Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen: I Am the Type to Add a Secret Ingredient to Tartar Sauce
After that, Ms. Aria, Mr. Ed, and Mr. Xenon returned with an impressive amount of drop items, just as much as before. We then headed straight for the royal capital. Despite a slight delay, I managed to drive smoothly without encountering any monsters, accidents, or obstacles. Thanks to this, we covered a good distance by sunset, reaching our targeted area. At this rate, we should reach our destination, the royal capital Schulbrand, by midday tomorrow.
As usual, I parked the Camping Car a little off the Highway and we set up our camp for the night. By the way, you might wonder what foot travelers do… They usually stay in post towns along the road. So, they plan their journey to leave early in the morning and reach such places before nightfall. For those traveling by horse-drawn carriage, sleeping in the carriage is a common practice. Come to think of it, I feel like I might have seen some village-like settlements along the road…? While it’s not that I’m not curious, preparing dinner is the top priority right now!
“Well then! I just need to fry the ingredients!”
“Rin! Rin! Cut lemon again?!”
“Yes, please!”
I prepared the fungbird, fiddlehead ferns, and the edible mushrooms that often grow near fungbird flocks by coating them in the batter. I also took out the frozen ingredients that had been left from last time… Just as I was about to start frying, Ms. Aria brought out a lemon from the vegetable compartment. I nodded to Ms. Aria, who couldn’t hide her excited expression, and she proceeded to cut the lemon with string. Unlike last time when she cut it into very thin slices, this time she cut it into larger pieces, probably realizing that the previous cuts were a bit difficult to use.
Oh! Ms. Aria is learning about cooking!
As she carries the lemon to the table, I slide the battered ingredients into the oil. Immediately, there is a sizzling sound of moisture dancing, and fine oil droplets splash onto my arms and hands. It’s a bit hot, but compared to the pleasure of biting into piping hot, freshly fried food, this is nothing…! Note that if you mess with the food right after putting it in the oil, the batter will come off…
“Alright! Let’s make the sauce while we have time!”
“Oh. The special sauce you mentioned earlier?”
“That’s right, that’s right! I think it’s essential for fried food…!”
Mr. Ville came over, switching places with Ms. Aria, and peered at my hands with expectant eyes. He must be eager to know the answer to the mystery from lunchtime.
Meeting his strawberry-colored gaze, I took out the eggs I had boiled while waiting for everyone to return from hunting, along with chopped pickles and onions from the fridge. I put the boiled eggs into a large bowl and start mashing them with the back of a fork.
Meanwhile, the batter had hardened quite a bit, so I flipped the food to prevent burning… I can handle this kind of multitasking with ease… I guess it’s true that passion makes you skilled at something? While frying the other side, I added the pickles and onions to the bowl…
“Now it’s time to leave it to the senior mayonnaise!”
“…Mayonnaise…”
“It’s a condiment made from vinegar, oil, and raw eggs… but I haven’t seen it around here…”
“R-Raw eggs…!? Is, is that edible…?”
“Ah, from that reaction, I guess eating raw eggs isn’t common here… It’s made in places with strict freshness and hygiene controls, and it’s actually delicious.”
“Delicious even though it uses raw eggs… The food from your world is full of mysteries, Rin…”
When I listed the ingredients, Mr. Ville’s face tensed up a bit. Ah… Well, I’ve heard that raw eggs are considered exotic food in some countries, so maybe it’s similar in this world…? As I was explaining that it’s a very common condiment where I lived, the fried food started to look perfectly cooked.
I take out the golden-brown fried food and put it on a tray, then slide the next batch into the oil. Amidst the sizzling sound and fragrant aroma of frying food, I open the jar of mayonnaise with a pop and a faint vinegary scent mixed with the surrounding air. I scoop up a generous amount of the thick, creamy mayonnaise with a spoon and add it to the bowl! The way mayonnaise returns to its original volume in no time is truly "mysterious," but being able to use it without hesitation is an incredible advantage.
As I mix the contents of the bowl well with the fork I have been using, the crumbled egg yolks blend with the mayonnaise, intensifying the yellow color. Once everything is well combined, I season it with salt, pepper, and lemon juice… and add a little ketchup as a secret ingredient, which is the Takanashi family style.
After mixing it well until the red of the ketchup is fully incorporated, the tartar sauce is complete!
Mr. Ville, who had seemed a bit apprehensive about the raw egg ingredient, is now intently watching the tartar sauce-making process, probably curious about this unknown food.
“Mr. Ville, would you like to taste it?”
“Is, is that okay…!?”
“I’ll use this spoon when I serve it at the table, but I was planning to wash the fork anyway, so…”
I scoop up a bit of the sauce, making sure to get some of the chunky bits, onto the back of the fork I have been using to mix and hand it to Mr. Ville, whose face is full of curiosity. He immediately takes a bite.
The moment he puts the fork in his mouth… his strawberry-colored eyes widen, and he stares at me intently.
“Wh… what… what is this…!?”
“It’s the special sauce I mentioned at lunch… tartar sauce. I think it goes well with fried fish or today’s fried fungbird!”
Words spilled from Mr. Ville’s lips as he stood there, fork in hand. His strawberry-colored gaze was fixed on the silver fork that had just held the tartar sauce. When I told our dazed leader about today’s ingredients that would go well with this sauce, his face turned towards me with a movement so stiff it almost seemed to creak.
“…This sauce… on that fried food… Rin, are you a devil…!”
“Devil? That’s so rude!! I’m just a food-obsessed person!!!”
Mr. Ville, seeming to have had his soul completely stolen, howled in a voice that couldn’t hide his shudder.
Hey! I just really love delicious food, that’s all!
As I lifted the freshly fried food onto the tray, I raised my voice to correct him.
Darn, I thought she would feel it to him, missed opportunity 😭
ReplyDeleteWell, she did say that romance is something far from her. Even though it's disappointing, it seems she was right
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