Chapter 145: A Respite From Adventuring VII (2/2)

In a corner was a pile of bones that had yet to be stuck into the flesh wall, and she started picking out the ones she wanted without hesitation, giving them to the Gunmerrys to carry.

「Here's a pig knuckle bone, and another pig knuckle bone. They're cracked, which is perfect. Oh, there's a spine! I don't think I have enough pig leg bones, but I can't find any……」

She was fishing through the pig carcasses like she was picking through a bargain bin.

I watched her work for about five minutes. The whole time, the middle-aged guy was looking at Rutsuko-san with a strange look on his face.

「Souya-san! For now, I've got everything I need!」

The Gunmerrys held up the pig bones.

「Alright, I'll take all those」

「Oh, go ahead, take it」

The middle-aged guy was generously giving it all to us for free, but……

「How much for them?」

「Huhh? I'm not going to take your money for things that we were going to throw away」

「No, I'll pay for them. If they are recognized to have value, they'll become offerings to the flame religion. Considering you have followers in your family, that would bring more virtue, you see?」

To be honest, I don't think that these pig bones are of good quality. People treat garbage like crap, but the moment they find some value it, it changes the way they look at it.

It's a materialistic way of thinking, but that's just the way it is.

「O, ooh. That's true. What are you gonna do with all of that?」

「We're going to use them to make broth」

「………………Hey, is everything alright? Are things so rough at the flame religion?」

The middle-aged guy was seriously worried about me.

「It's all good. This is just one of the steps in the making of the new dish, and has nothing to do with how the flame religion's kitchen is doing」

「Then I guess I don't have to worry about my old man going hungry」

If you're going to worry about your family members, do it by their sides.

「Souya-san! Hurry, Hurry! They're just barely fresh enough, so I want to get them into the pot as soon as possible!」

「Hurry up!」

「Whoo!」

Rutsuko-san and the Gunmerrys were in high spirits.

I pressed five copper coins into the middle-aged guy's hand, and then we left the dungeon.

We stood out like a sore thumb carrying the bones through the streets, but Rutsuko-san was too excited to notice.

When we returned to the temple of the flame religion, the miko and priestess regarded us skeptically.

Not paying them any mind, we went to the kitchen and started prepping.

「First is to wash them thoroughly. Then, remove any flesh still on them and drain the blood completely. This step must be taken very seriously. This is where 80% of the flavor is determined. For the knuckle and leg bones, crack them before washing」

「Understood」

I cracked the thigh bones with a hammer, then washed off the flesh and blood clinging to them. The other bones were thoroughly cleaned in a similar fashion.

The Gunmerrys were getting in our way, so I brought them out of the kitchen and had them play with the grandchildren of the followers.

「They're all clean now. The next step is to pre-boil them. They'll need to be boiled for 30 minutes, an hour, or maybe even two hours depending on how it goes. This is where 80% of the flavor is determined. This is a very important step」

「Got it」

It was a trivial detail, so I didn't retort her.

The cleaned bones were put into a washed stockpot, which was then filled with water and put on the fire. And then we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

『………………』

Unable to bear the awkward silence, I opened my mouth.

「Rutsuko-san, when you said your mom's family runs a ramen――」

「Souya-san, be quiet. I can't hear the ingredients」

「Oh, I'm sorry」

I was scolded for talking frivolously by Rutsuko, who was standing with her hands on her hips.

What's with this vibe coming from her? It's like she's a battle-hardened warrior.

The pressure was so great that sweat was beading on my forehead, and time flew by.........not. I had woken up really early in the morning and was feeling drowsy, so I plopped my head down on a table and took a quick nap.

When Yukikaze woke me up, an hour had passed.

I helped Rutsuko-san throw out the hot water, which had a lot of scum floating on top.

Its distinctive, unpleasant smell was difficult to bear right after waking up.

「Now it's time to begin making the broth in earnest. This is where 80% of the flavor is determined. I've prepared the vegetables while you were slacking off, Souya-san, but please take note of one thing」

「What is it?」

「The bones and vegetables cannot be cooked together. It takes 6 to 8 hours to make broth from the bones, but vegetables should only be boiled for less than an hour. Any longer than that and they will fall apart and spoil the broth. This time, I'm going to prepare another stockpot and boil them in a different broth, then mix them together at the end」

「Umm」

Did you just casually drop the bomb that it would take six to eight hours?!

