NOVEL WEB Chapter 81.1
I Want A Tamagoyaki Pan
“Yuuri-kun, the frying pan you asked for is ready.”
“Hello,” said Hallow, greeting Yuuri with a smile as he approached, while Yuuri was hanging laundry in the yard. The apprentices around Yuuri greeted Hallow, but Yuuri froze, not returning the greeting. Then, the next moment:
“Really, Hallow-san?!”
“Yes, yes. I picked it up from the craftsman. Here you go.”
“Wow, thank you so much!”
What Hallow handed over was a square frying pan. The apprentices peeked at it, puzzled, but Yuuri didn’t mind. He inspected the square frying pan, his face lighting up. This square frying pan was a custom-made item Yuuri had requested through Hallow, not for business, but to satisfy his personal desire.
Yes, a square frying pan— a tamagoyaki pan.
Yuuri had been craving tamagoyaki. It’s a very familiar egg dish for Japanese people, possibly rivaling fried eggs as a classic favorite. The hideout only had round frying pans, so while tamagoyakis were possible, tamagoyaki wasn’t. What? You can make tamagoyaki in a round pan? Yuuri refuses to acknowledge tamagoyaki which isn’t square.
“Yuuri, is that a frying pan?”
“Yeah, but it’s not just any frying pan. It’s called a tamagoyaki pan.”
“Tamagoyaki pan?”
The apprentices tilted their heads, not understanding the difference. Hallow stifled a laugh. He had been with Yuuri when he explained the square frying pan to the craftsman and had tasted the tamagoyaki Yuuri made with it. The taste was distinct from a tamagoyaki, and the craftsman, liking it, had even made one for himself. Hallow had also asked for one for his own home, where his wife was now practicing tamagoyaki with enthusiasm.
“Alright, it’s been a while, so I’ll practice too!”
Having made up his mind, Yuuri increased his laundry-hanging speed, and the apprentices followed suit. Hallow watched this warmly. …It seemed he wasn’t planning on leaving after handing over the tamagoyaki pan. He might be sticking around to see something amusing. To Hallow, Yuuri had become the kid who, whenever given something, would return double the amusement. And frustratingly, Hallow wasn’t wrong.
After finishing the laundry, Yuuri led the apprentices and Hallow to the kitchen, patting Rooks, who had been diligently cleaning the hideout, on the head along the way. Rooks started following but turned around the moment he realized Yuuri was entering the kitchen to cook. For hygiene reasons, he stayed away during food preparation, showing he was a smart slime. …And once the cooking was over, he’d come back to help dispose of food scraps, proving he was truly a clever slime. Everyone’s question of “Are slimes really that smart?” was answered with the magical phrase, “Because he’s Yuuri’s familiar.”
“Alright, let’s make a bunch of tamagoyaki for lunch!”
“A bunch?”
“Technically, different flavored tamagoyaki. Try them and tell me your favorite. That’ll be your lunch.”
“Got it!”
The apprentices responded enthusiastically. They loved good food, and since they were growing kids, they didn’t care if it was a dish they hadn’t tried before. To them, anything Yuuri made was usually delicious. …Please don’t say they’ve been spoiled. If you did, you’d have to admit that everyone at the hideout had been won over by Yuuri’s cooking.
In front of the curious apprentices, Yuuri cracked two eggs into a bowl. The bowl had a spout, making it easier to pour, a brilliant invention by earlier generations. Without the spout, the egg would spill everywhere. Truly wonderful.
Yuuri’s first tamagoyaki was the one he usually ate. The seasoning was dashi granules and soy sauce. Ideally, dashi soy sauce would be the easiest, but he couldn’t find any, so this would have to do. He measured carefully to avoid making it too salty, stirring with chopsticks, the soft sound of whisking filling the room. He laughed at the curious apprentices and said, “I’m just cooking eggs, you know?” The secret to making good tamagoyaki is not overmixing, so he stopped once the egg whites were mostly broken up.
Meanwhile, Magg, a dashi devotee, was watching the egg with intense focus. Considering there were dashi granules in it, Magg would probably choose this tamagoyaki. He was easy to read.
“So, what exactly is tamagoyaki? Why does it have to be in that square pan?”
“Hmm, tamagoyaki is an egg dish where you roll the egg as you cook it. The square shape makes it tamagoyaki, and it’s easier to roll.”
“Can’t you use a regular frying pan?”
“With the size and shape, I find it difficult. Plus, when I use a round pan, it just feels like I’m making an omelet.”
“…I see.”
Camille, peeking over the counter at Yuuri’s hands, nodded in understanding. Indeed, eggs cooked in a round frying pan would look like an omelet. However, the apprentices still didn’t fully grasp what Yuuri meant by “rolling the egg as you cook it.” How do you roll liquid eggs?
Yuuri thoroughly heated the tamagoyaki pan on the stove. Once hot, he added sesame oil and spread it around. He didn’t strictly need sesame oil, but he liked the flavor it added to tamagoyaki seasoned with dashi soy sauce. So, he stuck to what he wanted to eat.
After spreading the oil, Yuuri poured in the egg mixture, ensuring it covered the pan evenly. He waited for the egg to start setting around the edges. When it seemed ready to peel off, he began rolling it from the far end of the pan toward himself. If you’re not used to it, a spatula might help, but Yuuri skillfully used chopsticks to roll the egg.
“What?! What’s that?!”
“No way, he’s really rolling the egg…!”
“Wait a second. It’s not fully cooked, right? How’s it not tearing?!”
“…Delicious.”
“You can tell just by the smell?!”
As the apprentices marveled at Yuuri’s technique, Magg muttered quietly, his gaze locked on the tamagoyaki. The aroma of sesame oil, dashi, and soy sauce wafted through the room. Magg’s mind was likely filled with just one thought: “That’s going to be delicious. I want to eat it now.” How did it come to this?
Ignoring the apprentices, Yuuri continued cooking. If left alone, the egg would overcook and harden. He wasn’t bothered by the kids’ excitement. Once the first roll was done, he pushed it to the far end of the pan and poured more egg mixture in, lifting the already-cooked part to allow the fresh egg to flow underneath. Then, once it was set, he rolled it again. This process repeated.
The key was not cooking over high heat. Eggs burn quickly, so if you want beautifully cooked tamagoyaki, avoid strong heat. Once you finish rolling, you can increase the heat slightly to give it a nice color.
“And there we go, all done.”
Yuuri slid the perfectly rectangular tamagoyaki onto a cutting board. It was still too hot to touch, so he held it down with chopsticks as he cut it into portions. Smiling at the eager apprentices, Yuuri plated the pieces and served them over the counter. Of course, he left a slice for himself on the cutting board.
“This is tamagoyaki, made with sesame oil, dashi, and soy sauce. This is how we used to eat it at my house.”
“Dashi.”
“Wait, wait, wait, Magg! Don’t hog it all! Yakk, Camille, secure your portions!”
“Roger that!”