“I’ll take on the challenge for a new menu today, Ai Fa”

I declare it like that at dusk, but Ai Fa just murmur “Do what you like” with a sullen face.

Maybe it’s because of the blunder I made this early afternoon. Well, I will definitely lose if I was sued for s.e.xual hara.s.sment since I really done it. Even if my personality is doubted, it can’t be helped.

“Although [Giba Soup] is complete in its own way, you will be bored if you eat the same menu everyday. This time, I will really surprise you so look forward to it, Ai Fa ”

“Do what you want.”

“...By the way, I immediately wear your father’s clothes, how is it? Does it suits me?”

“It doesn’t suit you. It’s ridiculous. It would be better not to lend it to you.”

Umu, this is quite serious.

Well, if she eat something delicious her mood will also lighten I guess.

By the way, because my lower back is uneasy with this fluttering vest, I still wear my t-s.h.i.+rt underneath it. Although it’s not the correct way of wearing it, I would like to be pardoned because i am afraid of burns during cooking. Also, the towel on my head. I can’t calm down if I cook without wearing this.

“So, to be frank. The poitan has already been cooked and large quant.i.ties of firewood have also been used again. I will work hard when I harvest it tomorrow, please just forgive me there.”

Ai Fa is quiet and expressionless.

It’s finally at the point where she doesn’t answer back.

She heads to the forest after beating me as usual, even though she won’t be able to see how to cook the poitan, I wonder if she doesn’t interested on how the final product will be.

“Oh well, although it’s a bit early, how about we start? Because I am not hungry yet, please become hungry now.”

Unlike Aifa, I couldn't help being a little excited. It couldn't be helped since making new menus was so, so fun

Originally, I was supposed to challenge broiling today. Something like Mus.h.i.+yaki or Teriyaki, but I have thought about various idea. Now that I know poitan’s ident.i.ty, it is now possible to challenge my best menus that I had given up before.

I am not going to put on airs.

Today’s menu is “Giba meat hamburg steak”.

It’s “Gibaburg.” (TL: ギバ・バーグ)

I head to the food warehouse while humming, to take the necessary ingredients to the front of the stove.

Giba’s thigh meat, chest area’s boned ribs about 500 grams each.

6 Aria onions.

Two pinch of piko leaves.

Fruit wine.

Rock salt.

And obtained from poitan, a magical extract.

Because I don’t have it at a big quant.i.ty, I put it in a container made of rubber tree’s leaves.

Now then, let’s start cooking.

First, cut off the fat about 1 cm thickness from the thigh meat block.

It’s a bit regrettable, but it’s an alternative for lard. Since all the remaining fat in the fur have been processed as tallow candles for candlesticks. I will have to secure some of it for food next time.

Although it’s already 5 days since we cure the meat, but there is no sign of spoil anywhere. Piko leaf is really an excellent preservative.

However, regardless of piko leaf’s effect, the meat itself seems to be spoiling gradually from the 2nd week.

When that happens, he has no choice but to smoke the meat to preserve it. Only the part that was cured 5 days ago still remained a lot, but whether if I can somehow use them well, I rack my brains everyday.

Anyway, let’s cook.

Starts fire in the stove, chop 2 aria while waiting the pot to warm up.

After those finished, next is the meat.

Chop the thigh and rib meat into small pieces and finally hit it with the knife.

The first one is with Ai Fa’s father memento, the small knife.

The last one is with my father’s soul, the Santoku knife.

The ma.s.s is about 1 kg. Well, no problem. Hamburg steak is also a popular menu at “Tsurumi-ya” after all. Work like this is something I always do.

In less than 10 minutes, I finished mincing Giba’s meat.

When I look back at Ai Fa, she is watching me with sulky face in a position like the “lying Buddha” posture.

Although she usually sat down quietly and looks like she is regarding me fairly. She seems to be in a considerably bad mood today.

Even though the precious Giba meat has completely changed to this mysterious pink mound, I wonder if she have any impressions toward it?

While feeling anxiety and other bad feelings, I check the heat temperature.

When I drop a drop of water, it quickly evaporates.

It’s about time.

I throw some fat, stretch it with a wooden spatula (self made), and throw in 2 minced aria.

Unlike a frying pan, this frying pot can’t be moved so it’s a bit troublesome, but I still stir it without getting discouraged.

After color appeared to some extent, I put in fruit wine.

Stirred carefully until the alcohol evaporates.

When the green aria fried to light brown, I moved it to the container using wooden spatula.

In our shop, we usually use 200 gram of minced meat with a quarter onion, using 2 onions for 1 kg of meat is just too much.

But it won’t be much different, because giba’s meat has a very strong smell, so there shouldn’t be any problem even if I use more aria.

Since the next step can’t be done until the fried aria cool down, I should finish chopping the remaining aria without delay.

This time I won’t be mincing it, but slice it thinly along the layer.

When I want to boil it softly, I slice it along with the layer vertically, but because I want to preserve the texture today, I cut it like this.

I pile a total of 4 aria worth of sliced layers on top of rubber tree leaves.

Although it’s asking a bit too much, I really want more cooking containers.

After this and that, the aria has finally cooled down. I mince the giba’s meat and aria together on top of the rubber tree leaves.

And then, sprinkle it with crushed rock salt and piko leaves extract.

And now, it’s time for the magic extract’s appearance!

The sticky cream colored paste dripped on the pile of meat.

Next, I just have to mix it.

When I look at Ai Fa, she avert her eyes.

Sorry sorry. To the Morihen people that know little to none concept of cookings, it should be an interesting show. Because I won’t pour any more water, please appreciate it.

