Chapter 45

I'm a salt man.

Because, you see, the essence of salt is to bring out the flavor of the ingredients. The ultimate state one reaches is through salt.

However, every now and then, while eating salt-grilled chicken skewers at a street stall, I think to myself,

...Sorry, but I can't do without the sauce.

First, let's talk about what sauce is.

While the main ingredients for sauce in Japan are pretty much set, let's take yakitori sauce as an example.

The four essential ingredients for yakitori sauce are soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. The proportions of mirin, sugar, and sake can vary quite a bit, but the most indispensable element among these is soy sauce. I can confidently say that without soy sauce, the flavor of the sauce cannot be achieved.

Yeah, soy sauce. Yeah.

Next, let's talk about the recipe for soy sauce.

The main ingredients are soybeans, wheat, and salt.

Oh, you might think, "This sounds doable, right?" I think so too. While there might not be raw soybeans, there are beans with a similar taste in this world.

However, there's an ingredient missing that acts as a secret flavor enhancer.

That's koji (Aspergillus oryzae).

...Koji...?

Basically, it's the same as natural yeast... the microorganisms necessary for fermentation... These exist only in Japan and the humid regions of East and Southeast Asia.

...That's it, it's over!

I can't make soy sauce! And I can't make sauce automatically! Let's drop this topic! Yeah, let's drop it!

But seriously, soy sauce is something else. When I try to make Japanese-style dishes, soy sauce always stands in the way.

I'm not a Japanese food purist or anything. I can adapt to this world enough that I don't go crazy searching for rice or miso.

But simply because I was Japanese in my past life, my repertoire of dishes I want to make is skewed towards Japanese food. Without soy sauce and miso, I can't even make a proper soup. You understand this frustration, right? I ended up being a fervent follower of a religion that worships salt.

By the way, I can't even have miso soup because miso also requires koji. It's frustrating. Talking about miso and poop at the same time isn't good. It's really poop.

Why isn't koji or soy sauce more universally available?

If you can dig up rock salt by digging into rocks, why can't you dig up soy sauce in the desert? Or, when you punch a Pike Hopper in the gut, the nasty vomit it spits out could actually be soy sauce?

I want to lick the sauce. I want soy sauce.

The preparations for fishing are steadily in place, but the recipes after catching the fish are too limited. I want sashimi. I want sashimi.

But no matter how much I wish, it won't rain soy sauce.

If it doesn't exist, I have to make do with what I have. I'm a resourceful guild member.

So, I decided to look for seasonings at the market.

"Rare cuisine... great discovery!"

"What is it?"

"From now on, we will search through the various trade goods that flow into the market... to find delicious seasonings!"

Rina, Ulrika, and I arrived at the market.

Not the Black Mist Market filled with scammers, but a proper bustling market.

"...You said we were coming to buy things for fishing, but it's seasonings?"

"I'm looking forward to it. There have been a lot of new products lately, right?"

"I think what we already have is fine..."

"That's not good! That's not a good attitude, Rina! The richness of food comes from challenges! You're still young, so you need to try more things!"

"I'm already an adult..."

"Quiet, Rina. You're a hundred years away from being an adult. Well, a hundred years is an exaggeration, but a few years, at least."

"Anyway, we'll try every seasoning we can find! And we'll buy the good ones!"

"...Mongrel-senpai, why such seasonings? I understand using them for fish, but..."

"I want some for fish dishes, but... mainly, I want to recreate the taste of my hometown as much as possible."

"Ah... Mongrel-senpai's hometown..."

Even without soy sauce or miso, there are plenty of substitutes.

Things like substitute soy sauce created in Japan, fish sauce, and garum. If I gather similar seasonings from all over the world, I can use them in a pinch.

Most importantly, seasonings keep well. There's no way buying them will be a waste.

"...Got it! I'll do my best to find the seasonings Mongrel-senpai needs!"

"Great, Ulrika. I count on you. I also want to reference your taste preferences."

"...Well, if that's the case, I'll do my best too."

So, we started our market exploration.

The number of unfamiliar fruits and dried goods that caught our eye increased, but we restrained our urge to sample them and focused on finding what we were looking for.

However, most of what we found were powders.

Herbs, spices, and seasonings were prominent. Liquid seasonings were rare, likely due to the difficulties in transportation.

When we occasionally found liquid seasonings and tasted a drop, they were mostly like shottsuru or fish sauce—full of umami but with a fishy smell.

To be honest, I'm not very familiar with fish sauce or nam pla.

I have no idea how the flavors change when you cook them with alcohol and sugar.

Rina and Ulrika also tasted them, but they didn't seem to be overly impressed. They were particularly unaccustomed to the strong smells.

"Mongrel-senpai, you're buying a lot of spices."

"But that's not what you're looking for, right...?"

"Well, yeah. But I thought they might be useful."

The items being added to our load were mostly powders and dried spices.

Their strong aromas wouldn't make a full curry, but they would likely enhance the flavor of meat.

...As we searched, the thought crossed my mind that maybe it was time to compromise.

Would I never find the seasonings I was looking for...?

Everyone was starting to give up... when!

"Ah, this... this is...!"

"! Did you find it, Mongrel-senpai?"

"Dried seaweed!"

It wasn't kelp, but it was definitely a large, leaf-like seaweed.

The surface was lightly dusted with salt. When I tapped it with my fingernail, it felt thick and hard.

"It's a preserved seaweed from the Federation. You rehydrate it in water and then grill it. I haven't tried it myself."

"Rehydrate and grill?"

"It's said to have a flavor similar to meat. I don't know if that's true, though."

A flavor similar to meat? I can't imagine it, but it must have a good umami flavor.

Anyway, seaweed isn't a problem. It should work as a kelp broth! ...Probably!

"This is interesting, I'll buy it."

"Sure, they're bundled together, so how about ten sheets at a time?"

"Then give me thirty sheets."

"Alright, I'll throw in an extra sheet for free."

"Thanks a lot."

And so, I acquired an ingredient that would bring me a little closer to the taste of my hometown.

"Is this what you were looking for, Mongrel-senpai?"

"Yeah. We ate something similar in my hometown, so I should be able to eat this."

"That's great, Mongrel-senpai."

"Thanks, both of you. Oh, do you want to buy anything? If you're making a big purchase, I can help carry the load."

"Really? Then I'd like to get something for the clan house."

"Me too!"

And so, I acquired several spices and something that resembled kelp.

I didn't find a substitute for soy sauce, but I can probably make do with some random sauce in this world.

I can immerse myself in creating new dishes with these new ingredients for a while.