Experiment No.3
I urged everyone to move to the lounge, and only Miria and I returned to the kitchen.
"Cristea-sama, I'll boil some water, so please wait a moment."
I stopped Miria as she quickly reached for the kettle.
"Oh, could you warm some water mixed with milk separately from the boiling water?"
"Huh... Ah, yes. Understood."
Miria seemed to understand what I wanted to do and immediately grabbed a small pot, heading to the refrigerator for some milk. As expected from her.
While Miria prepared the tea set, I took out some spices from my inventory.
"Oh my, are you making milk tea? … Or are you using them for a dessert?"
Miria, while pouring the boiled water into cups and a pot to warm them up, tilted her head slightly as she looked at what I was doing.
"No, it's not for a dessert; I'm adding them to the milk tea."
I had already prepared a mix of spices and took out a few more.
Hmm, there are different ways to prepare it, but I’ll keep it simple.
I threw some tea leaves, which resembled Assam from my previous life, into the small pot where the water and milk were warming up.
Then, I added the spices.
I had taken out garam masala, cardamom, cloves, and a cinnamon stick, all of which I had pre-ground into powder.
I added these to the pot as well and sweetened it with honey.
I tasted it with a spoon.
...Yes, it turned out delicious.
I let Miria taste it too.
"Oh my! The usual milk tea has such a complex aroma and flavor...! This is delicious!"
Alright, if the tea master Miria approves, it’s good to go.
"Now, let's strain it..."
I emptied the warmed pot of its water, set up a tea strainer, and poured the contents of the small pot into it.
"Let's drink while it's still warm."
"Yes! I'll carry it right away, so please go ahead to the lounge, Christea-sama."
As Miria spoke while emptying the water from the cups, I left it to her and headed to the lounge where everyone was waiting.
"Oh, Christea-san! Huh? Where's the tea...?"
Mashiro, who was sitting between Kurogane and a vacant space, patted the empty spot next to her, so I smiled wryly and sat there.
"Miria will bring it soon. So, do you think the dishes we've tested so far are usable?"
"Of course! They were all nostal-... I mean, innovative and delicious!"
Mariel-chan, who almost said "nostalgic," quickly corrected herself while praising the dishes.
Though they were familiar flavors in my previous life, they were new to those in the Doristan Kingdom.
"Yeah, they were all flavors I hadn't tasted before and were delicious. But, I'd say the volume and the amount of meat need to be increased."
Byakko-sama also gave his thoughts with a smile but added some requests.
Ah, he looks like he wasn't satisfied with the amount.
I did mention it was just a tasting, didn't I?
And by volume and amount of meat... he means there wasn’t enough meat, right?
"If you have any complaints to My Lord, I’ll be your opponent."
"If you're going to criticize Cristea’s cooking, I'll make sure you don't get to eat any."
Uh, could you two stop subtly intimidating him from either side of me?
I'm used to their magic power, so it's fine, but Mariel-chan looked terrified with a "Hiee" expression.
"Oh, my bad. I'm not complaining. It's just that it's a bit like being teased when you can't eat more of something so good."
"Muu, that’s true..."
"Indeed."
Hey, don't just agree with Byakko-sama after turning your attitudes around!
"Tora, you understand that it was just a test, right? Also, sometimes having just a little bit of something delicious makes it more memorable. The portion size should be carefully considered."
"Yeah, yeah~"
When Sei reprimanded him, Byakko-sama responded casually, not looking particularly repentant.
He probably isn’t really sorry, is he?
But Sei’s point is valid. Serving a small amount of something delicious that makes you want more might leave a stronger impression.
Since the Sacred Beasts eat a lot, we usually end up with portions large enough for a public cafeteria.
I should talk to the Head Chef about portion sizes and presentation.
That was some good advice.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
As Miria entered, pushing a cart, a distinctive aroma filled the room.
"Oh, could this be...?"
As expected, Mariel-chan seemed to recognize it.
After Miria served everyone, I introduced it.
"This is the third test item: chai."
"I knew it!"
Mariel-chan beamed at my words. Oh, I guess she likes chai?
"This is a mix of garam masala, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, blended into milk tea. It has a unique taste and aroma that can be quite addictive once you're used to it."
Everyone took a sip of the chai as I explained.
"Wow, this is delicious! I always thought garam masala was only for curry!"
"Garam masala contains similar spices to those used in masala chai. That's why you can easily make chai with it. You can also add grated ginger, but I made a sweeter version this time."
That's why I often made it in my previous life.
I used garam masala for things other than curry, so I always made sure not to run out of it.
"Wow, I didn't know that!"
Mariel-chan happily drank the chai in big gulps.
She seems to like milk-based teas, since she also enjoys matcha lattes.
"It's a bit sweet for me, but this aroma might be addictive."
"I love this thing~"
It seemed a bit too sweet for Kurogane, but overall, it was well-received.
Mashiro, who likes sweet things, seemed to enjoy the flavor, as long as the spices didn’t bother him.
Sei and Byakko-sama, who were used to drinking Yahatul tea, found milk-based teas a bit challenging.
However, they seemed to enjoy the unique taste, so it should be fine.
Since Miria has learned how to make it, she can now prepare it on her own as long as she has the spices!
I'll appoint her as the instructor at the Royal palace.
Well done, Miria!
After discussing our impressions of the chai and other test dishes with everyone, we decided to postpone the remaining tests until tomorrow.
We said our goodnights and returned to our respective rooms.
What do you think about this chapter?
