E13 - The Transcendental Tofu Battle!

Source: Crunchyroll
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:02] Narration
    A giant ship floats off
    the shore of Shanghai.
[00:05] Narration
    A cooking battle takes place
    on the great warship pavilion
[00:08] Narration
    between the Cooking Underworld
    and the Guangdong chefs.
[00:14] Narration
    The battle for a legendary utensil and
    the life of Sanjie's father Master Tang Li
[00:19] Narration
    currently stands at one to one.
[00:22] Narration
    The final battle pits old enemies Mao
    and Shao An against one another.
[00:29] Narration
    In just over ten hours,
    the fate of Shanghai,
[00:33] Narration
    the booming City of Devils,
    will be revealed.
SIGN    True Cooking Master Boy
[02:16] Xielu
    Hup.
[02:19] Sanjie
    Dad...
[02:23] Shirou
    It'll be okay, Sanjie.
[02:25] Shirou
    Believe in Mao. Right?
[02:28] Mao
    Don't worry, Sanjie.
[02:30] Mao
    I'll make a tofu dish like
    nothing you've ever seen.
[02:35] Sanjie
    I'm counting on you, Mao.
[02:38] Shirou
    But Mao, even if you start making
    tofu now, will you finish in time?
[02:42] Mao
    Letting the soybeans soak and absorb
    enough water is the longest step.
[02:47] Mao
    It takes about nine hours.
[02:49] Mao
    I'll mash the softened
    soybeans and boil them.
[02:53] Mao
    I'll strain it through a cloth bag so
    I can separate the soy milk from the pulp.
[02:57] Shirou
    Sounds like it takes a long time.
[02:59] Mao
    Then I'll add bittern to the soy milk.
[03:01] Shirou
    Bittern? What's that?
[03:04] Mao
    It makes soy milk coagulate into tofu.
[03:07] Mao
    It's made from sea water.
[03:09] Shirou
    Huh...
[03:11] Mao
    When the bittern is uniformly
    and gently mixed in,
SIGN    So Fluffy
[03:14] Mao
    it produces a fluffy, unpressed tofu.
[03:17] Mao
    I'll place that inside a mold box
    and put a weight on it.
[03:20] Mao
    Remove the mold while it's
    underwater, and it's done.
[03:25] Meili
    It's a lot of work, but you're
    making it from scratch.
[03:29] Meili
    I'm sure it'll taste good.
[03:31] Mao
    All right. I'm done choosing
    my soybeans and washing them.
[03:39] Meili
    Mao, why don't you take a break?
[03:41] Meili
    We'll keep an eye on this
    while it's soaking.
[03:44] Shirou
    She's right, Mao!
[03:45] Shirou
    You'll need to save your strength so
    you can knock out that huge jerk!
[03:49] Xielu
    Yeah. He's absolutely disgusting.
[03:52] Xielu
    Has he always acted like that?
[03:55] Mao
    Yeah. He's always been that way.
[03:59] Mao
    We started arguing as soon
    as he came to our shop.
[04:02] Mao
    My mom often stopped us.
[04:05] Mao
    That's not all, though.
[04:08] Mao
    My mother, the so-called "Szechuan Fairy,"
    taught him everything she knew.
[04:13] Mao
    He's a Szechuan cuisine genius.
[04:14] Mao
    Battling him is like going up against my mom.
[04:19] Mao
    It was just coincidence that I beat him
    at the Chrysanthemum Tower.
[04:23] Mao
    He senses it, too.
[04:25] Mao
    That's why I want to settle
    things for real this time.
[04:29] Meili
    Mao...
[04:31] Shirou
    C'mon, time for bed, everybody!
[04:34] Meili
    I'll keep watch, too.
[04:37] Meili
    This is all I can do for you.
[04:41] Mao
    Thanks.
[04:42] Mao
    In that case, I'll get some rest.
[04:45] Meili
    Good night.
[04:46] Mao
    Good night, Meili and Shirou.
[04:49] Meili
    We need to do our part so Mao
    and the others can rest.
[04:53] Shirou
    Yeah.
[05:00] Shirou
    It's so bitter.
[05:01] Meili
    It's called kuding tea.
[05:03] Meili
    Something this bitter should keep you awake.
