Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 72
First, to fulfill the original goal of “Skill Inheritance”, many people need to eat the food.
Moreover, the dish must be something that existed in the game and granted a support effect when consumed.
It’s already been confirmed that even with slight alterations, a dish that’s nearly identical to the game version will still trigger the effect.
This time, the base dish will be karaage (Japanese fried chicken). Honestly, this dish alone would be more than enough to please the students.
There was a herb-fried chicken sold in the food stall district that seemed not particularly popular, but I suspect the reason was:
- Hard to eat with your hands
- The bones made it inconvenient for eating outdoors
- The oil would dirty your mouth
According to the vendor, though, it was popular with adventurers and mercenaries, and sold quite well in the evenings.
In other words, if I remove the bones, make it easy to eat, and ensure it won’t make a mess, I can solve the issue.
It’s more like fried chicken than karaage, but we can test whether the support effect still activates.
“Alright, I’ll start blending the spices.”
Lastly, the five-spice powder—the food culture in this city closely resembles Western cuisine.
Ethnic or Chinese-style dishes don’t seem to exist here, but the ingredients themselves do exist, thanks to herbal medicine and alchemy.
So then, why five-spice powder?
“…Because it had a momentary boom on Earth, right?”
I remember it well—my memories from Earth. There was a bustling downtown area a few train stops from my high school.
That place always had food trends going on, and my classmates would often go there to try them.
Actually, I went there too.
So if you ever went, you’d definitely know about “Da Ji Pai” (Taiwanese giant fried chicken).
There was always a long line at the food stall in front of the station. It even got featured on video sites and TV.
It was a Taiwanese street food trend—a massive piece of fried chicken, with a strong five-spice aroma and an addicting flavor that stimulated the appetite. Despite its size, even girls would eat it up without leaving a bite.
Naturally, the people who developed the game must have known the recipe too—because the way to make it is clearly imprinted in Seira’s mind.
“That star anise has such a unique smell…”
I crushed solid ingredients with a small stone mortar, then ground the fragments into a fine powder using a suribachi (Japanese grinding bowl).
By turning cinnamon, clove, star anise, fennel, and Sichuan peppercorns into powder and combining them, I created a burnt-orange spice blend.
The sweet aroma of cinnamon, the medicinal note of star anise, the sharp fragrance of Sichuan pepper, and the appetite-arousing scents of fennel and clove.
Combining them, I successfully recreated Five-Spice Powder in this world.
“It’s done. I’ll start cooking with this.”
“Hmmm… that’s a strong aroma. It could easily overpower most dishes.”
“True. A small amount in something like a brown stew might work as an accent, but it seems hard to handle.”
That’s true.
This spice is best suited for Chinese-style cuisine—dishes rich in soy sauce and sugar, with that signature sweet and savory profile.
So obviously, I need soy sauce as the base seasoning.
Unfortunately, even in this guild, I couldn’t find any.
“This is fish sauce, isn’t it? A fermented seasoning from fish.”
“Yeah, it’s called Garm. A traditional seasoning from a coastal town. It’s salty and rich in flavor, but the smell is a bit strong.”
“I see. Then I’ll just use a little of it this time.”
I put fish sauce, water, sugar, ginger, and garlic into a pot and brought it to a gentle boil.
The goal is to soften the smell.
Originally, I’d also add alcohol—something like sake or Shaoxing wine—but I don’t yet understand the alcohol scene in this world. Ideally, I’d at least find something like white liquor.
Tasting the result, it was a bit lacking, but it would work well enough as a marinade. Now I added the five-spice powder to it.
“Basically, this is just chicken fritters. It’s the seasoning and prep that make it unique.”
The cut I used was chicken breast—leaner meat is ideal.
It seems the guild keeps a wide variety of ingredients on hand for test cooking. This time I was allowed to use a huge whole bird, almost more like a turkey than a chicken.
“I’ll use breast meat since it’s light. But wow… this is pretty big. What kind of bird is this?”
“Pretty sure that came from the Adventurer’s Guild this morning. Called a Giant Katanyx, I think.”
“Ah, nobles have been buying that meat for a while. It recently disappeared from the nearby mountains, causing prices to spike, but a new habitat was just discovered. It should become more available now.”
“I see…”
The meat quality is good. I should be able to treat it just like meat from Earth.
I separated the breast, cut it to the desired size and thickness, and then began a critical step in this recipe.
“Once the thickness is even—start pounding it with a bottle or stick.”