I was hoping to have the prototype ramen done by noon and have it completed by evening though……

「Can it be any faster?」

「It can't. Souya-san, are you underestimating ramen? This is the first ramen made with ingredients from the alternate world. The fire is different from what I’m used to, and we lack the seasonings to adjust its taste. The only way to make up for the lack of ingredients is to put in more time and effort. If you make excuses about how you don't have what you need or that you can't do it, and don’t put your heart into it, the customers won't take kindly to it!」

Errr, hmmm.

Technically speaking, we aren't serving customers though.

「Also, I'm going to add pork belly to the bone broth and simmer it for two hours to let the fat and flavor mix into the broth. I was thinking of using the pork belly to make chashu[1] as well, but the seasoning………」

「Oh, right, we don't have soy sauce, do we?」

I have some soy sauce that was brought over from the modern world and some fish sauce made from sardines, but I only have enough for household consumption. If I used them for making ramen here, they wouldn't last more than three days.

「I still have some concerns, but I'll make a sweet and spicy sauce using the ingredients here and use it to marinate the pork. But I'm really worried because, for ramen, it's no exaggeration to say that 80% of the flavor is determined by the taste of the chashu」

「I'm counting on you」

I'm not going to make any rude retorts.

They must all be important, I suppose.

「From now on, it's a test of endurance. I'll keep on scooping out the scum to increase the purity of the broth. I can manage on my own, so you can go home, Souya-san」

「Huh?」

I was suddenly informed that I wasn’t needed.

「No, Rutsuko-san, if it's just removing the scum, I can help too」

「Haaa~」

She let out a deep, deep sigh.

「Souya-san, what do you mean by ”just”?」

「Eh? Huh?」

I couldn’t figure out why I was being scolded for that, so I fell into confusion.

「At the bottom of your heart, you look down on ramen as a low-class dish, don't you? It's true that ramen is a dish for the masses. It's a cheap, tasty, and filling dish. But that's no reason for those cooking it to cut corners! Something like that isn't ramen! It's not! Errr………………I’m angry! That's right, I’m angry!」[2]

I guess I didn't think of it like that.

Actually, I'm kinda curious to know what your mum’s family's ramen store is like.

「Are you sure there's nothing I can help you with?」

「There isn't. You'd just distract me, so I'd appreciate it if you'd let me do this alone」

「If you say so……」

It feels kinda lonely, but I don't want to participate in the broth-making process so badly that I would get in her way just to do so. This is the extent of the passion I have for ramen.

『Team member Souya, Yukikaze will stay behind and record the broth-making process』

「I'll leave you to it then. Rutsuko-san, I'm leaving Yukikaze here, so contact me if you need anything」

「………………」

Rutsuko-san was staring intently at the stockpot.

Ahh, she's not listening anymore.

[1] Japanese chashu, or braised pork belly, is made by rolling the meat into a log, then braising it over low heat in a sauce seasoned with soy sauce, sake, and sugar. That’s in contrast to the Chinese char siu, which is roasted over high heat. (pic courtesy of justonecookbook.com)

[2] She says “ぬー(nuu)” at the end there, which is a sound effect that can be used to express either anger(like “grr”, maybe?), or questioning(like “huh?”). Just making her go Grr there is really weird, and she is expressing that she’s angry, so it became how it is.

In case, it wasn’t clear, the Japanese term used there, すみません, can mean “sorry”, but it can also mean “excuse me”. Souya meant “excuse me” of course, but the storekeeper took it as “sorry”. As for Souya not retorting, I’m sure you got it after a few times, but he’s talking about how Rutsuko keeps saying that 80% of the flavor is determined by the step they’re talking about at the time, which of course, doesn’t add up.

Haha, Rutsuko to the rescue again. I loved how the goddess part was almost a word-for-word repeat of the previous chapter. But with Rutsuko in serious mode, does that mean that the broth is settled? Or will there still be problems? Stay tuned!

P.S. I know this is turning into a cooking story, but I assure you there’s plot coming lol. And it’s probably not what you’re expecting!