[05:06] Meili
    It's said to be effective
    for losing weight, too.
[05:09] Shirou
    Why don't you drink it yourself, then?
[05:11] Meili
    Did you say something?
[05:13] Shirou
    Ouch.
[05:14] Shirou
    I didn't say anything!
[05:18] Xiang
    Lord Shao An.
[05:20] Xiang
    That boy suggested the ingredient.
[05:22] Xiang
    Are you certain he doesn't have
    some trick up his sleeve?
[05:25] Shaoan
    Don't worry.
[05:27] Shaoan
    I know everything there is to know
    about tofu. It's my specialty.
[05:30] Shaoan
    This is exactly what I wanted.
[05:32] Shaoan
    I'm different now, Mao.
[05:36] Shaoan
    I've surpassed Master Bei.
[05:47] Meili
    Take this.
[05:48] Shirou
    Ow!
[05:49] Shirou
    Sis, more tea.
[06:03] Meili
    Oh, no! Did I fall asleep?
[06:07] Meili
    What is this powerful smell?
[06:22] Shirou
    What? What is it, Sis?!
[06:24] Meili
    The beans... the beans are...
[06:28] Xielu
    What is it, Meili?
[06:30] Meili
    I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!
[06:33] Meili
    We fell asleep, and then...
[06:35] Meili
    The soybeans...
[06:38] Sanjie
    Why are the soybeans being cooked?
[06:46] Xielu
    What a smell!
[06:48] Leien
    It's sort of...
[06:51] Sanjie
    What? The soybeans are sticky...
[06:55] Xielu
    Shirou, what did you put in here?
[06:57] Shirou
    I didn't do anything.
[06:59] Shirou
    Huh? This smell...
[07:01] Shirou
    It's natto, right?
[07:03] Mao
    Natto?
[07:04] Shirou
    It's a health food my mom used to make.
[07:08] Shirou
    People eat natto in the place
    where my mom was born.
[07:19] Mao
    They got us.
[07:21] Mao
    This is rice straw.
[07:23] Meili
    Rice straw?
[07:25] Mao
    Shirou's mom said rice straw
    has natto bacteria on it
[07:30] Mao
    that causes soybeans to ferment rapidly.
[07:31] Mao
    Someone threw this straw in the soybeans
    while you two were asleep.
[07:45] Xielu
    You've got ten hours left.
[07:46] Xielu
    Even if you start now, you'll have
    barely enough time to make tofu.
[07:50] Leien
    You can't use those beans.
[07:52] Leien
    What will you do, Mao?
[07:53] Meili
    I'm sorry. If only we'd kept watch better.
[07:56] Shirou
    I'm sorry, Mao.
[08:12] Mao
    Thanks, Meili and Shirou.
[08:14] Mao
    My mind feels clear after some sleep.
[08:16] Shirou
    Huh?
[08:17] Meili
    Mao?
[08:18] Mao
    Just making tofu will take
    everything I have.
[08:22] Mao
    I see. Within disaster is the opportunity
    to transform misfortune into bliss.
[08:28] Mao
    Xiang!
[08:31] Mao
    Thanks to you, I think I'll be able to
    make the tofu dish of the century.
[08:48] Sanjie
    It's time for the final battle.
[08:54] Narration
    After his defeat at the Chrysanthemum Tower,
[08:57] Narration
    Shao An was permanently
    stripped of his chef's title.
[09:02] Narration
    Meanwhile, Mao became
    the youngest Super Chef ever.
[09:08] Narration
    The Szechuan cuisine battle of destiny
[09:10] Narration
    between two students of
    the same school begins now.
[09:15] Xiang
    The countdown to the fall
    of Shanghai starts now.
[09:18] Shaoan
    Mao, listen to this requiem
    I've composed for you.
[09:23] Shaoan
    My tofu trio.
[09:25] Mao
    Tofu trio?
[09:31] Hu
    Most impressive.
[09:33] He
    It's as imposing as a wall of white marble.
[09:38] Sanjie
    That's a bamboo knife.
[09:44] Xielu
    He's no joke.
[09:47] Xielu
    His tofu that's 10% soybeans and 90% water
    is barely holding itself together,
[09:53] Xielu
    and he cut that delicate
    ingredient into perfect cubes.
