Chapter 53

Yamaimo (mountain yam) can be a proper main dish when made into karaage (Japanese fried food)!

※ I added a little bit of text, but there's no significant change in content!

"Huh? Yamaimo?"

When Yūri said this, Urugus made a face as if he didn't like it. Or rather, he looked somewhat disappointed. Ignoring Urugus's reaction, Yūri nodded firmly. In Yūri's hand was a large bowl containing a lot of sliced yamaimo that had been soaked in some liquid.

"Today's main dish is this yamaimo."

"A main dish of yamaimo? What do you mean...? There's no meat or fish?"

"Sometimes it's okay not to have them. Besides, I got a lot of yamaimo, so I need to use it up before it goes bad."

The yamaimo in the bowl was asserting its presence. Urugus wasn't particularly averse to yamaimo, but for a growing teenage boy, it just wasn't enough. How could he be expected to eat his main dish without meat or fish? Urugus thought it was unreasonable.

By the way, today's main dish was rice. The reason was that there was leftover rice. Yūri's basic principle, as a mother figure, was to make delicious meals while not wasting ingredients. Therefore, if there were ingredients with an approaching expiration date, they would be used first. What about nutritional balance and variety? Yūri believed that not wasting food was the most important thing.

"Don't worry. With this dish, you can eat as much rice as you would with meat or fish."

"Huh?"

"Today, I'm making yamaimo karaage."

Leaving the skeptical Urugus behind, Yūri quickly got to work. He carefully transferred the yamaimo, which was soaked in a mysterious liquid, to another bowl to drain the marinade. This marinade, used for karaage, was mainly made of soy sauce, sake, and ginger juice, with a small amount of dashi and salt and pepper added according to Yūri's mood. This was a personal touch, so please don't mind it.

The yamaimo, which had been marinated since the morning, had changed to a brown color due to the soy sauce. Urugus, looking suspicious, returned to help quietly.

"Can you prepare the oil?"

"Got it."

Urugus turned on the stove and put oil in a deep frying pan. While watching this, Yūri diligently moved the yamaimo from the marinade to the bowl. Once that was done, he added potato starch to another bowl. While the oil was heating up, he continued to coat the drained yamaimo with potato starch and then shake off the excess. Urugus, who had returned to the frying pan, also helped, and the two of them continued to coat the sliced yamaimo with potato starch.

Once the oil was hot, all that was left was to fry. Yūri carefully placed a piece of yamaimo into the frying pan. It was just a test piece to check the oil temperature and to let Urugus taste it.

Yūri was confident. This was yamaimo, a vegetable side dish, but when made into karaage, it was just as satisfying as meat or fish. This was based on his experience. When he made it at home, his family ate a lot of rice, so he thought it would work here too. The taste buds of the people here didn't seem to be much different.

"Here, try it."

Yūri placed the crispy fried yamaimo on a plate and cut it in half. He put one half in his mouth and offered the other to Urugus. Urugus, without resistance, put it in his mouth and widened his eyes in surprise. It probably looked like just fried yamaimo to him. He must have expected it to taste something like French fries.

However, karaage is quite different from French fries. While French fries are enjoyed for the flavor of the potatoes and salt, karaage is savored for the marinade. The yamaimo, which had been marinated in a soy sauce-based marinade, had absorbed the flavor and was deep-fried to perfection. It couldn't be anything but delicious.

"...What? This is really yamaimo?"

"Yes, it's delicious when made into karaage, right?"

"...Yeah."

Despite his tough exterior, Urugus was quite honest. He admitted it frankly and apologized for his initial skepticism about a vegetable being the main dish. Yūri didn't really need an apology, so the two of them continued to fry the yamaimo.

Along the way, some hungry children were drawn by the delicious smell and were given the yamaimo karaage that had fallen apart. When some of them, who were still hungry, started banging on the table for more, Urugus shouted, "Shut up! You'll run out of dinner!" and silenced them.

...But they still looked hungry, so Yūri gave them some snacks he had made using hardened bread (sliced and fried bread sprinkled with sugar). The mother figure was, as usual, kind to the hungry children.

When it was time for dinner, Yūri was smiling as everyone enjoyed their meal. The men had a large plate of yamaimo karaage, but the women's plates were a bit different. Rerei, who was good with oily dishes, was eating karaage with the men, but the other women and Jake were eating yamaimo kara-yaki, which Yūri had made with the same yamaimo.

This was a simple dish where the yamaimo, marinated in the same marinade, was drained and then grilled in a frying pan. Without the potato starch, it didn't absorb oil, and it was easier on the stomach because it wasn't fried. The flavor was the same as the karaage, so it was also very satisfying with rice.

