Chapter 97

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

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Yuri, who managed to create instant dashi in this world, had a dish she had long wanted to make. It was namul. Although she had never tasted authentic Korean namul, she would make a pseudo-version based on the knowledge she had gathered from the internet. Even so, when she made it at home, it was well-received by her family and was praised as a good side dish and a great accompaniment to alcohol, which made her want to make it.

By the way, it seems that namul was originally made with bean sprouts and mountain vegetables, but Yuri didn't care about that. She would use the ingredients she wanted to eat. The Japanese spirit of modifying things to suit their tastes was evident even in this. Or perhaps it was their skill in accepting various things and incorporating them into their lives. ...It might be better not to comment on the truth of the matter.

"First, let's start with the cucumber preparation."

"Okay."

She began with the cucumber, which took the most time to prepare. In response to Yuri's call, Camille, who was in charge of the meal, gave a somewhat lackluster reply. The other apprentices were busy with their assigned tasks. Actually, since namul uses a lot of instant dashi, it was more convenient without Mag. ...In the sense that they would all be wiped out by taste testing.

Anyway, first, the cucumber preparation. After washing the cucumber and removing the ends, she cut it into irregular pieces. Not too big, not too small, just the right size for eating. Once the cucumber was cut, she put it in a bowl and salted it. After rubbing the salt in, she left it to let the water come out. This process is called "salting," and if you don't remove the excess water, the cucumber won't absorb the flavor well.

"How long should we leave it?"

"Let's think about it after we do other tasks."

"Anyway, since we're going to season it, is this step necessary?"

"It is. If the excess water isn't removed, the seasoning will be too light, and if it's too green, it won't taste good."

"Got it."

With the cucumber set aside to let the water come out, the next step was to prepare the bean sprouts, komatsuna (Japanese spinach), and carrots. All three needed to be blanched. First, the bean sprouts: after washing them and removing any small or dirty parts, she put them in a pot of boiling water. Since they cook quickly, she confirmed that the color had changed and the heat had penetrated, then drained them in a colander and removed the water.

Next was the komatsuna. She washed it, being careful not to break it, and removed the very bottom part of the roots before boiling it. Some people cut it before boiling, while others boil it before cutting. Yuri was in the latter camp. The reason was that it was easier to drain the water after boiling because it wouldn't break apart. There was no deeper meaning to it.

She boiled the komatsuna in water with a pinch of salt. If you boil it too long, it will become mushy, so it's important to judge the right time. A good rule of thumb might be when the leaves turn a beautiful green. However, the stems need to be cooked thoroughly, so it's a good idea to check them from time to time. Once the komatsuna was cooked, she drained it in a colander like the bean sprouts. ...She would cut it after it cooled down.

For the carrots, she cut them into thin strips, like those used for kinpira. Yuri's method was to first slice the carrot into thin, board-like pieces to match the width of the strips. Then, by stacking the sliced carrots and cutting them thinly, she could easily create thin strips. ...Sorry, it's not that impressive. Please forgive me.

After cutting the carrots into thin strips, she blanched them in boiling water and drained them in a colander. Basically, since namul is eaten as is, it's important to prepare it by blanching and draining the water. Probably, presumably.

"Yuri, I'm done with everything. What's next?"

"Next, we need to remove the excess water."

"Got it."

For the bean sprouts, she squeezed them by hand. For the komatsuna, she cut it into bite-sized pieces and then squeezed it. For the carrots, she shook the colander to remove the excess water. And for the cucumber, she discarded the excess water that had come out, which was perfect.

The process was to sprinkle sesame oil on the ingredients to prevent water from coming out, then add the instant dashi and mix. That's it. If the flavor was lacking, she would add salt or soy sauce to adjust it. Basically, Yuri had been making it with a commercial dashi base to achieve a somewhat similar taste.

Now, what she had in front of her was the instant dashi she had created using an alchemy cauldron in this world. Not only the Japanese-style dashi made from kelp and bonito flakes, but also chicken-based dashi from the bones of chicken-type monsters, beef-based dashi from the bones of cow-type monsters, and pork-based dashi from the bones of orc-type monsters. ...She was in her element in this world.

"Let's start with the bean sprouts. Put them in a bowl and mix in the sesame oil."

"Hey, why do you mix in the sesame oil first?"

"To prevent extra water from coming out."

"Can you really do that just by mixing in sesame oil?"

"Sesame oil forms a film around the vegetables, which prevents water from coming out."

"Wow."

After mixing the sesame oil into the bean sprouts, she added the Japanese-style instant dashi. As usual, she used her best guess for the amount, but it's important not to get too caught up in the details. If it's too salty, just add more bean sprouts. If the flavor is lacking, add more instant dashi or adjust with salt or soy sauce. That's what home cooking is all about.

Once the work was done, if the taste was good, she would leave it in the bowl to let the flavors soak in. It's a given that letting it sit for a while makes it taste better.

