NOVEL WEB Chapter 150.1
Sake Accompaniment, Crispy Bone Crackers
“Well then, let’s quickly make it.”
After finishing cleaning up dinner, Yuuri was working alone in the kitchen. It was usual for him to do something in the kitchen alone after everything was done, so no one paid attention. It could be preparations for the next morning or making something he wanted to eat, but it was already late.
By the way, today, his desire to eat and make snacks coincided. Since receiving a splendidly prepared salted salmon during the day, he had firmly decided to make it. Yes, Yuuri had obtained all three fillets of the salmon. …That is, the wonderful item between the upper and lower fillets, the backbone with some meat still attached!
…Huh? Isn’t that just garbage? No, it’s not. For Yuuri, it’s a delightful ingredient. Please don’t mistake it for garbage. The backbone can also be eaten if cooked. …Please understand that he wanted to eat it.
Anyway, for that reason, Yuuri cut the backbone, which still had some meat attached, into appropriate sizes and threw it into the grill. …Originally, it was a very large salted salmon, about the size of Yuuri spreading his arms. The size of the backbone can be imagined. It wouldn’t fit in the grill if not cut.
“Hmm, should I prepare other snacks too? Since they said it’s sake today, let’s make Japanese-style snacks.”
Since there was nothing to do until the bones were grilled, Yuuri started making snacks. The three drinking tonight were Ali, Frau, and Yakumo. The reason these three were drinking was that they had received premium sake.
Since sake has a high alcohol content, those not strong with alcohol like Jake and Tifana declined. Also, since the received sake was dry, Brooke, who prefers sweet drinks and sweets, didn’t join. Lelei, who was eager to join, had to leave early the next morning and was dragged away by her companions Hermine and Alor.
By the way, her wish as a heavy drinker to at least leave some for her was granted. To avoid accidentally drinking it all, her portion was carefully transferred to another small bottle. They were kind adults.
Yuuri didn’t really know what snacks go well with sake. Even though he didn’t know, he thought that using Japanese-style ingredients to make something snack-like would probably please them. He usually cooks with that sense, so he shouldn’t worry about details.
First, simple ones: salted cucumber and salted cabbage. Cucumber and cabbage cut into easy-to-eat sizes were rubbed with salt and left aside. After water came out, it was discarded and served. For salted cabbage, mixing it with store-bought salted kelp makes it more snack-like. Unfortunately, salted kelp wasn’t sold in this other world, so it was just salted cabbage.
“Speaking of which, I always make snacks casually, but are they really proper snacks…?”
While working, Yuuri muttered such things. Yes, he has been casually making things that seem like snacks and serving them, but he doesn’t know if they are truly proper snacks. After all, he is a minor and doesn’t drink alcohol.
However, since he has never been complained about, he thinks it’s probably fine. By the way, the snacks Yuuri serves are menus his parents and sister ate during their evening drinks at home. The judgment criteria are family, but since his family mixes Japanese and Western styles in both drinks and snacks, it’s not very reliable.
Thinking such things but not stopping his hands, Yuuri was quite skilled at housework. With practiced hands, he cut daikon into appropriate sizes, peeled it, and grated it. Whether grated daikon is a snack or a side dish, Yuuri didn’t really know, but he decided not to worry about details.
The finished grated daikon was placed in small bowls, one portion each, with pre-crushed pickled plum and bonito flakes on top. If the taste was lacking, he thought they could add soy sauce. Grated daikon with pickled plum is also delicious. Preferences may vary.
“Ah, it’s done.”
Shortly after the grated daikon was completed, the salted salmon backbone in the grill was nicely done. Taking the backbone out of the grill, Yuuri diligently removed the meat attached to the bone. Yuuri’s goal was the bone. He wanted the bone, so the meat was actually unnecessary. But it would be wasteful, so he would eat it properly.
After neatly removing the meat from the backbone, Yuuri smiled contentedly. Then, he heated the oil in a frying pan for deep-frying. …By now, you probably understand. Yuuri was going to make bone crackers with the salted salmon backbone.
Huh? Then, wouldn’t it be fine even with the meat attached? No, if the meat is attached, it’s difficult to fry it crispy. What Yuuri wanted to eat was crispy, crunchy bone crackers, so if the meat was attached, the desired result wouldn’t be achieved. That’s why he grilled the bone first and removed the meat.
Once the oil was ready, he threw in the salted salmon backbone with the meat removed. It crackled loudly, but Yuuri didn’t mind at all. By the way, to eat it all, it had to be fried thoroughly, so the thrown-in bones were left alone for a while.
Meanwhile, to make another snack, Yuuri checked the contents of the refrigerator. Basically, evening drink accompaniments are made from leftover ingredients, so the menu is whimsical.
“Ah, there’s leftover fried tofu.”
Confirming that there was some slightly thick fried tofu left, Yuuri took it out and cut it into easy-to-eat sizes. Then, he threw the cut fried tofu into the grill. Thick fried tofu, when grilled nicely, quickly becomes a snack.
Thinking that ginger soy sauce would be delicious, Yuuri diligently grated ginger. Placing the ginger in a small bowl, he also prepared small plates on the tray. He thought they could adjust the ginger and soy sauce themselves later.
Salted cucumber, salted cabbage, grated daikon with pickled plum, grilled fried tofu. With the addition of bone crackers, Yuuri thought these would be good as snacks. In fact, he might have made too much, but it was just a simultaneous cleanup of the refrigerator’s leftovers. If there were leftovers, he thought he would eat them too.
While doing this, the bone crackers were completed. Taking them out of the oil and draining the oil thoroughly, he placed them on a plate. He didn’t forget to break them into easy-to-eat sizes midway. The crisp, pleasant sound was proof they were fried well.
“Are they done well…?”
Excitedly, Yuuri reached for the small bone crackers. Freshly fried, they were hot. Even though he knew, he couldn’t help but reach out because he wanted to eat them. Making bone crackers at home was rare, but Yuuri occasionally craved them. …Well, the truth was that seeing the splendidly prepared salted salmon made him want to eat them.
Gently putting it in his mouth, it was still hot. Even so, when he managed to put it in his mouth, it crunched easily. The saltiness of the salted salmon remained, giving a slight salty taste. Also, the oil’s flavor unique to fried foods was a good accent. It was simply delicious.
…Huh? Bones aren’t food, and you don’t need to cook and eat them? If you worry about details, you lose. Bone crackers are proper food, so think of it as not wasting ingredients. Also, they probably make good snacks. …Probably.
“Yep, they’re done. Okay, let’s take them.”