NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 6
Kakiage And Croquette
Yuuri silently continued peeling potatoes. With practiced movements, the connected skins danced around in circles. Watching this with a surprised expression, Yak carefully removed the meat clinging to the bones using a spoon. Though the fragments seemed too small to eat, he got asked to scrape them all into the bowl, so he did it seriously. As he scraped the meat into the bowl, he realized there was surprisingly a lot. Of course, it wasn’t enough to use as a main dish.
Yuuri tossed the peeled potatoes into a large pot and started boiling them. He added a pinch of salt and boiled them gently. While they simmered until soft, he meticulously peeled the vegetables that now resembled nothing but skins. Once peeled, he finely sliced all the vegetables.
Yak marveled at Yuuri’s skill, unable to count how many times he sighed in admiration. Each time, Yuuri smiled awkwardly. But even Yuuri, who was cooking, realized his Cooking skills had improved. Every movement seemed smoother than before.
(Could this be the effect of my skills?)
Yuuri’s Cooking skill level was 50. He didn’t know the standard, but since the maximum was confirmed to be 100, he thought 50 was a decent level. To the unaware Yuuri, someone with a Cooking skill level of 50, he was at the level of an average restaurant. Ignorance was indeed frightening.
Yuuri cooked without worrying about the details, humming a tune. He was in a perfect mood. Being a girly boy, he loved everything related to home economics, but cooking was his favorite. Because cooking was the thing that made someone happy the most.
Of course, sewing and cleaning also made people happy. But when he made and served food, people seemed happiest. He loved it, enjoyed it, and put extra effort into cooking. Well, at school, when he brought handmade bento (and sometimes mischievously made character bentos), or homemade sweets, he received comments like “creepy” from his peers.
Still, there were times when hungry boys would snatch up Yuuri’s homemade sweets and say, “It’s delicious.” Sometimes, even the girls who usually found him creepy would come to him for help when Valentine’s Day or their boyfriend’s birthday approached. He was so kind-hearted that he would help without reluctance.
“Yuuri, I’ve scraped off all the meat, but what about these bones?”
“Oh, the bones? I’ll use them for soup stock, so could you put water in that big pot over there and simmer them?”
“Got it.”
Yak seemed to obey Yuuri’s words unquestionably. After all, he was witnessing Yuuri’s incredible skill firsthand. For Yak, who wasn’t skilled in cooking and didn’t know what to do, it was like a godsend. He effortlessly did as Yuuri told him.
The pot filled with a large number of animal bones was simmering on low heat. It seemed to be a mixture of pork, beef, and chicken. The meat got mixed, but Yuuri, who intended to mince it, wasn’t too concerned. After all, the meat was more of an extra.
“Okay, could you use the knife to pound the meat in the bowl and make it minced?”
“Yeah, leave it to me!”
Pounding meat to make it minced was easy, even for someone who wasn’t good at delicate tasks like Yak. Understanding this, he enthusiastically started pounding the meat. Why is it? Yak’s face as he happily minced the meat seemed a bit scary. His smile was scary. Perhaps he was accumulating various frustrations. Being at the bottom was tough.
Ignoring Yak, Yuuri mashed the boiled potatoes. Since he couldn’t find a masher, he thoroughly washed the tip of a rolling pin and pushed it down hard. The potatoes, boiled until they were about to fall apart, crumbled as he mashed them. While struggling with the large amount of potatoes, Yuuri continued to hum.
Now, do you know what Yuuri is trying to make? The answer is croquette. Since there were no bread crumbs, he grated stale bread to make them. He had flour and eggs on hand. With plenty of potatoes, he could easily make croquettes. Even the tiny bit of meat left on the bones would make a splendid accent once minced and seasoned with salt and pepper.
So Yuuri handed over the task of mashing the potatoes to Yak, who had finished making the mince and started sautéing the mince in a frying pan. Ideally, he would have liked to have some finely chopped onions, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the ingredients. If he used onions here, the other dish would be too lonely, so he had to endure it. After seasoning with salt and pepper, he sprinkled some herb powder that had been hidden in the back of the cupboard to add flavor.
