Imoni (Taro Stew Party)
When Crimson Woods turned scarlet, the one I’d been waiting for with all my heart arrived at the mansion in the Lampail Territory.
“Kyaa~~ I’ve been waiting for you~~!! My belovedーーー”
“Huh!? You were really waiting for me?”
“Oh dearest Rice~~!!!”
"""""………"""""
""""Pfft, ahahahahah—-!!""""
Hm? Why are the cooking team bursting out laughing?
And why is Mr. Taiki down on all fours?
“... Yeah, makes sense. No way Joan would be waiting for me. I’m just a lowly merchant after all...”
“Eh? I don’t really get it, but... well, good luck?”
“Why do I need cheering up from you, Joan!?”
“Eh? I don’t know?”
“You don’t know—!? … Well, whatever. Just like you guessed, I brought it. That rice of yours. Plus a bunch of other stuff. Also something the old lady asked me to bring.”
“Yaaay~~! I love you, Sacchan!!”
“That’s supposed to be me!!”
“Hm? What is?”
“... Never mind.”
This time, Mr. Taiki brought me...
Rice, mirin, mochi, a dried goods set, alcohol from the Eastern Country, and... a brown, thick liquid...
“Mr. Taiki, what’s this liquid?”
“Oh, that? It’s called Sousu. Never heard of it?”
“Sousu? Sō-su... Sō...su... Ahhh! Soy sauce!?”
“You know it, Missy?”
“Yup, yup, yup, I know it, I know it! Yay~~~!”
“O-oh... I’m glad you’re happy.”
Now I can eat fries deliciously, and make okonomiyaki, takoyaki... Hmm? Do we have octopus? Krakens are squid, right... Well, squid should work too—just kidding.
“So? Missy. Hate to interrupt your grinning, but how do you eat this ‘rice’?”
“Hm? You cook it.”
""""Cook it?""""
“First, I’ll show you… Ah, Mr. Taiki, are you staying over tonight?”
“Ahh, not sure? I haven’t met with the master yet. Why?”
“You brought all this, so I have to treat you.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yup. I mean, if I’m going to ask for more stuff again, bribery is a must~”
“Bribery again, huh? Joan, you never change.”
“Mr. Taiki... you should remember this. People don’t change that easily.”
"""""Pffft."""""
“What the heck!! I thought you were gonna say something deep with that serious face, but it was nonsense.”
Later, when I asked Father, he said it was okay for Mr. Taiki to stay over.
“Well then, let’s cook the rice. First, we wash it... By the way, the white water left from washing the rice can be used to parboil daikon or taro—it removes bitterness and helps absorb flavor. So we’re keeping it.”
Anny’s taking notes. Good girl~
Reminds me of a new hire I had once—they didn’t even take notes unless told, couldn’t remember things after being taught once... Ended up quitting right away saying it “wasn’t the right job” for them. Honestly, people like that can’t handle any job.
“Next, put the rice and water in a pot—just eyeball the amount. Then level the rice, place your palm flat on the rice, bend your wrist to nearly 90 degrees, and fill until the back of your hand is just covered. That’s the right water amount. Then let it sit for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, we’ll make other dishes.”
With that, I headed to the pantry.
Now that I’m here, what should I make for sides and soup?
Hmm, Jagato, Carojin... This is... pumpkin? And this one’s probably taro? If it’s taro, maybe that dish?
Ah, burdock root! And mushrooms galore—so autumny~
“So, Missy. What are you making?”
“We’re going to have an Imoni party using these!”
""""Imoni party!?""""
“You mean that slimy taro, right?”
Ben asked.
“Oh, it’s called slimy taro?”
“Yeah. When you peel it, it’s all slippery.”
Arthur explained.
“Then what’s this?”
I asked, showing the burdock.
“That’s a gonbo~”
Annie told me.
“Heh~ interesting. Well, anyway—imoni is a hearty soup with these ingredients. Other ingredients include beef, green tamaon, mushrooms, and it’s seasoned with soy sauce. In my previous life’s hometown, every autumn we’d cook it in a big pot by the river and eat together. So I want everyone to enjoy it too.”
“Sounds like BBQ.”
“Alright, let’s peel the slimy taro.”
“I’m bad at it, y’know—so slippery, hard to peel.”
“Ben, I’ll show you an easy way. First, boil them in lots of water.”
Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer for about five minutes, then take them out.
“Then, while they’re hot... see? Easy.”
""""Ohhh~~""""
We peeled the slimy taro, shaved the gonbo into thin slivers, cut the green onions diagonally, sliced the beef into small pieces, and separated the mushroom clumps—turned out they were shimeji.
Since we’re feeding everyone, we cooked in a stockpot.
Add taro and gonbo to the stockpot with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, discard the water. Then boil again with fresh water and the taro and gonbo. Once boiling, add soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar to season. Then add beef and skim the scum. Finally, add the green onions and mushrooms, and when they’re cooked through—it’s done.
“Oh! Is it ready?”
“Yep. Let’s taste.”
""""Oh~~~""""
""Delicious~""
“This is great.”
""Yum~~~”"
“The flavor’s soaked into the taro—it’s delicious! It’s been ages since I had this.”
“So this is the taste of Missy’s previous life’s hometown, huh?”
“Full of autumn ingredients.”
I’m so glad it suited everyone’s tastes.
Now I just want to down it with a cup of warm sake~
What do you think about this chapter?