I pounded the meat on a cutting board, using a rolling pin, flattening it out thoroughly.
I pounded it thin enough to slightly see through the board, and once it was about the size of my face, I put it into the marinade.
“Actually, there are already stalls in the food street serving fried chicken. However—”
I explained the issues I’d heard from the vendor: difficulty eating, oily mess, and so on.
“Makes sense. Those problems would be a deal-breaker for students and noble children. So you fixed those flaws?”
“And your original spice is what makes it unique, huh. What country’s cuisine is it from?”
“Probably from the far West. These spices came from there, after all.”
While it was marinating, I searched for flour.
I found corn starch and wheat flour, but no potato starch.
However, when I explained what I was looking for…
“Ah, potato flour? Yeah, we’ve got some. Should be in the baking supplies shelf.”
“Oh, then I’ll borrow some.”
Apparently, the substitute often used on Earth—potato flour marketed as katakuriko—exists in this world as well.
With that, I’ll make the coating. That crunchy texture can’t quite be replicated with other flours.
The chicken breast, which had absorbed the flavor quickly thanks to being thinly sliced, is now patted dry and coated in the potato starch substitute.
Of course, I mixed a small amount of five-spice powder into the coating as well.
After this, it’s just a matter of double-frying it to finish.
“Phew… once I fry the meat again, it’s done.”
“Double-frying, huh. That’s not used so much nowadays. Most fried foods around here are made from potatoes, after all.”
“Right. It’s not really used for main dishes. More like side items.”
“Indeed, in more formal meals, you hardly ever see fried food as the main course.”
A savory aroma filled the kitchen.
A faint scent of burnt fish sauce, the spiciness of ginger and garlic, and the unique sweet, herbal fragrance of five-spice powder all blended together.
Yes, the intensity of the marinade needs to be this strong to let the five-spice shine.
And then, at last, the large fried chicken known as “Dà Jī Pái” was finished.
“We’ve been told we can use the cafeteria on the day, so we can serve this on a plate with knife and fork, or half-wrapped in parchment paper for a street-style, hand-held option. For testing purposes, let’s try it by hand today.”
Parchment paper seemed to already be commonly used in the kitchen—it was readily available.
Apparently, it’s used for “en papillote” cooking, wrapping ingredients like in aluminum foil before baking them.
“Hmm… being able to choose how to serve it is a nice touch. And the cooking process isn’t that complicated either.”
“Whoa! The meat’s so tender! It tears easily. The coating’s texture isn’t ruined at all.”
“Exactly. Being able to bite into it without ruining that crispness is great. It doesn’t mess up your mouth either… and more than anything, the aroma is addicting.”
“Yes, the marinade is great. I don’t smell the fish sauce at all. Though, I think the flavor could be a bit stronger.”
It looks like the dish is getting positive feedback as a menu item.
Indeed, it might be okay to increase the amount of fish sauce for more flavor.
I’ll need to experiment more with the flavor balance.
“What do you think—about adding this to the food stall menu?”
“I’m in favor. It’s well thought out. Has uniqueness and strong visual impact.”
“Agreed… though, it almost feels like a waste. This could be served plated at a restaurant. Isn’t it too refined for a student food stall?”
“But it’s also a great way for it to spread. You said this dish originally came from a food stall, didn’t you, Seira?”
“Yes, exactly. Of course, with better plating, garnishes, sauces, and sides, this could be served as a fine poultry dish. But it’s not made from luxurious ingredients. And even cheaper cuts of meat could be used with proper tenderizing and seasoning.”
“I see… I guess I was just being a little possessive about a great recipe… but if you, the creator, are okay with it, I won’t object. I think this is perfect for the students.”
And thus, the first step of my plan moves forward.
After all… finding a runaway classmate isn’t limited to just direct searches.
This is something only a fellow Earth native could do.
If Seira’s personality were still intact, she probably would’ve objected.
“This is blasphemy against food.”
She’d say.
“Excuse me—one more thing. Do you have anything like this spice?”
I’m setting another trap.
One even more irresistible to Earth’s youth than Dà Jī Pái.
“Hmm… ah yes, I think we have that. But before that, Seira, don’t you think there’s something more important you forgot?”
“Huh? Did I forget something?”
“The name of the dish. You’ve decided to serve it, right? Don’t tell me you were going to offer it without a name?”
“Ah—right! It’s called Dà Jī Pái.”
“Pái?”
“It seems to have a different meaning in its original language. I only know it secondhand, so I’m not sure of the details.”
