The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 3 - Chapter 171

Chapter 171:

Onigiri Are Hard to Make

PAST ME INSISTED that you seasoned grilled onigiri with soy sauce. And I agreed with her—soy sauce would give onigiri a savory, mouth-watering flavor. Adding a little sweetness would be a nice touch, too. But there was a major impediment: Soy sauce was expensive in this world.

We needed to convince people to eat ryce to solve the food shortage. That meant we had to sell it as something that was cheap, easy to make, and familiar in flavor. It would be best, then, to use a sauce people were used to as its foundation. That way, people would be more willing to try it.

I started off by tasting a little of this town’s local sauce. It was very salty and hardly sweet at all. If I used it as is, it would overpower the rice. Druid tasted some of the sauce beside me.

“What do you think, Mr. Druid?”

“I think it tastes just right, but then again, I’ve been enjoying this flavor since I was a kid.”

That’s right. This flavor was the most accessible to the people of Oll. If I toned down the saltiness, it would taste bland to them.

“I think you should make whatever changes you want,” Druid said.

“You really think so?”

“Yeah, we’re here to taste-test it for you, so you don’t need to worry.”

Right! I don’t have to do this alone. We’re all making it together. “Thanks. Keep those opinions coming, okay?”

“Understood.”

Okay, now I feel a little more confident. Let’s do this! “Mr. Shopkeeper, does this sauce use something as a base?”

“Yeah, it’s built on this.” He pulled out a large bottle of black liquid.

“What is that?”

“The mother sauce.”

Ohh, so this is it. “Can I taste a little? I want to see what it’s like.”

“Sure, here you go.”

I took a taste from a little saucer. Oh! It’s kind of like soy sauce. This ought to work. So what should I add to it? I guess I want it to be a little sweeter for a start. I also want to add some depth of flavor.

“I want to make it sweeter and give it a more complex flavor.”

“In that case, I think I have some honey and fruit syrup in that basket.”

I tasted each sweetener he brought out. My two partners also tasted them, and they gave me their opinions. Adding some fruit syrup did make the sauce’s flavor more complex, as Druid’s father had suggested. All those years as a shopkeeper and food connoisseur had really paid off—this man’s knowledge was incredible.

I then tried adding fruit juice, mixing in medicinal plants and such…and about an hour later, I had a sauce that was savory with a hint of sweetness.

“I’m impressed. I never would have thought to add medicinal plants.”

Druid’s father was impressed by a lot of the things I did while making the sauce. That made me a little uneasy. Was I in danger of blowing my cover again? I quietly asked Druid, who was working busily next to me, and he whispered back that I was doing great. That was a huge relief. He also said he’d make sure his father knew not to blab about me.

I nodded gratefully, but I cursed silently. Arrrgh, I’ll bet I did blow my cover! But I didn’t know what I’d done wrong, so there was no way I could fix it. I would just have to trust Druid, who knew all my secrets, to handle things for me.

“Okay, let’s grill some onigiri. Do you put the sauce on before you grill them?”

“Well, yes, you coat the rice balls in the sauce first and let it soak in a little. Then you slather them in sauce again after they’re grilled.”

How strange. Past Me has no memories of grilling onigiri. Why is that? Ack! I left the cooked rice in the pot. It’s probably all cold and hard by now. I rushed to the pot to check on the rice…and sure enough, it was a bit dried out on the surface. I’d messed it up.

“What’s wrong?”

“The rice got dried out.”

Druid’s father joined me at the rice pot. “You can’t turn it into onigiri anymore?”

“No, I still can. It just might not taste quite as good.” If only I had a wooden ohitsu container for the rice. Did he have anything similar to that? “Um, do you have a wooden bowl or a round container? It helps control the rice’s moisture, so it’s pretty handy for this.”

“A wooden container? I have one made of bana wood, if that helps.”

Bana wood? Does it have antiseptic properties like bana leaves? If it does, that would actually be great. Druid’s father brought out a large wooden container that was not only circular but also had a lid. It actually wasn’t far from the ohitsu container in Past Me’s memories.

“Thank you very much. Ideally, you’d put the rice in here right after cooking it, but I forgot.”

