Bab 88: She Surprises Everyone I
Ponzu's eyes widened. It was that food that Robin had spoken about: the controversial food.
"So, what is so controversial about sushi?" Ponzu asked.
"Did you know that fish can be eaten raw?" Robin replied with a hum.
"What! Wait, so the controversy is..." Ponzu began to get a bad feeling.
"Yup! There's no question about the taste. I assure that it is both nutritious and healthy." Robin nodded. "The question is whether the judges have the courage to eat it or not. Worst case scenario, we might even be booted from the contest."
Ponzu felt his head begin to ache. 'Teacher, if it might get us booted, why not choose a safer dish?' He cried internally.
"Ponzu." Robin had noticed his less than enthusiastic face. "Have you ever had anything more delicious than the cream cheese we made a few days ago?"
"No." Ponzu replied, seriously.
"What if I were to tell you that not only is this dish more delicious than cream cheese, it even uses cream cheese in the recipe?" Robin said, glancing at Ponzu knowingly.
At that, Ponzu's face lit up, beaming brightly.
"In that case, let's show those judges what delicious really is!" He exclaimed eagerly.
So what if the fish was raw? As long as it was delicious and safe to eat, it would be well recieved by those who pursued good food.
"Ah, but it's best if eaten freshly made. Sushi cannot last long before spoiling. It is best to eat it within three hours of being made. It can maybe last another day or two in the cold room, but after that, it will spoil, even if it doesn't appear any different, got it?"
"Unless I have a storage item that can freeze the condition of food, I should definitely not serve it after three hours in room temperature. Chilled conditions can only extend by 1 to 2 days. Best eaten fresh." Ponzu muttered while scribbling furiously in his notebook.
Robin began laying all the ingredients that she would be using down at the inspection counter. While the poppy seeds were looked upon oddly, they were still permitted in the contest. He didn't even blink at the kelp. After all, seaweed was all around, and only in the surrounding area could fresh seaweed be found.
He did ask about the nori sheets, though, and confirmed that they were sheets of dried seaweed. Then he scanned it with a magic item. The item glowed green, which indicated it was at the very least, a local plant.
After the inspector had confirmed it was all local products, he placed all of the ingredients on a cart, and beckoned them to follow him as he wheeled the ingredients to their station. the cooking stations were separated by walls to prevent other chefs from seeing the way they prepare the food.
"You are able to use any utensil you have. But, if you need to take out additional ingredients, then place them on the black strip of the upper counter, and an inspector should drop by to check the new ingredient.
As a reminder, only local products are accepted. If you need more of one ingredient, or couldn't find it on the market, it can be ordered for a price using the magic menu over here." He instructed.
Robin nodded, and glanced through the ingredients list to see if there was any local product she had missed. The final item on the list, though caused her to pause. Cream Cheese was listed down at one small silver coin.
Robin glanced over at Ponzu, confused. Hadn't she just taught the recipe to Ponzu? Why was it here? Then a thought came to her.
"Interesting..." An amused smile tugged at her lips. Well, in the end, all this did was save her the trouble of making her own. She promptly ordered the cream cheese, by pressing the supplied magic wand tool against the item until it lit up. She also bought some fresh vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, and a kind of root that Robin recognized as wasabi. Except here, it was called Sabi.
A bubble, with the dish enclosed within, floated over to Robin's table and popped right above Robin's hand.
Ponzu's eyes widened as he recognized the item. "Isn't that..."
Robin nodded. "It is. Let's get started!"
Ponzu was feeling upset. He hadn't breathed a word about the recipe to anyone! Could it have been Gerard, or that kitchen lad? But, even then, how had it gotten on the ingredients list?
Robin ignored Ponzu's confusion as she started on the sushi rice. While in smaller amounts, local rice was still available. So she was able to find some local glutinous white rice with a bit of difficulty. It was more expensive, though. a single small sack of glutinous white rice cost one small silver, as opposed to one large Copper for the same sized sack of brown rice.
Ingredients:
▪2 cups uncooked glutinous white rice (sushi rice)
▪3 cups water
▪1/2 cup rice vinegar
▪1 tablespoon vegetable oil
▪1/4 cup sugar (Robin could only find local raw sugar which had a brownish tinge)
▪1 teaspoon salt
There was a magic item that provided unlimited fresh water. Robin filled a pot halfway with water, then had Ponzu rinse the rice as he stirred it about under the flowing water in a collander until the water draining out from under the collander became clear.
After that, the rice was transferred to the pot with water, and Ponzu turned up the heat, stirring until the water began to boil. Then, right after, Robin turned the heat down low, and covered the rice with a lid.
"That should be enough. Let it sit for 20 minutes." Robin told him, and had him slice up the vegetables in even, tiny strips. Those who were watching were confused. Was she trying to make a rice pudding?
Robin started working on the sauce, combining all the other ingredients together in a saucepan, and stirring over medium heat until the sugar was completely dissolved in the vinegar. After that, she turned off the heat and set the pan aside. It would be sufficiently cooled by the time the rice was done cooking.
Now, Robin had to cut the fish. She mischievously twirled her knife before it deftly sliced through the already-descaled salmon, separating bone from meat in a manner which seemed more like a performance of art than what the populace was used to seeing. A few of them even clapped in admiration as they watched. The others were wondering if dressing a fish had ever been that easy.
Robin easily cut the salmon into strips about six inches long, and half an inch wide. As it was a large one, she was able to get about 20 strips all of the same size. The remainder of the fish was cut into 3 inch long strips that were two fingers wide. She would be making sushi rolls and sushi. These strips were then transferred to a tray, and placed in the provided cool box.
She did the same thing with a large tuna, and a few other fish, placing each on a separate tray and chilling as soon as she was finished cutting it. She then cooked some shrimp until rhey became pink, in preparation. She also threw several crabs in a boiling pot of water and secured the lid.
By this time, the rice was just about finished. Robin turned off the heat and opened the lid. A cloud of steam flew up, displaying fluffy plump white grains. The rice was almost ready.
She poured the vinegar solution into the rice, stirring it about until the rice had dried sufficiently. Then she set it aside to cool, and prepared an area for the sushi making.
"I'm done!" Ponzu called out.
Placing a damp, clean cloth down on the table, she glanced over at Ponzu's counter. It seemed he was finished cutting the ingredients, including the thin slices of pickled ginger.
It was time to make the wasabi paste and the spicy mayo. Robin glanced at the root before her, and got an idea. A mischievous grin surfaced on her face.
"Ponzu, It's time for your cooking magic to debut" She said with a grin.
Ponzu looked at the root Robin handed her. Then looked up at her.
"Um, what is this?" He asked.
"The wasabi plant. You are going to puree this into a paste." Robin instructed.
At this point, many locals had noticed Robin's root, and were shaking their heads. Such a talented lad would now ruin his dish in one go. Although the root was edible, not even the livestock would eat it. It was far too spicy. Some, seeing Robin's calm face, were waiting to see whether the Sabi plant would be a pleasant surprise or ruin Robin's dish.
Ponzu frowned. He knew this plant. This 'Wasabi' root did not taste good at all. "Won't this ruin the flavor instead?" He asked.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone