Putting Aside Nationalistic Bias, It’s Really Delicious

3 – Bulgogi is Essential in a Knight’s Restaurant

What is the most important thing for a bulgogi set meal?

Warm rice?

Or is it properly ripe kimchi?

If it’s not those, is it various side dishes?

While the above factors are important in determining the taste of the bulgogi set, the most crucial aspect is, of course, the bulgogi itself.

The taste of the set depends on how deliciously the bulgogi is made.

And what determines the taste of the bulgogi is, of course, what kind of meat is used.

I looked at the frozen meat placed on the cutting board.

Despite being frozen, the crimson glow of the meat clearly conveyed its freshness.

It was the kind of meat that made one think that it would be delicious even if grilled without any seasoning.

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Fog.

An animal that stood in for pigs in this world.

It was truly a fantastic ingredient.

Personally, I found it to be more tender and enjoyable in texture than pork, making it my favorite kind of meat.

Like pigs, Fog walked on all fours.

Its name came from the fact that its cries sounded like “fog fog.”

I would have wanted to criticize the author’s imagination, but he wouldn’t have known.

How would he know that the world in the novel he created actually exists?

Fortunately, in this world, they didn’t catch and eat orcs like pigs.

Since orcs also had some semblance of intellect, it was illegal to consume orc meat even in the empire.

I couldn’t describe how surprised I was when the memories of my previous life first arose.

Many of the flora and fauna of this world were similar to those of my previous life.

It was probably because the author of the fantasy novel was Korean.

It was a blessing for me.

Being able to indirectly taste the flavors of my hometown had been very good for my mental health.

Anyway, the reason I had frozen this Fog meat was entirely to prepare bulgogi.

Bulgogi with a suitable thinness that could disappear the moment it enters one’s mouth and is chewed.

An appropriate thickness that should be neither too thick nor too thin was required.

I imbued my kitchen knife with mana.

With a mana-infused blue glow, I thinly sliced the front legs of the Fog.

Isn’t it too excessive to use mana just for cutting meat?

I didn’t know any better.

Putting my all into cutting the meat was the key skill that allowed me to survive as a cook in this world.

When I carried mana and cut the meat, the texture of the meat seemed to come more alive.

It was a know-how that I had learned from my experience as a cook.

Scrape, scrape.

The sound of frozen meat being sliced tickled my ears.

The thin, pinkish fog meat, sliced to the thickness of a brisket, piled up neatly.

“That’s amazing.”

“Is it amazing how I cut the meat?”

“No, it’s more amazing that you use mana when cutting the meat.”

“Ah, this is my own training method.”

“Really?”

“Everyone else gets stronger by training, but I can’t fall behind just because I’m making food.”

When cutting meat, I trained my mana, built up physical strength when making soup for 530 people with a ladle, and practiced endurance and concentration by cooking 530 fried eggs.

Did I put a lot of effort into not dying in my own way?

That’s why I was able to retire so stylishly.

Long live the cook’s training method.

I thinly sliced the fog’s front leg and stacked it neatly before transferring it to a bowl.

While the meat melted, I prepared the other ingredients.

I took green onions out of the refrigerator.

Green onions were also green onions in this world.

Once again, I must say that the naming sense of the fantasy novel author I saw was not that high.

Some things were called differently, while others borrowed their names from their past lives.

It was quite arbitrary.

Thanks to that, it was easy to distinguish the ingredients.

“Huh? That’s a green onion, isn’t it? You’re going to use that in the dish too?”

“Yes, it’s a key ingredient.”

“Uh… But isn’t that an ingredient for alchemy?”

“It tastes better than you think.”

Liana’s complexion paled on the spot.

That’s what they call a preconceived notion.

As if it’s a big deal to cook with alchemical ingredients.

He washed the cutting board and Chinese knife, and then sliced green onions on it.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

The pleasant sound was like playing a drum.

The unique pungent aroma of fresh green onions slowly rose as they were chopped.

He took out a garlic clove and smashed it with the side of the Chinese knife and mince it.

Getting the basic ingredients ready, he then took out soy sauce.

