Chapter 391
To Brother Chris’s Territory (4)
What I took out of the magic bag was edamame.
When I asked Brother Chris’s cook what crops were common in this region, the answer was soybeans.
I’d never seen them in Westland, so I hadn’t known.
If there are soybeans, then I really want soy sauce and miso. I hope someone will make them someday.
Since it’s the right season, I thought edamame might be possible, and when I asked for details, I was told that green beans become soybeans if they’re left to dry.
If the green beans are still in their pods and swollen to about the size of soybeans, they’ll buy them at a higher price than soybeans, so I requested an urgent procurement. By the next morning, a huge delivery had arrived.
… We only talked about it at lunchtime yesterday, right?
I glance at the former Westland cook.
“What are you planning to make?”
The cook asked, visibly excited.
But when I said I was heading out and put everything back in the magic bag, his shoulders drooped in disappointment.
I did ask for it urgently, but he knew I was going out today… Still, he probably pushed himself to prepare everything, so I couldn’t complain.
I immediately began cooking.
Because the edamame pods were still attached to the branches, I started removing them one by one, but progress was slow since I was working alone.
At this rate, it would take too long to make enough for everyone.
“Hey, I’ll put up a defensive barrier, so help me out.”
I called to Meyer and Wilson, who were standing behind me for guard duty.
To lure them in, I added that it was a new dish.
“You boil these and eat them, but it’ll take forever like this, so please.”
Even with the barrier, one of them needed to keep watch, so they only helped one at a time, taking turns.
Meanwhile, I kept working nonstop…
Once the pot was full of edamame, I washed them, sprinkled coarse salt made from seawater, mixed them thoroughly, then transferred them to a clean pot.
I added water and coarse salt to the new pot and set the edamame to boil.
Meyer used wind magic to dry the branches, and we burned them with firewood.
While the edamame were boiling, I suddenly realized something and panicked.
“We don’t have a colander. I can’t drain them! What do I do?”
I’d started this on a whim and completely forgot we needed a colander.
Meyer, standing behind me, answered.
“Shall we use a steaming basket instead?”
“You have one?”
“Steaming vegetables makes them sweet and tasty, and it’s easy.”
Apparently, during patrols around the territory, he and the others often bought or were given vegetables from villages, and they used the steaming basket when camping.
Since steaming is easy and lets them eat vegetables, it had become a favorite tool of the knights.
I popped one cooked pod into my mouth.
Perfect saltiness, delicious.
I thought the flavor might differ from my previous life, but it tasted the same.
It was my first time eating edamame in this world, and I loved how something so easy to prepare could be so good.
I shelled some beans for Atre and handed them to him on a plate, while Lucas got a plate with the pods still on.
I also handed Meyer and Wilson each a palmful. “Try the flavor.”
““It’s good.””
“It would go well with ale.”
“Perfect as a snack.”
Everyone liked it.
Atre and Lucas looked like they wanted more, but I told them no—we’d serve it at dinner.
“Hardt, if you still have more, make some extra.”
Lucas was already asking for more.
“If you help take the pods off the branches, sure.”
“Guuhhh…”
Lucas clenched both fists and froze.
“If you don’t want to, go back to the mansion and ask the cook.”
“… I’ll do that.”
He gave up on eating more here and headed back.
“This is good.”
The one who kept reaching for more was Brother Gerald.
That day’s hunt had ended, and we served edamame at dinner.
“It’s cooked with salt from Southcourt.”
“Salt from Southcourt?”
Brother Chris looked curious.
“Salt made from seawater.”
I explained and took out the coarse salt from the magic bag, showing it to him.
He picked up a pinch and tasted it.
“It has a slight bitterness, but the flavor is gentle and nice. Once we’re back at the mansion, I’ll compare it with the regular salt.”
Brother Chris’s foodie instincts had fully awakened.
Now Brother Gerald held a pod between his fingers and asked me,
“This is the bean before it dries into a soybean, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Why didn’t anyone make this before?”
“I don’t really remember ever eating soybean dishes in Westland, so I didn’t know they existed.”
“Ah, true. In Westland, white beans and red beans were the preserved ones.”
Brother Gerald said, and Brother Chris added,
“In the Royal Capital, the beans used for soups and salads are usually soybeans.”
“Should this be a patent?”
“Brother Gerald, no. I just boiled it in salted water.”
Rather than keeping it secret, it’s better for people to spread it.
“Hardt, thanks.”
Brother Chris thanked me.
“We’ll need to get soybeans planted in Southcourt too.”
Brother Gerald seemed eager to have edamame at his marital home as well.
The next day, Brother Gerald said he would hunt for one more day before returning, so Brother Chris and I headed back to the mansion first.