[09:56] Xielu
    He knows that any breakdown in form
    will also break down the flavor.
[10:02] Leien
    And he knows to use a bamboo knife
    to avoid the smell of steel.
[10:08] Shaoan
    Double Knives!
[10:15] Gov
    His scorching spirit even burns away sweat!
[10:18] Gov
    What a fiercely passionate chef!
[10:20] Sanjie
    Mao...
[10:21] Sanjie
    What?
[10:23] Sanjie
    Damn it.
[10:25] Sanjie
    Shao An is making so much progress.
[10:28] Xielu
    Since Mao's tofu isn't ready,
    he can't even begin cooking.
[10:32] Hu
    Look. Shao An is...
[10:36] Shaoan
    Double Pots!
[10:38] Mob
    Shao An's making a noodle dish.
[10:40] Mob
    He's making a starchy sauce
    in the other pot.
[10:43] Mob
    He's making tofu soba in a thick sauce.
[10:45] Shaoan
    Behold the reason why
    I have surpassed Master Bei!
[10:53] Shaoan
    It's done!
[10:57] Mob
    Wow! His noodles twist so
    mysteriously and beautifully!
[11:00] Mob
    Such a fragrant sauce.
[11:02] Mob
    His tofu gleams like white diamonds!
[11:06] Shaoan
    Not yet.
[11:07] Shaoan
    You'll be truly surprised
    once the tasting begins.
[11:11] Sanjie
    Five more minutes.
[11:13] Sanjie
    Even Shao An exercised extreme care
    when cutting and cooking his tofu.
[11:18] Sanjie
    You won't be able to do anything
    with only five more minutes, Mao!
[11:22] Shirou
    Believe in Mao, Sanjie.
[11:26] Meili
    He's right. Believe in Mao.
[11:28] Meili
    I'm sure he has a plan.
[11:33] Meili
    Otherwise, he wouldn't be
    wearing that expression.
[11:46] Sanjie
    Hey, Shirou!
[11:47] Sanjie
    You still think I should trust Mao?
[11:51] Mao
    Now, then.
[11:53] Mao
    It's time.
[11:55] Sanjie
    Too slow, Mao!
[11:57] Sanjie
    You may have finished your
    tofu, but it's too late!
[12:07] Mob
    He presented the mold to the judges?!
[12:10] Both
    What?!
[12:12] Xielu
    Does Mao intend to enter
    using his freshly-made tofu?
[12:17] Xielu
    But that's not going to cut it.
[12:19] Zhang
    Only tofu? That's rough.
[12:22] He
    Not only that, but it's still in the mold.
[12:24] He
    It's too unrefined.
[12:27] Mao
    I'll remove the mold now.
[12:40] Mao
    Liu Maoxing's special Magical Panda Tofu!
[12:45] Both
    Magical Panda Tofu?!
[12:51] He
    The black and white are clearly divided.
[12:53] Hu
    It's a giant tofu mille-feuille.
[12:56] Mob
    What is that tofu?
[12:57] Mob
    I can't imagine what it tastes like!
[13:00] Xielu
    When did Mao make that tofu?
[13:03] Leien
    What is it, even?
[13:06] Xiang
    Impossible!
[13:07] Xiang
    His unpressed tofu was practically a liquid
    before he poured it into the mold.
[13:11] Xiang
    It shouldn't be possible for it to have
    split into differently-colored layers.
[13:15] Shaoan
    Competing using tofu as his only
    ingredient is out of the question.
[13:19] Shaoan
    No, this is him we're talking about.
[13:23] Shaoan
    He must be hiding something.
[13:26] Zhang
    All right. Let's begin the tasting.
[13:30] He
    Hold on.
[13:32] He
    Serving up a whole block of tofu
    and telling us to eat it is hardly sexy.
[13:37] He
    At least cut the thing for us.
[13:40] Mao
    That's not necessary.
[13:41] Hu
    Not necessary?
[13:44] He
    What do you mean, boy?
[13:46] Mao
    This isn't just tofu.
[13:49] Mao
    It's a tofu dish.
[13:50] Mao
    And the magic begins now!
[13:57] Zhang
    Impossible.