“What is that black liquid?”

Liana, who seemed to be watching the cooking process for the first time, couldn’t help but ask every little detail.

“It’s called soy sauce. It’s a fermented sauce made from beans. It has a great salty taste. Would you like to try it?”

“Is it alright? It looks suspiciously black…”

“Do you think I’d feed poison to the owner of the manor?”

He poured a little bit of soy sauce into a small teaspoon and handed it to her.

Slurp.

Liana brushed her hair to the side and sipped the soy sauce from the spoon.

“Ugh! It’s salty!”

“That’s the taste.”

“It’s totally like salt, isn’t it?”

“That’s what we use to season the dish.”

“The world of cooking is vast. It’s not even salt, but using this black liquid to season.”

I took out the flavor alcohol that was often used in cooking in the empire.

It was different from the one in Korea, my hometown in my previous life, but there was no problem with adding flavor.

And even sesame oil.

By the time all the ingredients were prepared, the blood was already flowing from the thawed front leg of the porg.

I gently squeezed the meat to remove the blood.

I prepared a single serving of bulgogi.

In the porg meat with the blood removed, I added the freshly chopped green onions, minced garlic, soy sauce, flavor alcohol, and a spoonful of sesame oil.

However, it would be bland like this, so I added sugar at the same ratio as the soy sauce to enhance the taste.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m mixing the seasoning with the meat. It will give it a more stimulating taste.”

A young master with many curiosities.

I massaged the meat here and there so that the seasoning would blend well into it.

And finally.

I took out the prepared pair of juice for bulgogi.

It was a fruit with a crunchy and sweet flesh that mixed with the juice as soon as it entered the mouth.

That’s right. It was a pear.

The pears in this world were a bit different in shape from the ones I knew.

It looked like a gourd, which was a bit repulsive, but it was still delicious.

This would bring out the umami taste in the bulgogi.

After applying the final pear juice seasoning on the meat, I asked Radia.

“Can you handle spicy food?”

“I eat it well! I’m rumored to be good at eating spicy food in the self-proclaimed house.”

“You have some spiciness.”

“Spiciness…?”

“It’s something you say to people who can handle spicy food.”

“Ah, in that case, it’s true. I can handle the heat!”

In that case, it should be fine to add just a bit of red pepper paste.

In this world, people aren’t very good at handling spicy food, so I always had to be careful.

I’ve made a similar mistake before.

There’s no need to bring up unpleasant memories.

Finally, I added a bit of red pepper paste and red pepper powder to enhance the flavor.

The marinated meat turned slightly red.

All that was left was to cook the meat.

Whoosh!

As I pressed the switch, a small magical circle shone bright, and flames burst forth.

“This is what they call the Flare Range, which many kitchen masters use nowadays.”

I poured oil into a sufficiently heated frying pan.

As I placed the meat on the hot oil.

Sizzle!

A delightful sound accompanied the well-seasoned meat as it cooked, releasing a pleasant aroma.

The scent of seasoning and cooking meat rose in the white steam.

“Wow… the smell is just amazing!”

“Didn’t I tell you? Enjoying food is not only about taste.”

“I can see what you mean.”

Riana twitched her nose as she smelled the aroma of the cooking meat.

I shook the frying pan, making sure the heat reached all sides of the meat.

Usually, the seasoning burns at a much lower temperature than the meat.

So, if the heat isn’t adjusted properly, the seasoning might burn before the meat is fully cooked.

If left like this, the seasoning may burn, and the taste will be lost.

He poured about half a cup of water over it.

There’s a saying by a famous Korean chef who runs a YouTube channel.

If you think the meat seasoning will burn, just pour a little water.

Then it’ll never burn.

That’s true.

Just pouring water makes everything okay.

As the water evaporates and the seasoning permeates the meat, the meat will cook thoroughly and the seasoning will spread deliciously.

When the meat was somewhat cooked, he roughly chopped onions and green onions and added them to the pan where the meat was grilled.

Sizzle!

The pleasant sound echoed once more.

When the visually delightful and deliciously sounding dish was finished, even the untouched rice was fully cooked and steamed.