“I see. Dà Jī Pái it is. Let’s go with that. I’ll continue refining the flavor. You’re planning to make something else too, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I’m thinking of making a drink.”
“Hmm… good idea. Easy to serve and very popular—especially with a dish like this.”
“Exactly. For that, I’ll need some spices… and citrus fruit, if available.”
“We’ve got some lemons and limes from the academy’s greenhouse farm. Eventually, they’ll be grown in the lower district’s agricultural zone too. It’s a great time to be a member of the culinary guild.”
“Whoa…”
So that means greenhouse cultivation is starting to spread here!
I received lemons, limes, and cardamom as an extra spice. Then, using some leftover five-spice ingredients and fresh ginger, I began making the syrup base for a certain drink—
“Alright, I’ll take this jar with me. It’ll need two or three days to steep, and I’ll be adjusting the mixture in the meantime.”
“Got it. We’ll handle testing the venue and researching the flavors here. I’ll place a big order for carbonated water too. Even if that doesn’t go well, we can just sell it as ginger ale—no harm done.”
“Thanks. Well then, I’ll take my leave for today.”
“Thanks for everything, Seira.”
And so I take the ultimate trap back home.
What is it?
Come on—what goes best with fried food?
Coke, obviously.
Because craft cola had totally been a trend back on Earth!
After Seira left, the cooks in the kitchen continued to experiment with the seasoning for the Dà Jī Pái.
“This five-spice powder is addictive—the more you eat, the more you want. Can’t we use it for something else?”
“How about gamey meat? Simmering it with this spice might balance out the smell. Though… maybe not for offal?”
“Nah, I think it could actually work even in a regular offal stew if you just add a little. Now that we know how to make it and the ingredients, we should mass-produce the spice and run different tests.”
Even while they were in the middle of making Dà Jī Pái, the remaining chefs were entirely focused on talking about the spice during their prep time.
“Seira used to travel, right?”
“So I’ve heard. Also, I think she used to belong to a mercenary group. Those often bring together wanderers from all over the world. That might explain her cooking knowledge.”
“Hmm… then maybe she knows about cuisine from ‘Hamsterdam’?”
“Good point. They say around 30% of global cuisine trends started from that country.”
The mysterious nation of “Hamsterdam” continues to be whispered about even now.
Will the day come when Shizuma and Melt head for that country…?
“I’m home!”
“Ah, welcome back, Seira-san!”
“Thanks for having me!”
“We’ve already made ourselves comfortable. Welcome back, Seira-san!”
“Welcome back, Seira!”
When I returned home, Melt and the trio of newbies were already lounging around.
It was just before evening. Time to get started.
“Sorry for the delay. I had some business at the Culinary Guild. I’ll make something now.”
“Oh, no rush! Actually, Melt-chan shared some food from the street stalls with us earlier.”
“Yeah, it was delicious—sausages and a ‘Flat-Grilled Sandwich’ or something.”
“That kind of sandwich was a first for me—”
“Ah! Ah! That’s a secret, okay? Shhh!”
…Looks like Melt bought more food after I left.
You’re eating too much.
“Melt, if you keep eating like that, your belly’s gonna get all round. You’ll turn into a round fox.”
Like, “what kind of fox is that?!” kind of round.
“I-I’m fine… Tomorrow I’ve got a pretty tough quest lined up.”
“Good luck, Melt! It’s your first monster subjugation quest, right?”
“We can’t help since we’re still low-ranked, but please don’t get hurt!”
“It’s recommended for Emerald Rank and above, so don’t let your guard down. Be careful—for Same’s sake too.”
Wait—Melt took on such a hard quest?!
I can’t even leave town… Is she going to be alright? I know I shouldn’t be overprotective, but still…
“Melt, how far out are you going?”
“Hmm, a bit further past the eastern highway as usual, but not into the mountains. Just to the campsite. The Adventurer’s Guild is organizing a subjugation party there, and I’m joining to help defeat the monsters. If I complete this, I’ll only need one more escort mission to level up to Ruby Rank!”
“I see…”
I’m a little worried. Going on a subjugation mission, working with other adventurers as a team…
But if it’s with people from the Adventurer’s Guild, maybe there won’t be any unnecessary trouble.
Melt is starting to get a reputation as a rising adventurer with ties to the Glory Knights.
She might already be more well-known as an adventurer than Same.
“Melt, make sure to stay alert. Don’t follow any strangers. Keep your weapon on you at all times.”
“Got it!”
…This is worrying. I’m starting to feel like a mom!