"Yūri, did you make this grilled version especially for us?"

"Huh? No, I didn't. I would get a stomachache if I only ate the fried version."

"I see."

When asked by Tifana, Yūri answered with a puzzled look. He liked karaage, but eating too much of it would make him feel heavy. He drank miso soup made with mushrooms and onions, thinking it was delicious as usual.

Initially, everyone was at a loss about what to do with the large amount of yamaimo they had. But Yūri wasn't worried. Yamaimo could be used in many ways. Since everyone thought it could only be a side dish, he decided to make a large amount of karaage today. He also wanted to eat it again because he had a craving for it. That's how Yūri usually decided the menu, based on the ingredients and his appetite, with no other reason.

"Mug, you! Don't just eat yamaimo all day!"

"That's right, Mug! You have to eat rice and other side dishes too!"

"...Refuse."

"‘Refuse’ isn't an option!"

Mug, who was sitting in front of the large plate of yamaimo karaage, seemed to be eating it non-stop. He wasn't particularly a glutton, but when he liked a dish, he would eat it like this. Even when Urugus and Culex tried to pull him away, he calmly refused and continued eating. It was a mystery why such a small person could be so strong at times, like a burst of strength in an emergency.

Yūri's style of serving meals was to provide individual portions. Each person got their own main dish, side dishes, and soup. If they wanted more, the side dishes were served in large portions, and they could get more soup as needed.

So, Mug, who was currently sitting in front of the large plate, was eating the yamaimo karaage as a second helping. He had already eaten the "mandatory portion" provided by Yūri, so he was probably just eating as much as he wanted. Since second helpings were generally allowed, Yūri didn't interfere. After all, he had no idea how much a hungry child could eat.

Still, Yūri tilted his head in confusion. He couldn't understand why Mug was so fixated on the yamaimo karaage. What had touched his heart, Yūri couldn't figure out at all.

"Yūri, did you use dashi in the marinade for this yamaimo?"

"...Yes, but only a small amount."

"Maybe that's the reason, isn't it?"

"Uh... I didn't use that much, but Mug is scary..."

When Jake, the scholar, analyzed the information and suggested this, Yūri was surprised and then sighed. He had indeed added a small amount of dashi to the marinade to enhance the flavor. Since yamaimo lacked the natural umami of meat or fish, he thought adding dashi would help. He didn't think this was a mistake, and everyone said it was delicious, so he thought it was fine.

However, the idea that Mug had gone into a hyper mode because of a tiny bit of dashi was hard to believe. He wanted to know how Mug had noticed it.

"Mug's taste seems to be getting sharper."

"Frau, I don't think that's the level of sharpness we're talking about..."

"I can taste the ginger, but not the dashi..."

"Please don't worry, Frau. Even I, who added the dashi, can't taste it when I eat it."

While eating the yamaimo kara-yaki, Frau mused, and Yūri waved his hands in response. The amount of dashi was so minimal that even the person who added it couldn't taste it. Yet, Mug was eating the yamaimo karaage like he was trying to monopolize it. It wasn't unreasonable to think he had acquired some strange skill.

"Well, it is delicious. It's natural to want to eat it."

"But Jake, isn't it a bit much to only eat that?"

"You're right. The others can't eat, and the table over there is getting tense."

"Even if they get tense, I don't think there will be a fight in the cafeteria..."

Jake answered nonchalantly, while Frau and Tifana sighed and looked away. A fight in the cafeteria, where everyone gathered to eat, was impossible. It was a given. In fact, if a fight were to break out, it would be stopped immediately.

"Can't you all just eat quietly? I'll throw you all out!"

As expected, the representative guardian, Ali, shouted. The hungry children stiffened in fear. Still, Mug didn't move from in front of the large plate and clung to the yamaimo karaage he had secured in his bowl. He was unwavering in every sense.

Yūri thought Ali had a tough job as he continued to eat. The others at his table felt the same. Ali, who was supposed to be enjoying a quiet meal with Brook, had been pulled into this noisy situation. It seemed like a tough day for the father figure.

No one helped Ali as he disciplined the hungry children with his iron fist. If it were a matter of danger, the other guardians would have helped, but just being noisy during meals wasn't enough to warrant assistance. It was a common scene, after all.

Later, the hungry children, who had enjoyed the yamaimo karaage, demanded, "Next time, make it with meat!" and eventually, meat karaage was made.

Karaage is delicious, and so is the grilled version. The grilled version is crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside, and it's also very tasty.

I look forward to your comments and feedback.