Then after kneading it for a few minutes, as expected, the stickiness comes out.

Although the fat got chipped more by the thigh meat, the bone ribs has also gotten plenty of fat, the response and the shade is also looking good.

Piece of cake, my spine is thrilled by the premonition of victory.

I sc.r.a.ped the meat paste on my palm, smeared the leftover giba fat to my palm. It’s a lubricant for adherent prevention.

Because it isn’t really large, the heat adjustment is not that difficult. I skimmed it once every 6 minutes, before long the meat ma.s.s formed to an oval. Pon, pon, pon. I throw it like a catchball with both hands and don’t forget to deflate it.

1 miniburg is about 160 gr each, there are 6.

It’s cute and the color is a beautiful pink. I feel like taking a bit just as it is.

That aside, how is the heat adjustment.

Umu. Is it slightly strong? I pull a firewood to my hand and tried to adjusting it in my mind.

To grilled cookings, rough estimation of heat adjustments is the neck in this time’s menu.

Use a strong heat in the start, and then weak heat next….If you can’t adjust it, it’s really difficult.

But since I can’t use what I don’t have, I have no choice but to try it in my head.

Flexibility and imagination. Last but not least, Decisiveness.

I drop the fat into the frying pan, I wait until it become crisp and take out the dried up fat content, and finally I throw the giba’s patty inside.

Along with a nice feeling and sound, unbearable smell scattered in the room.

Because the bottom of the pot was round, while carefully placing the patty so they doesn’t stick to each other, all six of them was placed quickly, now I only need to wait for several seconds.

If I fail here, all will be for naught.

While concentrating to the change of the smell, I use a wooden spatula to check the cooked surface.

Wasn’t it necessary to weaken the fire? According to my feeling, it should be the time to turn it over, but it had just been about 8 minutes since I grilled it.

Well, it was much better than to burn it. Even if it lose a little bit flavour, there is that as the raw material of the sauce, and I believed giba’s meat flavour won’t dry up.

After waiting for a few more seconds, because the color looks like it has been cooked enough, I turn it over.

Then, let’s begin the next preparation as soon as possible――when I step back, I hit an obstacle behind me.

“Uwa, you surprised me! So you were here, Ai Fa!”

“.....Why do I have to get out from my own home?”

“No, I don’t mean it that way…..ah, sorry, the preparations take a bit of time.”

I go around Ai Fa that is now in imposing stance, grab the earthen teapot containing fruit wine and the pile of aria.

I stand once again in front of the frying pan, put the earthen teapot, check the patty’s color. It’s already around 8 minutes. Is it about time?

“Ai Fa. Because something hot may come flying, be careful alright?”

There is no reply, but hesitation is not allowed. I put the lid on the pot quickly after I put the aria and pour the fruit wine inside.

Blob, crackle crackle, big sound with a m.u.f.fled feel like that come out.

This cooking method is an original for “Gibaburg”.

To make a Hamburg steak, first cook both sides with strong heat quickly to make sure the flavour stays, after that to make the heat pa.s.ses through the inside, cook it carefully with weak heat, or just move it to the oven if it's the usual way.

Because both way are impossible, I used braising method. It should be able to transmit the heat inside before the surface of the meat burn.

I made the patty small and thin for that reason.

The heat adjustment can’t be adjusted.

Both sides must be seared with strong heat.

If it's like this, I have no choice but to do all the processes with strong heat.

If it's like this, I have no choice but to make the patty rather small and challenge it in a short term battle.

But still, If i am just waiting for the heat to pa.s.s while still using strong heat, It will be charred.

Therefore, I have no choice but to qucikly heat it with braising method.

It's a very simple logical sequence.

"Okay. It should be good now."

When I opened the lid, the scent that contains the aroma of the fruit wine explodes.

I scratched the pile of aria with the wooden spatula, separate and divide one of the giba patty to half.

The meat has a beautiful ivory color.

Not a tinge of red was left.

"Ai Fa. Can you bring the container?"

I speak While handling the wooden spatula, so the other patty doesn't burn, the wooden container held out directly in silence.

I placed the 3 patty there quickly, received another new container to save the other remaining 3 patty.

"Okay. It will be finished after they are cooked."

While saying it, I do a pinch sampling of the aria.

It already give my teeth a moderate sense of touch, It may be better to not cook it too much.

Sauce that is made from fat, meat juice and fruit wine started to simmer inside the pot.

Also I combine the pinch of the rock salt and piko leaves and then firmly mix it together with the aria, and it's finished.

"Ai Fa. The containers again."

As soon as I say that, the container that has the patty in it was already held out.

Oh? Even though I can't take my eyes off from the iron pot, I wonder if she standby with the container in both hands for a while?

She is really considerate. I thought that she is a really good girl.

But well, I also feel that I haven't hear her voice for quite a while.

Anyway, getting back to the subject.

Put the aria on the containers equally and pour the sauce over it with the wooden spatula, "Gibaburg" is finished.

"Ah. Please sit down for a while."

I run to the food storage and brought poitan that was laid down.

However, there is no one that can recognize that it was poitan now.

When she sees the object on the rubber tree leaves, she tilt her head to one side while looking doubtful.

An cream colored object that is a little flat and perfectly round.

When someone that comes from the same birthplace as me look at it, they will probably says that it's Indian cuisine "nan" or "Okonomiyaki that doesn't contain ingredients."

This is the true ident.i.ty of poitan.

"Well, let's eat while it's still hot! I will explain this thing later."