Chapter 37

It seems that Yūri has finally discovered the miso.

"Mr. Haro, I'll take it all!"

In response to Yūri's excited shout, Haro was perplexed. No, not just Haro, but everyone else was equally confused. After all, the passion Yūri displayed was something they had never seen before.

Yūri held a small pot in his hand. After checking its contents, he had fallen into this excited state. Haro had brought the pot, and he had also asked Yūri to check the contents, but he had not expected Yūri, who usually seemed so laid-back, to react with such enthusiasm. He was taken aback.

What Haro had brought to the hideout of the "Crimson Lynx" was an unknown ingredient to them: miso.

Haro is a traveling merchant. He moves from place to place, developing new products. In fact, his hobby is to discover unknown products and introduce them to many people. He loves spreading smiles and has a great sense for popular products, but he is also a unique merchant who is not particularly greedy for profit.

Let's get back to the story.

The miso that Haro brought back was red miso. However, miso was almost unknown in this area, and no one knew how to use it. Haro himself did not fully understand its uses. He had been asked by a fellow merchant, who was also unsure of its uses, to take the inventory off his hands.

Yūri's curiosity led him to want to show it to Yūri, thinking that as a foreigner, Yūri might know something about it. If he couldn't figure it out, he planned to have Ali appraise it. ...Recently, the "Crimson Lynx" had become something of a product appraisal center for Haro.

"Um, Yūri, do you know what this is?"

"Yes. In my hometown, it was a staple condiment alongside soy sauce. I thought it didn't exist here because I never saw it."

"Is this a condiment?"

"Yes, it is."

Yūri realized that the conversation wasn't quite syncing. Haro didn't know what miso was. In fact, none of the "Crimson Lynx" members knew. ...Moreover, Ali hadn't bothered to appraise it, so the miso was still a mystery.

"Um, miso is a condiment made from soybeans, like soy sauce. The main use is as a seasoning for a soup called miso soup. It's also used in other dishes, but generally, it's used to season soup."

"...Hmm. To be honest, I can't imagine a soup seasoned with this."

"Then, let me make it. Can I borrow your kitchen?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Okay!"

Yūri left with a wonderful smile, carrying the pot of miso to the kitchen. The others, who were discussing in the dining hall because of the large number of people and the fact that it was food, watched Yūri's back. ...It was the first time they had seen Yūri so happy.

Yūri was so excited about the miso because he was tired of a diet consisting only of soups. There was soy sauce, rice, and pickled plums, but for some reason, miso was nowhere to be found. Miso soup with white rice and pickled plums, and adding tamagoyaki and grilled fish, would make a proper Japanese meal. He missed that.

Living abroad for a long time makes you crave Japanese food. Yūri was in a similar state. However, since he had rice and soy sauce, he wasn't experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Still, for Yūri, who was used to miso soup, the miso Haro brought was a welcome find.

"What should I use for the ingredients?"

As a cooking enthusiast, Yūri peeked into the refrigerator with excitement. The ingredients for miso soup vary from household to household and by the day's materials and mood. Since he was keeping Haro waiting, Yūri thought he would use ingredients that cook quickly.

He started by taking a bottle from the refrigerator. The bottle contained water and kelp. Normally, he would make kelp stock from scratch, but for quick use, he had soaked the kelp in the bottle the night before. This time, he would use that. He poured the contents of the bottle into a pot and put it on the fire.

"Maybe I'll use onion, enoki mushrooms, and wakame."

He peeled the onion, removed the core, and cut it into thin slices. He threw the kelp into the pot and then finely chopped the enoki mushrooms to help them cook faster. He took out fresh wakame and cut it into bite-sized pieces. After cutting, he threw the enoki mushrooms and wakame into the pot.

While cooking, Yūri searched for something that could serve as a miso strainer. A miso strainer is essential. At least, in Yūri's opinion, a miso strainer is necessary when dissolving miso. Some people use a ladle, but in the Nagayama household, they used a strainer and did not include the grainy parts in the miso soup.

The reason was that the texture was a bit off. There was no deep meaning to it. Also, a strainer made it easier to dissolve the miso.

After rummaging through the tools, Yūri found a small sieve that could serve as a substitute. While thinking about how he wanted to spread the use of miso and miso strainers, Yūri looked at the pot. The onion, enoki mushrooms, and wakame were dancing in the bubbling pot.