I put the rice into the wooden container. It was still a bit warm, so it would probably be okay. I washed my hands in some water with bana leaves floating in it, and I started to form the onigiri. According to my memories, simply squeezing them hard wouldn’t work. I had to be careful, since I could tell I was prone to using too much force.

I somehow managed to make half a dozen onigiri. When I saw them all lined up in a row, I sighed a little. They were pretty lumpy. They seemed so easy to make, but they were actually quite difficult. I coated them in the sauce I’d made and cooked them over a mesh grill. Within just a few minutes, a savory aroma filled the kitchen.

“Wow, that’s a very enticing smell,” Druid’s father said.

That made me feel proud. Even if they got a little scorched, they would be ready soon as long as there were no other mishaps. It helped that the sauce’s base was really similar to soy sauce. I’d have to ask about the ingredients in it later.

Just then, a woman stepped into the back kitchen. She was much younger than Druid’s mom, whom I’d met earlier. “Hey, Father, is that the grilled onigiri I smell? It’s really making my mouth water.”

“Yes, that’s the sauce on the onigiri that you’re smelling there,” said Druid. “Ivy, this is my brother’s wife.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am. I’m Ivy.”

The lady’s eyes widened at my greeting. That made me a little surprised.

“So you’re Ivy. I’ve been wanting to meet you. I’m so sorry about that idiot brother-in-law of mine. I hear he gave you a really hard time.”

Dol…huh? Oops, I forgot his name again. Druid’s big brother, her brother-in-law, apparently also known as “that idiot.” Wow…does he need help?

“Oh, it’s quite all right. The guild master and plaza supervisor were looking out for me. So I’m fine, thank you.” Oops! Did that sound passive-aggressive?

“Yes, the guild master told me what happened. Even the neighborhood watch gave me a warning.”

Oh dear. I feel sorry for his family.

“At least my husband finally opened his eyes, so there’s some hope for him. But the middle child is a lost cause.”

Gee, sister…you’re spicy. And right in front of “that idiot’s” father and little brother, too.

“Sad but true. Ooh, that really does smell good,” Druid’s mother said, entering the kitchen. Was anyone left out in the front of the shop?

“Girls, what about the customers?” Druid’s father asked.

“Oh, don’t worry,” his wife replied. “It’s always dead at this time of day. Besides, we’ll hear if someone comes in.”

Druid’s mother and sister-in-law stared at the onigiri toasting on the little grill. Maybe I should have made more…

“Can we try some? I was skeptical when I heard they were made with ryce, but this smell is killing me. I must taste it.”

Druid’s mother’s praise made my heart sing. The aroma was enticing. If they grilled onigiri in front of their shop, it might be great advertising.

“Of course you can try some.” I opened the wooden container and started to form more onigiri. I still had lots of sauce, so no problem there. I added my freshly shaped onigiri to the grill and painted on some sauce. While I was at it, I added another coat to the cooked onigiri, too. Druid brought me a plate, and I transferred the grilled onigiri to it one at a time.

“Um, I’d appreciate hearing everyone’s thoughts,” I said as I passed Druid’s mother and sister-in-law the plate.

“Oh, you girls…” Druid’s father sighed.

The ladies ignored him and bit into their onigiri. Druid’s mother and sister-in-law resembled each other a lot somehow. Their faces were completely different, but their auras were alike.

“It’s delicious. The sauce is a bit different than usual… It’s a nice change.”

“Yes, I really like how sweet it is. It’s delicious.”

A wave of relief washed over me as I heard their rave reviews. Had I received so much as a raised eyebrow, I’d resolved to start entirely from scratch. I handed the plate of grilled onigiri to Druid and his father.

“I feel bad tasting this before the chef, Ivy…” Neither Druid nor his father would take an onigiri.

“But they taste much better while they’re warm. Please eat them! I can grill more in no time.”

They both thanked me and bit into their onigiri. The two men were also so similar. Oh wait, they’re actually blood-related.

“Now this is good eating—especially the parts where the sauce is slightly burnt. I think this flavor will do the trick!”

The onigiri were a success! I was truly, unbelievably happy.