intense heat of Chinese cooking while continuously stirring.

Fortunately, having reached a transcendent level, such heat and labor aren’t a big burden for me.

But even overcoming the physical hardship doesn’t mean the dish is done.

The second challenge is adding lard at the right time.

Adding lard too late or too little can burn the egg mixture, ruining the dish, while adding it too early or too much can soak the mixture in oil, turning it into an oily cake.

The key is to add lard at the exact right time and amount, neither late nor early, neither too much nor too little.

So, I kept a close eye on the egg mixture in the wok, carefully timing and measuring the lard.

As I continued stirring under intense heat, the simple egg mixture gradually became sticky and elastic.

Now it’s at a stage where you could call it egg cake.

But not yet.

If I let my guard down and relax now, the dish will end as just an egg cake.

But the dish I’m making isn’t just an egg cake.

The key to this dish is that it doesn’t stick.

It must have a form as a single mass, be chewy, and have elasticity, but it must not stick to anything.

So, I continued adding lard and stirring the wok.

Just like when kneading dough, it sticks to your hands, fingers, and the surface at first.

But as you keep kneading, it reaches a point where it no longer sticks to anything and just clumps together.

Keep stirring.

Stir.

Add lard.

Stir again.

And it’s done.

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With the dish completed, Kurt calmly walked out of the kitchen with his creation.

“Kurt!”

“Kurt!”

“Kurt!”

“Yo, you can’t be serious…….”

Some were overjoyed, while others looked at him in disbelief.

Seeing all eyes on him, Kurt quietly placed the finished dish on the table.

Clatter.

“Here. Shail. The dish you asked for. An egg dish that’s not an egg dish, uses pork but has no pork, fried in oil but soft, and doesn’t stick to forks, knives, bowls, or teeth.”

It doesn’t stick to the bowl.

It doesn’t stick to teeth.

It doesn’t stick to chopsticks.

Since it doesn’t stick to these three places.

People named the dish.

“It’s done. Three Non-Stick (三不粘).”

Three Non-Stick.

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