After confirming that the ingredients were cooked, Yūri turned off the heat. When dissolving miso, you turn off the heat. After adding the miso, you never let it boil, even when warming it up. This is a rule Yūri learned from his mother. ...It's not really a rule, but a guideline he learned.

First, he scooped a spoonful. He knew this was red miso, but he didn't know the salt concentration, so he dissolved it little by little. ...Incidentally, four apprentices had quietly stood behind him, watching his work with curiosity, but he ignored them. It was a common occurrence.

"Is this good enough..."

After dissolving the miso by eye, Yūri tasted it. He left the four curious apprentices and tasted it again, adding a little more miso. It had been a while since he had made miso soup, so his sense was a bit off. Also, the taste of the miso here was slightly different from the one he used at home.

In any case, a simple miso soup was ready. Yūri smiled in satisfaction and served the miso soup. He brought three bowls. One for himself, one for Haro, and one for Ali.

"You can use the rest for tasting, but no fighting over it."

"“Understood!”"

"No fighting, okay?"

"“We know!”"

Yūri emphasized the point, and the four answered honestly. Whether it was an unknown ingredient or an unfamiliar soup, it didn't matter to them. The smell was delicious, and that was all that mattered. You shouldn't underestimate the chronically underfed children.

"Mr. Haro, I'm sorry for the wait. This is miso soup. The ingredients are onion, enoki mushrooms, and wakame. But there are many other ingredients you can use in miso soup, so this is just one example."

"Thank you. ...Let's eat."

"Is there a portion for me too?"

"Yes. ...Because, Ali, you won't join the fight, right?"

"......I don't want to."

Ali muttered this because some clan members were fighting over the miso soup behind him. Haro smiled awkwardly, and Yūri also smiled a little awkwardly. The clan members were food enthusiasts and might even fight over it. ...However, since Yūri had warned them not to fight, they would probably share it peacefully.

Haro picked up a bowl and took a sip. He widened his eyes in surprise. It was an unknown taste. After all, Haro had never tasted miso before, so it should have been an unfamiliar taste.

But then.

"...It's a surprisingly gentle flavor. It has a strong taste, but it's not at all lingering."

"Miso is made from soybeans. You can eat it as it is or use it to season stir-fried vegetables, but I like this miso soup the most."

"...Yūri."

"Yes, what is it, Ali?"

Ali, who was drinking the miso soup next to Haro, called Yūri while looking at his half-empty bowl. Yūri's face, which had answered honestly, looked somewhat displeased. A bald man with an eye patch can be scary when he makes that face, but Yūri was used to it and didn't mind.

And Ali spoke.

"I want rice."

The words muttered with a grumpy face made Yūri blink repeatedly. Haro was taken aback and took another sip of the miso soup. Then, he nodded in agreement, a big, big nod.

After all, Ali likes pickled plums and eats rice and pickled plums regularly. In other words, his taste is close to that of a Japanese person. So, after drinking the miso soup, the first thing he thought of was, "I want rice." Yūri could understand this feeling very well.

"That's right. Miso soup is often eaten with rice."

"On the contrary, it doesn't go well with bread, right?"

"That's right... In my surroundings, there were people who ate miso soup with bread, but they were a minority."

Rice is probably the perfect match for miso soup. Probably.

Haro nodded while drinking the miso soup. After finishing the soup, he smiled brightly at Yūri. It was a refreshingly bright smile.

"Yūri, can you help me with the sales of this miso? I plan to stock it regularly and distribute samples at the store. That way, I can also teach people how to use miso."

"Really?"

"I want to distribute this miso soup at the store. That way, I can also teach people how to use miso."

"Ah, a tasting event."

"Yes. ...So, can you help me make the miso soup?"

"I'd be happy to help!"

Yūri answered with a sparkling face. ...He was purely offering to help, but Yūri was motivated because Haro said he would stock miso regularly. That meant he could buy miso at Haro's store. This was the most important thing for Yūri.

If the miso sold well, he might even be able to get someone to make a miso strainer. Yūri thought he would discuss this with Haro eventually. The miso he had was a type that left a lot of bean particles, which added to the flavor, but Yūri wanted a strainer.

The tasting event for the miso soup was a huge success, and miso made its debut as a new condiment in the capital of Dralheim.

As a Japanese person, I think rice, soy sauce, and miso are essential.

To be honest, I'm confident I can't live without them.

When I travel abroad, instant miso soup and instant ochazuke are my lifelines.

I look forward to your comments and feedback.