Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Haruto did not pay much attention to the Dark Cooking Society and simply continued challenging famous restaurants at his own pace.

Throughout the process, he took the opportunity to thoroughly examine and refine everything he had learned about cooking so far. By repeatedly putting his skills to the test against experienced chefs, his overall culinary ability improved yet again.

One day, while passing through a busy street, Haruto noticed a crowd packed several layers deep around the entrance to an alley.

The rich, lightly charred aroma of meat drifted over on the breeze, accompanied by bursts of enthusiastic cheering.

Curious, Haruto made his way closer and spotted two chefs working at the center of the crowd.

He immediately recognized them.

The Dumpling Brothers—the elder brother, Wu Xiong, and his younger brother, A Lu.

Wu Xiong’s rolling pin flew across the work surface without pause, producing one perfectly round dumpling wrapper after another. Every piece was evenly shaped and precisely the right thickness.

A Lu was somewhat more heavily built, yet his hands moved with extraordinary delicacy. He rapidly spread prepared filling over each wrapper, his fingers dancing as neat pleats formed one after another before the finished dumplings were arranged on a plate.

Then came their signature cooking method.

The dumplings were placed inside a specially designed iron sphere, which A Lu began swinging and spinning almost like a street performer.

Before long, a batch of pan-fried dumplings emerged with beautifully crisp, golden bottoms.

Haruto followed the crowd and bought a freshly cooked serving.

He bit into one.

Crunch.

The browned exterior shattered lightly between his teeth.

Then the tender, juicy filling burst out inside his mouth. The rich savoriness of pork fat blended with the natural sweetness of onion, while just enough pepper sharpened the flavor.

There was not the slightest trace of unpleasant meatiness.

Only rich, concentrated umami remained.

The crisp wrapper, tender filling, and flavorful juices came together almost perfectly.

Haruto nodded to himself.

The Dumpling Brothers really were good.

His thoughts naturally drifted toward the Guangzhou Dumpling House, which he had visited several days earlier.

Their signature Crown Dumplings used two different kinds of thin wrappers and had an excellent texture. Whether in technique or flavor, they were every bit the equal of the Dumpling Brothers’ pan-fried dumplings.

Unfortunately, the Guangzhou Dumpling House was probably going to suffer badly in this year’s contest.

The Dumpling Brothers had already become rather unscrupulous in their determination to win.

Haruto merely shook his head.

He had no intention of getting involved.

He had not come to Guangzhou to play hero.

After thinking for a moment, however, Haruto decided he might as well enter the Dumpling Contest himself.

Not because he particularly wanted to win.

That sounded like far too much trouble.

For Haruto, participating in the contest was simply another convenient way to increase his reputation.

Once he had made up his mind, he turned and headed toward the Guangzhou Chefs Association, which was responsible for organizing the competition.

The moment Haruto stepped inside, several people recognized him.

"Isn’t that the Traveling Chef Haruto? I heard he’s only in his teens, but he challenged more than a dozen established restaurants around Guangzhou and never lost once."

"That’s him. Chef Chen from Chen Ji even said Haruto’s control over heat is far beyond his own. Apparently the kid’s a genuine genius."

"What’s he doing here? Don’t tell me he’s entering the Dumpling Contest too."

Haruto ignored the whispers and walked straight toward the registration counter.

"Hello. My name is Suzuki Haruto. I’d like to register for this year’s Guangzhou Dumpling Contest."

The staff member had clearly heard the surrounding discussion.

His attitude immediately became somewhat more respectful.

"Chef Haruto, please wait a moment. I’ll report your registration to the elders right away."

Haruto’s name had become extremely well known throughout Guangzhou’s culinary community recently.

A young chef capable of defeating one famous veteran after another was already remarkable enough. If someone like him participated in the Dumpling Contest, it would undoubtedly make this year’s event even more exciting.

The staff member did not dare delay and quickly disappeared into the rear courtyard.

Only a short while later, steady footsteps approached from inside.

An elderly man with white hair but an energetic bearing entered the hall.

Haruto recognized him as Elder Guan of the Guangzhou Chefs Association.

The old man approached with a warm smile.

"So you’re Chef Haruto, the young man who has been challenging Guangzhou’s finest chefs lately. I’ve heard quite a lot about you."

"My name is Guan Shouyi. You can simply call me Elder Guan."

Haruto nodded calmly.

"You’re too kind, Elder Guan. I’ve only had a few small successes."

Even as he answered, Haruto found himself wondering why the elder had personally come out to meet him.

"Hahaha! Good. A young man with talent who still knows how to carry himself."

Elder Guan laughed heartily and led Haruto toward a nearby guest seat.

"I’ve already heard that you want to enter this year’s Dumpling Contest."

"The Guangzhou Chefs Association welcomes you wholeheartedly."

"With a talented young chef like you participating, I imagine this year’s competition will be livelier than ever."

