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Teaser extra chapter (only available at p.a.t.r.e.o.n)

After finish breakfast with my family, I hurriedly go to the bathroom to take a bath. Like yesterday, my body already smells like the kitchen and I want to remove it as soon as possible. When I arrive at the bathroom, I open the door and it's not locked. Great! No one occupies the bathroom, I can bathing leisurely while relaxing. But after I open the door, I feel like my jaws dropped after seeing inside the bathroom.

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Since I already told her that we'll busy today, after we finish soaking our bodies in the tub, we just put our clothes on without playing and flirting like yesterday. We leave the bathroom after we finished wearing our clothes back.

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After finish takes a bath, I go to my room and change my clothes with the clean one before going to the kitchen again. I must supervise the preparation for the lunch and make sure nothing going wrong there before I can continue to taking care of another matter. The cooks already busy preparing the ingredients when I arrive there. Mrs. Martina also busy directing and supervising her men to do the job correctly but still she had time to greet me when she saw me enter the kitchen

"Good morning, young master Henry…is there anything I can do for you?"

"Ah yes, how about my request yesterday? is that already finished?"

"That corn and horse feed? Yes, it's already finished and delivered here from the mills this morning. They all stored in the storage room, young master"

"Good. Now for the menu for lunch today, I want the consommé soup and bread for the opening menu"

"Yes, young master. It's already prepared"

"Then for the appetizer, I want our Frikadel to become the appetizer with tomato and mayonnaise sauce"

"That's not hard to make, young master, considered done"

"Then the spaghetti noodles like the breakfast will be the third dish, with beef pasta as the topping. Did we have enough meat for that, Mrs. Martina?"

"Don't worry, young master. We already order the butcher to send their meat first thing in the morning after they have the meat"

"Great, can we have another type of meat besides beef and pork?"

"Sure, but I'm not sure we can get it today, young master"

"It's okay…that's for tomorrow banquet. I wish I can get wild boar and deer meat if possible"

"Well, that requires the hunter to get the meat, young master, but I will send the request to the butcher so they can prepare that meat tomorrow"

"Fine, and the fourth dish…can we make fish tempura? Do we have enough fresh fish to cook?"

"Fish….we don't have it right now, young master but I can ask the fisherman to deliver their catch as soon as possible here before noon"

"Alright, I'll be thinking something for the subst.i.tute if we don't have enough fish for tempura. And the last dish is wakame salad and fresh fruits, you can take the seaweed ingredient in the storage room, Mrs. Martina"

"Yes, young master"

"Thanks, I will go to the storage room to see what else I can make from our new ingredients there"

After giving the lunch menu to Mrs. Martina, I leave the kitchen and heading to the storage room. I can't wait to see the rice, cook it and eat it again. It's been a while after I eat rice since I left salt camp. I'm thinking what should I make with that rice later, risotto or rice curry or maybe just a simple onigiri?

After arriving in the storage room, I immediately search where the rice was kept there, and when I found it, I really feel happy because the rice is in better condition than the rice in the salt camp. The white grain from the rice after removed from its skin in the mills makes me sure n.o.body will reject this new food after I cook it later. I also take some ingredients to make Chai, the beverage that I made for my sister when I cooking something for her. It would not complete if I only make food without any drink, maybe later when I able to make sake from the rice, I will also present sake to the guests.

With ingredients in my hand, I return to the kitchen to start cooking rice. I'm not making too much since I already have breakfast and only make in a small amount just to give an example for the cook how to process rice. Since there's no rice cooker in this world, I must make it by the old ways, boil it on the pan then steam it for warm, soft and edible rice. So, when I arrive there, the first thing I do is clean the rice with clean water before boil it and while waiting for the rice become cooked, I teach how to make Chai to the female cook who duties are to prepare beverages.

It's not hard to make Chai, as long as all ingredients available, which are: Black tea, milk, spices, sugar just by making the sample once, the beverages cook already know how to make it. The only matter then is to adjust the taste and composition of each ingredient to created full flavor Chai. The rice finished boiling as I also finished teaching how to make Chai to the cooks. After moving the boiled rice to the steamer, I'm thinking about what I should make with the rice.

"Hey, what kind of meat we already prepared today?"

I asked one of the cooks about the meat we had in the kitchen

"We have beef, pork, and chicken meat, young master"

Oh great, we have three kinds of meat already. If we have beef and pork maybe I can make Katsudon or Gyudon for the rice and after thinking which one is easier to make, I choose to make Gyudon instead of Katsudon.

"Give me some of the beef meat and also prepare these ingredients: scallions, onions, vegetable oil, sugar, ginger, eggs, soy sauce, vinegar, and cooking wine"

"Yes, young master"

Actually it would better if I have mirin (Mirin is an essential condiment used in j.a.panese cuisine. It is a type of rice wine similar to sake, but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content) but since I don't even start to make sake, then I only can make subst.i.tute by mixing between sugar and vinegar to create a sweet-sour sauce for Gyudon.

The real recipe to make Gyudon is:

• 1 onion

• 2 green onions/scallions

• ¾ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or rib eye)

• 1 Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc)

• 2 tsp sugar

• 2 Tbsp sake

• 2 Tbsp mirin

• 1 Tbsp soy sauce

• 3 large eggs (beaten, optional)

• 3 cups cooked rice

• Pickled red ginger (to garnish)

Gather all the ingredients, slice the onions, cut the green onion into thin slices (save for garnish), and cut the meat into small pieces, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the onions until tender, add the meat and sugar and cook until the meat color is no longer pink. Add sake, mirin, and soy sauce, reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If you like to add the egg, slowly and evenly drizzle the beaten egg over the beef. Cook covered until the egg is done. Add the green onion right before removing from the heat. Place the beef and egg on top of steamed rice, pour the desired amount of sauce, and top with green onion and pickled red ginger.

This simple recipe can be made in 20 minutes, and that's enough time for the rice steamed. I put the rice in three bowls and cover it with lids. It will be brought to my father as the taste tester and one bowl for my uncle Jason, because he always hanging around in my father office when he's in the castle. If my uncle not with my father, I still can give the extra bowl to my sister, she will be delighted if I ask her to test the food. I also bring the Chai tea that I already made before in a teapot and finally, with two maids who carry the bowl and teapot, I left the kitchen and go to my father's office. If this Gyudon pa.s.sed my father taste, it will be the fourth dish for today's lunch menu.