It’s worth noting that the key to seasoning the croquette mince is to make it slightly stronger considering it will be mixed with potatoes. If you season it well, the flavor won’t dilute even when mixed with potatoes. Moreover, frying it in oil would enhance the flavor. Then, you wouldn’t need unnecessary sauces or soy sauce, resulting in reduced salt intake. – by Yuuri’s mother.
“Yak, mix this mince into the potatoes.”
“Got it!”
Showing Yak the seasoned mince, Yuuri turned to a bowl filled with thinly sliced vegetables. He held a bag of flour and a cup of water. First, he sprinkled flour over the vegetables and mixed them with chopsticks. Once the flour was evenly distributed, he gradually added water while mixing. Adjusting the consistency by feeling while mixing, he adjusted the amount of flour and water.
Yuuri was planning to make tempura with the leftover vegetable ends. Regular tempura would look bad if the shape wasn’t good, but tempura was different. It was a dish where small vegetables were gathered and fried, and in a household setting, it would be forgiven even if it looked a bit messy. Shops seemed to mold it into shapes. But at home, it would be bite-sized and simply thrown in with chopsticks. At least, that’s how it was in Kugimiya’s house.
While Yak mixed the potatoes and mince evenly, Yuuri started dropping the tempura into the heated oil. The sound of sizzling and the popping of moisture echoed. Yak looked surprised. He probably didn’t know what they were making. But Yuuri didn’t mind and placed the freshly fried tempura, which had turned a nice golden brown, on a tray with a draining rack. It was a big help that there was something that seemed to be good for draining oil. There was no kitchen paper to be found.
Yuuri sprinkled salt over the freshly fried tempura. While tempura tasted delicious with tempura sauce, Yuuri personally recommended a light salt flavor. It enhanced the umami of the vegetables and allowed you to enjoy the crispy texture of the batter. Trying a small piece as a taste test, he found the texture of the batter was just right.
“…Want a taste?”
Yak, whose hand had stopped mixing the bowl’s contents, was asked by Yuuri with a wry smile. Instantly, he vigorously nodded his head and laughed as he offered one. Taking a bite while being cautioned about its heat, Yak’s eyes widened in surprise.
“…It’s delicious!”
“Right?”
Yuuri said as he started making the potato mixture into balls. He formed them into cylindrical shapes and lined them up on the tray. Once all the croquettes were shaped, he moved to coat them with flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs. Since there was a lack of breadcrumbs, he crushed the stale bread further to compensate. It might have been better if he had dried it in the oven before crushing it, but it was too late.
Yak, who had finished eating tempura, seemed to want to help out. So Yuuri showed him how to coat the croquettes with flour, egg, and breadcrumbs and left him to it. Meanwhile, Yuuri heated oil in another frying pan to fry the croquettes.
Once the oil got heated, Yuuri gently placed the coated croquettes into the frying pan. They sizzled as they made contact with the oil, and a fragrant aroma filled the kitchen. Yak, who was watching from the side, seemed to be entranced by the sight and smell.
While frying the croquettes, Yuuri prepared a plate with paper towels to drain excess oil. Once the croquettes were golden brown on all sides, he carefully lifted them out of the oil and placed them on the paper towels to drain. The kitchen was now filled with the delicious aroma of freshly fried croquettes.
Yuuri and Yak stood side by side, admiring their handiwork. The croquettes looked golden and crispy on the outside, while the tempura looked light and crunchy. It was a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.
“Looks delicious, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it really does.”
Yuuri smiled proudly as he looked at the spread of food on the table. Despite the simple ingredients and makeshift equipment, they managed to create a delicious meal together. It was a testament to their teamwork and determination.
“Let’s eat!”
With that, Yuuri and Yak sat at the table and dug into their homemade feast. The croquettes were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, while the tempura was light and flavorful. It was a meal fit for a king, made with love and care by two friends in a humble kitchen. And as they ate, they couldn’t help but feel grateful for the simple joys of good food and good company.