Cooking Guidance (1)
After confirming the stock of ingredients:
"So, up until now, you've just been grilling meat and eating raw vegetables?"
I asked the junior members.
"Yeah, we didn’t know any other cooking methods..."
Ryujis scratched his head and replied apologetically.
"It’s fine. You just have to learn from now on. Let’s do our best together!"
For some reason, everyone’s faces turned red when I said that.
Is not knowing something embarrassing for them?
"Alright, we’ll be making karaage and vegetable omelets."
I divided the group into teams: Nat, Eri, Ryujis, and Martin for the karaage; Orki, Omi, and Gen for the omelets.
"Omelet team, please dice the Tamaon and Peepers finely, peel and cube the Jagatoes, then boil them. Cut the bacon into cubes as well. And crack and whisk the eggs."
"Miss Joan… what’s ‘dice’?" Gen asked.
"Oh, um, it means cutting things into small cubes. Like this."
"Oh, I see. Got it, I’ll try."
"Karaage team, cut the Ruffbird meat into bite-sized pieces, sprinkle it with grated Garnick and salt, and knead it lightly. Then coat it in batter for frying. The batter should be made with equal parts wheat flour and starch, mixed with water to a slightly thick consistency."
"Got it!"
"Ouch!"
Gen appeared to have cut his hand with the knife.
"Are you alright? Let me see."
I took Gen’s hand and covered the cut with mine.
"Pain, pain, go away—(First Aid). There, all better."
Since I wasn’t sure if it was okay to use skills in front of the private soldiers, I decided to call it a “charm” for now. I’ll need to ask Father about it later.
"!!"
Gen saw that the bleeding had stopped, and the pain was gone.
"Ah, thank you, Miss Joan."
"It’s nothing. Be careful, alright?"
With that, I went to check on the others.
Gen was absentmindedly touching the spot where I’d held his hand when Noel approached him.
"Gen, why’s your face all red? Don’t you dare try anything weird with my Jo just because she’s cute."
With that warning, Noel also walked toward me.
"I wasn’t going to… do anything weird... not really.”
Gen muttered under his breath.
Nancy, who was silently observing with her Stealth skill, looked on with a wry smile.
"Alright, it looks like both teams have finished the prep work, so let’s take a short break."
I pulled out some chilled iced tea, Milange juice, and salt-butter cookies from my storage.
After handing out Milange iced tea to everyone, I enjoyed some myself.
Mmm, it’s delicious as always.
Maybe I should try making Ripple tea next time.
"Okay, break time is over. Let’s get back to it!"
"Yes!"
"Omelet team, heat salad oil in a frying pan, and sauté the Tamaon and Peepers over medium heat. Once the Tamaon turns translucent, add the bacon and Jagato cubes, and season with salt and pepper to a strong flavor. Pour in the whisked eggs, stir a little, then cover with a lid and cook on low heat. Once it’s cooked through, flip it to cook the other side. Done!"
"Got it!"
"Karaage team, heat salad oil in a pot, and fry the coated meat once the oil is hot. It’ll take about five minutes. After that, increase the oil’s temperature slightly and fry them again. Once done, sprinkle some salt on top. That’s it!"
"Why fry it twice?"
Brother Gene asked.
"It’s called double frying, and it makes the outside crispy."
"I see."
"Alright, be careful while frying!"
"Yes!"
Sizzle, sizzle.
The sound of frying food alone makes me hungry.
And the thought of eating it without having to fry it myself makes it even better.
"Ahh, hot!"
Two pairs worked together, but oil splattered on Nat and Martin.
"Are you okay? You need to cool it quickly."
I turned off the heat and led them to the sink to cool their burns. Nat’s arm had been splattered, while Martin got some oil on his cheek. I could cool Nat’s arm directly, but for Martin’s face, I wet a handkerchief and pressed it against his cheek.
"Ah, looks like you’ve got a burn. Pain, pain, go away—(First Aid)."
I placed my hand over Nat’s burn, using the “charm” (skill).
"What!?"
Nat stared in surprise as the redness and pain disappeared from his arm.
"Martin, could you crouch down a bit?"
The height difference between a five-year-old and an eleven-year-old was too much.
After he crouched, I placed my hand on Martin’s cheek.
"Pain, pain, go away—(First Aid). There, the redness is gone. Does it still hurt?"
Martin, his face bright red, replied hesitantly, "N-no, I’m fine."
"Good. It’d be a shame if a handsome face like yours got scarred. Be more careful, alright?"
After nodding silently, Martin watched me smile and walk over to the omelet team.
Gene suddenly put his arm around Martin’s shoulders as he stared at me.
"Martin, what are you staring at Jo for? Don’t get all weird just because she touched your cheek! Don’t let her calling you handsome get to your head."
"I-I’m not!"
"Good. But your ears are bright red, you know."
"S-shut up!"
Gene laughed as he walked toward me.
Meanwhile, Nat silently patted Martin on the shoulder before returning to the pot.
"Agh, geez!"
Martin scratched his head before heading back to the pot as well.
Nancy, watching everything through her Stealth skill, sighed internally.
(My, my, Miss Joan… only five years old and already so guilty of capturing hearts. And both are young men from the same class as the young masters... This is definitely something to report to Madam.)
What do you think about this chapter?