[13:58] Zhang
    Cuts appeared in the tofu
    that was just removed from its mold.
[14:06] He
    Wh-What is this?!
[14:09] Zhang
    There's a red soup beneath
    the bamboo leaves.
SIGN    Magical Panda Mapo Tofu
[14:14] Mao
    Liu Maoxing's special Magical
    Panda Mapo Tofu is complete!
[14:20] All
    It's mapo tofu.
[14:23] Zhang
    The black and white tofu falls apart
    on a bed of bamboo leaves.
[14:26] Hu
    What a cute and fun dish.
[14:29] He
    It's like my heart's been
    transported to Szechuan,
[14:31] He
    the homeland of pandas, where
     the headwaters of the Yangtze River flow!
[14:34] All
    So unbearably nostalgic!
[14:40] Shirou
    Now this is what you call...
[14:42] Sanjie
    ...the magic of the century!
[14:44] Xiang
    What's going on?
[14:46] Xiang
    How did simply removing the tofu
    from the box cut it like that?
[14:49] Zhang
    All right. Let's taste it!
[14:51] Hu
    I'm so curious to try Mao's dish.
[14:54] He
    The two colors must taste different.
[15:00] He
    I'll start with the white.
[15:01] Xiang
    The heat is the best part of mapo tofu.
[15:04] Xiang
    Cold tofu he had no time
    to cook can't possibly—
[15:06] He
    Hot!
[15:07] Xiang
    What?
[15:08] Gov
    How strange. It's more than warm enough.
[15:12] Zhang
    Now, how does the black tofu taste?
[15:20] Zhang
    Unbelievable. It's a sweet tofu.
[15:22] Zhang
    No only that, but it's so mild and rich.
[15:25] Mao
    It's my original sweet black tofu recipe
[15:27] Mao
    made from mixing brown sugar
    with rich black soybeans.
[15:34] Hu
    So spicy!
[15:36] Hu
    Now this is real, spicy Szechuan mapo.
[15:40] Mao
    Exactly. Try eating it with the tofu.
[15:50] All
    Happy sweat is pouring off
    the judges like a waterfall!
[15:55] Gov
    The spiciness of the chili burns my tongue.
[15:58] Gov
    And the Szechuan pepper numbs the tongue.
[16:02] He
    The sweetness of the black tofu draws out
    the depth of the mapo's spiciness!
[16:09] Zhang
    The cycle of red, white, and black attacks
    with wave after wave of flavor!
[16:15] Hu
    It truly is the magic of the century!
[16:20] Zhang
    Everything about this dish is magical.
[16:23] Zhang
    There are too many mysteries.
[16:26] Zhang
    Tell us, Mao.
[16:27] Zhang
    First, how did you turn
    your slushy, unpressed tofu
[16:30] Zhang
    into layers of black and white?
[16:32] Hu
    Not only that, but it naturally fell apart
    simply after removing it from the mold.
[16:36] He
    And why was the tofu cooked?
[16:39] Mao
    All my secrets lie in this mold.
[16:42] He
    The mold?
[16:43] Mao
    This is the secret behind the magic.
[16:47] Zhang
    Threads are crisscrossing
    the bottom of the mold.
[16:52] Mao
    This is a special
    raised-bottom box mold I made
[16:54] Mao
    because I needed
    to shorten the cooking time.
[16:57] Mao
    First, I laid a sheet
    of lard over the threads.
[17:02] Mao
    I laid the black unpressed
    tofu on top of that.
[17:06] Mao
    Then I laid down another sheet of lard,
[17:08] Mao
    and laid the white unpressed
    tofu on top of that.
[17:11] Mao
    After laying down more sheets of lard,
[17:14] Mao
    I was ready to make my tofu mille-feuille.
[17:17] Mao
    When the tofu was 80 percent coagulated,
    I placed hot charcoal under the box.
[17:22] Mao
    The mold served as a steamer,
    and the lard sheets separating the layers
[17:26] Mao
    melted over the heat
    and seeped into the tofu.
[17:30] Mao
    That completes the tofu mille-feuille.
[17:33] Zhang
    So the black and white layers of tofu
    were warm because of the lard.
[17:38] Hu
    No wonder the tofu was cooked.
