NOVEL WEB Chapter 139.1
A Fragrant And Delicious Grilled Rice Ball Made With White Dashi
That day, Yuuri stood with his arms crossed, staring at the leftover rice. It was too little to save for dinner, but too much for him to eat right now. He didn’t want to snack on such a large amount of rice, as it would ruin his appetite for dinner.
“I know! I’ll turn it into rice balls.”
Yuuri’s face lit up at the brilliant idea. If he made rice balls and left them on the table, surely someone hungry would eat them. That was one of the good things about the Scarlet Lynx—no need to worry about leftovers. After all, there were plenty of big eaters around.
With that decided, Yuuri cheerfully got to work. However, he thought plain salted rice balls would be boring, so he decided to make grilled rice balls instead. But these wouldn’t be the typical kind brushed with soy sauce. No, Yuuri had something else in mind.
And that was because…
“White dashi, white dashi. Then, sesame seeds, bonito flakes, and shiso leaves.”
That’s right. A few days ago, he had gotten his hands on some mirin and used the alchemy pot to make mentsuyu and white dashi. Mixed seasonings were incredibly convenient. They were popular among housewives, but Yuuri was even more excited. He loved how easy it was to make delicious dishes with them.
As Yuuri bustled around the kitchen gathering the necessary ingredients, musical notes seemed to float around his head. He was clearly enjoying himself. In his mind, he pictured his comrades happily eating the grilled rice balls. Yuuri loved nothing more than seeing people enjoy his food. After all, rice was meant to be eaten and enjoyed.
And so, the meticulous Yuuri set out to make his special grilled rice balls.
While mentsuyu could also work, it tended to be a bit sweet, so Yuuri preferred using white dashi. Soy sauce would make it too salty, and the broth wouldn’t be enough, so white dashi was the perfect choice.
The first step was to chop the shiso leaves. While sesame seeds and bonito flakes could be mixed in as they were, the shiso leaves needed to be chopped. Yuuri decided to roughly chop them, not too finely. After washing the leaves, he stacked a few together, sandwiched them between his hands, and shook them to remove excess water. It wasn’t perfect, but it did the job.
Once the shiso was chopped, he removed the stems, cut them in half lengthwise, and then chopped them into rough pieces. He didn’t need them too fine, so a rough chop was enough.
With the shiso ready, all that was left was to mix everything together. Yuuri added the white dashi to the rice in a bowl and mixed it lightly. He tasted it and adjusted the seasoning. Once satisfied, he added the sesame seeds, bonito flakes, and chopped shiso, mixing everything gently. Overmixing would crush the rice grains, so he was careful.
Once mixed, he shaped the rice into bite-sized balls. In modern Japan, he could have used plastic wrap to keep his hands clean, but unfortunately, this world had no such thing. No aluminum foil either. As Yuuri wet his hands to prevent the rice from sticking, he mused aloud.
“I wonder what plastic wrap and aluminum foil are made of… Maybe I could make them with the alchemy pot if I had the materials…”
Yuuri muttered to himself, casually pondering something terrifying. He just wanted to make his cooking life more convenient. But if he actually tried to make such things, he’d definitely get scolded by Ali.
Not that Ali was against Yuuri using the alchemy pot or creating new things. He just wanted him to think about the consequences. Yuuri’s modern Japanese knowledge led him to create things that would inevitably draw too much attention in this world. And considering he already had the [God’s Eyes], Ali didn’t want him drawing even more attention. It was tough being the responsible one.
But anyway, Yuuri was happily cooking away. The rice balls he was making were slightly smaller than usual, more snack-sized than meal-sized. And in Yuuri’s mind, grilled rice balls had to be triangular, so he shaped them accordingly.
This was because round or cylindrical rice balls were harder to grill. Since the goal was to make grilled rice balls, the triangular shape was the most suitable for getting both sides nicely browned.
By the way, these seasoned rice balls were delicious even without grilling, with the subtle flavor of the white dashi and the aroma of shiso, sesame, and bonito flakes. They were like rice balls made with seasoned rice. But grilling them added a toasty fragrance, making them even better.
“Alright, I’ll grill them on a net.”
Yuuri smiled contentedly as he looked at the finished rice balls and moved on to the next step. Following some mysterious rule that grilled rice balls had to be cooked on a net, Yuuri decided to use the fish grill attached to the stove.
Of course, you could also use a stovetop grill or even a toaster oven, but unfortunately, such tools were nowhere to be found. So, Yuuri opted for the fish grill.
Since the grill was used frequently for meat and fish, it was always cleaned immediately after use, so there were no lingering odors. Any leftover grease could transfer to the rice balls, so Yuuri made sure it was clean.
After heating the grill slightly, Yuuri placed the small triangular rice balls on it. He kept the heat at medium to avoid burning, flipping them with chopsticks once one side was crispy. The crispy surface was the best part of grilled rice balls.
As he grilled them, a fragrant aroma wafted through the air. It was the gentle flavor of white dashi, not as strong as soy sauce, but still incredibly appetizing.