As he spoke, Elder Guan studied Haruto with obvious appreciation.

He had heard Haruto’s name mentioned countless times over the past several days.

So young, yet already possessing such extraordinary skill.

Guangzhou’s culinary world had not produced many young talents of this caliber in recent years.

If they could persuade Haruto to formally join the Guangzhou Chefs Association, it would be an excellent thing for the organization.

That was precisely why Elder Guan had personally come over the moment he heard Haruto was registering.

"I wouldn’t go that far. There are plenty of excellent chefs entering the contest."

Haruto smiled, his thoughts briefly turning toward Mao.

"By the way, Chef Haruto, you’re entering alone, correct?"

Elder Guan asked.

When Haruto nodded, the old man immediately continued.

"Perfect. I’ll have someone arrange a stall for you so you won’t have to trouble yourself with setting one up."

For Elder Guan, arranging one stall was trivial.

If such a small favor could earn goodwill from a talented young chef like Haruto, then it was more than worth doing.

Haruto had not expected him to be this considerate.

He did not pretend to refuse out of politeness and simply cupped his hands in thanks.

"Then thank you, Elder Guan."

Setting up a stall would not have been difficult for Haruto anyway, but there was no reason to reject sincere goodwill.

"No need for thanks."

Elder Guan waved it off, then smiled with obvious curiosity.

"Though I have to admit, I’m very interested to see what kind of dumplings Chef Haruto plans to make for the contest."

Haruto answered without missing a beat.

"You’ll just have to wait and see. I promise I won’t disappoint you."

He sounded completely confident.

In reality, Haruto had absolutely no idea what kind of dumpling he was going to make.

Elder Guan was perceptive enough to notice that Haruto had no intention of revealing anything further, so he did not press him.

The two chatted for a while longer, with Elder Guan mostly asking Haruto for his impressions of Guangzhou’s culinary scene.

After about half an hour, Haruto finally stood and excused himself.

The Dumpling Contest was approaching quickly, and he had not even decided what style of dumpling he wanted to enter.

If he wasted much more time, he might genuinely embarrass himself during the competition.

He might not care about winning first place, but he certainly did not intend to lose miserably either.

After leaving the Guangzhou Chefs Association, Haruto returned directly to the inn where he was staying and began considering his entry.

Dumplings looked simple.

At their core, they were little more than a wrapper surrounding some filling.

But the possibilities hidden within that basic structure were nearly endless.

Even when it came to cooking methods alone, there were the three classics—boiling, pan-frying, and steaming—not to mention baking, deep-frying, griddling, serving them in broth, and countless other variations.

The filling offered even greater freedom.

Meat or vegetables, luxurious delicacies or ordinary greens—almost anything could be wrapped inside a dumpling.

Haruto did not rush to settle on one direction.

Instead, he decided to begin with the basics and test his options one by one.

First came ordinary pork potstickers.

He mixed high-gluten flour with warm water, kneaded the dough, let it rest, then rolled it into wrappers of perfectly even thickness.

For the filling, he used pork that was seventy percent lean and thirty percent fat, seasoned simply with minced ginger and light soy sauce.

Once the dumplings were wrapped, Haruto heated a frying pan and brushed the surface with a thin layer of oil.

The dumplings went in.

He fried the bottoms until golden, then poured in a starch slurry, covered the pan, and let them steam briefly.

Once the moisture evaporated, the dumplings were finished beneath a crisp, delicate lace of golden starch.

Haruto picked one up and tasted it.

The bottom was crisp, the wrapper pleasantly chewy, and the filling inside was tender and overflowing with juices.

It was excellent by ordinary standards.

But after chewing for a few moments, Haruto put down his chopsticks.

Pan-fried dumplings were certainly delicious.

The problem was that both the Dumpling Brothers and Mao were going to make pan-fried dumplings as well.

If Haruto made the same thing, it somehow felt lacking in originality.

He shook his head and moved on to steamed dumplings.

This time, he used wheat starch mixed with cornstarch and kneaded the dough with boiling water, producing wrappers almost as thin as cicada wings.

Inside, he placed a filling of fresh shrimp, pork, and diced bamboo shoots before steaming them over high heat.

The finished dumplings were almost transparent, revealing the pink shrimp inside through their delicate skins.

Haruto bit into one.

The wrapper was thin yet springy, while the filling was fresh, crisp, and naturally sweet.

Even so, Haruto shook his head again.

The appeal of steamed dumplings was mostly enclosed within the wrapper and filling.

Their aroma was restrained.

At a noisy competition packed with people constantly moving between stalls, that kind of subtle fragrance would struggle to capture attention immediately.

Something was still missing.

After that, Haruto experimented with baked dumplings, deep-fried dumplings, and even dumplings served in soup.

One by one, he rejected them.

Some simply were not memorable enough.

Others were poorly suited to the fast pace and large crowds of the competition.

None of them felt quite right.

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