[17:41] Hu
    The mold served as a steamer, as well.
[17:44] Mao
    That's right.
[17:46] Mao
    Once steamed, place a platter beneath
    the mold and pull the mold upwards.
[17:54] Mao
    The weight of the tofu
    and thread cuts it into pieces,
[17:57] Mao
    leaving the tofu on the plate.
[18:00] Mao
    Finally, remove the bamboo leaves
    and combine it with the mapo underneath.
[18:06] Mao
    This completes the dish.
[18:11] Zhang
    What an incredible idea.
[18:13] Zhang
    Where did that idea come from?
[18:16] Mao
    Someone secretly gave me an important hint.
[18:20] Mao
    When I woke up this morning,
    I found that my tofu had turned into this.
[18:24] Mob
    What is that?
[18:26] Mob
    That's a unique smell.
[18:28] Mao
    This is natto, a fermented
    tofu dish from Japan.
[18:33] Mao
    When I saw this natto,
[18:34] Mao
    ideas for producing my own
    dish popped into my mind.
[18:38] Mao
    The natto's threads
    inspired the cutting method.
[18:42] Mao
    Cutting the tofu using thread
    leaves a perfectly textured surface,
[18:45] Mao
    allowing the mapo flavor to
     thoroughly blend with the tofu.
[18:49] Mao
    Next, I used the sterilizing
    effect of the bamboo leaves
[18:52] Mao
    to prevent the remaining soybeans
    from fermenting any further.
[18:55] Mao
    Pandas eat bamboo leaves, and
    pandas are from my home, Szechuan.
[19:00] Mao
    And Szechuan's signature
    tofu dish is mapo tofu.
[19:04] Mao
    That certain someone gave me a great hint
    when I was running out of time.
[19:09] Mao
    I'm disappointed the soybeans
    I had soaking in water were ruined,
[19:13] Mao
    but I'm grateful that they created
    the opportunity for me to create this dish.
[19:23] Zhang
    Impressive! You amaze me, boy.
[19:26] Zhang
    This dish is more than suitable
    for the star dish of a banquet!
[19:31] All
    Yes!
[19:33] Xiang
    I can't believe he turned
    my interference in his favor.
[19:37] Xiang
    What's going on inside this boy's head?
[19:46] Leien
    I don't like it.
[19:48] Leien
    How can he remain so calm after seeing
    the impressive dish Mao produced?
[19:58] Zhang
    It's time to taste the final dish
    in this three round cooking battle.
[20:03] Zhang
    It's a shame you had to follow
    the panda tofu, Shao An.
[20:09] Shaoan
    Don't worry.
[20:11] Shaoan
    My dish will send the judges
    tripping through another world.
[20:17] He
    It's tofu soba in a thick sauce.
[20:20] Mob
    It's exactly what it sounds like.
[20:22] Mob
    Where does Shao An's confidence come from?
[20:36] Zhang
    This feeling... Could it be?
[20:38] Hu
    Hold on.
[20:39] He
    Sorry. Do you mind?
[20:40] Zhang
    Hold on, you jerks.
[20:48] Shirou
    What are those expressions?!
[20:51] Shaoan
    This sight is the reason
    I have surpassed Master Bei.
[20:55] Shaoan
    This is the skill on display in my tofu trio!
[20:59] Shirou
    The tofu...
[21:00] Sanjie
    ...trio?
[21:03] He
    I can hear the sound
    of three stringed instruments.
[21:09] Gov
    The three melodies harmonize,
    but each is different.
[21:12] Gov
    Their rich sweet sounds
    are playing on my tongue.
[21:18] Gov
    They transform into a light snow
    that melts together,
[21:22] Gov
    then vanishes in the back
    of my throat like mist.
[21:30] He
    The earthy aroma spreads throughout my mouth
[21:33] He
    and up through my nasal cavity.
[21:35] He
    It feels like mist tickling
    and dampening my throat.
[21:39] He
    I see it.
[21:41] He
    I see it shrouded in mists.
[21:45] He
    The fertile land of Szechuan.
[21:49] Shaoan
    Mao, I've won this contest.
SIGN    Next Time
SIGN    "Outstretched Hand"
SIGN    "Outstretched Hand."