“The smell is so good.”

The color is good too.

“The texture is good as well.”

He filled a rice bowl with freshly cooked rice and placed the sizzling, freshly cooked bulgogi on a large plate.

Before the store opened, he transferred the pre-prepared lettuce and various wraps to a wooden basket made specifically for wrapping vegetables while enjoying the pleasant smell.

He didn’t bother with plating.

Isn’t that the charm of a diner-style Bulgogi?

He completed a full Korean set meal on a tray by transferring kimchi and side dishes to three small dishes.

Clink.

Riana, who had been curiously staring at the kitchen, smelled the aroma and swallowed her saliva.

“I’m drooling.”

“It’s my first time seeing these dishes… But they smell so good.”

“You know white rice, right?”

“Yeah. I heard it’s been famous as a luxury food among the nobles in the capital since three years ago…”

Upon seeing the completed meal on the tray, Liana’s face turned toward me.

Glistening white rice, with crisp lettuce and vegetables for wrapping, accompanied by red kimchi and various side dishes, and finally, the star of the dish – the brilliantly presented bulgogi.

“Could this be white rice?”

“Yes, it is. Here is the bulgogi meal.”

“Such a meal for 10 silver…?”

With a look of disbelief, Liana alternated between looking at me and the food and then gazed at the meal in front of her.

“You can eat it with chopsticks and a spoon, but if that’s too difficult, you can use a fork.”

“No, I can use chopsticks as well. It’s a basic etiquette for nobles these days.”

Liana struggled as she awkwardly held her chopsticks.

With some difficulty, she managed to pick up a piece of bulgogi and placed it in her mouth.

“Mmm~.”

“Do you like it?”

Her eyes sparkled.

A bright smile spread across her face as she relished the mouth full of meat.

I know that feeling.

The familiar taste only made it more unbearable.

“Do you like it?”

“Are you kidding?”

“Try eating it with the rice.”

She scooped up some white rice with a spoon, topped it with a piece of meat, and took another big bite.

“Mmm~~~!!”

A blissful smile.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that I cooked just to see that smile.

I am satisfied.

With this, the bulgogi fulfilled its role perfectly.

“Try it with the fresh vegetables. Also, have some ssamjang on the side.”

“Ssamjang… Is that the name of the orange sauce?”

“Yes. It’s a creation from our kitchen.”

I briefly explained to her how to eat it.

“Just hold it like this and transfer each ingredient one by one.”

Following my lead, Liana placed rice and meat on the ssam vegetables and drizzled ssamjang on top.

And then, a bite.

Her cheeks puffed up like a hamster, a rather cute sight.

Chew, chew.

The face that had doubted if there could be more surprises was now filled with certainty and joy.

I watched Liana savor the food, enjoying the remarkable transformation.

Her expression seemed like she might faint any moment.

“Is it worth 10 silver?”

With her mouth full of ssam, she raised her head.

“Can’t do it?”

“Mmm-hmm!”

She vigorously nodded again.

Chew, chew, after a while, she swallowed and exclaimed loudly.

“1 gold! This is a dish worth 1 gold!”

Offering ten times the original price of 10 silver.

Isn’t that too generous?

“It’s really delicious! I think I’ll become a regular here! How… How did such a skilled chef end up in our territory?”

She was now fully engrossed in the food.

As if not wanting any more interruptions to this sacred ritual, she brought her face close to the plate.

“Phew! Ha! It’s spicy. Wow… It’s really flavorful. Haha.”

Seeing her eating absentmindedly with sweat on her forehead, I started to feel hungry as well.

*Gurgle*

I put about half a bowl of the remaining rice into the pan I had just cooked the meat in.

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White rice was placed on top of the meat’s oil, seasoning, and the not-yet-fully served bulgogi.

Though it’s not proper for a chef to eat in front of the guests, I decided to have some myself.

I hadn’t eaten anything since the morning.

After grilling bulgogi, it’s definitely fried rice.

This red sauce mixed with meat oil and seasoning is the real rice thief.

I turned the fire back on.