NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35
If You Find Miso, You Just Have To Get It
“Hello, I’ll take them all!”
Yuuri shouted excitedly, leaving Hallows confused. Actually, everyone besides Yuuri was just as puzzled. After all, the enthusiasm Yuuri showed was uncharacteristic.
Yuuri was holding a small pot. After checking its contents, he got excited. Hallows, who had brought it and asked Yuuri to inspect it, was stunned by Yuuri’s uncharacteristic reaction.
Hallows had brought miso, an unknown ingredient to them, to Scarlet Lynx’ hideout.
Hallows is a merchant who travels and discovers new products. He loves spreading smiles and has a great nose for salable items, but oddly, he’s not very greedy for money.
I digress.
Hallows had brought back red miso. However, miso was almost unknown around here, and no one knew how to use it. Hallows himself had taken it off the hands of fellow merchants who also didn’t know its use.
His curiosity led him to show it to Yuuri, thinking an outsider like Yuuri might know something. And if Yuuri didn’t know, Hallows planned to ask Ally to appraise it. Lately, Hallows has been treating Scarlet Lynx as a product appraisal center.
“Uh, Yuuri, do you know what this is?”
“Yes. In my hometown, it’s a staple seasoning alongside soy sauce. I thought it didn’t exist here since I never saw it.”
“So it’s a seasoning?”
“Yes, it is.”
Yuuri realized they weren’t on the same page. Hallows didn’t know what miso was, nor did anyone else in Scarlet Lynx. And Ally hadn’t bothered to appraise it, so miso remained a mystery.
“Uh, miso is a seasoning made from soybeans, similar to soy sauce. It’s mainly used in a soup called miso soup. It’s used in other dishes too, but it’s generally for soup.”
“…Hmm. I can’t quite imagine a soup seasoned with this.”
“Then I’ll make some. Can I borrow it?”
“Oh, sure. Please do.”
“Alright!”
Yuuri, with a bright smile, ran to the kitchen with the pot of miso. The group, discussing it in the dining room because it was food-related, watched him go. They had never seen Yuuri so happy.
Yuuri’s excitement over miso was because he was tired of the soup-dominated diet. There was soy sauce, rice, and pickled plums, but no miso. Miso soup with white rice and pickled plums, with some tamagoyaki or grilled fish, would complete a fine Japanese meal he missed.
They say you crave Japanese food when living abroad for long. Yuuri was feeling that. Although he had soy sauce and rice, the lack of miso soup was notable for Yuuri. Hallows bringing miso was a big deal for him.
“What ingredients should I use~?”
A kitchen-loving girly boy, Yuuri happily looked in the fridge. The ingredients for miso soup vary by household and mood. Considering Hallows was waiting, he chose quick-cooking ingredients.
He started by taking out a bottle from the fridge. It had water and kelp. Though he usually makes kelp stock from scratch, he prepared some overnight for emergencies. He poured the bottle’s contents into a pot and set it to boil.
“Let’s go with onions, enoki mushrooms, and seaweed~”
He peeled and cored the onion, slicing it thin. After tossing it into the pot, he finely chopped the enoki for quick cooking. Then he took fresh seaweed, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and added it to the pot.
While it boiled, Yuuri looked for something to substitute a miso strainer. A miso strainer is essential for him. Though some use a ladle to dissolve miso, the Kugimiya family used a strainer, leaving the grainy bits out.
The reason was simple: they didn’t like the texture. Also, it’s easier to dissolve with a strainer.
Searching through the utensils, Yuuri found a small handled sieve that could work. Thinking about spreading the use of miso strainers along with miso, he watched the pot. Onions, enoki, and seaweed danced in the bubbling pot.
Once the ingredients were cooked, Yuuri turned off the heat. Miso is dissolved off the heat, and the soup is not boiled after adding miso, as his mother taught him.
First, he took a spoonful. He knew it was red miso but not its saltiness. So, he added it gradually. By now, four apprentices were watching his mysterious process, but Yuuri paid them no mind.
“Maybe this much…”
After dissolving the miso by eye, Yuuri tasted it. Ignoring the curious onlookers, he added a bit more miso. It had been a while since he made miso soup, so his sense was off. Also, the miso’s flavor differed slightly from what he used at home.
Anyway, a simple miso soup was ready. Yuuri, satisfied, poured it into bowls. He brought three bowls: one for himself, Hallows, and Ally.
“You can use the rest for tasting, but no fighting~”
“”“Got it!”””
“No fighting, okay?”
“”“We know!”””
The four obediently answered Yuuri’s stern warning. They didn’t care about unfamiliar ingredients or unusual soup color. The delicious smell was all that mattered. That was their answer. Never underestimate perpetually hungry kids.
“Hallows, thank you for waiting. Here’s miso soup with onions, enoki, and seaweed. Miso soup can have various ingredients, so this is just one example.”
“Thank you… let’s eat.”
“Do I have a bowl too?”
“Yes. Because you wouldn’t join that scramble, right?”
“…Don’t want to.”
Ally mumbled, eyeing the clan members fighting over the remaining miso soup. Hallows smiled wryly, and Yuuri also gave a slightly troubled smile. Food-loving clan members often fought over food. Yuuri had warned them not to fight, so they’d likely share amicably.
Hallows, composing himself, took a bowl and sipped the soup. His eyes widened in surprise. It was an unknown flavor. Hallows had never tasted miso, so it was unfamiliar.
Yet.
“…It’s surprisingly gentle. The flavor is strong but not overpowering.”
“Miso is made from soybeans. You can eat it as is, use it to season stir-fried vegetables, but I love it most in miso soup.”
“…Yuuri.”
“Yes, Ally?”
Ally, who had drunk half his soup, looked at Yuuri. His expression was somewhat annoyed. A bald man with an eyepatch looking annoyed could be intimidating, but Yuuri was used to it.
Then Ally spoke.
“I want rice.”
Yuuri blinked at the brusque request. Hallows, stunned, took another sip of soup and nodded in understanding.
Ally, who liked pickled plums and regularly ate rice with them, must have a palate similar to a Japanese person. Drinking miso soup made him crave rice, a feeling Yuuri understood well.
“Indeed. Miso soup is often eaten with rice.”
“Doesn’t go well with bread?”
“Not really… though I knew some people who ate it with bread, they were few.”
Rice indeed pairs best with miso soup.
Hallows nodded, drinking his miso soup. After finishing, he smiled brightly at Yuuri.
“Yuuri, I’d like to regularly stock this miso. Can you help me sell it?”
“Pardon?”
“I plan to offer this miso soup as samples at the shop. That way, I can show you how to use miso.”
“Ah, sample sales.”
“Yes… could you help make the miso soup?”
“If I can, I’d love to!”
Yuuri answered with a sparkling face. He genuinely offered to help, motivated by the promise of regular miso supplies at Hallows’ shop. That was Yuuri’s top priority.
If miso sold well, he might even get someone to make miso strainers. Yuuri thought to discuss that with Hallows later. This miso was quite grainy, and while that had its charm, Yuuri wanted a strainer.
The miso soup samples were a huge hit, and miso made its debut as a new seasoning in the capital city of Drahel.