Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

Here’s Some Miso Eggplant To Go With Your Rice

“…Eggplant?”

“Yeah, miso eggplant.”

“Why eggplant, all of a sudden?”

As Yakk looked puzzled, Yuuri answered while tossing a pile of eggplants into the sink. For tonight’s dinner side dish, Yuuri had brought out an impressive amount of eggplant. Yakk didn’t dislike eggplant, but wasn’t another vegetable planned for tonight? Well, it’s not uncommon for the menu to differ from the original plan.

“It’s not that I really want eggplant, but I thought I’d make miso eggplant.”

“Why miso?”

“Everyone’s been asking if miso can be used for anything besides soup. So I thought I’d make a delicious miso dish for them.”

“I see.”

Satisfied with Yuuri’s usual reasoning, Yakk nodded. It was true: miso was mostly used as a hidden flavor or for soup. Since miso was a recently introduced condiment by Halows, no one really knew how to use it. Yuuri, however, had been thrilled by it, even using it as a secret ingredient in dishes like meatballs. So Yuuri decided to showcase a tasty miso dish and chose miso eggplant from his repertoire.

Miso eggplant, more accurately, is stir-fried eggplant seasoned with miso. It’s a simple dish where stir-fried eggplant is flavored with miso. However, the flavoring varies from household to household—it can be sweet, sweet-spicy, or even spicy. Sometimes it’s cooked with minced meat, carrots, onions, or other vegetables, but Yuuri’s version is eggplant-only. A straightforward enjoyment of eggplant in miso.

“Let’s start by washing the eggplant!”

“Got it!”

The two happily washing a mountain of eggplants together was a heartwarming sight. Whenever Yuuri and Yakk busied themselves like this, those passing by couldn’t help but smile warmly. It was likely because their earnest efforts exuded a peculiar charm. In this case, “charm” was akin to the endearing image of young children trying their best. Though Yakk was thirteen, Yuuri, despite being seventeen, was also included in that category, thanks to his eternally youthful face.

“Miso eggplant… means eggplant with miso flavor?”

“Kind of like stir-fried eggplant in miso sauce.”

“Ah. Is it tasty?”

“Personally, it’s great with rice. Miso gives it a robust flavor.”

“Got it. I’ll do my best!”

“Yakk, you’re so easy to read…”

Yuuri chuckled at Yakk’s declaration to work hard for delicious food. But he understood the sentiment. Yuuri, too, was putting in the effort for tasty meals. And it felt good when someone like Yakk openly expressed joy about it. Peace reigned at the hideout again today. The washed eggplants had their stems and ends removed. Any damaged parts of the skin were cut off, but the rest was left intact. The eggplants were halved lengthwise, then sliced diagonally into bite-sized pieces. While Yuuri quickly chopped through the large pile, Yakk followed instructions, placing the cut pieces into a water-filled bowl.

Removing the bitterness from eggplant is often skipped for stir-fried or fried dishes since draining the water can be a hassle. However, with so many eggplants this time, Yuuri decided to soak them. One after another, the pieces were tossed into the bowl. A ten-minute soak would suffice.

Once all the eggplants were cut and in the bowl, it was time to prepare the seasoning. As the name implies, the main ingredient for miso eggplant is miso. But it’s not just about throwing miso directly into the pan with the eggplant. Some additional seasonings are added to adjust the flavor.

First, the miso was placed in a bowl. For smaller portions, a small dish would work, but with so many people at the hideout, a bowl was necessary. The miso was red, so sugar was added for sweetness, along with a small amount of kombu dashi. For convenience, Yuuri sometimes used powdered dashi dissolved in water, but today he had kombu dashi, so he used that. Then sake and soy sauce were added in small amounts and mixed together.

As Yuuri swirled the mixture and tasted it, Yakk murmured under his breath.

“…If you add kombu dashi, won’t Magg go crazy for it again…?”

“…Well, yeah, probably. But without dashi, it wouldn’t taste as good…”

“…True.”

The two shared a faraway look. Magg was a dashi fanatic and could detect even a hint of it.

And this time, it was kombu dashi—Magg’s favorite. Their minds conjured an image of Magg clutching a giant plate of food.

“Let’s just make Magg his own big plate!”

“Y-Yeah! Good idea, Yuuri!”

“That way, once he finishes that, we can say no refills!”

“Brilliant plan!”

They nodded in agreement. Though they suspected that if Magg wasn’t satisfied, he’d probably swipe food from Urgus. Still, Urgus would likely defend his share while bickering, so they decided to leave it be. For the record, Magg had never stolen food from Yuuri or Yakk. Camille occasionally lost in food fights, while Urgus was constantly clashing with Magg—likely due to their close age and long friendship.

Refocusing, they returned to cooking. The soaked eggplant was drained using a colander. Yakk marveled at the water, now tinted by the eggplants’ color. This was simply proof of eggplants being a bitter vegetable. Yuuri secretly found the colored water amusing. It reminded him of a school project on plant dyeing, where he’d thrown in various vegetables to play with the colors.

“Alright, now that the water’s drained, let’s stir-fry the eggplant.”

“Got it. Yuuri, what oil should we use?”

“Sesame oil.”

“Understood!”

Yakk grabbed the sesame oil and handed it to Yuuri, who poured a generous amount into a heated frying pan. It might seem excessive, but eggplants are notorious for soaking up oil. Not to worry—eggplants are kind enough to release the excess when they’re done absorbing. Once the oil was hot, the eggplants were added to the pan. The remaining water and oil sizzled and spat, but Yuuri paid it no mind, using a spatula to stir-fry. When the eggplants became tender, the miso mixture was added. The dish was stirred over medium heat to evenly coat everything.

The finished miso eggplant was divided onto several large plates. One of these was set aside for Magg, just in case. Given Magg’s dashi obsession, there was no way he wouldn’t notice. Yuuri did what he could to prepare for the inevitable.

“Want to taste it?”

“Yeah!”

“Careful, it’s hot.”

“Got it!”