We shared a bit with the Sanctuary Residents, and their feedback was really good, and since there was quite a few people who wanted to rent a mortar, pestle, steaming basket, we gave some advice before lending.
As for the mochi rice, we’re getting help from Dryas for now, but we decided to grow it starting next year.
We’ll have to cut the noshimochi soon. Should I make a mochi cutter?
Some thinly sliced okaki(mochi cut thin, dried then cooked[1]) would be nice too.
I remember that in my grandma’s house, we placed it on a hibachi and grilled it.
I wonder if there’s any other way to eat mochi.
Since I can’t just grill mochi and eat it with sweet soy sauce and nori, I tried thinking of other methods.
As for why I’m doing this, Sophia and the others asked if there’s any other ways to eat it, but neither Akane nor I were able to give an answer.
So Akane and I brainstormed it.
「I usually grilled it like normal and ate it with sweet soy sauce.」
「Shrimp mochi and bean mochi are grilled as is too.」
「Ah, oh yeah. There’s also zenzai(chunky red bean soup with mochi) when you break open the kagami mochi[2], right?」
「Ahh, zenzai was a thing.」
I liked sweet things, so I remember eating zenzai and oshirukop[3] a lot.
「Didn’t we put it in gratin and pizza?」
「I’ve never tried it but I think those did exist. But we definitely had okonomiyaki with cheese and mochi, right?」
「Grilled cheese mochi. The girls would definitely like that. It’s also delicious if you add potatoes to it.」
「Okonomiyaki would work.」
If it’s okonomiyaki, we can cook it with the things they like. This is definitely a good idea.
「Hey, it’s winter so we can add mochi to hotpot.」
「Ah, hotpot with mochi~ I’ve never tried it.」
I’ve added ramen and udon to hotpot but never mochi.
「I think I’ve seen thin cut mochi for shabu shabu in a supermarket before.」
「Nice. Mochi shabu shabu. Let’s do that.」
「Then should I make a pot?」
「When it comes to hotpot, it has to be a donabe(earthenware pot). Takumi, please make one.」
「I guess there’s pots made of metal, but it has to be a donabe for a Japanese.」
「You’re not Japanese anymore though.」
Ignoring Akane’s remark about not being Japanese, I should get to making that donabe.
Making it the normal way without any magic would have been difficult, but it’s simple with magic.
There’s earth everywhere, but I asked Gnome where I can find good clay, then I went to collect some in the mining area in the South District.
I transmuted the clay that I mined using alchemy, then I shaped it into a pot and fired it up using magic.
After confirming there were no leaks, I made several donabe of the same size.
「Next, I’ll have to talk to Fluna-san.」
When it comes to hotpot ingredients, there’s seafood, chicken, and pork, but I’m in the mood for fish.
So let’s go ask the mermaid Fluna-san if there’s any fish that would work for hotpot.
When I went to the seaside in the Western District, Fluna-san was right there.
「Fluna-san, I have something to ask, but do you have time to spare?」
「Ah, Takumi-san, of course it’s okay.」
I talked about wanting fish that would suit a hotpot.
「Yeah, a hotpot is……」
She didn’t seem to know what a hotpot was. I guess that would be the case. Just “hotpot” could be misconstrued as just a cooking utensil.
「Ahh, it’s the name of a dish, is it? And it’s a general term for various types. Intriguing.」
「That’s right. So, meat is alright, but I was thinking of making hotpot with fish as the main ingredient. But I don’t know what fish is in season here. So I thought you would know.」
「Leave it to me! ………in return, may I also eat?」
「Of course, I’ll invite you.」
「Hooray! Then I’ll show you the fish that was caught today!」
Following Fluna-san, we arrived at the cold storehouse.
This cold storehouse has two sections, a 5℃ fridge and a -20℃ freezer to temporarily store the caught fish.
「What do you think of this one? It’s a white-fleshed fish, but it’s fatty and tastes good.」
What Fluna-san pointed to was a fish probably the size of an adult human. I guess it resembles a longtooth grouper? If so, then it’s really gotta be delicious.
「I guess we’ll go with this fish. Also, could we get some shellfish too?」
「Yes. The shellfish are over here.」
I got some of the shellfish that Fluna-san recommended, then I went back to the mansion with her.
Now then, I suppose preparing that gigantic fish is my job. At that size, I guess “dismantling” it would be more appropriate. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
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1. There’s too many food terms to put footnotes so I’ll just put them in parenthesis if it’s simple for this chapter.
2. Kagami Biraki (鏡開き), or “mirror opening,” is a traditional Japanese ceremony that involves the ceremonial opening of a sake barrel or the breaking of the large, round kagami mochi (mirror rice cake) with a wooden mallet, symbolizing a fresh start, good fortune, and the breaking of barriers.
3. In the Kanto and Kansai regions, Zenzai and Oshiruko have different preparations. More info here.