NOVEL NEXT Chapter 223 - Divine Cat Mii-chan Eats Zunda!
223 Divine Cat Mii-chan Eats Zunda!
Today is the final day of the Ale Garden. Since morning, I’ve been busy cooking with Katia, Lala, and Yana for the dishes we plan to serve at the event.
What are we making? We’re preparing tempura fritters with edamame, onions, and carrots. I wanted to add burdock root as well, but I couldn’t find any at the market. Even so, we managed to make delicious fritters. They’re meant to be eaten with salt or soy sauce, but when Perro requested a tempura rice bowl, I made one, and he was thoroughly satisfied. Oddly enough, Jin and Rosalinde, who were lounging at home playing with Lu-kun, Ral-kun, and Kai, also enjoyed the fritters.
By the way, Glenhart isn’t here because he’s at the Hunter Guild, since Zeke’s operation to take down the underworld guild in the city of Beruna has been completed.
Yuri and Letty are still asleep, so I’ll make sure to serve them lunch later.
We’re also making something else since we have edamame—zunda. However, I realized how annoyingly tedious it is to make. I thought it would just involve mashing edamame and adding sugar, but it was a disaster. The thin skins of the edamame were left behind in the mouth, and it just wasn’t quite right. The flavor wasn’t bad, though.
Not knowing how to properly remove the edamame skins, I boiled the beans and tried to separate the skins by stirring them in water with a stick. Although I managed to separate some, many skins were still left intact. So, I resorted to manual labor, removing each skin one by one. Eventually, I mixed in equal parts sugar and honey as I mashed them.
Compared to the batch with the skins, this new version was better, but it still lacked some of the richness or umami. I suspect rinsing the edamame in water diluted the flavor. This time, I tried removing the skins without soaking them, though some were cheekily stolen along the way—yes, Perro, I’m looking at you.
After all that effort, the flavor was much better. It made me appreciate how much work went into the zunda I used to eat at my grandma’s house as a child.
While it was exhausting to make, I figured I should give it another shot. Yana grimaced openly at the idea, though. This is definitely not a dish for mass production. We’ll sell it as a limited item.
Not expecting much, I placed a small dish of zunda in front of Mii-chan. She sniffed it cautiously, but to my surprise, she began licking it!
“Mii~♪”
She had shown no interest in boiled edamame, but she liked zunda? Is it just that desserts have a special appeal? I wonder if she prefers sweet bean paste or zunda more. It would be tough if she asks for zunda—it’s a hassle to make.
In the late afternoon, I took the zunda to the Wilhelm branch and handed it to Alex.
“A new flavor?”
“Yes, it’s a lot of work to make, but I thought we could try selling it.”
“Is it okay to sell just like that?”
“I’ve prepared some promotional flyers and set the price a bit higher. We’ll market it as a festival-exclusive item.”
“Got it.”
Now, let’s give it our all on this final day of the Ale Garden!
Fireworks went off, and the guild master of the Craftsman Guild gave an opening speech, but it went on far too long, nearly causing a riot. The Commercial Guild’s guild master had to interrupt and give the signal to start, saving the day. The Commercial Guild’s master seemed furious. There’s always one person who doesn’t read the room, right?
Anyway, the ale was selling well. I lost count of how many cups we sold. The Commercial Guild’s master, pleased with the results, suggested extending the festival, but I politely declined. We have plans in Beruna soon, and it’s precisely because the event is short that people flock to it. Plus, I’m too tired to go on.
“Mii…”
The Divine Cat Trading Company could train people with water skills to increase production, but cold ale won’t sell much after summer. Now’s not the time for that, anyway. With so many things I want and need to do, I’ll tackle them one at a time.
At the Divine Cat Trading Company’s booth, Mii-chan’s special “Edamame Feeding Performance” was a hit. Rumor has it that those who successfully get the edamame into their mouths will find happiness, prompting people to try again if they miss. It’s been quite the success.
At first, the zunda dumplings weren’t getting much attention; people found the bright green color unsettling. But when Alex recommended them to some regular guild ladies who came specifically to see him, they eagerly bought them, were surprised by how delicious they were, and the dumplings sold out shortly after.
Later, we received requests from people who couldn’t try the zunda and from enchanted regulars asking to add it to the permanent menu. We had to decline, explaining that it’s a seasonal item that won’t be available again until next year. As a result, the zunda dumplings have become known as “phantom dumplings” among the regulars. Although it could be frozen with water or ice skills, making them is just too much work…
The edamame fritters were also popular, with most people preferring to eat them with salt rather than soy sauce. Many customers were surprised by the dark liquid, likely because soy sauce isn’t yet widely recognized. The Divine Cat Trading Company also sells soy sauce, but it’s expensive, so it might be out of reach for most people. The miso balls are popular with hunters, though.
Speaking of which, King Retsu seems to be enjoying his usual routine, gulping down ale while eating zunda dumplings and fritters right in front of me. His daughter, Kris, is giving him the cold shoulder, but is that really okay?
“Mii~?”