"Hmm, it feels like we're going to end up eating a lot of this."

"Yeah, it can be a side dish or a snack."

"Also, if Mag sees it, he'll probably eat it all."

"...I can't deny that."

Yuri quietly averted her eyes. Especially, the Japanese-style dashi she used for the bean sprouts was Mag's favorite. More specifically, Mag was crazy about kelp dashi, so when she used kelp-based Japanese-style dashi, his reaction was different. No one knew why. It was a mystery.

Next, she moved on to the carrot namul. She put the carrots in a bowl and mixed in the sesame oil. For the seasoning, after some consideration, she chose the pork-based dashi. There was no deep reason; she just thought it might taste good. Inspiration is important in cooking.

"Hey, this feels like when you stir-fry it with meat."

"Maybe it's the flavor from the orc."

"This could be delicious if we wrap it in meat like the cold shabu-shabu we made the other day."

"Ah, that's a good idea. Let's try it next time?"

"Sure."

Camille, who was a representative of those whose stomachs were captured by delicious food, sometimes came up with ideas like this. The desire to eat delicious food might bring out some hidden talent. ...Like a dashi devotee.

Next, the komatsuna. However, she added a little twist. She mixed in diced tomatoes. She coated the komatsuna and tomatoes with sesame oil and used beef-based instant dashi. The green of the komatsuna and the red of the tomatoes made for a visually balanced dish. She used beef-based dashi because she had eaten something similar before.

"Why tomatoes?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"But it was delicious, right?"

"Well, if it's delicious, that's fine."

Camille's question was met with a casual response. However, deliciousness is justice, so it couldn't be helped. When she tasted it, the rich flavor of the beef-based dashi mixed with the fresh taste of the komatsuna and tomatoes, making it quite delicious. It was clear that this would make the rice go down easily.

Finally, the cucumber. After sprinkling sesame oil, she mixed in the Japanese-style instant dashi. The seasoning was the same as for the bean sprouts, but the cucumber had a unique texture that the bean sprouts didn't, making it delicious in its own way. Honestly, it was so good that it could be eaten as a snack.

"...I think we need more cucumber."

"Huh?"

"Cucumber is the easiest to eat. So, can we do the salting again?"

"Sure."

Since the request came from the person who would be eating more, Yuri allowed it. At the same time, she thought that having the same thing over and over would be boring. ...After some thought, what Yuri took out was shiso leaves and ground sesame seeds. Why, exactly?

She washed the shiso leaves, removed the stems, and finely chopped them. She did it so thoroughly that she could be asked, "Do you really need to be that thorough?" She then added the finely chopped shiso to the bowl of seasoned cucumber. Camille looked surprised, but Yuri didn't mind.

After mixing the finely chopped shiso evenly, she added the ground sesame seeds. Once mixed thoroughly, it was complete. The aroma of the shiso and ground sesame seeds wafted up. It was a different, gentle, and appetizing scent compared to the strong, appetite-stimulating aroma of the sesame oil.

"...Yuri, what are you doing?"

"I thought I might change the seasoning since we're adding more cucumber."

"...It might be really delicious, but that's not the point, Yuri."

"Huh?"

"If you change the seasoning, you'll need to make more of that too. Otherwise, it won't work."

"...Huh?"

Yuri, who was looking puzzled, made Camille sigh. While Yuri thought that cucumbers were cucumbers, Camille could see a different future. Even if it was the same cucumber, different seasonings would make it a different dish. Definitely. And there would be a fight over it. That's the future he could see.

So, Camille silently handed Yuri more cucumbers. It was a gesture to help her make more. Understanding without being told, Yuri began cutting the cucumbers into irregular pieces. While Yuri was cutting the cucumbers and rubbing them with salt, Camille sighed. This carefree attitude was still the same, and something was off.

"Besides, Mag will probably eat as much as five people."

"...Really?"

"He'll definitely hoard the bean sprouts and cucumbers."

"Why is Mag so obsessed with dashi...?"

"How should I know..."

Camille grumbled to Yuri, who had a far-off look in her eyes. After all, it was Yuri who had turned Mag into a dashi devotee. If Yuri hadn't taught him the deliciousness of kelp dashi, Mag wouldn't have gone off the deep end like this. Definitely. Mag was originally a strange boy, but he wasn't the type to hoard food. Clearly, Yuri was to blame.

Feeling a bit responsible, Yuri silently began cutting more cucumbers. Next to her, Camille was blanching more bean sprouts, clearly as a countermeasure for Mag.

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The various namul dishes were not only good as side dishes but also as snacks with alcohol, and were very well-received by everyone. ...As for Mag, you can imagine.

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If you have sesame oil and instant dashi, you can make this easy, quick side dish.

For those who say, "This isn't namul at all!"—I'll ignore you.

It's home cooking, so it's okay if it's easy and delicious! ←

I look forward to your comments and feedback.